MTFCA Forum

Hello Fellow Model T-ers,

I was at the annual Holiday Motor Excursion in Pasadena CA. today and stoped by a local gas station that had, in addition to conventional gasolines, a Flex Fuel pump.
This alternative was 1/2 the price of their regular gasoline. I have always been told that Model T Fords can run on virtually any kind of fuel. So, what about this Flex Fuel?

Thank you n advance for your opinions.
-

Flex fuel has more ethanol. Ethanol will cause problems with some fuel tank sealers, gaskets, seals, carb float valves, etc. Depends on how your engine and fuel system is built as to ability to use flex fuel.

As I understand it, Flex Fuel is 70 to 80% ethanol. "E 80". A T will run on it, at reduced power. Cold starting might require more choking and a richer adjustment. Fuel mileage will be significantly reduced. As for cost, it's hard to say just what it is costing you, given the various subsidies woven into the price. I'd stay way from it, except as an experiment. A T with much higher than stock compression would perform better on high ethanol blends than a stock T would. I would not want any of it in a car that is stored for more than a few weeks.

A Model T will run on about any flammable aromatic liquid from kerosene to high proof liquor. That doesn't mean on will run well on these substances. These days, pump gasoline is the best choice; ethanol-free if you can get it. Anything up to 10% ethanol will work well. Any pump gasoline sold today will have more than sufficient octane for a T, and in most areas, the other characteristics of pump gasoline are compatible with the T engine. I would avoid ethanol blends over 10%. Premium fuels offer little, if any, advantage over basic grades in a T. "Tier One" fuels may be somewhat more stable than lesser grades, and may offer higher detergency and more consistent formulation.

Hi Steve,
Having used Methanol as a racing fuel most of my life, you will find that methanol & ethanol will absorb moisture @ an incredible
rate. you will need twice as much to produce the same BTU's as gasoline but will have a much grater octane than gasoline and burns
cooler, that makes it a great racing fuel. If used as a racing fuel. It will transfer to your oil. And corrode the crap out of your fuel
system rot hoses and generally irritate you. If you are stuck needing fuel to get home it will work but I would pick it as a first choice.
Craig.

You may want to read this from a past forum:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=31622&p=243530&hili ... el#p243530

Regular gasoline contains about 114,000 BTUs per gallon; pure ethanol has about76,000 for the same amount of fuel. Gasoline with added ethanol has about half the shelf life of "pure" gasoline. My T doesn't get driven much, and I have had at least two tanks of "pure" gas go bad to the point that it has plugged the fuel strainer and gooked up the carburetor. I now drain the tank every four or five months and add it one pint at a time to my John Deere riding tractor. I tried about a half-pint of the drained T fuel in my wood chipper and the chipper was not happy with it. The JD isn't as fussy. With 10% ethanol in gasoline you will lose about three percent in fuel economy over pure gas (which doesn't really bother me), it's the shelf life of E10 that does.

I've checked fuel economy in 3 vehicles with E-10. Each gives about 10% less fuel economy as regular gasoline. I'd get the same mileage as if I drove the car with pure gasoline and poured the ethanol onto the pavement. Unfortunately, the E-10 costs over 10% less than pure gasoline due to subsidies so I burn E-10 in my vehicles. I try to drain and fill the T tanks before winter storage with pure gasoline with either stabilizer or 2 stroke oil added, which in my experience acts like stabilizer.

Really, The discussion is the fuel economy of alternate fuels. Whether E10 to E10k will allow a motor to operate?

In the period literature, from about 1907 to 1925, there was much discussion on the quality of gasoline being produced.

My thoughts are we will be all driving some form of electric vehicle or taking public transportation.

If any of us still have the funds to have an early internal combustion vehicle for hobby use, can we find a suitable fuel to have combustion?

In the mid 1920's there was a fuel crisis. And the discussion appeared in some journals of the period.

In the period literature, from about 1907 to 1925, there was much discussion on the quality of gasoline being produced. There was much discussion about fuel mixtures including alcohol, ether, and acids. The possibilities of using kerosene was being considered and advice published.

The period between 1915 to 1925 there was a worry about the available of gasoline as it may be in short supply.

And during the life of the Model T, gasoline went from a light petroleum product to a heavy petroleum product.

No worries about fuel economy.....worries about if the damn motor will run.

I believe that it has been shown that with a proper carburetor, there is something that help power the Model T...and even other vehicles.