The filling stations around here have been sprouting 85% ethyl pumps recently, complete with warnings that it’s only for flex-fuel vehicles and also is “not for human consumption.” But I’ve been wondering, I’ve got an very low-tech engine in my 240 (a B20 no less) no knock sensor or ECU or anything, do you think I could run my Volvo off of 85% ehtyl?

 

I would not touch that stuff at all.

Stay as far away as you can.

 

you could run your car off it....but like Tech says, stay away from it. E85 is roughly 100 or higher for an equivalent octane rating. It's not gasoline so "octane" does not really apply. The important thing to know is that it flashes at a higher temperature than good old regular does. The increase in temp is not really that good on a motor set up to run on low octane. Not to mention the compression on your motor is lower than that of a car setup for flex fuel. Any cost benefit to running E85 is going to come out of your exhaust.

 

You will need to run larger injectors.
This is a pretty good write up on E85, by Fredrik: http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=73061

 

denser...not thicker. seems subtle, but there's a difference. thicker means bigger molecular structure. Denser means more of the molecule fits into the same volume compared to a less dense molecule...like gasoline. But gasoline C8H18 is much thicker than Ethynol C2H5OH. The reason for the bigger injectors is because you need 42% more ethynol than gasoline to achieve the same output.

 

That IS a great article btw...

 

Thanks for the info I will edit my post

I meant to say different fuel, but whatever....

Thanks

 

Actually the manual says I should be running 92-octane, I think the B20s are higher compression than the B21s and B23s. I was considering it as an interesting alternative in a post-apocalyptic world with no gasoline, being as my dreary brother keeps telling me my car is very likely to survive the apocalypse.

 

lol....your brother is probably right.

mmMMmmm...your compression might be alright for it then. But like TIPSP pointed out,you'd still need to do something with the injectors.

Post apocalyptically speaking though....I think you'd be alright.

 

But when it eats all the gas lines out of the car and you cannot run it at all till you redo all of them with Stailness Steel lines and fix all the seals it eats im not sure if it wold be work it.

 

It does have a lot of rubber fuel lines, what with its malaise-era fuel-injection system.

 

I've read lots of stuff that says the whole rubber degrading thing is misleading. And now that I think of it....in organic chemistry it's Methanol that degrades rubber...not Ethanol. Close chemically speaking but missing a carbon and has an extra OH on it.

but steal lines FTW anyway!

 

WE had already seen lots of problems with the older cars since they started adding it in to the fuel already. The older cars the fuel pumps were burning up and other problems and when you pull things apart there is like a sludge in there.

Also my Lawnmower did the same thing. I had a can of older gas which was fine and everything was fine. Started using the stuff that has it mixed. And within 1 week the mower would not start. Dropped the float bowl on the carb and it was all gummed up like it had been sitting for months and had never been used.

I think in the future we are looking at alot of trouble in our cars.

 

there's definitely something to that. I guess the fact of the matter is that alcohol....no matter what kind....by definition drys out and therefore degrades rubber.

 

Yes it does.

 

Steel lines suck with any alcohol fuel. Teh alcohol readily absorbs a lot of atmospheric moisture and any moisture that condenses in teh tank, making the fuel corrosive.
Alcohol fuels are fine, IF and only if the vehicle is set up to run it. That means the whole car. It also means proper fuel discipline, like trying to have full to the brim tanks when storing the car etc.
Never mind the fact that current ethanol fuels cost more to make from an emissions/energy standpoint than they save, or that they are hitting food crop prices.
Alcohol fuels may be a solution, but the current methods are not the solution.
Personally, I am waiting for tiny reactors to arrive so I can put a 150Kw electric motor in front of my auto.

Regards, Andrew.