A little E100 thinkin'
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 13
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From: Braunschweig, Germany
Car: '85 Camaro
Engine: 2.8L MPFI V6
Transmission: TH700R4
A little E100 thinkin'
While i ride on my bicycle today and passed a gas station, reading 1,40 Euro per litre pump fuel (thats around 7,30 US$ per gallon), i remembered my old plans to swap to ethanol fuel, which i can - theoretically - made by myself for far lesser costs. Unfortunately, pure E100 would make the engine a hell to start as long as i dont drive in some very hot desert area (pretty rare here in europe). The thing is, i also wanted to boost my 2.8 up a little bit, considered a turbocharger until yet. But then i again read some tech articles about intercoolers and all that stuff and then it struck me like Bruce Lee's left fist!
Considering the following setup: standard 60° V6 with a top mounted belt driven roots blower (i know it can be mounted anywhere, but top mounted looks coolest), flanged directly to the upper intake plenum (which would be custom built) WITHOUT any kind of intercooler, so the intake air would warm up a lot, helping to ignite the ethanol fuel even at low environment temperatures.
The question i ask is: Would the air temperature get as high as needed for E100 ignition right up from the start? (probably requiring a bigger starter and/or a higher capacity battery)
If yes, this setup would kill two birds with one stone, giving a decent increase in performance while enable starting and running on pure E100.
Considering the following setup: standard 60° V6 with a top mounted belt driven roots blower (i know it can be mounted anywhere, but top mounted looks coolest), flanged directly to the upper intake plenum (which would be custom built) WITHOUT any kind of intercooler, so the intake air would warm up a lot, helping to ignite the ethanol fuel even at low environment temperatures.
The question i ask is: Would the air temperature get as high as needed for E100 ignition right up from the start? (probably requiring a bigger starter and/or a higher capacity battery)
If yes, this setup would kill two birds with one stone, giving a decent increase in performance while enable starting and running on pure E100.
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,777
Likes: 7
From: Casselberry, FLA
Car: 88 V6 'bird/89TBI bird/85 T/A
Engine: 2.8/TBI/TPI
Transmission: V8 T-5/700R4 x2
Axle/Gears: 3.42 open/2.73 open/ 3.27 9 bolt
Re: A little E100 thinkin'
I think you'll have a much bigger problem with the fuel system in general. The alcohol requires buna-n butyl type rubber to resist rot from the alcohol. You need a special fuel pump, replace all fuel hoses, proper injectors, special injector seals, special diaphragm for the fuel pressure regulator and possibly stainless steel fuel lines and tank. That's what many ethanol cars here have, anyway.
Generally even alcohol (ethanol) is not hell in hot weather with a good high volume electric pump with a big return system. A big bulk shot of fuel through the system under pressure usually defeats vapor lock handily. I would start with getting the parts for your car that can live on ethanol and then worry about the blower.
Good luck!
Generally even alcohol (ethanol) is not hell in hot weather with a good high volume electric pump with a big return system. A big bulk shot of fuel through the system under pressure usually defeats vapor lock handily. I would start with getting the parts for your car that can live on ethanol and then worry about the blower.
Good luck!
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