epion2985

...can ethanol be used as an octain booster. Its is 150 or 120 octain and 35% oxigen (not 50% like methanol). So would adding some to a tank of gas be a good thing? More octain means harder to ignite so that should also help with detonation.... so would it work?

chairchild

Might do, might not - I've got no idea

But give it a try anyway, and tell us what you think

epion2985

haha.... eeeeeeeeeh..... I am to scared. Dont want to scew up anything. I mean in theory it should work but...

so whats why I ask, just wondering if anyone tryed or knows chemistry and how the engine would react. On one side more octain means better, on the other you will need more of fuel delivered when using ethenol then gas. Not double like methanol but still more. So lack would lean it out. But if you have more octain you can run leaner right because of the larger amount of octain it will be more resistant to detonation so it evens itself out? I am just confused....

chairchild

run it untill it's empty, then pour a gallon of fuel in, and a couple of cupfulls of ethonol in. At most, it'll run bad, and all you've lost is a gallon of fuel.

If it knocks, just turn it off - just don't floor it, and your engine will be fine

fstrnyou

not too sure about rotaries but in the owner's manual of my 85 camaro, it said it is OK to make a 90/10 gasoline/ethanol mixture. i don't see why it would hurt. look through the owners manual of a piston vehicle you have and see if you find similar information.

smfernando

Ethanol, specifically ethanol which is biomass-derived, can be used in an engine, which is considered a environmentally responsible way to create ethanol(instead from coal). I think there has been research done, but in the interest of reducing emissions. I thought gasoline already had some ethanol in it maybe 10%. The presence of ethanol in gasoline does increase the mixture's octane rating. Again most of the things I have read deal with reciprocating engines(pistons). I have no idea what it's affect on a rotary motor might be. I'm just here to learn as much as I can.

epion2985

same here. I think I will try it although I still wouldnt know if its working by just driving.

My question at its simplest is, will adding ethanol to the gas mix lean out the engine a bit or not? (I presume it will because when running on ethanol you need more voluem the gas)

Btw, another question is why do you need more ethnaol/methanol to run then gas? It has a high octain rating yet you will run very lean if you deliver the same amount as you were with gas. Why is that?

chairchild

because most of the mixture is oxygen, there's less fuel in the chamber than if you just used gas