[JKNalgon]

Greetings,

I've encountered a problem that I wonder if AMWI can help me with. E85 has become widely available in this area, and I have been experimenting with it. The sign says "For FlexFuel vehicles only." Well, rules are made to be broken, so I have been adding increasing amounts of E85 to my regular fuel.

My test bed is a '97 Chevy S-10 with the rugged but gutless 2.2 liter I4. I've worked up to 50/50 E85/regular, which turned out well. I saw no change in mileage or performance - the only advantage being a savings of $9-10 per fill-up.

I put new plugs in at the beginning of the experiment in order to keep an eye on combustion. Due to the oxygen content of the corn, and the capacity limit of the fuel injectors, I expected a lean mixture. Indeed, after 5,000 miles, the plugs look like they've been through hell, but no telltale droplets of aluminum.

How much could WI cool the combustion chamber if I choose to pursue this course of lean burn?

Could water/methanol injection enrichen the mixture?

I've read that forced induction is best for realizing the benefits of the high octane of the corn. It appears that the basic normally-aspirated water injector could be easily upgraded in that event.


J.K.