Well…….It’s over. I ran E-85 in my TT for a year. No noticeable corrosion. No stuck valves. No sticking floats. No blockages caused by crud in the system being broke loose and flowing downstream. No huge repair bills. No 'wrecking' of my fuel system, and no piggy back rides on a roll-back as some predicted.
Gas mileage was about 79% of what it is on gasoline. While not readily apparent in normal driving, tests showed an approximate 16% reduction in power. Needle valve has to be opened 1/4 to 1/2 turn more than on gas. Cold weather starting SUCKS! Starting fluid helps sometimes, but warming the manifold with a torch was needed on several cold mornings. It seemed to take forever to get the engine warm enough for it to run properly in the dead of Winter. Richening the mixture didn't seem to help. I was glad to see warmer weather, as it runs MUCH better.
So, will a T run on ethanol without corroding the entire fuel system? Yes, but it will cost you more to do so and your performance will suffer, especially in cold weather.
If you are interested, here is a link to the other reports of the experiment:
First Tank http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/179374/217625.html?1308273702
90 Day Report http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/179374/237782.html?1316983539
6 Month Report http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/179374/256676.html?1325434576
9 Month Report http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/257047/278368.html?1332882010
Performance Testing http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/257047/260437.html?1326696118
Here are the final photos. Please feel free to compare them to the ones in the 90 day report.
Tank Interior. I tried to get a shot of my mirror in the tank but it wouldn't come out. Upper interior surface of tank is perfectly shiny electro-galvanizing.
Sample from Sediment Bowl
Sample from float bowl. (Samples are smaller when you close the shut-off valve first.)
Hal,
Thanks for the update. It looks like if prices are favorable E85 is a great option in warm weather. If it was cold maybe some period accessories would be fun.
Matthew
Hal, that can't possibly be correct, Royce said so! Dave
Listen, Hal has had a very unusual experience with E85. What keeps his car's fuel system from rusting is a mystery.
As for using it in warm weather, try driving with a plug wire off to see if you like losing a lot of power.
This stuff is fine in a computer controlled vehicle that was designed to use it. Not good in our cars, and there is no money savings at any price point due to the extremely poor mileage. Read what Hal posted.
A review for the slow kids:
Hard to start.
Poor mileage.
Significant loss of power.
And a waste of taxpayer dollars in my opinion!~
Flame resistant clothing on!
Brian
Hal, Thanks for taking the time to actually test and share your data on using E85. The propagation of misinformation sadly occurs way too often on this forum in my experience.
Where did the idea that gasohol would cause corrosion, you are more likely to have corrosion problems if you never run some alcohol through you gas system. The best benefit from running an occasional tank of gasohol as it removes the moisture from the system. The biggest problem associated with automobiles with gasohol is lower performance, vapor locking in hot weather and short storage live of the fuel. But the biggest problem with using alcohol in fuel is is means that thousands of people will starve somewhere in the world.
Best
Gus
I do have one question. If the needle valve needs to be opened up and the gas mileage is 79% of regular gas, are we getting cylinder walls washed with the left over fuel?
Doug,
E85 runs at a richer stoichiometric mixture level than gasoline. So there is less oxygen in every stroke of the piston, but more fuel. From memory I believe gasoline is typically around 1r parts air to one part fuel. E85 is about ten parts air to one part fuel. Meanwhile E85 has less BTU per gallon, so not only must you use more you get less power.
It really is rotten stuff as Hal has shown us.
I've never bought into the "washing the oil off the cylinder wall" theory. I've heard people say that about using starting fluid. I've heard people say it about opening the throttle on shutdown in order to get a free start. Now we are talking about a quarter turn of the mixture screw? Come on guys! It would take several ounces of liquid solvent several seconds to wash anything off a cylinder wall. In every case mentioned above, there is a tiny amount of vapor mixed in with the air. Sorry, I don't believe it for a minute.
And NO! I'm not doing a year long experiment to prove it.
Thanks for doing this Hal. This sort of real information is interesting, and no real surprise!
I was typing on my Blackberry and did not notice the mistake in my response. It should have said:
Doug,
E85 runs at a richer stoichiometric mixture level than gasoline. So there is less oxygen in every stroke of the piston, but more fuel. From memory I believe gasoline is typically around 12 parts air to one part fuel for best power. E85 is about ten parts air to one part fuel for best power. Meanwhile E85 has less BTU per gallon, so not only must you use more you get less power.
It really is rotten stuff as Hal has shown us.
I might point out that the problem with using ether is not washing the cylinder walls, but the detonation, it can break rings.
Best
Gus