can cars burn pure ethanol, 100%, without making changes to motor?

Answer 1

Yes you can run 100% ethanol in older cars. I've done it, but it doesn't help with anything except cleaning up "emissions" for your smog test.

One of the main problems is that 100% ethanol needs a high compression ratio to give you any performance boost.

Furthermore, the materials in the fuel system of most cars are soluble to some extent in ethanol...meaning you'll destroy your fuel system and clog up jets, injectors, fuel pumps, etc....with rubber/plastic goo.

100% methanol does not leave an oil film on the top end cylinder walls after combustion like gasoline (to some extent), diesel or LP gas do. This results in faster top ring/cylinder wear.

Answer 2

No, but older cars can just by increasing the venturi jet size in the carburator.

Ethanol has about 30% less chemical energy in it than gasoline, so you need to have the engine "inject" 30% more fuel for doing the same thing you used to do.

However if the engine is built with much higher compression to run ONLY on ethanol, it will deliver more horsepower and BETTER fuel economy!

About last Sundays Indy 500:

"But unlike its fossil fuel cousin, ethanol is made from grains like corn. Drivers said it's a green fuel that improves mileage by 30 percent, which allows for smaller fuel tanks.

"Instead of running 30 gallons you're running 22, so you have 8 gallons less of weight in the car," said Jeff Simmons of Team Ethanol."

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/13364376/detail.html

(Hey, thats an idea. I wonder if I could fit an ethanol indy car engine under the hood of a old buick?)

Answer 3

Seems to depend on the year model of the car. The wik mentioned this

" Post-1988 fuel-injected cars are designed to accept E10 fuel, and may be tolerant of higher concentrations of ethanol to varying degrees, usually up to at least 20% (Show me the proof!!)"

E10 = 10% ethanol.

also
" Beginning with the model year 1999, an increasing number of vehicles in the world are manufactured with engines which can run on any fuel from 0% ethanol up to 100% ethanol without modification."

Answer 4

You need to install a flexible fuel converter - which actually connects to your fuel injectors. Without this your car will not run properly on anything over about 40% ethanol. The units are available for $400-600 and could be self installed but it is better to find a mechanic to do it - it only takes about an hour.

Answer 5

organic ethanol won't paintings nicely in a motor vehicle. The vapor component is to low to get the motor vehicle began with only ethanol. As for you intend what gas are you going to apply to make you ethanol. It take the flexibility equivalent of two gallons of ethanol to make a million gallon of ethanol. it truly is the reason ethanol is so high priced.

Answer 6

Nope, you'd have to re-jet carb, resize fuel injectors, and deal with whatever happens from the corrosiveness of ethanol.

You definitely, positively can't build a car that you can put ethanol in one fillup, and gasoline the next fillup, and have it work right. If you want that kind of fuel versatility, go diesel, and you can burn anything from jet fuel to lard.

Answer 7

No, the engines have to be special designed. Check out Brazil for a successful alternative fuels program. They suffered along the way but finally are independent of oil.

Answer 8

No one would be required to alter the engine to run on pure ethanol.

Answer 9

I had always heard that you could, but it wasn't a good idea. I've heard of hillbillies who run their cars on moonshine, so I suppose it's possible.

Answer 10

No not safely.