Alternative fuels

Honda does not seem to recommend anywhere the use of ethanol. Can Honda reset it's computers etc. to adapt to ethanol? Or can we just use ethanol in a Honda?

Don W.

Reply to
Don W
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Most modern vehicles have no trouble with up to 10% or so ethanol in the fuel. Flex-fuel vehicles are required if you want to run 85% ethanol. I have not seen Honda release any flex-fuel vehicles in the US.

Reply to
John Horner

why do you want to run ethanol? it's only got about half the calorific value of regular gas, so instead of getting say 30mpg, you get roughly

15mpg. is ethanol fuel half the price to make up for that?
Reply to
jim beam

Don W wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:

The Hondas I've seen typically allow up to 10% ethanol or 15% MTBE.

The issue as I'm aware of it has to do with the polymers in the fuel system. Honda could easily switch plastics and reprogram its sensors and ECMs to handle the characteristics of ethanol, but there's not much point in undergoing the expense.

Demand for ethanol is zero unless the government drives it via social- engineering tax policy. Ethanol is expensive and inefficient.

Reply to
TeGGeR®

BULL SHIT been running ethanol in my 01 CR-V since new no difference in mpg than unleaded.

Tom

Reply to
twfsa

regular gas = 42.7MJ/kg ethanol = 26.8MJ/kg

denial is not argument. opinion is not fact.

Reply to
jim beam

Is that straight ethanol or is that E85? And did you get a "check engine" light as it made the adjustment (many cars do)?

Mike

Reply to
Michael Pardee

I guess we'll see soon enough. Lots of ethanol plants are coming on line in the US - we are just short of 100 the last I heard. It is still expensive and inefficient, but Paul Harvey (a farm products partisan) reports the demand for feedstock has already raised the price of corn. Theoretically, bacteriological converters will allow cellulose to be used for making ethanol, but until then we are burning food... always a shaky idea.

Mike

Reply to
Michael Pardee

"Michael Pardee" wrote in news:r_KdnatqnO-x6IDZnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@sedona.net:

And we'll never grow enough to satisfy automotive demand. Not unless we plow all those forests back under.

The only reason there are more forests now in North America than there were in 1920 is that we're not feeding all those work animals any more. Tens of millions of acres were under the plow prior to 1920 solely to feed horses and oxen.

Reply to
TeGGeR®

"Michael Pardee" wrote in news:t4OdnTjPHs6r74DZnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@sedona.net:

Was ANY North American market '01 Honda able to handle E85? I don't think so.

I'll bet the OP's CR-V was built - like all other NA Hondas - for up to 10% ethanol, and that's what he's using.

Reply to
TeGGeR®

Not sure where you get that stat from Jim but I switched to a retailer with 10% ethanol 2 years ago and I can still get 650KM on a tank (with

1/8 tank left) from my 2000 4cyl accord SE. Ethanol didn't make anyth>
Reply to
disposable.ron

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