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E85 concerns

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Old 12-01-16, 05:12 PM
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E85 concerns

Hey guys,
looking to get back into the rotary game
I have a question regarding e85 and rotaries ... I know e85 allows the car to run cooler and hence you can extract more power out of it safely .. however, does it contribute to a shorter life span of the 13b?
Every piston motor I have seen on e85 (sr, rb, 4g63 etc) has had their internals destroyed soo quickly due to the hygroscopic nature of e85 ... pretty much every oil change you see coffee coloured goodness, camshafts pitted / marked with brown markings etc
Anyone running e85 on here with their rotaries ever experience the same issues?
Is there anything that can be done to make e85 safe for the motor without any coffee goodness? Or is that ultimately the price we pay for wanting better performance on a daily streeter?

I've read the following which pretty much says street driven cars would have this issue ... track / drag oriented cars would most likely not experience the same symptoms?

Whilst E85 is “hygroscopic”, meaning that it attracts water, this will only become a problem for a vehicle that sits for a long time. In terms of shelf life and storage if buying in bulk, if stored correctly, can last for years on end. The other downside here is for vehicles that are used for a lot of stop / start driving. Under these conditions, the E85 and associated water never get a chance to “boil off”, which can lead to oil contamination and a host of other issues
What is the safest max power (rwkw) that can be attained from a built 13b half-bridgeport on 98ron?

Any help and insight is greatly appreciated guys
Old 12-01-16, 06:43 PM
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Hitup in the performance section in alternative fuels, lots of e85 threads
Old 12-01-16, 07:00 PM
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Originally Posted by lduley
Hitup in the performance section in alternative fuels, lots of e85 threads
I just read the thread by Howard .. very interesting read .. however it appears divided ..

https://www.rx7club.com/alternative-...1096476/page3/

Turblown has witnessed 2 e85 setups that are squeaky clean .. and the only difference appears to be in the fact that he is using oem mazda seals?
From what I've read and heard, the oem seals are no good for high powered applications and long usage ... however again, Turblown seems to have been able to make them work?

A lot of differences in opinions on how much premix to use as well ...
Old 12-26-16, 08:17 AM
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I could've sworn E85 runs hotter than gas, requiring an Exhaust Gas Temp gauge since it burns hot, and there's so much more fuel than E15. Though the more power is simply just the increased "octane" rating allowing for advanced timing. This is all what I learned from Subarus, I'm still new to the RX-7s.
Coupling E85 with a water injection may counteract the hotter fuel and bring temps down.

Also, wouldn't the alcohol possibly interfere with the injected oil for the seals? Just thinking out loud now.
Old 12-26-16, 09:48 AM
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most of the issue i see with E85 is the premix, castor oil causes diamond rock hard deposits to form that has killed 2 engines that i have seen personally. you could try other castor oil alternatives or run water injection to offset it.
Old 12-27-16, 08:15 AM
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Or just run AI/WI and be done with it, without all the baggage and availability concerns

Last edited by Sgtblue; 12-27-16 at 08:17 AM.
Old 01-08-17, 10:03 AM
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Was reading through this thread in the 3rd Gen. section... https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...g-e85-1109049/ and thought I'd link it hear for the OP.
Old 01-12-17, 12:35 AM
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the 2 premixes to avoid are:

Klotz Benol
Maxima 927

others may be as bad or worse, the issue is finding ones that are proven to not leave deposits. Redline alcohol premix seems to be acceptable, as is Klotz techniplate.

IMO, E85 is a pain and should be avoided if possible.


every engine i tore apart that had ever run E85 wreaked of it, even if it hadn't seen it in years. i just rebuilt an engine that the owner swore he had never ran E85 in, so somewhere along the line it had. the engine was rebuilt just prior to him buying the car too, so it apparently was rebuilt and i could still smell it in the crankcase!

Last edited by RotaryEvolution; 01-12-17 at 12:41 AM.
Old 01-12-17, 01:43 AM
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been in sydney mate just buy the PAC premix
E85 PRE-MIX FUEL ADDITIVE - 4 LITRES | Products Pac Performance




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