Ford Repair: E85 gasoline, e85 capable vehicles, flex fuel vehicles

Question
    My '93, 5.0, high mileage, Ford T-bird runs well on gasohol (10% alcohol).  I like that products cleaning and power properties.  My question: If my Bird likes gasohol, why can't I run the new E85 fuel.  I believe all cars built since about 1983 or so were designed to run an alcohol mixture.  Will I ruin my Bird by using E85?

Answer
Chuck-

  Well...think of E85 as the opposite of gasohol.  Let's call it...alcogas.  Instead of 10% alcohol and 90% gas, E85 is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.  And really, the only reason the gas is there is because ethanol has very bad cold start properties.  The biggest hurdle in switching an engine over is the seals.  Modern seals are setup for gas (unless you happen to own a newer flex-fuel vehicle) and tend to dry up and with prolonged exposure to high concentrations of alcohol like you'd find in E85.  Aside from that there may be issues with the fuel system and computer, but I really haven't been around enough E85-capable vehicles to tell you for sure.  I don't know that using E85 in your T-Bird would absolutely ruin it, but it's definitely not a good idea without modifying the engine to handle the E85.  You might find a mechanic who's familiar with flex-fuel vehicles and see what he/she has to say.  Hope this helps.

Steve