Is there a way to make a regular gas burning engine able to run on E-85?

 

This has been asked over and over and over as of late. No, it's not readily possible to make a gasoline burning engine run properly on E-85. Will it run on E-85 regardless? Yes. It'll slam the O2s lean and turn your check engine light on though.

 

According to an article entitled The Truth About Biofuels (How Far Can You Drive On A Bushel Of Corn?) in the May 2006 issue of Popular Mechanics . . .

"E85 has an energy content of about 80,000 BTU compared to gasoline's 124,800 BTU. So about 1.56 gal. of E85 takes you as far as 1 gal. of gas."

Therefore, in my opinion, if your interest in E85 is economic, I suggest you determine if you can purchase 1.56 gal. of E85 for the same price or less than 1 gal. of gas. If you cannot, then you are losing money by using E85 if the article in PM is correct. E85 is not sold in my area so I have no idea what it costs per gallon. How does the cost of a gallon of E85 compare to the cost of a gallon of gas where you live?

 

Vehicles that are designed for E85 use different rubber compounds in the fuel system that can withstand the higher water content and corrosivity of E85.