rjv asked: 70,000 miles driven, no problem starting, ever. 10-15 miles after filling tank w/
E85, wouldn’t start. Dealership drained tank, replaced w/87 octane,
oxygen sensor began functioning. Replacing fuel filter and pump. Cost $1,017. Cleveland, Ohio area. Has this ever happened?!
Caffeinated Content for WordPress
Tags:
E85,
Fuel Pump,
Oxygen Sensor,
Saturn L300
This vehicle wasn’t designed as a flex fuel vehicle.
So the damage was most likely caused by the E85.
E85 is only supposed to be used in vehicles made to use this fuel. They have changes made to the fuel system and engine management computer to use this fuel.
Sometimes you can get lucky and have no damage. But sometimes you can be unlucky and it usually costs you dearly.
Maybe, but unlikely. The e85 will be harder on the seals and more likely to leak due to its density, but I doubt that it would ruin a pump with the few gallons it pumped. They might have seen it was leaking and decided to replace it. I would say you got ripped off, but that does not suprise me when it comes to dealerships!!
E 85 is too much for a non-flex fuel vehicle.
NEVER run more than 10% Ethanol in an older vehicle as a rule.
E85 did not kill your fuel pump. In fact there is nothing wrong with your fuel pump. Your Saturn is more than capable of handling ethanol. The only difference between a Flex Vehicle and a non-Flex like yours is the software on the computer.
Here is what happened:
It was cold out. By putting E85 in your car when the engine was warm it probably ran okay. Maybe it ran a little rough and the check engine light may come on. You parked it and then it cooled down. So when you went to start it, your ECM would not have known how wide to open the injectors. So your car was in an extremely lean condition and not enough E85 was being pumped into the engine in order for it to start. This happens often in the winter months when people put E85 into their non-flex fuel vehicle.
Ethanol has a vaporization temperature approximately 56 degrees Fahrenheit. If the inside of your engine drops below 56, then ethanol will not vaporize. Ethanol will only burn in a gaseous state. Since your Saturn’s computer does not understand ethanol or E85, it actually retarded the on time of the injectors and very little ethanol was being pumped in so it would not start. If they had put your car in the repair bay overnight, it would have started in the morning. They did their diagnostic solely on the fact that you said “I put E85 in the tank”. So they drained the tank and the fuel line and dropped a new pump assembly in and it amazingly started.
If your dealership had called the guys at, your dealership would have known how to properly repair your Saturn and saved you a lot of money. Unfortunately GM is not training their dealers properly in the handling of ethanol. I don’t think that they ripped you off; I think that they just did know since E85 is new to them. Take this information to your dealership so they will know how to properly fix this in the future.