Wondering - can pure alcohol be used as a fuel for a carbureted FJ60? Not planning on running it, just thinking...
Curious - could I run alcohol for fuel?
- Thread starter gaylon
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sure
Lots of info out there a lot of it dating back to the oil/fuel crises in the 70's. It's not as simple as dumping it in the tank. The entire fuel system needs to be made alcohol compatible, the carb would need major changes (jetting at a minimum) and for it to run right the 2F compression would have to be increased.
In Brazil they sell 100% alcohol vehicles because they have cane sugar ethanol out the wazoo. They are not able to run on gasoline.
If they sell E85 near you you could dump some in the tank - but it would likely eat all the rubber in the fuel system (possibly including the fuel pump and carb internals) before the tank was gone. If you try it please report back.
In Brazil they sell 100% alcohol vehicles because they have cane sugar ethanol out the wazoo. They are not able to run on gasoline.
If they sell E85 near you you could dump some in the tank - but it would likely eat all the rubber in the fuel system (possibly including the fuel pump and carb internals) before the tank was gone. If you try it please report back.
Folks who run e85 or propane need 12:1 compression or better, to take advantage of the octane rating. If you don’t have the high compression there will be nothing gained and a lot lost power wise.
Propane is probably an easier route. The 2F motors are used in forklifts with gas/propane options. My Dad's Toyota Forklift is setup this way.
Propane has 27% less energy as compared to gasoline and it has an octane equivalent to like 110 or so. Hence @F226continental 's reference to needing the high comp engine. However your 2F will surely run on propane and it won't be knocking any time soon. It will likely have cleaner emmissions and could be a good way to go if propane prices are low. Propane used to be a lot cheaper than gas and thats when all the propane conversion kits became popular...there was a woman in the next town over with a red inernational Scout who worked at a local propane supplier and her truck was converted to run on propane....the mpg drop was easily offset by the difference in fuel cost.
high compression somewhat offsets the 27% loss in energy Seth refers to. Propane and e85 have less carbon, which is less energy and less pollution
wait, could we pass emissions testing by running on propane? I am curious how california would react to that.
If you hid the propane tank they might not ever know it was running on propane as you would still have all your smog equipment and CAT.
