Basic engine specs. 347 190 cc head wilth 11.0-1 compression 600 plus lift hydraulic cam. 750 cfm pro-form main body in a 750 holley. My car has been excessively rich at idle since i put this carb on so the idle circuits have not been touched yet. And seem to do very well as far as driveability. My first attempt was to just go ten jet sizes up from where i was. I also went down to 53 high speed air bleeds. At this point it was lean. Next step was up 4 jet sizes in the front And .006 in the pvrc. Pink accelerator pump cams and 37 squirters. So far just a test drive feels really really good so i think im going to buy a wideband and maybe some dyno time to see where the a/f is. I may have to change the boosters still but so far so good.
I would love to see what would happen if you optimized your compression ratio at say, 13.5:1....... maybe 3 to 5% increase?
Im thinking the same thing. Maybe if this fuel works out ok next time i go into the motor i will mill the heads more and use a thinner gasket. So far it really seems to run better.
ethanol and stainless steel... Actually, I've done quite a bit of research into Alt. fuels, mainly ethanol b/c I can make it myself, although the traditional distillation technology is counter productive if your goal is to save energy costs. (if you're interested, there is a company called Coskata that has developed a 3-step process for making ethanol that ISN'T counter productive, and they can use ANY kind of organic biomass, including used tires and trash!) Anyway, my research has confirmed that ethanol, being hydroscopic ("water-attracting"), is detrimental to the structural integrity of many metals used in automobiles, including carbon steel and iron, and for other reasons it will eat away at aluminum, aluminum-zinc alloys and many common rubbers over time. About the only things that will stand up to it in the long run are stainless steel, gold, and (in the rubber arena) a product called Viton. Most other materials will suffer long-term adverse effects from extended exposure to ethanol. If you want to know more, I might quickly suggest you check out Ken C. Halvorsen's 1998 U. of Nebraska thesis, titled "The Necessary Components of a Dedicated Ethanol Vehicle." On another note, y'all are basically right about the fuel economy of ethanol: it hardly differs from that of a gasoline engine when you make the compression adjustments. But it does run cooler, and it can produce more hp. Mainly, though, it just means you don't pay exxon for their pollution-solution. The primary appeal is in the ecological benefits: it doesn't pollute (at least not directly) and it's a truely renewable fuel resource. Also, conversion is really a cinch compared to other alt fuel technologies since we all already have internal combustion engines. Anyway, thanks. This was my first post on this forum - I hope it helps someone out. -M.T.
I can only say this on this subject, AS far As I knew Ethonal was bad on carb floats and the like, but that was many years ago, so I don't know the new data. I will also say my wife has a Chevy Uplander that is flex fuel, We have never paid over 3.25 a gallon for gas, Last fill up my wife paid $1.29! We started right off using e85 and never have used Regular ethanol. We are happy with our gas mileage, 18-20 on a large 8 passenger crossover with a v-6 and all the bells and whistles. In our case ignorance may be bliss so I will keep puitting e-85 in it unless e-85 gets to be more expensive than normal ethanol. I put normal ethanol in my '06 Focus with no detriment at all, By the way When My wife paid 1.29 I paid 1.33 for normal ethanol. It's getting close to being a wash. however prices went up a tad recently don't know why cause oil is still dropping. But anyway if it ever gets to be higher for e-85 will switch over. but for now E-85 is saving me money!
i know some drag racers that use methanol, and to combat the corosive qualitys they have the alum fuel cell anoidized. so could coatings in the fuel tank or cell, and the car bowls take care of this problem. i do have around 11.5 to 1 compression and would consider switching to ethanol. my fuel cell and fuel lines are aluminum and i am woried about that factor. ive heard that ethanol does not have the carosive properties that methanol has. also is there a link to that thesis you referenced?
When ethanol or E85 becomes available here in Washington I plan to build an engine to run on it full time. It will be a 13:1 or 14:1 engine with a peak RPM of 5500 - 6000. I plan on using diesel glow plugs for cold start (mounted in the intake air stream). I figure about 1 1/4 HP per cu".
Hmmm...somebody is going to have to eat those words. I paid 1.47 today, but around the corner was 1.43 for regular unleaded. Regardless, this is by far the best thread I have EVER seen on this forum. Even though the topic is not at all relevant to me and my project (at this time). PaulS and company have given good sound info without the typical banter of opinion and suggestions. Just the facts.
I would like to see 0.85 again for regular unleaded. We will have to wait and see if it goes that low.
