Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

Second last time I went to the races, quite some years ago, basically no one was using E85. Last time I went, about 6 months ago quite a few people were using it. The smell of E85 exhaust is quite distinct. Hadn't smelled it before on the road. The question is, does having a cat affect the smell of E85 exhaust a lot?

It's pretty much undetectable with a catalyst, just like a gasoline engine.

Now, catless... A few years ago, I did an engine teardown of an E85-fed engine that had turned its oil into a kind of stringy greenish goop that seemed impossible to clean off. Was not wearing gloves, because I hadn't found any gloves that didn't swell up in the presence of oil or turn slippery and useless. Developed the worst headache of all time. I was looking for the large drill bits so I could let the demons out.

Ever since then, the smell of E85 exhaust or E85 fuel makes me gag. A 50/50 mixture of ethanol and water is no problem but there's something about E85 that is, to use the word correctly, sickening.

Rich combustion of ethanol produces formaldehyde ... which is nasty.

A normal 3-way catalyst, plus enough oxygen to result in a stoichiometric mixture, will take care of it almost completely.

Brian I run E85 in my Nova. I did not know about the formalihyde . Would you direct me to where you found that out. Your scaring me. I went to E85 because I think racing gas was to dangerous to my health. You think it is worse?

I thought methanol made formaldehyde, while ethanol made acetaldehyde?

Still not good for you but I am thinking this because I remembered methanol breaking down into formaldehyde in your liver being why it is toxic.

Ethanol broken down in the body does produce acetaldehyde and is responsible for the hangover feeling you get. I'd imagine that's what you were feeling.

Products of combustion will have a wide variety of chemicals, and there's probably both formaldehyde and acetaldehyde present. Both are nasty.

Roundybout wrote: ↑Mon Sep 03, 2018 8:45 pm Ethanol broken down in the body does produce acetaldehyde and is responsible for the hangover feeling you get. I'd imagine that's what you were feeling.

If so, I'm glad I don't get hangovers! Man, that was NASTY.