thanks for your comment
thanks for the many comments, it helped to come to my senses
and not to panic-
from other sources the majority suggested to keep adding
the regular gas to the tank as it empties
The problem with E85 is that the stoichiometric fuel air mix is different: lower than the 14.7:1 for “gasoline.”
Modern cars have feedback whereby air/fuel mixture is “trimmed” to compensate for any number of things, but a car not designed for E85 may “run out of trim” on E85 and operate too lean, throwing a code, possibly introducing drivability problems, and just possibly inducing internal engine damage from running too lean.
From personal experience, somewhere around 35% ethanol will “throw a code” on a 1998 Ford Contour. The Nissan Versa is more modern, but whether that makes the car more or less sensitive to this is something I don’t know.
How about the guy that got “4 stars” ( a first responder even) for telling you to get the car towed, those star ratings really don’t mean much anymore.In fact it is a bit embarassing that our site would give someone “4 stars” for that kind of advice.
If you disagree with the stars, just click on them and they disappear…Easy come, easy go…
thanks for responding, I have to admit I did not even notice the star rating-
at first I was inclined to have the car towed, I guess - panic attack. While waiting to see what other comments I would receive from “car talk” forum members, I called two dealership garages, I got two different answers and quotes on cost, one in the hundreds, one under $100, that got me wondering.
So Monday morning, I called an independent auto shop which I had used before service. In his 20 or so years of service no one ever came in with such a problem. He asked if the
car was running fine, if so, he suggested to keep driving with the fuel in it. The car is running fine and smooth.
thanks for the response, see my comment below
What I question is why some thinking did not happen before the stars were given.
The common sense and experience gained by actualy working in the auto mechanics field that your mechanic has can at many times be absent from advice given on CarTalk. I have seen threads go 100 posts long when the first 3 hit the nail right on the head. In your case it took a bit more than 3 to steer you correctly but it did happen. It seems on CarTalk we lose sight of the pratical and turn it into a sort of “Mr Wizard” type science show, or end up arguing between ourselves endlessly. Some people have great experience with different scientific disciplines but lack the very basic common sense that it takes to be a sucessful auto mechanic, the job is not as easy as many would have you think. You must keep in mind the cost vrs benifit of what you are telling someone to do, in the very least.
Siphon what you can and fill with proper gas…no worries
Oh my gosh…I did the same thing! I drove cross country with my family and my stepdad was paying for the gas in my car and he kept saying to put the cheaper E-85 in my car as we were driving through states that had E-85 fuel as an option and I told him I shouldn’t do it because my car doesn’t have the flexfuel option in it like his and my mother’s Nissan Armada and he kept insisting that it would be fine! I was half tempted to tell him, if any damage is done to my car using this fuel he can pay to fix it because I know it wouldn’t be covered under the manufacturer warranty. It states in the owner’s manual not use E-85 in it because it can cause damage over time. I haven’t had any issues with my car so far but then again I haven’t ever put E-85 fuel in it since the road trip.
Have you heard the country song “Shut Up And Drive”? I would just keep adding the correct fuel and drive it.
In the automotive store they have an additive that takes the water out of the fuel. I did that in 1996 with a car that was a 1976 model that still used leadded gas, and all I had to do was add one small bottle, and the mechanic at the garage when I told him I need the tank drained said the stuff would work and did not need to be drained and I could in a pinch use the unleaded gas and add the stuff. It is the stuff they add to the gas tank in winter too.
Seems to me that E-85 wouldn’t do immediate damage; after all, plain old pump gas these days can have up to 10 % ethanol, and E-85 is 85% gas w/ 15% ethanol. I would think that if there’s room in the gas tank, you could just pour in some regular gasoline to dilute the E-85, and maybe put in some Sea Foam or other gasoline additive to clean the system, and be good to go; if you want to, you might even add some Marvel Mystery Oil or other top cylinder lubricant on your next fill-up (with regular gas, of course).
Nope, E85 is 85% ethanol, 15% gas (regular gas is E10). Just about all cars that aren’t flex fuel won’t run on E85. That’s why it’s better to just have the tank drained, rather than stalling at some inconvenient/dangerous time.
katidid79 - you are correct in not using E-85 in your car. Your step dad is not helping. If your car is only a year or two old it can tolerate E-85 better than a 10 year old car. But, unless your car is designated as OK for E-85 you are right in not using it.
I only put the E-85 in my car a couple of times and I was lucky it didn’t cause any damage to the engine. When I got my last oil change on my car (it was done at an Automotive Shop, not Jiffy Lube), the mechanics gave it a good inspection and said no problems.
O.K., I made a mistake, my bad! Thanks, texases, for informing me. I’ve never owned a flexfuel vehicle, never even given it much thought, so I didn’t know what I thought I did. That being said, I would tend to agree with some of these other posts about siphoning/draining the E-85 from the gas tank; most auto parts stores carry siphon hoses with a rubber squeeze-ball, using one of those with two or three 5-gallon jerry-cans seems like it would be the least expensive way. Then just refill the tank w/ regular gas and maybe a can of Sea Foam injector cleaner. If you’re fortunate enough to know someone who has a flex-fuel vehicle, you could offer them the E-85 just so it’s not wasted.
True, it’s cheaper to siphon it yourself, but what do you do with 10 gallons of E-something? If you can get rid of it safely, fine, but many can’t.
I would suggest using the leftover E-85 and putting it in your lawn mower lol. Kidding don’t try that! Alot of lawn mowers won’t take E-85 either…I know mine doesn’t. Sometimes you can drop the leftover gas off at autoparts stores. Or talk to your neighbors and friends see if they have flexfuel cars.