Rebuilding an engine for ethanol

[Ethanol]

I bought an Essex engine off eBay, it was an ex-MoD radar station emergency generator, I'd read that as ethanol was only 3/4 the energy density of petrol you had to compress it more to get the same power out of it. I thought that as mileage and power weren't the same things you'd probably get good mileage when you compressed ethanol enough to get comparable power. The Essex was designed to be dual fuel with different pistons, heads and fuel system. So I had the piston replaced by one listed for a Ford 200 along with six of the eight con-rods listed for a 351 Windsor the Gudgeon(wrist)pins sharing a size. I did have to have the Essex Crankshaft ground down to 3'10 so the big end would fit. Ethanol engines are a pig to start from cold so although the engine would run in a heated workshop or lab on carburettor starting on a frosty morning outside isn't going to happen.
To make ethanol work pretty much anywhere in Europe or North America a multipoint injection system needs to be fitted.

[willholderogri]

My engine in my se5a was also a generator engine running on LPG I only changed a few bits after contacting the company that made the generator set they assured me the only modification they make if hardened valve seats .it runs well and was like a new engine inside

[scimjim]

were the inlet manifold and pistons okay? I thought the generator engines were generally low compression with the single choke carb?

[Ethanol]

were the inlet manifold and pistons okay? I thought the generator engines were generally low compression with the single choke carb?

That may have been the case it did have a single choke carb but my rebore and fitting of the +90 thou Ford 200 CID pistons and the longer con-rods changed the CR to 16.51: 1. The inlet manifold was designed for a single choke carb but I got a Weber-pattern manifold and carb off eBay.

[roymck]

Tell us more about the Ford 200CID pistons?

[willholderogri]

were the inlet manifold and pistons okay? I thought the generator engines were generally low compression with the single choke carb?

yes compression seems high enough to be about 9 to 1 and the engine came with a gas carburettor which I did not use

[philhoward]

Tell us more about the Ford 200CID pistons?

I did find some +080 ones: https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/ ... /make/ford

Bore (in): 3.762 in.
Bore (mm): 95.555mm
Piston Style: Dish, with two valve reliefs
Piston Material: Cast aluminum
Compression Height (in): 1.500 in.
Wrist Pin Style: Press-fit
Pin Lock Rings Included: No
Wrist Pin Included: Yes
Pin Diameter (in): 0.912 in.
Piston Ring Thickness: 5/64 in. x 5/64 in. x 3/16 in.
Piston Rings Included: No
Quantity: Sold as a set of 6.

[scimjim]

+60 with standard pistons is 95.25 so that's a big overbore - has this engine run ethanol? if you haven't measured the cam, how do you know the valves aren't going to hit the pistons when it's up to temp?

[Coupe Racing]

Bet the cylinder walls are thin

[scimjim]

the GAA was 100mm bore so the block must be able to take it? I suspect with standard pistons only going up to +60, no-ones tried too hard to fit something else?

[Coupe Racing]

I imagine the GAA was sleeved to be honest as a lot of engine shops are reluctant to bore above 60thou in my experience
Could be wrong though

[philhoward]

Selected blocks? Most likely I would have thought.

[efi_sprintgte]

Selected blocks? Most likely I would have thought.

That’s what I was always told, using Fords grading system.

However I have heard more then once that the blocks were perpose made.

[scimjim]

I thought they were specifically selected - not sure if they were sleeved or not but we’re talking 4+ mm bigger here, so I don’t think the standard block will have any problems at 96 ish mm?

[Ethanol]

Tell us more about the Ford 200CID pistons?

They where the biggest oversize Eege in California did, they could have been +80 thou +30 would have done. I've got sets of Essex pistons both +20 and +30 thou, I had thoughts of building an engine for E85.