Topic: Anyone running e85 in their jeeps?

[dtoliver]

I've been running it for about a year on my 95 yj with no problems, but with cold starts it may take a few cranks. But its cheaper than gas and at 105 octane it'll clean out those injectors. To me its a good power add, the jeep definitely runs better and has a tad more pep. Just seein if anyone else has tried it.

[chardrc]

hmm that's interesting.. i would watch your plastic / rubber fuel lines to make sure they don't get eaten up by the ethanol... i put 5 gallons of nonoxy premium fuel in my jeep and it is running better and stooped back firing when shifting (ok its still there but much quieter (have to listen for it)... if it truly runs better keep on keeping on.. more power is always better. 

[Jeffy]

Generally speaking most EFI engines are fine using E10.  E85 isn't that far off so if it's OK for E10 there is a pretty good chance E85 won't harm anything in the short term.

The octane rating does not mean there are going to be detergents in the fuel.  Unless your engine is built to take advantage of the higher octane then you're not seeing any benefits.  Also, keep in mind that E85 has less energy then E10 or Methanol so any saving at the pump are lost when you have to full up more often.

If your engine backfires with 87, you probably have carbon build up which is increasing the compression ratio and causing the misfire.  In which case higher octane would help mask the real issue.

[Bikerjr1]

I would worry about long term use in the plastic gas tank, E85 ain't that friendly to some kinds.  If you have a metal tank E85 attracts water based on its chemical makeup, rust might be an issue.
JR

[chardrc]

If your engine backfires with 87, you probably have carbon build up which is increasing the compression ratio and causing the misfire.  In which case higher octane would help mask the real issue.

ya that's what the logical side of my brain says... 

[Castr8r]

What's available at the pumps is either "E-10" or E-85; E-90 is not approved for motor vehicle use.  They haven't approved E-15 either; go figure.  "E-10" is the gasohol that is 10% alcohol, and E-85 is 85% alcohol.

I run whatever is cheapest, generally speaking, it's gasohol or "E-10" in my area.   It works; I think the gasohol is a little better in keeping the fuel system clean and free of moisture.  Alcohol absorbs water and carries it thru the system to be burned in the combustion process.  I've had mechanics tell me that large amounts of water would "gel" in E-85, but I haven't talked to any that have actually seen it.  From my limited understanding of chemistry, I doubt it.  I've never seen any alcohol/water combination "gel".  As for worrying about the plastic gas tanks, most vehicles have them and run gasohol with zero problems; not a problem.  My truck is E-85 compatible, and the mileage sucks even worse when running it- I'm lucky to get 13-14 mpg.  To really reap the benefits of E-85, the compression ratio needs to be bumped to around 12 to 1, maybe more.  Since it carries less energy, it may work for towing on hot days with the possibility of less heat energy for the radiator to throw off.  CART and Indie cars run alcohol fuel for that reason- they can run a smaller radiator and reduce the frontal area which equals higher speeds.

[Jeffy]

Whoops, I meant E-10 not E-90.   

[jfrabat]

Generally speaking most EFI engines are fine using E10.  E85 isn't that far off so if it's OK for E10 there is a pretty good chance E85 won't harm anything in the short term.

The octane rating does not mean there are going to be detergents in the fuel.  Unless your engine is built to take advantage of the higher octane then you're not seeing any benefits.  Also, keep in mind that E85 has less energy then E10 or Methanol so any saving at the pump are lost when you have to full up more often.

If your engine backfires with 87, you probably have carbon build up which is increasing the compression ratio and causing the misfire.  In which case higher octane would help mask the real issue.

This is a god point; a lot of people buy the higher octane rating because they think it is "better"; but the octane rating of a gasoline only tells you the resistance of the fuel to explode due to compression (dieseling).  When gas ignites by compression rather than because of the spark from the spark plug, it causes knocking in the engine. Lower-octane gas (like "regular" 87-octane gasoline) can handle the least amount of compression before igniting.


So if your Jeep or car runs fine with 87 octanes, the only thing you achieve by using 95 octanes is to spend more money on fuel, as the 87 octane was not igniting by compression anyway...  Of course, if you mod the engine to increase compression, then you will need to step up to a higher octane fuel to compensate for the increase of compression.

Now, while it is true that one of the advantages of E85 is that it has more resistance to dieseling, the disadvantage is that it has less calories (as Jeffy pointed out), which means that you need more fuel for the same power output.  With the higher octane rating, however, you can also go for higher compression ratio to get more power out of each explosion, but if you increase that too much, then it means that you can no longer run regular gas, so any flex-fuel car is basically a tradeoff of performance and economy...  In my case, I prefer to use good old gasoline and maybe step up the compression a bit and use a higher rating of gas (in Panama, regular gasoline is 91 octanes anyway; I still have not checked how Costa Rica is).

[SoPo94YJ]

E85 is one of the most non-beneficial fuels on the planet right now. It takes more fuel to harvest the corn and make the fuel then it would take to just sell the gasoline and diesel. The 105 octane might make you feel good, but Ethanol (E85) eats plastic and rubber, and isnt close to 10% ethanol at all. Most modern vehicles cant handle more than 10% without causing problems, hence why they started making ethanol additives. Ethanol provides worse gas mileage, and doesnt burn much cleaner than gas does. The only reason you get the 105octane is from all the alcohol in the fuel. Auto makers only started the E85 craze to make the tree huggers happy while they took more time to make their hybrids. You may be having good luck with it so far, but i would recommend against it. I had to spend 24hours (3 days worth) of college classes in automotive school learning about this crap they are pushing.

[dwtaylorpdx]

The o-rings on your injectors are not Alcohol rated on a 95 if they are original those are the ones I'd keep an eye on. The e-10 seems OK but its an easy route to a car-b-que if they fail.

Ethanol is such a disaster ecologically. Most of its coming from Brazil, yet more rain forest killed to grow cane.

Last number I saw is its 1.3 units of crude oil to make 1 unit of Ethanol. If it were not for subsidies and NAFTA Ethanol would die.

Dave