Converting The Elio Engine To Run On Alcohol

[Muzhik]

Based on what little we know about the design and operation of the new Elio engine, would it be possible to convert it to run entirely using a 100% alcohol fuel?

I'm asking as a proto-prepper, someone who doesn't have the money (yet) but had all the information saved to be able to produce his own bio-diesel, or (if necessary) alcohol to use as fuel.

I understand that alcohol is highly corrosive when used as fuel, so what changes would have to be made to minimize the wear and tear on parts.

 

[Gas-Powered Awesome]

I don't see why not. It's a standard gasoline engine. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of web sites out there with detailed information about gas-to-alcohol conversions. GIYF.

Elio will have to run E15 so most of the components will already be alcohol-tolerant. Larger injectors and custom tuning may be required to run E100. The latter could be a problem since it will have a proprietary ECU (Boooo!). Might have to add an auxiliary injector and stand-alone controller.

Personally I think Elio would be a bad choice for a post-SHTF/WROL Mad Max vehicle. Standard prepper doctrine says the main roads/highways will often be impassible, and where they are passable they should be avoided anyway because that's where the mobs of starving cannibalistic city-dwellers will be trolling for food. What you really want is a bobbed M35A2 go-anywhere truck since they are multi-fuel (diesel fuel, jet fuel, kerosene, heating oil or gasoline) right from the armory:

Don't forget your AMD-65 and lots of M67! I really like mine.

 

[pistonboy]

I had a professor of mechanical engineering (automotive specialty) at University of Illinois say alcohol requires very large amounts of heat to vaporize it. (In medicine, when they want to cool a person suffering from excessive fever, rubbing their body with alcohol was the treatment.) He said cars that ran on full alcohol, were first started on gasoline and then switched to alcohol when the engine was hot.

When injectors are mounted in heads, which are very hot, this is a good way of heating the fuel before injecting. Injectors are also mounted in plastic manifolds which are not as hot and thus, not as good.

Of course, the fuel to air ratio must also be different.

Are aftermarket ECUs available that are programmable via personal computers, where the fuel to air ratio and other parameters can be specified, and the computer program will do the calculations and program the ECU?

 

[Muzhik]

Elio will have to run E15 so most of the components will already be alcohol-tolerant.

Why does it have to run E15? Around here E15 engines are an option you pay extra for. Are you saying by law the Elio must be dual-fuel? And as an aside, if they can get 84 MPG out of an engine burning E15, my hat will REALLY go off to the engineering team!

And honestly, I'm not looking for some post-SHTF situation. I'm thinking more like during the Great Depression and WW2, but more so. You know -- "Use it up/Use it out/Make do/Or do without." Being able to keep it going using parts that don't have to be imported is a big plus. Being able to run it with fuel you cook up in your back yard (and don't have to use up ration coupons to buy) even better.

Although it WOULD be interesting to see how Mad Max's enemies would gussy-up their Elios...

 

[Gas-Powered Awesome]

Why does it have to run E15? Around here E15 engines are an option you pay extra for. Are you saying by law the Elio must be dual-fuel? And as an aside, if they can get 84 MPG out of an engine burning E15, my hat will REALLY go off to the engineering team!

You are likely thinking of E85 "Flex-Fuel" vehicles which do cost extra. Almost all gasoline (99.99%+) sold in the US is already E10 by deeply-misguided federal mandate. All new cars sold in the USA since model year 2000 are required by another (smarter) federal mandate to be compatible with E15, since yet another (dumber) federal mandate requires that all gas eventually be E15.

Although it WOULD be interesting to see how Mad Max's enemies would gussy-up their Elios...

Max himself might use one to replace his V8 Interceptor (yet again...).

 

[RUCRAYZE]

Speaking of Iowan corn, doesn't Brazil run on the stuff?

 

[Gas-Powered Awesome]

Brazil uses sugar cane as the much more efficient source of their ethanol. Currently all Brazilian gasoline is supposed to be E27, but they are allowed to go as low as 18% due to (wait for it) high prices and shortages of ethanol.

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

Speaking of Iowan corn, doesn't Brazil run on the stuff?

Brazil became (mostly) oil independent due to the sugar to alcohol fueling program.
Alcohol blend is cheaper but gives less HP and fewer MPG.
There is usually sign at the station that shows which (regular or alcohol) is the best deal of the week. (calculating in BTU and price)
80%+ cars are flexifuel and it is financially viable to use the alcohol blend.
Alcohol is a better deal around 75-90% of the time.

(lived there for a bit)

 

[Farm Boy 2]

I had a professor of mechanical engineering (automotive specialty) at University of Illinois say alcohol requires very large amounts of heat to vaporize it. (In medicine, when they want to cool a person suffering from excessive fever, rubbing their body with alcohol was the treatment.) He said cars that ran on full alcohol, were first started on gasoline and then switched to alcohol when the engine was hot.

When injectors are mounted in heads, which are very hot, this is a good way of heating the fuel before injecting. Injectors are also mounted in plastic manifolds which are not as hot and thus, not as good.

Of course, the fuel to air ratio must also be different.

Are aftermarket ECUs available that are programmable via personal computers, where the fuel to air ratio and other parameters can be specified, and the computer program will do the calculations and program the ECU?

I believe you my have the heat thing not quite right, Alcohol burns at a cooler temp then gas, hens the less BTU s per gallon. The rubbing alcohol on the body to cool you down in the result of evaperative cooling, vaporizing is not the issue, its freezing that's the issue. All the moisture in the air can build up ice in the intake. A higher temp is not whats needed, it good heat distribution, and all cars control for that. The start on gas get hot and switch to a different fuel was mainly on old farm tractors in the teens through the 40s, ALL FUEL was what it was sometimes called, It was cheaper than gas but had less power and was dirtier to burn in your engine When i was in collage, 1982, we had to tune a lawn mower engine to run on alcohol, specifically 180 prof ever-clear. it wasn't that hard, we just made some carburetor modifications and it ran fine. As for another poster the RFS renewable fuel standards has not been renewed for 2015 yet{ yes 2015]

 

[Gas-Powered Awesome]

Pistonboy might be thinking of propane, which requires a heated vaporizer to turn the liquid into a gas. They are started with gas.
http://www.cartrade.com/blog/2010/auto-guides/lpg-as-fuel-5.html

The vaporizer uses engine coolant to vaporize the propane:
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