I have a 99 ranger 3.0 FFV 2wd. I wanna hear what you guys know about running E85 through this... its a little more pricy but what is the mpg with it??? and do u get any more power or is it less? any other input would be great too. thanks

 

I asked the same question a while back and received good responses (see below). Also check the FTE Alternative Fuels forum.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...?highlight=e85

 

E85 will always get you less MPG unless the engine was built and tuned only for E85.

 

Just leave off the last part of your sentence:



The energy content of E85 will always be less than gasoline, even if you tune to take advantage of the higher octane.

 

i saw 13 mpg from 17 with e85

 

My 2WD B3000 gets 22-24MPG with gasoline, 18-20MPG with E85.

When running E85, it runs much smoother, peppier, and stops pinging all together. It does have a noticeable power increase, but still no race car.

Only drawback (besides MPG loss) I've noticed with E85 is on cooler/cold mornings it runs a little rough the first 30 seconds or so.

What area of the country are you? Here, E85 is about 25-30 cents less a gallon than regular unleaded, but then again I am in the midwest...

 

I live in Michigan and it's about 40 cents more expensive here just because theres only about 1 gas station that sells it here... i think i'll stick with gas for now because I can't afford less gas mileage.. thanks for all the input

 

If nothing else you should run a tank of E85 from time to time.. it cleans out the fuel system very well.

Also if you haven't ever run E85, you might want to plan on replacing the fuel filter after running your first tank, as it'll break up all the gunk in the tank and push it right into the filter.

Good luck.

 

my fuel filter was replaced at 45k miles.. it now has 118k on it... should i still change it if i run a tank of E85.. im not really sure if the guy before me ever ran it..

 

Considering you have 73,000 miles on the filter it should be changed regardless...(should be changed every 30,000, but I recommend sooner.. usually by 30,000 you can't even blow air through them)

Run a tank full of E85... then change the filter... and go back to unleaded then if you want.

Good luck.

 

I talked to a Ford master tech from Denver and he said that the alcohol boils at a lower temp causing fuel pump problems when driving in very high elevation.

 

Alcohol has a lower energy content than gasoline, so from a purely economical standpoint buying E85 even at the same pump price/gallon is a poor investment. Alcohol is commonly used because of it's higher octane rating and more stable burn characteristics. But alcohol is an oxygenate, meaning it contains oxygen, and consumes less oxygen per volume of fuel burnt. Thus you can add more fuel per air charge, enough more to overcome the lower energy content, and actually produce more power. To put it simply, a properly tuned engine can produce more power from alcohol than it's gasoline equivelent, but will consume dramatically more fuel to do so. I guess what I'm saying is, don't waste your money on E85, unless you feel like purging your fuel system of varnish.

 

Well I don't see E85 as a waste of money.. even if it costs more than regular unleaded... here's a few reasons why:

1> It does produce more power, although it takes more quantity to do so. This results in a bit more pep in my vehicle.. and to my truck, it's like giving an animal a treat.. it just loves the stuff.

2> It supports the agricultural industry more so than the oil industry. America has the potential of becoming the "OPEC of E85" and that makes me feel good when I purchase it. While it may not be a viable long term solution, I think short term it shows enormous potential. Other political reason? Well that's up to whoever is reading this and is probably a topic for another thread.

3> It cleans out the fuel system quite well. If nothing else you should run a tank from time to time (assuming you have a flex fuel vehicle) just for this reason.

4> It makes a great conversation piece... people think it's cool that I can put grain alcohol in my tank.

5> No more high bar tabs! I just siphon some out of my tank and its INSTANT happy hour!!! (Hahaha just kidding... do NOT drink E85 as it is denatured with 15% gasoline).


Nick37, as far as your comment about alcohol boiling at a lower temperature, especially at higher elevations... well this is true. I'd imagine that typically these systems would be more prone to vapor lock as a result... HOWEVER with the pump actually submerged into the tank.. and returnless fuel systems... well this keeps things much much cooler to eliminate this possibility. I find it hard to believe that boiling fuel could cause a pump to burn up when it is actually submerged in the stuff. Maybe if it were frame mounted... but none of those as far as I know are E85 compatible. Theoretically it makes sense, but practically? I don't think so. I think it may be more of a case of people running E85 with non-E85 compatible pumps.

Anyways I don't even run E85 consistently. There is only one place now that carries it and it's a bit out of my way to use it, but if I'm in the area I will fill'er up!

 

Wow u guys have a lot of good info on this stuff ahah
I'm gunna fill up my tank when i get my paycheck next week...i should be just about on empty by then anyways hah... and change my fuel filter after i run that through. Just one more question though, this stuff is alright in almost negative temperatures right?? just wondering because its about 3 degrees out right now and i dont want my lines freezing up thanks

 

Ever seen HEET in the red bottle? it's basically Ethonal does that tell you anything about it's freeze resistance?