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E10 Fuel - Worthwhile?

For a relatively new car, you are probably looking at about $500. It is really not too complicated.

You're quit right. I'm taken aback. A bit of googling for "E85 conversion" reveals you can do a DIY conversion dirt cheap. This one, for instance, was top of the random pile: http://www.flexitune.se/ 119 Euros plus tax.

It's a clever idea, and I appreciate its simplicity: a box that interrupts the wires going to the 4 fuel injectors and adds extra injection time based on the reading from the car's exhaust lambda sensor. No need for a flexfuel sensor in the fuel line, it'll just sense if the engine's running lean or rich and ramp the injection pulses up or down by some percentage to suit.

The downside with it is that you need to assume (or know) your fuel system hasn't any incompatible materials, it'll only directly drive 4 high impedance injectors and it has a warning LED that flashes if it needs to inject more fuel but the engine's injectors are already maxed out.

That last one is a biggie: If the lamp flashes it means you are running lean, and if it's going to happen it's going to happen at full throttle/high power when the consequences of failing to back off in short order are likely to be melted pistons.
 
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The downside with it is that you need to assume (or know) your fuel system hasn't any incompatible materials, it'll only directly drive 4 high impedance injectors and it has a warning LED that flashes if it needs to inject more fuel but the engine's injectors are already maxed out.

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That's why I said you need a relatively new car. There is so much ethanol in US fuel that most newer cars have compatible materials already. With older cars you are looking at a lot more work.
 

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