Bioethanol in a 2.0 Ford Pinto

maidhc

I am on the verge of buying a 1974 Ford Capri with a 2.0 pinto engine.

Can it be run on B85 without major adjustments? I assume the car would need to be retuned and possibly the ignition advanced (or retarded), but has anyone done this? Side effects?

It would make me feel all warm and fuzzy to be driving a tax (and carbon...) neutral car!

JHMEG

maidhc wrote:

I am on the verge of buying a 1974 Ford Capri with a 2.0 pinto engine.

Can it be run on B85 without major adjustments? I assume the car would need to be retuned and possibly the ignition advanced (or retarded), but has anyone done this? Side effects?

It would make me feel all warm and fuzzy to be driving a tax (and carbon...) neutral car!

I'd have me doubts. From what I've read most cars since about '89/'90 are E15-safe, and therefore ethanol (and E85) safe.

But before that I gather that rubber hoses, gaskets etc are possibly prone to being eaten by the ethanol.

Also, E85 will loosen up 20 years worth of gunk in the fuel tank, and will clog your fuel filter in jig time. There is a "washing" additive that can be put into petrol, but you need to run it for 2,000 miles.

Lastly, your carb (I presume, I know nothing about that engine) will need adjusting, as the optimal air/fuel mix is not the same with E85. Altho as an alternative apparently you can drive with the choke half out all the time to compensate.

siralfalot

maidhc wrote:

I am on the verge of buying a 1974 Ford Capri with a 2.0 pinto engine.

Can it be run on B85 without major adjustments? I assume the car would need to be retuned and possibly the ignition advanced (or retarded), but has anyone done this? Side effects?

It would make me feel all warm and fuzzy to be driving a tax (and carbon...) neutral car!

I'll be getting my hands on a 2.0 capri fairly soon too, it will be anything but warm and fuzzy, the thing will be tuned within an inch of its life
currently my best mates 2.0 pinto Escort RS2000 does around 8 mpg, mine will be something similar, muahahahaha!!!:D


ahem, to answer your question, IMO E85 in a pinto is a bad idea, the ethanol will destroy every rubber pipe and seal in it

maidhc

siralfalot wrote:

ahem, to answer your question, IMO E85 in a pinto is a bad idea, the ethanol will destroy every rubber pipe and seal in it

Seems to be the consensus. Thanks. This one will be tuned too, don't worry! It has a fast road cam already, a K&N and a 4-2-1 manifold. Never owned a petrol car before, but I hope for something to counterbalance my inherently sensible Focus TDCI that does about 55mpg.

The bodywork needs a bit of sorting first though. It has had a lot of work done, but needs new rear wheelarches and some spraying.

siralfalot

nice one! sounds like a cool project :cool:

Henry Ford III

siralfalot wrote:

I'll be getting my hands on a 2.0 capri fairly soon too, it will be anything but warm and fuzzy, the thing will be tuned within an inch of its life
currently my best mates 2.0 pinto Escort RS2000 does around 8 mpg, mine will be something similar, muahahahaha!!!:D


ahem, to answer your question, IMO E85 in a pinto is a bad idea, the ethanol will destroy every rubber pipe and seal in it

I can get over 30 mpg out of a MkII RS2000, standard tune and 4 speed, driving long distance and within the speed limits.

siralfalot

this thing is anything but standard tune! he may as well be running a V8 with the amount it drinks!:D

Gerry

I think the E85 is a great idea, ignore the naysayers. Investigate if theres any rubber parts in the fuel system that can't be replaced with compatible ones.