| Author | Message | ||
     Mikej |
Wound up with 10-12 gallons of E85 gas yesterday (don't ask, suffice it to say a wrong button was pushed) and now I'm looking at ways to use it up. In doing a little reading I keep finding comments similar to this one posted by someone on the site here:
Doesn't matter who said the quote since their words pretty much align with comments in every thread I've read so far on various web sites. So, is the idea of using E85 in a non-E85 but otherwise modern vehicle the same sort of thing that using synthetic oil versus non-synthetic oil in an engine is? Is this just one of those things that polarize people into one of two camps where camp 1 says to go ahead and use it with a little caution at times, and where camp 2 freaks out and bombards any discussion with dire warnings of catastrophic failures and warranty claim denials and ball bearings not rolling properly and cylinder walls turning into a 3-d sculpture? I guess I'm just asking if I can dump a quart or two of E85 into the tank of a carb'd Buell or H-D without concern, or will it make the headlights fail and the tires explode and more of my hair fall out if I do? I also might pour a gallon at a time into the Subaru to use it up as well. I haven't quite figured out how to use it on the bicycles yet except maybe as a cleaning solution and degreasing agent. I would use it in the lawnmower but the mowing season is about over here. And since the E85 isn't supposed to do well for starting in cold weather, and since it is supposed to absorb moisture if it sits too long, I don't think I want to save it for the snow blower. So, what are the facts about E85? Comments are welcome, but please be sure to use the proper emoticon so I'll know if I can accept the comments at face value or if I should just roll my eyes at them.  I'm all ears. Suggestions to experiment with molotov cocktails will be ignored.   | ||
| Spiderman |
Well most gas stations have 10% ethanol already in their gas. So I wouldn't add more as you need to richen up the mix of a carb to run Ethanol properly, that isn't even considering the harm it can do to rubber seals and hose lines, etc... Put it up on craigs list | ||
| Buelliedan |
You cannot use E85 in a vehicle that is not designed for it!! It is not about the seals it is about the injection system not provding enough fuel to compensate for the differences in the fuels. There have been many "modern" cars as you described them destroying thier engines cause they decided to save a few bucks by using E85 in a car not designed for it. You can only use E85 in a car that has the correct equipment to use E85. Otherwise you will spend a lot more money n engine repairs then you ever did save by using E85. | ||
| Froggy |
What did you do, fill a few cans with it? I would use it, but make sure its heavily mixed with gas, like put a quart in every time you go to fill up your car. Or you could go to your Chevy dealer and put it in one of the cars there, as most new Chevys do E85 | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
Just about every gas powered car or light truck with fuel injection will do just fine on 20% ethanol- Mankato State University has tested them on 30% ethanol with no problems. Just slowly use it up in said vehicles cut to around 20% and you'll have no problems. | ||
| Mikej |
"What did you do, fill a few cans with it?" Someone filled the car gas tank with it. I sucked it back out of the tank with a siphon hose and filled a few gas cans with what I could get out of the car's tank. So now I've got two 5-gallon cans with 4-5 gallons in each and a third 5-gallon can with a gallon or so it in. Based on what later was put back into the tank I'm approximating I have 10-12 gallons of the juice in the cans. All my motorcycles have carb's so the f.i. injection issue isn't a factor for the bikes. Might be for the Sub but I'm hoping a gentle blend will not be an issue. What came out of the car was 12 gallons of E85 on top of 4-6 gallons of 87octane regular stuff (might or might not be up to 10% gasahol around here, I don't pay that close of attention), so I figure that what I siphoned out was probably a 60%-75% blend already if it mixed up good on the way back to the house after the mishap. So I'm thinking that if I dump a half gallon or so of the stuff on top of at least 10 gallons of good stuff in the Subie tank then worst case is I'll be trying to burn around a 12%-15% gasohol blend (maybe). If I pour it into the bikes then I'll be blending a half gallon of the juiced stuff into 4+ gallons of premium stuff, or in the H-D it will be on top of 4+ gallons of 87 octane stuff. I don't know, maybe I'll just light the Weber BBQ with it. Should do a real number on the charcoal. Hmmm, they call E85 the clean fuel, so if I light BBQ briquettes with it can I claim that I'm using "clean coal"?????? Or maybe I'll just carry some around with me and keep an eye open for stranded motorists who ran out of gas. "Pssst, want some good stuff man? First gallon is free"  | ||
| Buelliedan |
I would just use a gallon or so per full tank of gas in your cars. That should be more than safe. I misunderstood your first post. i thought you were wanting to run it staright in your bike. That would not be good. I wouldn't run any of that in my bikes if it was me. | ||
| Iamike |
We had a local gas station that got caught buying E85 and putting it in his regular tanks. Iowa gives pretty hefty tax breaks on ethanol and he was selling it at regular prices. He got caught when the government agency realized he didn't have any E85 tanks to put the stuff in so they tested his regular pumps. As far as I have heard none of his customers had any problems from it. | ||
| Cochise |
On ethanol powered vehicles, it is recommended highly that before switching from reg to Ethanol, you need to leave the gas tank at about a quarter tank so the fuel system won't "tank" | ||
| Arcticktm |
Use the E85 in no more than a 1:4 ratio with regular unleaded and you will be fine (in the car). Even if the regular gas is 10% ethanol, mixing no more than 1 part E85 with 4 parts gasoline will keep your ethanol % reasonable for such a short term use. I would keep it away from the bikes, as they are just more on the edge than a typical car engine. I would not hesitate to put this in any car or truck. Biggest difference in an E85 engine is that the fuel system must be able to pump about 25% more fuel than gasoline, to make the same power. The high ethanol should not hurt any hard (or soft) parts with such a short term and diluted use. | ||
| Rpm4x4 |
After reading all these comments I just thought Id post some interesting real world info. I know a guy that has been running E85 in a 96 jeep cherokee with a 4 liter for 3 years. FYI the jeep cherokee is not E85 approved. It still runs fine. Should you... probabaly not, can you... Probabaly yes. | ||
| Mikej |
The one car is due for tag renewal this month, I'll have to check if a smog check is required. Should be interesting to see if anything shows up if it is smog checked. In the mean time I'll just be mixing the stuff one quart at a time. Maybe I'll use a clear Mason jar and do it after midnight and pretend it's moonshine I'm pouring into the tank.  Yesterday I went by the station where the mistake happened. They have one pump in the middle of the island with their E85 blends. They've got a 20% mix, a 30% mix, and the E85 mix. Took a cell phone pic of the offending pump. I wonder how many people actually stop to read the stickers on gas pumps, I don't, I just grab the nozzle and hit the 87 button for the cars.  | ||
| Buelliedan |
Gas is down to 2.80 a gallon here. Why would anybody want to run E85 if it is only .40 cents a galon cheaper? You will lose 30% or more in mileage with that stuff. | ||
| Froggy |
Because it burns a lot cleaner, and uses 85% less gasoline. I intentionally get E10 mix in my cars and bike, the gas millage hit in E10 isn't enough to warrant bitching about. Hell at one point I was getting 70mpg+ on my XB12 with E10. | ||
| Bubo |
just mix the E85 in with the gas next time you fill up your car try not to mix more then 50%, all it is, is alcohol it will clean your full system of all the crap they put in gas anyway just don't let it set in your fuel system for a long time as the alcohol is a corrosive (long time as in months)you can run it in the car going for the smog test but if the state you live in checks for NOX then you mite come out a little high | ||
| Just_ziptab |
"Because it burns a lot cleaner, and uses 85% less gasoline" True, but not. A total economic lie. IF the entire ethanol industry vaporized, our oil imports would go down. We burn more import oil(dust to dust)to produce the alleged 85% savings.......Modified e coli diesel fuel manufacturing is where it's at. Go hide and watch. Click:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/ article4133668.ece | ||
| Froggy |
Just_ziptab, that is not entirely true. Ethanol can be made with 0 gasoline(other than the 15% in it) if they actually tried. They can and they do are 2 different things. | ||
| Just_ziptab |
Oh boy,a thread hijack. "0 gasoline"? Their is this little ranch in Hawaii that grows bananas. Maulo is the guy that puts that little sticker on the bananas. Only one banana with a sticker on it was put in the lunch bucket that Bill takes to work at a flat washer factory. One flat washer was used at a factory that makes shoe laces. One shoe lace was bought by a guy that makes wax toilet gaskets gaskets. A guy at an ethanol plant takes a shit and flushes the toilet............and Maulo used gasoline to get to work so we could have 0 gasoline ethanol. See what I mean? "0" depends on on far you want to trace it all back. Course the same can be said about how much gasoline is burned in the production of gasoline.......  | ||
| Mnbueller |
E85 is mostly alcohol. So it is a good cleaner. If you only have 10-12 gallons of it, either use it as a cleaning solvent, or pour a gallon or so of it at a time into your car and just burn it up. It will help clean off the gunk and crap from your valves and intake. Just don't drink it |
