Just for fun I've been experimenting with "homemade" mixes of E85 and gasoline to see what the effect would be on my truck mechanically and mileage-wise. I have a 50gal cross-bed aux tank in my truck, so my onboard capacity is 84 gal, which I figured would be a large enough quantity for thoughtful experimentation. I did the math and calculated how much E85 I could put in my aux tank to make an overall E15, E20, and E25 mixture and see how the truck performed, since the aux tank feeds the main tank. So far, with E15 and E20 mixes, I've seen no ill effects, no check engine lights, etc. I just returned from a second "short" 600 mile trip with an E20 mix and got close to 9mpg for the whole trip both times, doing 60mph. My whole point in doing this is not to really save any money, because if I can't afford the gas, I can't afford my truck and 5er. Rather, I've done this for an availability issue to see if, when things perhaps get tight, whether I can mix & match E85 with regular to keep things rolling. I don't buy into the argument that non-E85 vehicles cannot burn any E85 because it will destroy seals, gaskets, lines et al. Ethanol isn't corrosive like Methanol is, which is where much of the misinformation comes from. For any relatively new vehicle, the same components are used in manufacturing, with the exception of injectors and sensors that an E85 compatible vehicle uses to determine what it is burning, whether gasoline or E85. And, of nothing else, a little higher E85 level will keep the system clean and burn a little cooler. From what I can determine, a mixture of E25 is about as high as you can go before O2 sensors and other components begin to notice a difference in what is being burned. Would welcome comments from anybody else who has played in this arena.
DennisH
27 Years of Proud Navy Service (Retired Sep 03!)
High School Teacher (Sep 03 to present)
2001 Chevy 3500 Dually 4x2 Crew Cab/8.1L/Allison/4.10
2006 Jayco Designer 31RLS/Husky Hitch
DennisH wrote: I don't buy into the argument that non-E85 vehicles cannot burn any E85 because it will destroy seals, gaskets, lines et al. Ethanol isn't corrosive like Methanol is, which is where much of the misinformation comes from. For any relatively new vehicle, the same components are used in manufacturing, with the exception of injectors and sensors that an E85 compatible vehicle uses to determine what it is burning, whether gasoline or E85.
I am inclined to agree with you...all though I don't know for sure yet...I have an auto parts interchange system at work and have from time to time looked up different fuel system parts to see if it will ask ,with or without E85, on a Chevy truck as I know that they come both ways. The common thought is that if it asks they are different, if it don't they are the same or at least compatible. Every thing I can and have looked up so far, with the exception of the electronics, they don't ask.
The other thing I remember is that the "boot legers" used to run shine in the cars and even in the tractors but I do know that a 1940 JohnDeer is quite different than a 2009 Silverado. For one thing fuel lines used to be steel not plastic.
Be interested to know if it works out for you.
On a TV program on the news. It was stated by a spokesman from I think it was Ford or it could have been GM dont quote me. He said up to 20% should not cause any problems, any more then that could cause computer problems and maybe other malfunctions. Sounded to me like they had done some testing. JMO
2004 Red Ram SLT QC 3500 Auto CTD HO SB
2001 Cedar Creek 25RLMS 5er
True E85 vehicles have a fuel composition sensor that determines the ethanol content of the fuel and adjusts the computer accordingly (timing, O2 mixture, etc.). Seems that running ethanol mixtures without the fuel composition sensor may give bad readings and result in an eventual trouble code. Good luck.
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