Wife filled up her car with E-85 assuming it was a whole tank. Delearship is charging 550 to drain, will tipping off with correct gas fix issue without harm or do I need to let them drain it?

If this were my Car, I'd just drive it until it was all used up, or maybe get to half a tank and top it off with regular non E85.

I don't think a one time fill up with E85 will hurt anything.

You may get a check engine light because of the E85, but I don't foresee it ruining the engine.

YMMV.

I wouldn't have told the dealership about it, but as long as it's just one tank it won't damage the engine, the ethanol will just burn quicker and you'll have some power loss and worse MPG I'd imagine.

Yeah, agree. I'd venture to guess the RBOB we fill up with is sometimes a bit higher (or lower) % ethanol just because of operational issues when they spike the batches. No one really notices.

Yea I was in meetings all day in a SCIF with no access to a phone so she took it to the dealer, I wouldn't have taken it here either. Her check engine light did come on. I'm gonna try and siphon the **** out and put it in my truck which is flex fuel. ****ing NE corn and their stupid ass subsidies

Also dude at the dealer mentioned it potentially damaging the catylic converter?

Jock 07 said:

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Also dude at the dealer mentioned it potentially damaging the catylic converter?

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Race fuel

Just throw a match down the fuel fill and the e85 in the tank will burn. Once it is burned, fill it up with regular.

Problem solved.

Stupid ass siphon didn't work so I'm just gonna top it off with premium burn it down a 1/4 and keep repeating that, thanks for y'all's advice

Just remember to play your hand to the fullest for the wife's F up and keep telling her the dealer's price.

Jock 07 said:

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Also dude at the dealer mentioned it potentially damaging the catylic converter?

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LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLKLOLKLKLKLKLLOLL. Ask him how much the unicorn fart E85 catalytic converter costs.

Look at the part numbers on cats for FFV Toyotas vs non-FFV. Magically, they are the same.

Jock 07 said:

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Stupid ass siphon didn't work so I'm just gonna top it off with premium burn it down a 1/4 and keep repeating that, thanks for y'all's advice

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Premium won't do anything different than 87 regular, it has the same ethanol content, which is what you are worried about.

Jock 07 said:

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Stupid ass siphon didn't work so I'm just gonna top it off with premium burn it down a 1/4 and keep repeating that, thanks for y'all's advice

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Really, you're better off driving to a Buccees with E0 and using that.

I'd run it down to half a tank before filling it. Keep diluting it just draws the process out.

KY AG said:

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Look at the part numbers on cats for FFV Toyotas vs non-FFV. Magically, they are the same.

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Thats not how the damage can happen

air to fuel ratio for good old petroleum based gasoline is 14.7:1 E85 is 10.5:1.

The efi systems I've tinkered with in the past are good for around a 20% increase in fueling over ideal, so thats about 11.75:1. You'll be running lean as hell on that setup. The excess oxygen can react with the co2 and nitrogen and form all the nasty things that the catalytic convertor processes and it will be working overtime.

So the problem isn't the converter, it is the limitations of the efi system. I'm sure if you look up the fuel injectors for a e85 capable vehicle vs one without that feature they will have different part numbers (and flow rates)

I'd dump at least half that **** out and fill it up before driving it more than a few minutes.

1agswitchin4lanes said:

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Jock 07 said:

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Stupid ass siphon didn't work so I'm just gonna top it off with premium burn it down a 1/4 and keep repeating that, thanks for y'all's advice

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Really, you're better off driving to a Buccees with E0 and using that.

I'd run it down to half a tank before filling it. Keep diluting it just draws the process out.

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Unfortunately the buckys around here are knock off versions and I don't think they sell anything without ethanol. I know the shells around here have premium without ethanol but I'm pretty sure you won't find anywhere here that has anything but premium without ethanol in it.

there is no sense in putting premium in since the ethanol blend will have a ridiculously high octane rating as it is.

E10 is about 13.4:1 so a 50/50 blend of e85 and e10 is just at the 20% range so the catalytic convertors shouldn't overheat and melt the honeycomb.

You probably won't notice any damage at first if you burn through the entire tank. The honeycomb will melt and reduce flow, and slightly increase the operation temp with normal gas. Eventually the vibrations from driving will break up the honeycomb and it'll sound like a proper hoopty. When that happens maybe park it at the airport for a while and hope someone removes the bad cats so you can insurance claim it.

My supercharged Tundra's cats were completely empty when I replaced them. I'm pretty sure the honeycomb broke up few thousand miles before that and exited the tailpipe. I always assumed it was due to the factory tune being rich af.

Flex fuel vehicles typically have much larger injectors and sometimes require larger fuel pumps. I doubt your fuel system can handle the required flow, so it's going to run lean. Lean is mean...

Any thoughts on this

Quote:

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The Heat Myth

The popular misunderstanding is that ethanol's 30 percent energy deficit means a 30 percent richer air-fuel ratio, which means more unburned fuel flowing through the cat; and that supposedly produces more heat, which kills the cat. While the first part is true, the richer air-fuel ratio won't affect converter temperature any more than it will combustion chamber temperature -- which is to say very little. Energy content is energy content, regardless of whether it's spent in the combustion chamber or catalytic converter. So that myth is busted.

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https://itstillruns.com/effects-ethanol-catalytic-converter-12172217.html
I'm assuming this is the cat concern with the ethanol?

not applicable

its not unburned fuel that will kill the cat in a lean environment

Disclaimer, not a chemist. I took 1 chemistry class at A&M and it was on the TV. Here is my caveman explaination:

at elevated temps and pressures still in the cylinder just after combustion the excess air reacts with the co2 and N2 forming CO and NO2 and NO3. Thats exothermic, could be more heat than the engine can handle, but the engine is big heat sink and your temp gauge will show a long term temp spike, so thats not the immediate problem. The immediate problem is these molecules of NOx and CO that the catalytic converter reacts with to turn back into harmless CO2 (yeah, I said it) and N2. That also generates heat. The cooling of the catalytic converter is passive, it can only handle so much before its getting hotter than it can dissipate in the surrounding air/flowing exhaust which is also hotter than normal at this point due to the NOx reaction

dp

Update for anyone who cares:
Topped off ~1/3 tank with non ethanol 87 octane and a bottle of a Lucas ethanol treatment bottle earlier this afternoon. Check engine light turned off while driving around this evening

good deal. That puts you well within the correction range

Don't be too surprised if the next tank of gas or 2 gets awful mileage as its averaging out fuel trims