Cavalier Conversion

[Jon]

I have quite a few questions for my very first post here. First, I have a 2003 Chevy Cavalier. I've had to purchase parts before and used Autozone part finding tool. According to their site, 99% are gas, 1% is E85 (when asking about my engine). I've checked both types on their website and found the fuel injectors are the same part number. Now there must be other parts that I would need to convert, other than fuel injectors. Is there a specific list of parts that I will need to look for? I'm trying to make the vehicle upgrades as cheap as possible, as I have 3 total vehicles that I might convert.

I'm guessing that something needs to be modified with the PCM or maybe the O2 sensors so that the check engine light doesn't come on. Some emissions places will turn you away even if they see that light on, before they even do an actual test.

For what it's worth, I read on an eBay seller's store that GMs built in the last 10 years have everything they need to run E85, but the features and sensors are "dormant" until activated with a computer - sound like bogus, but maybe someone has thoughts on this.

One more quick question: I hear these terms: E85, Ethanol, FlexFuel, and BioDiesel. Are these talking about the same thing?

I know I'll have more questions, but I figured I'd start with these. Thanks to anyone who can help.

[Anne Speck]

E85 is a fuel blend made from (approximately) 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. David says in the book this is how the big 3 got around the extra parts problem of pre-heating fuel in cold temps.
Ethanol is ethyl alchohol intended for fuel.
Bio-Diesel is Diesel fuel made from plant oils, either as their original use or waste oil. (Similarly SVO means Straight Veggie Oil, which Diesel engines can be converted to use.)
Flex-Fuel generally means a car that has the ability to run on gasoline, E-85, or any mix of the two in the same system.

[JT]

It seem amazing that there is such confusion surrounding the buring of Ethanol is a standard gasoline optimzed engine.
I've spoken to "automotive experts" that insist you cannot run Ethanol in a gasoline optimized engine, without a complete conversion. When you can see online, YouTube video's of a SUV that ran 100K on E85 with no conversion.

The way I understand it, and those more knowledgable than I can correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't need any conversion to run any post 1988 car produced in the U.S. on E85. Keeping in mind that the car is optimized to run not only gasoline, but low octane fuel, so you will be wasting much of the Ethanol with they unoptimized setup. BUT IT WILL RUN, without destroying the engine.

The EPA approved conversion device "White Lightning" is basically an electronic optimization tool that allows the engine and computer to run and burn Ethanol at various levels at higher effeciency, thus better gas mileage. I don't know if it also allows better cold weather starting, but that is the main issue with an unmodified vehicle. Hard to start when cold.

I've been wanting to test this theory out on my 1995 Dodge Intrepid (Unmodified), but damn if it is not almost impossible to find E85 stations where I live!! So now I'm stuck with trying to create my own still, and brew my own fuel.

[Robert Jackman]

I doubt if You are going to need to change anything, as long as You blend E-85 with gasoline slowly increasing E-85 percentage with each fill up. I run a 7 to 4 ratio in my 1992 Subaru Legacy. http://tinyurl.com/5nftmm

If You want a vehicle that runs on straight E-85, You need to get a add on device like White Lightning and plug in the connectors, add a ground wire, and power from ignition circuit and away You go.

Blume will be selling this device shortly.

[John Phillips]

Jon, I can answer some of your questions, and will leave some for others.

E85 refers to 85 percent ethanol, so you will sometimes see those two terms used interchangeably. During winter months, the blend is actually changed from 85 to 70 percent ethanol to insure that a cold engine can be started reliably. (The cooling effect of ethanol can work against you on those cold mornings!) The rest, 15 to 30 percent is regular gasoline.

Flexible Fuel Vehicle, or FFV, refers to a car or truck that is able to accept a variety of fuels. If you think about filling up with regular gasoline, which contains up to 10 percent ethanol one time, and then E85 which contains at least 70 percent ethanol the next time, the fuel that you end up with in your tank is somewhere in between E10 and E85. An FFV must be flexible enough to accept anything between these limits.

Bio Diesel is something completely different, and I will leave that up to others to explain if they want to.

So how does an Flexible Fuel Vehicle flex? As the ethanol percentage increases, the exhaust gas has a little bit more O2 in it because ethanol contains an oxygen atom (C2H6O) while gasoline does not (C7H16 or C8H18 for instance). (Gasoline is actually much more complicated than this, and can contain some molecules that include oxygen, but you get the idea). The O2 sensor detects this extra oxygen, and calls for more fuel to compensate. Happily the PCM can make this compensation with out knowing whether the extra O2 is coming from ethanol, some other fuel additive, a faulty O2 sensor, or even an air leak. The problem is that it might be detected as a faulty O2 sensor or an air leak, and turn on the "check engine" light.

I do not know about the 2003 Chevy you mentioned. I think you are wise to check the Autozone part finding tool for the FFV and "normal" engine, and see what is different. I suggest you check the O2 sensor, PCM, fuel pump, fuel filter, fuel rail, injectors, and catalysts, and let the list know what you find. Pay special attention to any seals that go along with these components. Dave says since the '90s that the seals are all compatible, but it is worth checking.

Good luck.

John