E85Forum.com

david_594 · Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 2

I am a newb here but I had the same thoughts as the previous poster about running E85 in a 2 stroke. In my case it actually would be a vintage p200e.

My biggest concern was the stuff I read about it not mixing... but this is a little bit promising. Scooter has some major pro's in that it is relatively cheap to get a high performance high compression cylinder/piston/head of them. Also going one step hotter on the spark plug should help along with advancing the timing which is cake on the scooter. Quick rejet on the carb and could have an almost ideal setup for running e85 in a scoot.

My scooter project a full restoration but I hope to have it running within a month and with rumors that ethanol being available in Massachusetts I will hopefully be able to test out e85.

hotrod · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 872 Location: Colorado

If I were to start playing around with a 2 stroke engine on E85, I would be very strongly tempted to use just grocery store canola oil for the lubricant.

http://www.carbohydrateeconomy.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/Harvesting_Lubricants.htm

hotrod · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 872 Location: Colorado

If I were to start playing around with a 2 stroke engine on E85, I would be very strongly tempted to try common grocery store canola oil or soy oil, or sunfour oil, for the lubricant.

http://www.carbohydrateeconomy.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/Harvesting_Lubricants.htm

rebelman · Joined: 25 Apr 2006 Posts: 31 Location: North Carolina

I would like to try e85 in a two strike boat motor. If any one has tried this before please tell me if it works well or not.
Thanks

C&K Lawncare · Joined: 01 May 2006 Posts: 1

We switched over to e-85 for our mower fleet , Got 1 4 stroke weedeater that runs fine on e-85 , and a 1 cylinder kawasaki, v-twin kohler and all seem to run fine on e-85 , station fellow said this morning he was afraid something would happen to the mowers , I said for gods sake dont tell me you are falling for Big Oils line of Mis truths and Lies about E-85 as well. Mixed 2 gallons to 1.5 gallons of gas to try in my 89 Ford pickup . geeee guess what another engine that ran fine or better .
_________________
Our mower fleet is powerd by E-85. Opec can kiss our gas

jachristner · Joined: 12 Oct 2005 Posts: 64 Location: Kokomo, IN

I plan on trying to switch an outboard motor over to E85 this summer when I'm giving it a tune-up. I'll keep that Canola Oil approach in mind and try to post the results when I have some.

Are carburator jets sold in sizes large enough to run ethanol or do they have to be enlarged from smaller sizes?

specialgreen · Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 5:11 pm Post subject:

Larger jets should be available. However, you may need to look around to find exactly the right ones, since there are several different major brands of carburetor. Be prepared to visit a few small engine repair places, and ask lots of questions.

Another veg oil still in use as a lubricant is castor oil. I have heard that it is still sold (in small quantities) in hobby shops, for use in model airplane engines.

My recollection is that veg oils don't hold up for long periods of use the way that modern motor oils do. If you've seasoned a wok or frypan, then you've seen what veg oils do at high heat: they polymerize, forming a hard translucent substance. There was a startup company trying to market a canola-based motor oil, but theirs had been chemically modified. (sadly, I think they went out of business).

I would probably lean towards testing a synthetic 2-stroke oil for how well it mixes with ethanol; if that works, then I'd probably choose that over veg oil.

hotrod · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 872 Location: Colorado

Castor oil works fine in a 2-cycle application like a model air plane engine, but when used in a 4 cycle (like they did years ago at Indy) it had to be drained hot immediately after the race or it would "Gel" in the pan.

I'd also suggest you play with the commercial oils first or make some calls to see if any of the vendors have an oil they know works in an E85 environment.

In the AGE-85 experiments they added a bit of bio-diesel to the fuel so that would be another option to explore if you were feeling frisky and wanted to risk breaking an engine to learn something.

Larry

jachristner · Joined: 12 Oct 2005 Posts: 64 Location: Kokomo, IN

I'm tempted to try a straight vegetable oil in my 2-cycle outboard as long as it mixes well. Unfortunately, I don't plan on working with the engine until the rest of the boat is repaired. That almost certainly won't happen until the spring.

Timing is being discussed in a 4-stroke automotive application in another thread here. It got me wondering if timing adjustments would have some of the same effects on 2-stroke performance.

The outboard I'll be working with is carburated and I don't plan on switching back and forth unless I absolutely have to as it would involve swapping the jets back in both carburators. Since switching quickly back to gasoline isn't necessary, I'd be interested in optimizing E85 performance.

Anyone have some tips on 2-stroke timing?

Johnnybag · Joined: 03 Apr 2007 Posts: 4

Good info on the site, does anyone know if its somewhat easy to convert a small 4 stroke 50cc pitbike type motor to run on e85? I see all these kits for small engines to change compression etc and was wondering if its worth a try? I'd like to buy a scooter and convert it if its something possible. From what I have read here:

1. fuel line changes
2. Jet size increase
3. Higher compression? How high?
4. timing changes.

Thanks in advance

stylin99 · Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 85 Location: Charlotte, NC

Great topic! This inspires me to swap over my lawnmore to ethanol. I think I'll try a 25% ethanol mix first to check things out without modification. Then work to bigger percentages. I've read though, that the fuel lines on small engines like this, aren't designed to withstand small amts of ethanol like that of a motor vehicle. The lines may corrode faster than normal so I guess I'll have to watch for that.

Anyone experience fuel hose corrosion with E85 on a small engine (lawnmower, weedeater, etc)
_________________
'99 Mustang GT, Vortech Supercharged, now running E85 full time.
www.e85mustangs.com

Best Quarter Mile on E85:
10.52 at 135 mph