So, in Calais today had to go to gents, asked my daughter to fill the car up...

Drove all the way home (three hour drive) and just down the road from my house Restricted Performance came up on the dash.

Having questioned my daughter, turns out she put E85 in thinking it was the premium unleaded like I use here in the UK.

I'm thinking the air mixture requirements might be causing the message. From my research I understand it should not cause too many problems, so shall I just top up with the good stuff and drive the old petrol out or should I drain?

Happy Easter all!

 

Best to drain it if full. Otherwise, use strait gas. (no ethanol)

 

It's just over half way...

 

Are you sure it was E85 (85% ethanol) and not E10 (10% ethanol)? If so, I'm surprised the car ran at all.

If it was E85, best to drain and refill. If you're at half tank, filling with pure gas would mean that he tank still has around 40% ethanol in it. The car was not built to deal with anything over 10%.

The drained gas is not waste, use it to top up your tank making sure it never exceeds 10% volume.

 

Stock cars are mostly ok up to 40-50% E85. May take just short time for ECU to adjust.

 

MTBE, the additive most widely used in the past to increase octane to create premium gasoline fuels from regular, was outlawed in 2006. The replacement to add gravity, was in fact, ethanol blending. Most premium ethanol is around 15% or E15, and can be as high as 20%. Strait gas premium is, sadly, E10.

Oxygenated gasoline is a mixture of conventional gasoline and one or more combustible liquids which contain oxygen. At present, gasoline in the United States is almost exclusively oxygenated with ethanol, mostly derived from corn. Oxygenated gasoline can change the air-fuel ratio in an engine, which can help some engines, particularly older engines, produce less carbon monoxide.

As part of the EPA Reformulated Gasoline (RFG) program, which began in 1995, oxygenated gasoline must be used throughout the year in the most polluted areas in the United States and during the winter, in areas with high carbon monoxide levels since cold temperatures can increase carbon monoxide levels. California Cleaner-Burning Gasoline (CBG) is also typically oxygenated with ethanol. Recent federal and state legislation requires the introduction of progressively increasing volumes of renewable fuels in United States motor fuels, further enhancing the blending of ethanol into conventional gasoline.

Flashpoint of ethanol 362ºC, while pure gas bursts into flames without a spark between 246ºC and 280ºC, depending on the blend.

The folks at the rack, a shared depot which all stores get their fuel, use a higher ratio of ethanol as the oxygenator in premium fuel, including those locations that sell it as "pure gas." There is no such thing as "pure premium gasoline without ethanol" anymore in the US.

So in the end, my suggestion at half a tank, is to fill with unleaded premium gas, not ethanol, (although it will still contain about 10%) and use the same the second full tank as well.

 

Ditto to David from what I've read.

E85 has very high knock resistance...the FI guys doing aftermarket stuff are tuning their cars for it and making some serious power.

 

All very nice, but the OP is in England, so US laws have no relevance.

I believe the UK may still have pumps that dispense ethanol free fuel especially when it comes to higher octane grades. We certainly have them in Canada.

 

In the UK, MTBE is also not used. They use benzene and toluene, both much more hazardous than even MTBE. Ethanol mixes in "regular gas" is used on both sides of the borders here in North America. Both Shell and Texaco state this. Canada has become one of the largest export countries for US ethanol exports.

Canadian Government-imposed ethanol mandates across Canada average about 5%. That means pump owners are required to mix in that amount of ethanol with standard gasoline. In fact, many industry experts believe that gas companies are going above and beyond the mandatory minimum in order to help their own bottom line. That’s why W. Scott Thurlow, president of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA) says Canada needs to raise its minimum ethanol blend to at least 10%.

 

Again, very nice but what's any of it got to do with the OP possibly filling his car with E85?

 

It's why I said in conclusion, if half a tank, fill with known good premium, and follow that same the second tank. If full, better to drain it.

 

Thanks to all of you, interesting discussion! I have filled it with proper Shell premium (the other half) and the restricted performance vanished, seems to be running fine for the moment. I still have an engine warning light on but that will stay till I clear it.

I think for the moment I will drive carefully and keep topping up with proper fuel...

Can't find reference on draining and information online is divided, but I read a test using E85 and no damage was done to the engine. I have now explained the different fuel types to my 15 year old daughter!!

What a day!

 

Be glad it wasn't diesel!

 

Yeah, been there, done that, full tank of unleaded in a diesel Merc!! Problem with having three unleaded and one diesel. Now no diesel in the house!

 

The only risks you run with E85, outside of ethanol being a little rough on rubber when used over a very long period of time, is an overly lean condition due to the fact the injectors won't flow enough fuel, and long and short term trim cannot duty cycle the injector long enough to flow enough, the fuel itself won't do internal damage. You certainly won't go into detonation. Glad to hear you are up and running. Draining would simply require a hand pump and a hose inserted through the gas inlet. Where I live they call that an Okie Credit Card.

 

MIL should go off after a few (3 I think) warm-ups (i.e. drives from cold).

Code(s) will stay stored, harmlessly, for a long time (40 or 80 warm ups).

Close call on the fuel but hopefully no long term harm. Clear them if you prefer.

Out of curiosity I'd read the codes but more interestingly look at fuel trims every new trip to see what it's doing!

 

I went to read the codes but it appears my ODB2 connector which I've used on an Audi, Mercedes and Volvo without issues won't talk to the Jaguar ECU so I'll need to sort that out. As soon as I do I will post the codes

 

So, just to close this off if it happens to anyone else, have kept filling up with unleaded after a few short drives. Drove yesterday Northampton to Birmingham and today London and back. Engine light has gone out, everything seems perfect.

Big phew!!

 

You do realize we're dating ourselves by calling 'unleaded'.

 

Granted the question was from a different country, the idea is the same. I live in California and have the supercharger. In California there are something like 20 different fuel formulations ( all octanes I believe) for air pollution reasons, I had been told. There is a summer blend and a winter blend.

The car was sort of have a higher surge like rev even when at rest. Jag dealer mechanic said it was due to the different fuel formulations and said it was the butane. I found a huge list of gasoline components.

As there are different atmospheric and geographic differences in the state the formulations vary. Mine was noted in winter here by the coast in January. I typically fuel with Mobile high test.