E85 guys...extra maintenance?

[faztcobra]

Got my injectors installed today. I'm switching over to the corn tomorrow. The local shop today mentioned that when switching over to the corn, that by running conventional motor oil in my car, I'd need to change my oil about every 1500 miles. They said they ran Royal Purple in their cars which is about 12.99/qt and managed to last about 3k in between changes. They also mentioned that about every 4-5 tanks of E85, it was good to run a tank of 93 through the car to clean out the system and keep it from gumming up and forming a syrupy-like build-up in the tank. I hadn't seen any of this mentioned before and wanted to see what you guys already on E85 have experienced.

 

[Napoleon85]

I've never heard anything of the sort. I would send a message to a reputable tuner that has E85 experience and get clarification...

 

[MOB 5.0]

ive heard of the "switch it to gas every other 2 tanks" but nothing about the oil change. like said above contact a tuner...

 

[me32]

I swear people give so much false info all the time about E85 an oil. I run E85 In the gt500 an I send out my oil everychange. It always comes back with no issues an no signs of E85 or water in my oil. I do my change my oil every 3-4k. If E85 or water is getting in your oil something else is wrong.

 

[SILV03MustangGT]

I swear people give so much false info all the time about E85 an oil. I run E85 In the gt500 an I send out my oil everychange. It always comes back with no issues an no signs of E85 or water in my oil. I do my change my oil every 3-4k. If E85 or water is getting in your oil something else is wrong.

After I went E85 I called Amsoil to ask them their opinion. I run the AZO 0-30 in my car and they said that If I am running E85 all the time to make sure that I change my oil based on the factory recommended intervals instead of 25,000 which is what they recommend with that oil.

 

[faztcobra]

I will be asking my tuner a few more questions. I also trust the advice of the local shop as they are the "E85 kings" around here. They've been running the corn probably as long as anyone has. I just hadn't heard that before and was curious...
I don't mind changing oil every 3k, but 1500 seemed a bit aggressive.

 

[UnleashedBeast]

I swear people give so much false info all the time about E85 an oil. I run E85 In the gt500 an I send out my oil everychange. It always comes back with no issues an no signs of E85 or water in my oil. I do my change my oil every 3-4k. If E85 or water is getting in your oil something else is wrong.

100% accurate statement. If you are getting fuel dilution, the tune is terrible....super rich.

After I went E85 I called Amsoil to ask them their opinion. I run the AZO 0-30 in my car and they said that If I am running E85 all the time to make sure that I change my oil based on the factory recommended intervals instead of 25,000 which is what they recommend with that oil.

I have seen many UOAs in the GT500 section that proves otherwise, however....NEVER do I suggest 25,000 miles with Amsoil (despite fuel choice or power levels), only the severe service schedule of 15,000 miles or one year. Most guys running E85 would be lucky to drive their car 10,000 miles in a year, so with that being said.....

You can still perform once a year oil changes with Amsoil using E85.

 

[Radar Doc]

I run only E85 in my 2011 GT and my daily driven Silverado 5.3L. No extra maintenance here. I run synthetic oil and change it according to the OLM or annually, whichever comes first. OLM on both vehicles ends up being about 5000 miles or so.

Running 93 through the fuel system once in awhile won't clean anything, and is unnecessary. E85 keeps the system clean from the tank to the tailpipes.

Mike

 

[CshiznitzJ]

Maintenance consist of grabbing the handle on the left at the dual pump station...

 

[Shaun@AED]

I did not like to smell Ethanol in my oil after driving the car around for a few hundred miles.

Called up Royal Purple and they have the XPR line which was designed to work in Methanol engines. The oil does not absorb Alcohol like other oils and will therefore not break down as quickly and my oil no longer smelled like E85.

E85 does not burn completely in cold temps, so avoid consistent short trips. IE, if your normal commute is 15min, over time you will end up with a significant amount of Ethanol in your oil. It takes a good 40+min drive to get the crank case hot enough to vaporize the fuel that gets into the oil.

 

[UnleashedBeast]

Called up Royal Purple and they have the XPR line which was designed to work in Methanol engines. The oil does not absorb Alcohol like other oils and will therefore not break down as quickly and my oil no longer smelled like E85.

@ $19.99 per quart, it will hurt most people's wallets.

E85 does not burn completely in cold temps, so avoid consistent short trips. IE, if your normal commute is 15min, over time you will end up with a significant amount of Ethanol in your oil. It takes a good 40+min drive to get the crank case hot enough to vaporize the fuel that gets into the oil.

That's why it's a good idea to take the car for extended drives no matter what fuel or lubricant you drive. Oil must remain hot enough, long enough, to evaporate fluid dilution. Short trips are hard on the TBN (detergent additives) of a lubricant.

 

[Shaun@AED]

@ $19.99 per quart, it will hurt most people's wallets.



That's why it's a good idea to take the car for extended drives no matter what fuel or lubricant you drive. Oil must remain hot enough, long enough, to evaporate fluid dilution. Short trips are hard on the TBN (detergent additives) of a lubricant.

Agreed

 

[PLASMAN]

I will be asking my tuner a few more questions. I also trust the advice of the local shop as they are the "E85 kings" around here. They've been running the corn probably as long as anyone has. I just hadn't heard that before and was curious...
I don't mind changing oil every 3k, but 1500 seemed a bit aggressive.

Hey I also live here in Carrollton, and have been thinking of switching over to E85. I am already tuned with a CAI, but would probably do bigger injectors to be safe. I'm curious what shop you went to or who the "E85 Kings" are?

 

[truebluedevil02]

@ $19.99 per quart

 

[faztcobra]

Hey I also live here in Carrollton, and have been thinking of switching over to E85. I am already tuned with a CAI, but would probably do bigger injectors to be safe. I'm curious what shop you went to or who the "E85 Kings" are?

HPP. Manny has been running/tuning the stuff for years.

 

[PLASMAN]

Good choice, thats who would do mine too...

 

[grabber blue gt]

Is it true E85 is not as regulated and you could get a "bad" tank of E85??? A friend was telling me this and has me a little turned off. Theres one station thats about 12mi from me so I was considering switching

 

[PLASMAN]

Is it true E85 is not as regulated and you could get a "bad" tank of E85??? A friend was telling me this and has me a little turned off. Theres one station thats about 12mi from me so I was considering switching

They sell in line testers with remote displays now to monitor true levels in real time

 

[04sleeper]

Funny stuff in this thread........:lol1: In more ways than one!

me32, Radar Doc, CshiznitzJ, and UnleashedBeast get it.

 

[tmkr03]

There are way to many myths about e85. I'll be on my 3rd summer with it next year.
I test it at the pump. I want to get the inline fuel reader eventually but I don't have the need for how much I drive.
I change my oil using the ford synthetic blend and have had no issues. I change it at the end of the year and the start of the summer and every 3k if I hit that.