E85Forum.com

agrodrag · Joined: 06 May 2009 Posts: 11

My drag car sits for a few months at a time without being used, the car has been converted to use e85 and when I go to fire it up the fuel will not even come out of the squirters, I have removed and checked the needle and seat and it looks and feels fine. What else could be blocked and where should I start to look. The e85 goes sticky after sitting for a while. Please can anyone put some light on the situation, thanks. Mad

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393bird · Joined: 20 Dec 2007 Posts: 31 Location: Tennessee

When using E85 with EFI, there is little to no problem from moisture, since the fuel system is air tight. With a carb, the carb vents are open to outside air, and will allow the E85 absorb moisture. When Ethanol and water are mixed, it will form a mild acid in it. This is where the corrosion from using E85 comes from. Keep the moisture out, and you will not have corrosion problems.

If you are running a carb with E85, you need to take extra care if it is parked for over a week. The guys in the south east will be affected by the moisture much more than in the north, while the guys in the south west will have very little problem, if any.

1. Drain the carb when parked.

2. Fill the bowls with gas, start it, then pump the gas pedal a few times to get the gas into the accelerator pump circuits also. Top the bowls off.

If you are running supercharger and a blow through carb, it is not practical to do the above. A small 2 gal cell to have gas in, is a good method. Have a small pump for the 2 gal cell, and check valves so the pumps will not put the fuel into the other cell. When you are going to park it for more than a week, turn the main pump off, run the carb out of E85, giving the gas small jabs when it is low to empty the accelerator pumps. When it is near empty, turn on the gas pump and run it for 2-3 mins to get all the carb passages and accelerator pumps full of gas.

When you start it the next time, just burn off the gas, and turn on the E85 pump.

Here is how mine is set up, since my carb is in a enclouser, and can not drain and refill with gas.

Your problem is gunk has formed in the shooters and formed around the little check valves. To prevent dropping them into the intake, pull the carb, remove the shooters, and spray carb cleaner or WD40 into the passage and let it sit for a while. Remove the check valves, rinse out, then crack the gas to get gas flowing past them. Reasemble correctly.
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1993 Thunderbird
393 Stroker, Vortech YSi
Lentech Strip Terminator trans
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Eric68 · Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 331

Try replacing the thin black washer under the squirters with a plastic float bowl screw gasket. Sometimes the screws (especially the hollow ones) can go too deep into the squirter threads and keep the little needle from moving up and down freely.
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E85 racer and E85 carb builder
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E85 powered 68 Camaro street car
Best ET on motor 9.96 @ 133 MPH, 5.92 on N2O in the 1/8th

Drag Chevette · Joined: 18 Sep 2007 Posts: 458

take a small handle or punch of some type, place it on the accelerator pump covers arm next to the lever arm....sharply and quickly hit the handle to depress the pump arm.

the hydraulic pressure from the fuel will lift the nozzle check needle and unstick it....this doesnt happen often, but it does happen from time to time.
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