Does anyone know if the 4.6 3V engine will accept E85 fuel without modifications?


Thanks

 

The manual says nO methanol and recomends BP gas .. So no on the E85

 

NOPE

 

You are only asking for trouble running an octane less than what Ford say's.

 

Quoted from E85Fuel.com

This is a common question that is asked of the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer. In the strictest sense, yes, a vehicle that was designed to operate on unleaded gasoline only could be converted to operate on E85. Realistically, no, a vehicle cannot be converted to operate on E85. Here’s why!

During the 1980s and early 1990s, many small companies were formed that were altering gasoline powered vehicles to operate on other forms of fuels such as propane, compressed natural gas, 85 percent ethanol, and 85 percent methanol. The marketing program of these conversion companies was based on the premise that it was cheaper to operate a vehicle on alternative fuels. However, the vehicles being converted were engineered, designed and built to operate on unleaded only. Shortly after the emergence of the “conversion firms� the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined that when converted from gasoline to another form of fuel, the exhaust emissions from these converted vehicles were often much “dirtier� than prior to conversion. See explanation regarding EPA Memo 1A. The use of alternative fuels in the transportation sector has been built around the objectives of using cleaner, non-gasoline based components.

Based on the federal authority provided to the EPA through the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, the EPA implemented regulations that required the exhaust emissions from vehicles converted to run on alternative fuels be “as clean as the exhaust emissions of the original gasoline equipment.� That is, if Ford Motor Company manufactured a vehicle to meet federal emissions standards on gasoline, a company converting that vehicle to operate on propane, must be able to certify that the emissions from the converted vehicle was as good as the original. A process to certify such aftermarket equipment was initiated and ultimately, few if any conversion kits were able to qualify.

Today, 99.9 percent of the vehicles that are capable of operating on alternative transportation fuels are produced by the original equipment manufacturers such as Ford, General Motors, and DaimlerChrysler. Engineers from these companies are able to design and build vehicles that meet the EPA exhaust emission standards. These companies also are required to warranty the exhaust emissions from these vehicles for 10 years or 100,000 miles, something very few conversion companies are able to accomplish.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO CONVERT A VEHICLE THAT WAS DESIGNED FOR GASOLINE TO OPERATE ON E85?

Yes. However, there are no conversions or aftermarket parts that have been certified by the EPA as meeting the standards to maintain clean exhaust emissions. Technically speaking, 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 and the offender may be subject to significant penalties. No aftermarket conversion company has taken the initiative to certify an E85 kit that would allow a gasoline vehicle to operate on 85 percent ethanol.

The differences in fuel injector size, air-fuel ratio, PCM calibrations, material composition of the fuel lines, pumps and tanks are just a few of the components that contribute to making an E85 conversion extremely complex. Additionally, the production of vehicles by auto manufacturers that are capable of operating on unleaded gasoline or E85 (flexible fuel vehicles) at little or no additional cost over the gasoline only model, provide little incentive for a conversion company to undertake the very expensive and time consuming task of aftermarket certification.

U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clean Cities - Alternative Fuels Data Center

 

Not sure where you heard that, E85 is actually much higher octane than premium gasoline, usually between 100 to 105 octane. It's not about the octane when it comes to E85... Alcohols are corrosive. Therefore, any part that comes in contact with the fuel has to be upgraded to be tolerant to alcohol. Normally, these parts include a stainless steel fuel tank and Teflon lined fuel hoses.

Check out this LINK for more information.

 

quick question
Sunoco here in canada advertises "up to 10% ethanol" in their fuels.

Should I be avoiding all ethanol based fules altogether then and skip Sunoco?

 

E10 is fine, Ford plasters BP all over for obvious reasons but you will have no problems running E10.

 

E85 has a much higher octane rating than regular unleaded gas. The 105 octane numbers are correct. Almost any car on the road can run on it as well, the only issue is that the fuel system must be modified to handle the Ethanol fuel. The only modification is in the fuel system components themselves, not anything in the engine management. The reason for this is that the Ethanor will eat away at the normal components in you standard fuel system. The only difference between a regular 3.0L V6 taurus and a FFV (E85) 3.0L taurus is that the fuel system has stainless steel components in it to be able to handle the near pure Ethanol blend. That was one of the main concerns when they started putting out the E10, or 10% as an octane boosted mid grade fuel. Testing has shown that the 10% will not corrode or affect normal fuel delivery systems, so it is safe.

The other item that is important to know is that Ethanol, while being a higher octane, contains less BTUs than normal unleaded gas, so even though you will save at the pump for your fillup, your engine will produce about 5-15% less horsepower with that fuel and have poorer gas milage. Usually to the tune of 2-3MPG less than usuall.

There is alot that can be found here.

http://www.ethanolfacts.com/e85.html

Hope this helps some,

Skrappy

 

Ford I belive uses a "K" in the serial number and has a difrent gas cap also. My Explorer is set up to use it although I have never seen it for sale.