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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Gas

Hello, By mistake , I put E-85 gas into the tank. Is this just 15% alcohol instead of the 10% that "gasohol" is? Anyone out there know for sure? Bob C
chamberlain pilot

85% ethanol
15% petroleum
C Holm

E-85 is 85% alcohol and 15% gasoline.....you should be okay with just one tank....id drive it a 1/4 tank and re-fill it up and do that 4 times, then add some fuel treatment....Id also try to "drive" it out as soon as possiable....

the problem with E85 is the alcohol will deteriate and eat up the rubber parts in the fuel system not designed for E-85

prop
Prop

>>> the problem with E85 is the alcohol will deteriate and eat up the rubber parts in the fuel system not designed for E-85... <<<

Just curious... what rubber parts ARE there in the midget fuel system? The hoses, naturally, and the pump diaphragm. (I know the 1500 mech pump has a rubber diaphragm, but embarrassingly, I'm not sure about the electrical pumps.)

It's not like the brake system, where you have hoses and a bunch of little seals to worry about. You'd guess that fuel hoses are tolerant of E85 because pretty much all new cars use rubber hoses. As for diaphragms, I'm not sure... but it might bear looking into.

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

hey gryf,


I was guessing that he put E85 in a regular car,,,but you my well be right,


In a midget....obviously the diapram in the fuel pump, maybe the plastic in the filters would melt, and Id say the diaphram in the carbs of the 1500...beyond that ....I cant think of anything else....Id say if you wanted to use it, you would need to re-adjut your timing and carb settings

cause my guess is the E85 will burn hotter and faster then regular fuel....due to the alchol.

prop
Prop

Bob,

If it is running poorly, you might need to rich up the carbs a bit because the BTU rating for ethanol is less than it is for gasoline. I would do as Prop suggests and cram straight gas in it as you burn off the E-85.

If you want to get fancy, you could probably advance your ignition timing because the octane for ethanol is significantly higher than commonly available gasoline.

I've used E-85 in my walk behind Gravely mower, and I just turned the high-speed needle on the carb a half turn richer to make it run nice.

You might keep an eye on the temp gauge while you are burning it off to see that your engine isn't running too cold. You might need some cardboard over the radiator to keep the temp up to normal because ethanol burns cooler than gasoline.

I think any damage the ethanol would do to rubber or some metals is not an issue for you because they take a long time to occur, and you won't have it in there that long.

Charley
C R Huff

This thread was discussed between 23/07/2008 and 24/07/2008

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