E85

[DeniseC25]

So, I put E85 in my 2009 Volvo S80 -- it is now running like crap. It feels like it is not shifting when it needs to and I have to really press on the gas to get it to go at times. And the check engine light flashes for awhile and turns off. And I get a message that says slow down or shift up.

I no longer have E85 in the car... I have filled up the tank once since then. Could it be that I ruined something in the engine with one tank of E85 or is the problem something else? I am taking it to the mechanic's Monday morning but I am trying to prepare myself. Yes, I worry about things I cannot control.

Thanks for any guidance you can give me!

Denise

[Rattnalle]

Pull the battery for a while and reset the ECU. It's probably tried to adapt to the too low energy content of the E85. You need 30% bigger injectors to fool the ECU and let more fuel in for that to work.

[Cptinc]

I know this post is from last year, but a lot of comments are incorrect. I just converted my 2020 xc90 to run on 100% e85 & gained 35hp & 42ft-lb on fueling alone.

E85 is ideal for turbo/supercharged & high compression motors because it has an octane rating of 105. (The higher the octane, the lower the risk of detonation “knock”.

If you’re car did not come from the factory with the ability to run e85 or has not been properly turned by a professional, it is not recommended to run anything higher than 10% ethanol. This is because e85 takes 30% more by volume than gasoline. So running e85 in a motor that’s not accounting for the increase needed, is going to cause very lean conditions.

Now a properly tuned flex fuel motor will bring you many benefits. It gives the ecu the ability to advance/retard the timing a significant amount (due to no knocking) which mean nice hp gains for you. E85 also burns 10% cooler than gas which can increase the the life of a motor. Not to mention how much cleaner it burns than gas.