New Gas here E85

[Harold Egner]

We have a 2002 Sport Trac 4x4 want to know that do we have to do to the sweet baby to burn the new E 85 gas which is comming to michigan? what do wehave to change? ect.



Thanking you so much. our e mail is [email protected]

 

[D Knx]

Here is Ford's website on ethanol, may not answer your question on how you can convert your vehicle, but it may give you some helpful info.



http://www.ford.com/en/vehicles/specialtyVehicles/environmental/ethanol.htm



D-

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

And for those that don't like to cut-n-paste.

 

[Tom Schindler]

...and if your vehicle is not E-85 compatable, don't bother converting it over. You loose gas mileage and the E-85 isn't really any cheaper.





Tom

 

[Chad Merry]

Jack,

After reading your post are you sure you are even old enough to drive?

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Chad said:

After reading your post are you sure you are even old enough to drive?

Chad, given Jack's profile I can assume he is about 68. I also assume your comment is geared towards the grammatical correctness of his post? If so, there are probably more respectful ways to bring that issue to his attention.



Jack, when I googled "2002 Sport Trac E85" I found a couple of websites (like the Iowa state E85 site) that mentioned that "select" 2002 Tracs were already E85 capable, though I find that hard to believe. Still, check for a FFV (Flexible Fueled Vehicle) sticker under the hood, above the radiator. If you have one, you are set, if not look at the site Rodger mentioned and consider what Caymen is saying (that it probably isn't economically worth the refit).



TJR

 

[Richard L]

Caymen is correct. It is far too expensive to convert a gasoline only engine to a flex-fuel E85 behicle. Most of the fuel system components would have to be changed as well as the computer and you would also need to install a special octane sensor that the flex-fuel engines use to determine the actual percentage of Ethynol present in the fuel.



It would be cheaper and more reliable to just trade your 2002 Sport Trac in on a later model with the Flex-fuel engine. However, since the cost of E85 is about the same as gasoline, but with 20% less MPG it's not likely iyou would ever get your money back unless you need to get a newer truck.



...Rich

 

[Harold Egner]

Thanks all. oh yes I am not the best at typing thanks CHAD

 

[Mike Wilson]

Unless you are a "Card Carrying Member" of the "International Tree Huggers Association",

right now, there are no real-world benefits to running E-85 in any vehicle.

Approximately, the same price as gasoline, less miles per gallon, and there are not enough

vehicles on the road, nor enough fueling stations, to make this a viable, alternative fuel

source as of today.

Sorry, but as of now, Dino is the Way to Go!

 

[Marsha Walker]

30 to 40 cents cheaper per gallon here in Iowa. Maybe you should move. So much of a difference its got me looking to trade the ST in on a flex fuel ride.

 

[Jeremiah Morgan]

The sticker that tells ya is on the fuel lid!



It is worthless buying E85 fuel for several reasons....It has lower octane. Most people don't buy it, so they use 87 octane or higher. With less octane most of the time it will start to ping!! So therefore the ecu is going to say "ah oh!" we are pinging lets back timing out! Backing timing out is going to lose you power, thus using more gas to get it moving! Less gas mileage is going to result, and the performance will suffer!! Read around a little...Most people will say they got worst gas mileage!! And E85 isn't that much lower anymore!!

 

[Deleted deleted]

lol e85 is 30 to 40 cents HIGHER here than 87 octane, and is only available at 2 stations in the entire city. They got a lot of work on the distribution network to convince me it's a 'bargain'.

 

[Tom Schindler]

It is worthless buying E85 fuel for several reasons....It has lower octane. Most people don't buy it, so they use 87 octane or higher. With less octane most of the time it will start to ping!! So therefore the ecu is going to say "ah oh!" we are pinging lets back timing out! Backing timing out is going to lose you power, thus using more gas to get it moving! Less gas mileage is going to result, and the performance will suffer!! Read around a little...Most people will say they got worst gas mileage!! And E85 isn't that much lower anymore!!

Vehicles produce more horsepower on E-85 then they do on 87 octane.

What is the range of a flexible fuel ethanol vehicle?

Ethanol has less energy content than gasoline. However, E85 also has a much higher octane (ranging from 100 to 105) than gasoline. FFVs are not optimized to E85, so they experience a 5% to 15% drop in fuel economy. This will vary based on temperature and driving conditions. For comparison purposes, aggressive driving habits can result in a 20% loss and low tire pressure can reduce mileage by 6%.



Research indicates Ford FFVs experience a 5% horsepower gain on E85.



The range of any particular vehicle is dependent on the size of the fuel tank and driving habits. Current Ford Taurus FFVs have an 18-gallon fuel tank and will normally travel 350 miles between refuelings.



What is the octane rating of E85 compared to gasoline?

Regular unleaded gasoline has an octane rating of 87; E85 has an octane rating ranging from 100-105 making it a high performance fuel. Ford FFVs produce a 5% horsepower gain when using E85.

Read it for yourself at the link below...





Tom

 

[Ryan Roberson]

Im with Darin i just went by our only station in my city and the price was 3.39 for e85 and for 87 was 2.89 maybe even less.

 

[D Knx]

Only the '04 & '05 ST's are flex fuel vehicles, the other model years are not, including the '07.



Personally, I feel that we as a nation should begin utilizing the alternatives available as well as begin developing new sources of energy.



Our government and industry leaders could start now working on ways to making us energy independent. I'd rather pay higher costs now knowing that in the near future we will be weaning ourselves off foreign oil than continue being used every time the chance to jack up the fuel prices come along.



I also believe that ethanol is being kept as high in price as oil because there'd be an outcry if it remained $1.00 a gallon, while gas rises above $3.00 with no end in sight.



We are capable of building vehicles that can operate on natural gas, ethanol, electricity and gas right now. But it would take vision and courage to pull all the industries together to accomplish this. Essentially it's now a national security issue, not just an environmental one.



D-

 

[Dre L]

GEORGE BUSH DOESN'T CARE ABOUT CORN PEOPLE.



I figure this is the gradual phasing out of Gasoline like they did with leaded gas. As for the oil industry, they'll do just fine, because we'll still need petroleum for other things besides fuel, the only ones getting cut would be the foreign oil from the countries we don't like. You know, the ones who blow stuff up when they get an itch in their pants, the ones that run e-bay scams, and the ones that want to sell F-16's to the ones that want to blow stuff up when they get an itch in their pants.