E85 - What to keep on top of?

[David Hart]

I bought my Trac w/ 9600 miles on it. I don't know the limited maintenance history on this vehicle.



I started using E85 today. Everything seems to be OK so far, but I'm questioning the attempt before I had it checked out to make sure everything was still flex-fuel spec.



What are the primary replacement items that could have been easily replaced w/ non FFV from a standard parts supplier?



I'd like to hear what the experience here has been w/ E85. What type oil (besides Motorcraft) are you using? Other than the expected degradation in mileage, any bad experiences? Any trouble signs to look for?



Thanks in advance!

 

[Richard L]

David,

Your 2004 model Sport Trac should be 100% flex-fuel compatible and should not require any modifications or special maintenance proceedures.



Alcohol (Ethanol) based fuels are highly corrosive to fuel systems designed only for gasoline and most manufaturers will recommend that your gasoline not contaim more than 12-15% alcohol. In the case of flex-fuel engines, all fuel system components have been designed for fuels containing up to 85% alcohol (E85)



...Rich

 

[mike oyler]

My 05 owners manual says the spark plugs should be re-gapped to run e85. I forgot to look for the new gap.



Mike 0

 

[Larry Gamble]

I just ran a couple of tanks with roughly 50:50 mix of E85. My '02 isn't a FFV, but I'd read about folks with late 90's cars running it like this without problem.



First thing I noticed....NOTHING. Performance seemed the same. A check of gas mileage for two tanks worth shows NO Change there either!



I try to alternate fill ups with 87 and E85. But, if I got too far into the tank I'll just fill up with 87 so I don't go full E85. So, it's not scientific but it seems to be saving a little money.



I really liked the $11 fill up with 9 gallons of E85!!! One station is selling E20 for about a quarter less than 87. I might just run that all the time.

 

[EddieS'04]

Larry...E85 will get worst gas milage. It is designed for clean burn, EPA stuff...

There goes the money saved..

 

[Nelson Atwell]

Long-term use of E-85 in a non-FFV will likely cause damage to engine components.

 

[Dave S]

I have a 2005 ST Flex Fuel and I have run quite a bit of E85. I have found no difference in performance but the gas mileage is a little less, about 15-25%. Cost is currently about .30 to .40 cents per gallon cheaper than petro 87 so I'm not sure I'm saving a whole lot. It is not convenient to find - even in Minnesota. My understanding is in the FFV they program the computer to measure the oxygen in the fuel which reprograms the engine. I think they also use stainless steel tanks and fuel lines. Something might be a little different on the fuel injectors as well.

 

[Richard L]

Pure Ethanol alcohol gets about 25% less mileage than regular gasoline. That means that with all factors being the same E85 will yield 18% less mileage than conventional gasoline.



On a Sport Trac getting between 15-20 MPG on gasoline, one would hardly notice the difference in day to day driving. You would lose about one gallon of fuel (15-20 miles) per tankful.



...Rich

 

[David Hart]

Thanks for the responses. Mine is FFV equiped, but with no real economic benefit, I was scared to try it. I got upset watching the price of E85 increase directly (not proportionally) along with gas. Funny how 15% gasoline has the market influence of 100%.



Its still about 40 cents a gallon cheaper than gas here so I agree that the savings are a wash, but I wanted to walk-the-walk on emissions, etc.



I may keep using it from an altruistic standpoint. One route I can take on my commute takes my by 1 of 2 places its sold locally. The place has E85 and Biodiesel.

 

[Larry Gamble]

Straight E85 would be less mileage than the roughly 50% mix I'm running. I monitor the mileage with every fill up. It's less than a 1 mpg difference.



To date, no significant change in gas mileage but it is a pleasant change to the wallet.

 

[Gene Zenk]

Even if it doesn't seem to be cheaper because of the decreased mileage, you have to consider that every time someone uses it we are slowly reducing our demand for oil from other countries and reducing emissions into the air we breath. Yes, I said 'slowly reducing our demand for oil' as we have to start somewhere with something. Hoping this might lead to improvements in alternative fuels.



If you use 15 gallons of E85 in a FFV, you are only using 2.25 gallons of gasoline and 12.75 gallons of ethanol. So, let's say you do that once a week for a year - you only used 117 gallons of gasoline but you used 663 gallons of a renewable fuel. So, as the availablity increases and more people use it, it will add up. We might not decrease the amount of oil we consume but we might be able to slow the increasing demand for oil.

 

[Benjamin Feinstein]

Does anyone know if there is a place to get E85 in Northern Virginia. I would like to use it in my Trac for the same reason listed above me here. You cant get more reusuable then Corn.

 

[David Hart]

That's all I see on the e85fuel.com website for Virginia.