E85 test on 2006 Toyota Corolla

[Shilo]

OK. I finally did it on Friday. I put in about a gallon and a half of E85 to a full tank of gasoline.
Here's some info. To whomever is keeping records here(someone said they were), post your questions about what you need/want to know. Here's what I have.

2006 Toyota Corolla(base model, nothing special)
171,000 miles
13.1 gallon tank
4 cylinder, 16 valves
Had the oil/filter changed today. The oil after 5,000 miles has always looked like new oil
Added 1.5 gallons of E85 at $1.69
Has been averaging 34.8 to 35.1 MPG on gas on mixed highway use(50% city, 25% 55mph, 25% interstate)

Only ran it 5 miles so far and no change and no check engine light-)

[Erik Weaver]

That's the way to do it! Please keep us updated as to how far you can go.

[Shilo]

Update #1:

Well I checked my mileage using above mixture and it was right at 34 mpg. So thats a very slight drop in mpg and really doesn't mean its the E85. Driving habits could cause that. It was real cold last weekend so I was letting the car warm up.

This fill up I added 2 gallons of E85. I am traveling a lot tomorrow so the next fill up will be much sooner.

[Shilo]

Update #2:

After a day of mostly interstate driving I got 37mpg. One other time I averaged 40mpg while I was traveling through Texas and Oklahoma with a 35 mph tailwind. So this appears to be an improvement.

After 900 miles of running small amounts of E85(see above) I noticed small black specks in the oil. I don't think I'll make it to the 5,000 mile oil change.
I have noticed no change in performance, good or bad.
So far, looks like the E85 is helping the high speed driving and hurting the city driving.

[Erik Weaver]

I have generally heard folks suggesting an oil/filter change relatively soon after running ethanol. It is said to have a tendency to "clean your pipes" -- perhaps that is the reason for the black specks in your oil?

So what are you up to now, in gallons of E85? (in your 13.1 gallon fuel tank) Have you yet found the point where the vehicle performs differently?

[Shilo]

Today I added 2.5 gallons of E85 to a full tank for the 2nd time. No noticeable differences in performance good or bad. No check engine light.

[Erik Weaver]

Good news! That's another few dollars not coming back our way in the form of bombs or planes knocking down buildings!

Let's see..... 2.5 / 13.1 =~ 19% E85.

Do you happen to know what range your state's "E85" may be? Here in Missouri it is certified as being no less than 70%, and no more than 85%, ethanol.

[Shilo]

No, I do not.
I need to talk to them the next time I'm over there.
I'm curious as to where the E85 comes from.

[Shilo]

An update. Lots of stuff here lately.

Last week on 3.5 gallons of E85 the car ran fine. Saw a MPG drop of approximately 2 miles per gallon. All was city driving.

Friday, I filled up with 3.5 gallons of E85 again and hit the road to Tybee Island. Had a 33 mpg on the interstate. Slight decrease.
Had to fill up with all pump junk down there because of no E85 stations. Got 31 mpg on all gas and all interstate...hmmmm.

Sunday, I filled up with E85 again-). This time I put in 4.5 gallons. For about 20 minutes I was having a rough running engine shifting from 3rd to 4th gear at about 40 to 45 mph. It cleared up. Maybe it was ECU readjusting back to the E85??

Thats where I stand now. Found out my fuel filter is attached to the fuel pump in the tank. Access is through a hole under back seat. I'm wondering if thats where my rough running and loss of mileage is coming from(dirty fuel filter). Maybe a weekend project.

[Sodbuster]

Shilo,

After 171,000 miles the filter in the tank ( strainer filter) most likely is restricted do to some fuel contamination.
Many car manufacturers are now doing away with in line fuel filters, and putting the filters in the tank so they cant be serviced. Now you put a 100,000 miles on your car and now the warranty is out, The pump fails and you are forced to buy a new pump witch in turn forces you to go (hopefully) back to your dealer and they sell you a new pump,"redeculous".

Not much you can do unless you want to pull the pump and replace the strainer, I would just let it ride till the pump goes bad and than replace it.

Loosing a couple miles to the gallon on e85 is totally normal, remember your car was optimized for pump gas not Ethanol. Compression plays a huge toll when a engine is optomized for Ethanol 13.0 to 1 and even 14.0 to 1
Your typical gas motor like your Corolla is around 8.0 to 1 and this makes a huge difference.

The lag you most likely felt was from the ECM making the adjustment, The ECM senses Ethanol via a fuel sensor in the tank and will make changes, and even turn the check engine light on.

[Shilo]

Filled up today at about 3/8ths of fuel in my tank. I added 2.5 gals of E85 and 6 gals of crapoline. Roughly, I'm running 40% E85 now and am taking a small hit in MPG, as expected without any modifications. This tank was at 31 mpg.

I think I'm going to bump it up to 50/50 next time and see how things go. I expect the check engine light to come on soon after. We'll see.

My biggest problem is getting to the E85. I'm currently using gas cans(1-5gal and 2-2.5 gals.) for storage until I can find a station closer. I put in the E85 at the gas station before filling up with crapoline.

My goal is to get a conversion kit from this site for $360 with my tax refund if I get one..lol.

[Shilo]

PS.
It was cooold the other morning(for us in GA anyway). It was 11 degrees and the car started just fine. I work nights so the car sits outside at work and I leave just as it get daylight.

[Erik Weaver]

...and they are made in the USA! :)