How to Modify a Car to Accept E85
Ethanol is a plant-derived alcohol, primarily taken from corn, which is used as an alternative fuel. In the United States ethanol is typically used as a additive to gasoline with many current gas blends using up to ten percent ethanol (labeled as "E10"). Other mixtures also exist including E70, E85 and E100. Problems arise form the fact that ethanol absorbs water and separates faster than gasoline and is corrosive to the non-metallic parts of an automobile fuel system. Converting to an ethanol-based fuel system makes your car pollute less (contributing less to global climate change) and makes the vehicle ready for future availability of ethanol.
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Things You'll Need
- Engine oil
- Oil filter
- E85 fuel conversion kit
- Engine protection agent
- Upper cylinder treatment
- Drill
- 2 screws
Instructions
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1
Make sure the vehicle is in proper working order before beginning the conversion to ethanol. Since a vehicle shouldn't be run on ethanol unless it is in good condition, and may take hundreds of dollars to get into shape.
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2
Purchase an E85 fuel conversion kit. Make sure to purchase the correct version for the vehicle model. Read all possible information of the kit and make sure that it comes with all necessary components before purchasing.
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3
Add the engine treatment agent and upper cylinder treatment which come with the fuel conversion kit. The engine treat should only be installed following the new oil added with the filter change. The cylinder treatment should be added to a full tank of gasoline.
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4
Mount the computer flex-fuel adapter to a solid surface in the engine, usually the firewall or inner fending wall. Drill two holes into the surface, not through the unit, and screw it into place. Plug fuel injector wires into the appropriate "female" connectors. Keep the computer unit and wires away from heated areas of the engine. As connections differ between models, consult the fuel conversion kit manual for the specifics of which injector plugs to which connector.
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5
Remove any rust, paint or dirt from the vehicle chassis until the metal is all cleaned. Place the negative ground wire directly where the chassis has been cleaned. Secure the wire by bolting the ground lug to the chassis. Grease or paint the area to prevent it from rusting.
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6
Disconnect the original wiring harness and connect the flex fuel injector leads to each of the fuel injectors. Plug each of the "female" leads into the correct fuel injectors and then each "male" end into the "female" ends of the factory wiring harness plugs.
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Tips & Warnings
The vehicle must drive through two full tanks of gasoline before converting to E85.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
