Ethanol compliant parts.

asilverblazer · March 24, 2006

I asked this question a while back but can't find it...

I would like to know what parts exactly must be replaced to make my vehicle capable of running on Ethanol or a blend there of.

I would assume fuel pump assembly, fuel lines, and injectors. Also the PCM must be able to detect the Ethanol and the amount so I need that sensor and possibly a new compatible PCM. In my opinion the best potion would be to get parts from a similar year (99) Flex-fuel 5.3. I just need to know what parts to replace and add. At this point, I am not interested in cost, but I would like to gather a parts list and plausible "how-to". I would like to stick with GM parts, but aftermarket will suffice if there is no compatible GM part. My main goal for this is simply to make my truck more flexible.

P.S. I have the plain Jane iron block 5.3 with NO Flex-fuel option. (See below).

Many Thanks...

redvett · March 24, 2006

You will need new gastank, fuel pump/meter assy, fuel lines, fuel rail & injectors, PCM, & wireing to tank for E-85 sensor.

The fuel lines are SS and all seals & o-rings are E-85 tolerant.

Not worth it.

tflessner · March 24, 2006

Sounds like a huge project to do? I think you’re going to need all the parts you mentioned, plus the fuel tank, mass airflow sensor, fuel line sensor, etc. The alcohol is more corrosive, so anything relating the fuel system may have to be changed out?

Do a search on the internet and see what info is out there?

http://www.e85fuel.com/e85101/faqs/conversion.php

Most newer multiport fuel injected vehicles can handle up to 20% alcohol. Find a station selling E-85, put 3 gallons of E-85 in and fill up the rest with regular gas, should bring you to about 20%. I've done this a couple times and my truck seems to run fine.

Good luck.

2005 Z71 · March 24, 2006

Where ya gonna buy the stuff?

Here is a database for finding E-85 fuel...

http://www.e85fuel.com/database/search.php

Most of the locations are governmental power facilities.

asilverblazer · March 24, 2006

Last time I checked there were 2 stations around where I live that carry it.

Unbolting old parts and putting new ones on is easy, what exactly would be required PCM wise?

pwall · March 24, 2006

My 2002 YukonXL K1500 is E85 ready.

No gas stations around here carry more than 10%.

Does it run any better on E85 ?

redvett · March 24, 2006

Does not need MAF but alcohol will eat up the fuel lines at E-85 levels and like 2005 Z71 says where are you going to buy the fuel. Also performance is reduced along with fuel mileage.

tflessner · March 24, 2006

Does not need MAF but alcohol will eat up the fuel lines at E-85 levels and like 2005 Z71 says where are you going to buy the fuel. Also performance is reduced along with fuel mileage.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's true, locations around the country seem to be sporadic? Gas stations need to do their own convertions/upgrades to their equipment at an extra cost and then dedicate one of the tanks to hold it. They need to see the demand increase to justify the extra expense.

There are several locations close by here in Colorado. If I ever buy a new vehicle, it will be a flex-fuel one.

Doesn't have as much energy as gas, but is higher octane and can run in higher compression engines, keeps fuel injectors cleaner.

My dream vehicle: Silverado SS, supercharged, flex-fuel, hybrid, DOD to get 25-30 mpg on highway with 420 hp to pull my boat.

larry arizona · March 25, 2006

How much is E-85 selling for these days. last time I checked locally there was about $0.85 per gallon more than regular 87.

So with reduced gas mileage, less HP and a higher cost, why would you run it?

Leave it for the tree huggers.

pm26 · March 25, 2006

I read somewhere that the O2 sensors have to be alcohol compatible too. Regular O2 sensors get poisoned by alcohol.

This may no longer be applicable, but probably was some years ago.

gave20 · March 25, 2006

How much is E-85 selling for these days. last time I checked locally there was about $0.85 per gallon more than regular 87.

So with reduced gas mileage, less HP and a higher cost, why would you run it?

Leave it for the tree huggers.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The link below shows E85 about $0.40 cheaper than 87 octane.

E85 prices

Here's a link from GM's website showing the amount of oil saved by running E85. Pretty neat.

E85 calculator

pm26 · March 26, 2006

My dream vehicle: Silverado SS, supercharged, flex-fuel, hybrid, DOD to get 25-30 mpg on highway with 420 hp to pull my boat.

Dream on.

chris_kucia · March 27, 2006

I can't speak to the conversion, although it sounds like an interesting project.

However, and this is certainly not for everyone, it isn't all that difficult, if you have the time and access to the appropriate feedstocks, to build a small alchohol production facility and get the government approval to run a still for personal fuel production.

It isn't practical to sell (different permits and taxes come into play). However, if you have more time than money, have the space, and have a bunch of fermentable materials around (like crabapples, corn, etc.) it can be done.

If you were operating a small farm, you could distill alchohol from a lot of the byproducts and use it to run machinery. In this application, having e85 capability on your vehicle would make a lot of sense.

Certainly, I've put a lot of caveats in the above statements. Its definitely not a money-making scheme, but you could gain a fair amount of independence and you might save a little cash in the right situation - as I said, it isn't going to work for everyone.

Best thing about E85-capable vehicles, is you can always just revert back to straight gasoline.

Plenty of information on the web regarding all of the above...

asilverblazer · March 27, 2006

Strange you mention some of those things because I have looked into all those, but first I need an Ethanol compliant truck, then I can look into other experiments.

chris_kucia · March 28, 2006

Strange you mention some of those things because I have looked into all those, but first I need an Ethanol compliant truck, then I can look into other experiments.

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I'm in sorta the same boat. I live in the city right now, but plan on moving to a more rural area.

Its always good to be prepared - it would be nice to have a couple of 55 gallon drums of homemade e85 behind the shed just in case. Worse case, it could run a generator. Having an e85 capable vehicle would give me some additional flexibility.

Remember when the power went out a couple of years ago? Like an idiot, I had something like a gallon of gas in the tank of my old rusty S10 pickup. I barely made it home, and then I was stranded there until the power came back. Opened my eyes as to how dependent you can get on all the modern systems, and how stranded you are when they fail. I've become sort of a preparedness/independence fanatic since then. I guess there are worse vices I could have...