Is E85 killing my engine and mpg?

[bluejoey]

I recently bought a 95 Tercel, and got 37 mpg on my first tank. The majority of gas stations in my area have E85 gas, which presumably means the gas is 85% ethanol and only 15% gasoline. I checked my manual, and it recommends not using any more than E10. Presumably this car has been filled for years with E85, since it's practically all you can get here. I was wondering a.) if this might be reducing the useful life of my engine and b.) if it's also costing me several mpg. For what it's worth, I managed to find an ethanol-free station for my second tank and am interested in seeing if it has any effects on my mpg.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by bluejoey

I recently bought a 95 Tercel, and got 37 mpg on my first tank. The majority of gas stations in my area have E85 gas, which presumably means the gas is 85% ethanol and only 15% gasoline.

That's right.

But I'd be surprised if all the gas they have is E85

I checked my manual, and it recommends not using any more than E10.

In order to use E85, the ECU should be able to compensate for it, and the valves / valveseals should be hardened to withstand the higher burning temperatures and lack of lubing - you basically get the same valve-issues as with LPG.

Presumably this car has been filled for years with E85, since it's practically all you can get here.

You sure about that ?
E5 or E10 is normal, but E85 can't be run in cars that aren't adapted to it.

It's possible to run a car on it though (Brasil has been running on ethanol for decades).

b.) if it's also costing me several mpg.

Ethanol has less energy in it than gas, so you'd need more gallons of E85 than gas to go the same distance.

The additional fuel use is between 10-25% on E85 cars sold around here.

[SVOboy]

While they might sell E85 gas, I think most gas is probably a max of E10, outside of the special E85 pump.

So I wouldn't worry about it too much

[Frank Lee]

Actually by law E85 can contain anywhere from 70 to 85% ethanol.

And it CAN be run in stock injected engines with a few caveats; carbs: no, unless the carb is modified for it.

[bluejoey]

Thanks for the information ecomodder, SVOboy, and Frank Lee. Yup, there are E85 stickers on almost all the stations I visit. I honestly assumed it was like this everywhere in the country. Well, we'll see if the regular gas makes a difference.

[Angelus359]

That just means some of the pumps at the station have e85 best I can tell...

e85 is really damn hard to find here, and I'm in the corn state... illinois

[Frank Lee]

Good point- I'm smack dab in the middle of E85 country and even here it isn't universally available at every station. I'd wager that the Tercel has been fed E10 all these years, unless the previous owner was like me and experimented/ran E85 or E85 blends on purpose.

Plus, E85 pumps are supposed to have yellow handles, and they are all clearly marked "For Flex Fuel Vehicles Only".

[Angelus359]

e85 shouldn't even run... at all... like the engine goes clunk... unless it was designed to flex for it

[Frank Lee]

^not

[bluejoey]

Well, I just refilled my tank, and got 40 mpg, or nearly 4 mpg better than my previous tank. However, I added a full grill block (made of cellophane tape), which may have played a role. I also would like to think I did a better job in hypermiling, so I'm not sure where to attribute the change.

The change did exist however, especially considering that the increase occurred despite the decrease in temperatures over the last couple of weeks, and my lowering of front tire pressure from 70 (too high, I know) to 65 psi.

And for the record, I went and checked the place where I first filled up when I got the car, and they actually serve E10 (they said 10% ethanol on a sticker) rather than E85, so that site, at least, is an E10 one. I filled up there again instead of at the ethanol free station, and am interested in seeing what my numbers look like when this tank runs dry.

Variables will include driving style, tire pressure (I'm likely going to take the front tires down a bit more to 60 psi to match the rear tires), weight reduction (I've removed a few bits of soundproofing from the trunk), added aero (more tape over gaps and seams in the front of the car), an oil and filter change (which I did over a few hours this weekend), lowered temperatures as we get closer to winter, and of course, the E10 gas.

We'll see how it goes!