100% Ethanol Fueled Cars

G'day folks :,

I'm new here at the Ford Forum and I'm a big believer in Ethanol and Biodiesel as a furture and, present day source of fuel, that we can brew in the back shed.
I would be interested in learning if anyone is brewing Ethanol and running their cars on straight Ethanol rather than a blend and if so, what results are you getting... good and bad.

Cheers mates :

[ebxr8240]

You may find this interesting..Follow through on links...
Slightly off topic but along similar lines...
http://www.turbomustangs.com/smf/ind...?topic=47094.0

[Lukeyson]

interesting article

[AUIII XR8 MAN]

Not a bad read. Some really interesting stuff about ethanol mix fuel.

[Cespenar]

Originally Posted by ebxr8240

You may find this interesting..Follow through on links...
Slightly off topic but along similar lines...
http://www.turbomustangs.com/smf/ind...?topic=47094.0

An interesting article!
What is MORE interestion is the follow through of certain links!
The Ford biggies are using the 4.6 Mustang motor as used in the Explorer. This is one of the best motors I've experienced. Tremendous acceleration for a 2.1 tonne vehicle + luggage + 5 people.
Holden's big suburban came here with the 5.7, yet the Yanks use a 5.3 in it.
I' thinking that the horsepower race of the BIG 2 may be motivated by a hidden agenda to get rid of our homegrown stuff. By using gas guzzlers and frightening the pollies, we may all be forced to drive front wheel drive wheezers. AAAHHH!

G’day mates,

Thanks for the pointers, it’s much appreciated, I was hoping to get some feedback from other Aussies who are using E85 or straight Ethanol in their Fords but so-far no-one has come onboard.
Anyway, I have spent many hours searching for Ford cars (Australian) running on Ethanol and the only info I can find is for E10 and apparently not all Aussie built Fords can run on E10… never mind E85! But I did find the following list of Aussie built Fords that can safely run on E10 at:
www.dpmc.gov.au/biofuels/report/appendices.doc If you want to check it out, this is a pdf file and here is a list of Aussie built Fords suitable for E10.

All petrol engine vehicles since 1986 will operate satisfactorily on E10 except as listed below.
The following models may not operate satisfactorily on E10 fuel because of drivability concerns:
Focus (All), F-series (1986–1992), Ka (All), Maverick (1988–1993), Mondeo (All), Transit (1996 onwards).

The following models do not operate satisfactorily on E10 fuel:
Capri (1989–1994), Courier (All), Econovan (pre-2002), Festiva (1991–1999), Laser 1.3L & 1.5L (1980–1989), Laser 1.6L (1989–2002), Raider (All), Telstar (All).

I do not see my old but in great nick, 1992 Ford Fairlane Ghia NC, so I guess its okay to run my Fairlane on E10 but I would rather run it on E85...Or straight Ethanol...If possible!
I’ll have a chat with a mechanic mate of mine before I even think of putting Ethanol E85 into the car…can’t afford to replace the engine if I blow it up.

Thanks again for your pointers,

Bill… Kando…With a little help from my friends :

[AU1XLS]

Kando biggest hurdle at present is there are not many servos that can cope with 100% or even 85% ethanol due too fiberglass tanks and lines not to mention what effect it might have on pumps and dispensers, I have no idea at present what effect it has on the newer nylon and or upp tanks and lines.
(I will make enquiries tomorrow)

Its one thing to be able to brew your own in your back yard and get your car to run ok on it but it would be nice to also have a reliable & convenient source of it Australia wide.

Another consideration to take into account is could retail suppliers of ethanol even keep up with demand for users on mass

Im sure it will happen in the future but not without a great deal of expenditure by Oil companies to upgrade manufacturing , storage and retail facilities. And I know if I was an oil company & had heavily invested in my sites I would not be in to much of a hurry to upgrade my existing infrastructure to on sell somebody elses product.

Regards Gary

[TTXPC]

I'll be using E85 as soon as I can get hold of it... It's almost methanol at the pump, and should be very good for high comp turbo motors.

G'day mates,

Thanks for your points of view on Ethanol, good to know what other motorist think.
Gary, if we wait for the big multination oil companies to start mass production of Ethanol for sale at the pumps...I bet they would still charge the same prices as petrol or about two cents under petrol prices...and our government would gladly back them to the hilt...with the multinationals in charge of Ethanol production and sales...the motorist would still end up getting screwed!
For the battler to produce Ethanol in their backyard for their own use, they have to be licensed as a producer, (apparently there is no charge for the licence...at present) and as of 2011 there will be a 38 cents per litre tax on Ethanol produced by anyone!

Sure the oil companies have invested many millions of dollars in their production plants and outlet facilities but let’s not forget... they have, and are continuing to make not millions but "billions" each year! The initial investments/set-up costs for their facilities, world wide, have been recuperated...years ago! Now those billions of dollars are pure profit and a gravy train for the oil companies and the government.

Perhaps if companies such as the Manildra Group based in NSW could get into the fuel supply business...in a big way, then we may see a greater use of Ethanol in cars and it may be sold at a reasonable price to the end user.
Following is part of a report from the Manildra Group.

Since 1992, the group has been producing ethanol from its starch waste streams for industrial and transport fuel applications. The Group has committed over $48 million
to the development of its ethanol operations since 1992, and is planning to double its ethanol production capacity over the next two years.
The Manildra group is the largest private investor in industrial infrastructure in rural New South Wales, and one of the largest in rural Australia generally.

By the way, part of the report states, Manildra currently produces 60 million litres of ethanol per year for industrial alcohol applications and the transport fuel market. Of the 60 million litres of ethanol produced 40 million litres is sold into transport fuel market for blending with petrol and the remaining 20 million sold to the chemical and pharmaceutical markets.

The full report, a recommended read, can be read at:
http://fueltaxinquiry.treasury.gov.a...nildra_247.asp

Thanks again for your views on Ethanol mates.

Bill...Kando...With a little help from your friends :

[Kenster]

For i know some oil company unsure which one has putting in Ethanol with they petrol for so long, the fuel consupmtion its more per usually for the car or they just run on bad petrol .

I perfer to run on hyperic than risk putting Ethanol into my car