Hi I have an awesome 1999 grand Cherokee ZJ straight six here in the uk. And due to the rip off fuel prices we are struggling to run it. It mentions in the owners manual that you can use ethanol, but only mentions it at a 1:10 ratio to gas.
Can it be run on a higher concentration? And can you mix it yourself? Might get ethanol cheap at work you see.
Thanks for looking.

 

The engine computer and the sensors can only handle 10% ethanol in the gasoline. Any more and the system cannot pump any more fuel in the engine to fix the "too lean" condition of running higher ethanol levels in the gas (petrol). You will get a "Check Engine" light and your motor will be dangerously lean even though the ECU is dumping more fuel in. (It takes MORE ethanol than gasoline to generate the same amount of energy).

Unless you have a Flex Fuel vehicle as stated on the gas filler and in the owners manual, using more that 10% will be bad and actually cost MORE in fuel.

Hope this helps.

 

@diskman Well explained...

High gas price is a total rip off these days... But you'll up for a bigger expense one you damaged your engine...

 

Our gas already he 10% ethanol mixed to it these days... you guys don't over there? Didn't help our gas prices though lol.. what do you all pay a gallon over there now?

 

Almost all engines can handle 10% Ethanol.

Over that and the issues can be major as Ethanol will destroy rubber components in the fuel system.

Fuel line hoses for one thing.

Vehicles made for use of more than 10% ethanol are designed with this in mind.

There is a lot more to it then just the computer being confused, the computer is actually smarter then most people think.

From what I understand all components from the fuel pump up to the fuel rails at least would have to be swapped out.

I was reading an issue of Powerblock Magazine and they had an article on FlexFuel Vehicles, and why our older vehicles cannot
run it.

The way things are going it would not surprise me if the EPA did not render older vehicle useless by mandating a higher ethanol percentage in US fuels.

They are already looking at upping the percentage from 10% to 15% for all fuels.

 

If the 4.0's can't handle more than 10% ethanol, we're going to have problems soon. I've read that US gasoline is scheduled to go to 15% ethanol in the near future.

 

Thanks for your help. I won't bother then. I think it works out at just over $9 a gallon here for unleaded. What is it where you are?
Should probably get a more fuel efficient car or a diesel. But I love this car and the engine. Converting to LPG I think might be an option, but it is more than the car is worth. My car has 149,000 miles on it, I take it that is has only just run in considering the mileage I have read on other sites!!

 

Dang... were at about 3.50 a gallon... what's diesel at?

 

5-6 pence more a litre!
We are such a rip off.

 

And what's bad is most of it comes from your side of the world lol

 

Yes, pretty bad. Can you send me some over please!!!?

 

I wish... I could ship it back to you and make a profit... lol

 

I've really wanted to convert to Bio-diesel.

That'd be a nice little setup to have. The ability to make your own.

Haven't looked much into it, though.

 

The biggest lie about ethanol is that it consumes more energy to produce a gallon then it provides(at least in the U.S. because it's corn based) in this country it's all politics. Sugar beets can produce 3-5 times as much ethanol as corn per acre but that isn't how we do it here. I believe gas needs to reach $5 per gallon to make ethanol(as it's currently produced) relevant in terms of actually saving money but it's not because it's more efficient it's just because oil gets more expensive.

 

I don't believe we should be putting our food supply in our gas tanks.

We have plenty of oil in the ground, we just need to get it out