Comments on: how do I convert a 1997 chevy cavilier to run E85 fuel?

By: rabbit_cluster

rabbit_cluster — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:55:08 +0000

There is no conversion kit as the price difference between running e85 at $2.00 per gallon versus unleaded at $3.00 doesn’t make fiscal sense.

You would need a new, more robust fuel system. E85 is thicker, more viscous than standard gasoline. The injectors, fuel lines, fuel rail, fuel pressure regulator, fuel pump and engine computer would all need to be replaced.

If you want to run a vehicle on E85, either purchase a flex fuel vehicle (Ford has many on the market) or purchase an older carburated vehicle and replace the fuel lines as they break.

By: ladydi_1987

ladydi_1987 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:50:32 +0000

Yes. But there’s only one conversion kit that’s been certified by the EPA and it’s for Fleet use only. Oddly enough, converting a vehicle that was designed to operate on unleaded gasoline only to operate on another form of fuel is a violation of the federal law. I think a place called Flex Fuel US has info. on the kit.

By: opal1331

opal1331 — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:45:27 +0000

Why would you want to? E-85 is not that cheap to purchase, in many cases it’s higher, not enough stations carry it so your travel would be limited, and above all, the MPG sucks,as you could lose as much as 30% in mileage.
These are not my thoughts, but recent findings by the US government, and spelled out on television and in the local newspapers a few months ago.

By: jpattonfamily

jpattonfamily — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:15:58 +0000

cheaper to buy a car 3 years newer

By: atcaug85

atcaug85 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:16:28 +0000

um, i lived in the midwest where ethanol is sold, and as far as i know, you can put the E85 into any unleaded fuel vehicle.

By: jbpopem

jbpopem — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:07:38 +0000

E-85 ethanol is used in engines modified to accept higher concentrations of ethanol. Such flexible-fuel engines are designed to run on any mixture of gasoline or ethanol with up to 85% ethanol by volume. The primary differences from non-FFVs is the elimination of bare magnesium, aluminum, and rubber parts in the fuel system, the use of fuel pumps capable of operating with electrically conductive (ethanol) instead of non-conducting dielectric (gasoline) fuel, specially-coated wear-resistant engine parts, fuel injection control systems having a wider range of pulse widths (for injecting approximately 40% more fuel), the selection of stainless steel fuel lines (sometimes lined with plastic), the selection of stainless steel fuel tanks in place of terne fuel tanks, and, in some cases, the use of acid-neutralizing motor oil. For vehicles with fuel-tank mounted fuel pumps, additional differences to prevent arcing, as well as flame arrestors positioned in the tank’s fill pipe, are also sometimes used.