anyone out there know how to make there charger run off E85??

[440charger68]

if any of u guys dont know e85 is 85% gas 15% ethanol and is almost a dollar cheaper in my area. Do u guys know how i could run my charger off e85?? its currentls a 68 charger with a standard 318, but im buildin it now to get me about 330hp 

[LeadfootBob]

Consider the fact that your car will drink more with the ethanol, something like 15-20% more. Less energy per unit of propellant. The only real reason I see for an ethanol conversion (unless it's RIDICULOUSLY cheap) is for high compression/forced induction applications.
And it's 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline :-)

[440charger68]

oh ahaha its 85% ethanol 15% gas  i feel like a idiot haha

[Hemidog]

Tom (Mefirst) is trying to run his street/drag hemi on E85.
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,42629.0.html

[Mefirst]

The modification you have to do is: Change out the carb meteringblocks (they have to flow more if running on E85), go up about 5 sizes in main jets (30%), go up in needle size. Upgrade the ignition system. The spark has to be strong to ignite E85, the stock Mopar ign. system wont be strong enough.

You can buy a ready made carb or just buy a kit and redo your current carb...

/Tom

[suntech]

Remember that it is 30% up in AREA, not in diameter!!!!! 
Also, make sure your hoses are up to E85. Also if you have a carb with "rubbertip style" needlevalve in floater chamber, get comfirmed that rubber on needle is up to E85.

There is  performance gain in it, specially if you bunp up the CR

[Mefirst]

Going up ONE jet size increases the AREA of the jet about 4% if my memory serves me right..

I have read about guys who run close to 16.0:1 compression with E85, but to be on the "safe" side I wouldn't go much over 15.0:1, then again it al depends on the engine combo...

About the needles, the Viton needles can cause issues, better to run a steel or titanium needle. Then again the titanium needle comes in size .150 and that's way to big for your needs.

You need to change out al the gaskets, paper type gaskets wont work with E85.. About the fuel lines. There is NO truth what so ever that E85 would destroy rubber fuel hoses or gaskets that are alcohol compatible!!! The problem comes when you fill up the fueltank with E85 and the alcohol dissolves and loosens up al the crap and rust inside the tank and it gets sucked into the carb..

E85 will how ever leave white residue on gaskets and sometimes inside hoses, this white stuff is parafin, it is part of E85 production mixture. So it is a good thing to empty the fuel system if you leave your ride standing for a long time, this is also something that should be done if running gasoline..

Oil and E85 DONT mix.. even less than oil and gasoline...

/Tom

[RD]

doesnt the supercharger store have a 73 charger with a 440 that they got to run off of E85?

[suntech]

Oil and E85 DONT mix.. even less than oil and gasoline...

HMMMMMMM...........are you sure about that Tom?? I ran a E85 / 98 unleaded on my daughters raceboat......worked fine!!!

Did get trouble with needels though.  Also the valve in the bladderpump on the fuel line!!

[2Gunz]

Doesnt seem like much point to do this.

Gas is cheaper but you need more of it.

Add in the cost and headaches of the conversion......


Where are the plus sides to this?  Other then being the one to make it work.

[aifilaw]

most of the + and - are listed here.
basically it comes down to the only reason to switch to E85 is for a large performance gain IF you increase the static compression ratio, and you don't mind spending more on gas (fuel is cheaper, but will be used up faster). If you are planning an engine rebuild, its definitely something I would consider if the stations nearby offered it.

[Black and Blown]

Thanks guys, for the info.  I am switching over my blower car to e85 this winter.  Should be fun once we get her screwed back together. 

[200MPH]

Any updates on the E85?

[aifilaw]

Answer is the same, if you have a gas station nearby that offers it, and you don't mind spending a little more (fuel price less, gas used faster = overall maybe 10% more in gas money spent), and you BUILD the engine with 13-16:1 compression ratio, then its a great idea.

[suntech]

A little correction here, that i overlooked earlier...... E 85 is 85% ETHANOL and 15% GAS, not the other way around, as stated earlier.

Working on a 2,4 litre 4 sylinder 16 valve engine now, and done some dyno testing. Engine has EFI, and is in the 300 hp range. It has 13,1:1 cr, but because of cams it runs on pump gas, and we can jack up the timing till it looses power, without detonation.
Switching to E 85 picked up another 18 hp on midrange (app 4500-5000 rpm) and 7-8 hp on top. ( 7000 rpm) We had to richen mix app 35% on the entire map, and it needed more timing.
What we are doing now, is to run same setup, and bump the cr up to app 15,5:1........looking forward to see how that will work  One thing is sure though. If you are looking for every hp you can find, E 85 is a very nice way to go, but go through ther hassle, trying to save a buck on gas  nope!

E 85 is also cooling better!! 

[200MPH]

seeing as how Race gas around here is $7 bucks a gallon, and E85 is about $2.40 ish..  i think its an excellent alternative