On Wednesday 25 July 2007 06:09 am, Bernd D. Ratsch wrote:
> The "Flex Tek" box is a nice idea
I thought it was a pretty interesting way to get around the biggest problem
with the conversion, needing to push more fuel through the injectors. Bigger
injectors, or different PCM programming would work too, but would require
more work to accomplish. And, if that's the only change, and you find
yourself in an area without E85 available, you could convert it back to gas
only pretty easily.
Not perfect, but an interesting approach.
> but fuel isn't the only thing that needs
> to be changed...plus, $400-$600 isn't going to cover all the proper
> conversion parts (let alone labor).
I'm not sure that there's all that much parts required. Gas has been blended
with ethanol for quite a few years now, so it seems safe to assume that the
components in the engine are able to withstand at least some exposure to
ethanol. Maybe not ideal, and I wouldn't want to be holding the warranty on
the conversion, but the question was could it be done and would it work.
I think it's safe to say that it can be done, and it will work. It may shorten
the life of the engine or some other parts, and it will lead to reduced gas
milage. It's far from an ideal conversion.
> I can see a conversion kit working if
> you plan on only running E85 but what if there is none available in the
> area you're traveling to - that's where the FlexFuel vehicles have the
> advantage - sensors to detect the fuel type, PCM programming for the
> different fuel, and actual materials used in the parts to prevent
> corrosion.
Agreed, if you want to be able to run E85 or E10 or whatever you can find
locally, it's much better if the engineering work has been done and the
system set up to handle it.
I'm not a big fan of E85, but it does seem to be here to stay. Living in an
area surrounded by cornfields, that's not all bad.
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