Can my stock F250 V10 run E85 fuel, and if not can it be upgraded to run the fuel. Also what in deatil needs to be changed out if that is the case.

Thanks Jeff

 

Jeff, to the best of my knowledge the V10 can be had with the standard emissions program or the ULEV (ultra low emissions Vehicle) rating for clean air states..

I don't think they did any V10s with the flex fuel option and programing yet.

Flex fuel requires some sensor(s) to determine the octane and fuel viscosity Also the alcohol based fuels require different rubber and plastic lines and seals in the fuel system.

If I recall Ford specifically says to not run the fuel in vehicles that are not designed for it.

While adding the sensors and programing should be not too hard.. replacing all the fuel system components would probably not be easy and I think pretty expensive. This would include a lot of the vapor system I think. It is also against the law to modify this much of the emissions system.

Just announced yesterday is H.E.B. grocery stores on the I35 corridor in Texas will now have E-85 at 35 or 65 cents(don't recall) cheaper per gallon

I got a bad feeling that a lot of uninformed folks will go for the cheaper fuel

From Edmund's web site:

"E85 is dispensed at pumps with the E85 logo and can only be used in flexible fuel vehicles. Currently, vehicles cannot be modified to run on E85 without violating federal standards. See the "Flex Fuel Vehicles Available" list below to see if you own a vehicle that is E85-compatible.

If you own one of the 5 million E85-capable vehicles, fueling with E85 is not only beneficial to the environment, you'll most likely see a small increase in performance, which will be accompanied by a small decrease in fuel economy. On average, when flexible fuel vehicles are powered by E85, the vehicles have about 5-percent more horsepower and a 10-percent drop in fuel-efficiency. The added power comes from ethanol's higher octane rating (ranging from 100-105). The fuel economy decrease comes from the fact that ethanol has a lower energy content than gasoline, which means you have to use more of it.

Flexible fuel vehicles are only minimally different from their gasoline-only counterparts. Typically, the vehicle's fuel delivery system is replaced with stainless steel or Teflon-coated components to ensure the E85 does not corrode them. In addition, there is a fuel sensor that detects the ratio of gasoline to ethanol. According to Lampert, early research indicates that because vehicles powered by E85 run so much cleaner than gasoline vehicles, some maintenance costs may actually be less than gasoline vehicles' in the long term."

 

I can get it for almost a buck a gallon cheaper than gas. Its getting very tempting.

 

Thanks Fred, that was very informative.

 

What would I do in this case?

Find out what made the FFV (Flexible Fuel Vehicle) Explorers special compared to their gas-only bretheren. Besides the computer and the sensor to figure out what fuel was being run.

There was a year or two where Ford made Explorers with the V6 that were flex-fuel and could take E85. Some other manufacturers did too.

It might take a trip to the parts dept at the local Ford dealer with a box (or 5) of donuts, but I'm sure some kind soul would look up all the fuel lines, tank, and fuel rail and see if they are different parts.

It would be a kick in the pants if the part #'s were all the same... somehow I doubt it though.

 

And fuel pump, injectors, etc... you get the idea

 

This is mostly my personal opinion based on limited experience but you'll get it free of charge for what it is worth (nothing). Will it run on E85? Kind of. It won't start very good in cold weather and the idle will get erratic. I personally think that a blend of half E85 and half E10 would work good especially if you could advance the timing (chip)to take advantage of the high octane. Your fuel mileage will go down. I think that it should be $.50 cheaper to make it real interesting.

Long term effects leads to what Fred it talking about. Your rubber fuel parts will flake off or disappear, steel lines corrode, etc.

 

My 99 ranger with the 3.0 was flex fuel, some Tauras's were too. Never had the chance to run E85, living in California and all.

Eric