Americans have Ethanol but where I live, we export Methanol by tanker loads. At 119 AKI octane it seems obvious to me switch. What I can't seem to find is what changes are required to properly convert an Evo fuel system to Methanol. Also what narrow band sensor would be needed? For that matter how would I begin to go about tuning for that?

 

Here are the BTU ratings:
1 gallon of gasoline 125,000
1 gallon of ethanol 84,000
1 gallon of methanol 62,000

So, you would definitely need big pump, big injectors, big lines, big tank, ... you get the idea. Plus tank and lines would need drained and flushed after every drive. Oh, and on-site storage can be somewhat dangerous.

And there is a downside as well...

 

You don't need different sensors your typical gasoline calibrated wideband and narrowband will work fine. Everything with o2 sensors has to do with oxygen present after the burn an is measured in lambda. Since o2 after the burn is relative to the amount of AFR the fuel takes to burn the sensor output remains the same even if the ratios are different. For example if you are running at stoic 14.7 AFR gas the o2 content after burn is the same for ethanol's stoic 9.0 and even methanol stoic of 6.4.

Since you'll be tuning off a gasoline wideband shoot for typical race fuel AFR levels 12.0 WOT 12.5-13.0AFR spool up and 14.7 AFR cruising. Since methanol is just under half of the gas fuel's energy expect to use 2x the fuel so use only 50% values for the injector sizes given for gas and double the capacity you expect to use for a gas car.

You're bigger issues are going to be finding out if the methanol is going to dissolve any components on the fuel system like rubber seals, pump vanes, etc.. I expect you'll be replacing many of the fuel line components with racing parts anyways since you're going to need a very strong fuel pump to handle any reasonably high horsepower goals.

 

Great info. I got some Delphi 120lb/hour and walbro 255 lph. My next move I guess would be to replace all the rubber house to something methanol prof. Any suggestions here?

I guess after that , its just to fill her up and re-calibrate the injectors ?

 

Methanol is extremely corrosive and you'll find its not compatible with a lot of components on the stock evo fuel system. I suggest doing more research as thats about the extend of my knowledge.

 

Well, as parts give out, I'll change them. I'll post here so that everyone else can learn for my experience. Been doing daily inspections and haven't seen any ill effects (yet). So far i'm up to 30% methanol with 91 octan gas and eveything has been smooth sailing. Just a matter of keeping an eye on the afrs and dialing down the injectors. This stuff loves agressive timings. By the end of the week, I should be up to 60% methanol and should be switching to an aeromotive pump.

 

From what i hear from racers, they all drain the methanol out of their cars. They dont' let it sit in the car overnight.

You might want to check these guys as they run methaol in their drag cars
http://magnusmotorsports.com/

 

be cautious with your timing methanol will allow you to go over MBT and lift the head among other bad/dangerous things.

 

Just fyi: There's no rubber in the fuel system on modern (last 25+ years) auto cars. It's all neoprene, viton, nylon (66), or some other non-rubber synthetic material.

Methanol is VERY corrosive. It will eat all the plating off the fuel rails and metal plated fuel tubes. You will want to double their capacity in any case.

Raise the static compression ratio as high as you can get it without dinging the valves or head with the pistons. If you can get 14:1, do it. Staying with the stock 9:1 makes using methanol a waste of time.

You will need to run a different engine oil - something that's rated for methanol. And change it VERY frequently, like weekly if the engine is run.

Methanol will pick up moisture faster than a fifty-cent ***** at a red neck campground. It must be stored in sealed metal containers and almost never exposed to air. Once it gets water in it, even a few percent, it's no longer good as a fuel.

And, lastly, methanol is EXTREMELY toxic. Including the vapors. The poisons attack the optic nerve first.

 

Yip. It sends you blind and nutz. But she runs so smoooooth with it. Sadly I am building an engine on the side and it already has 8.5:1 compression pistions. Will pop out the fuel rail this weekend and inspect it. Any suggestions on a coating to make it Meth safe?

 

anodized.