My wife put e85 ethanol fuel in her 2005 Mazda 6 by mistake.What should I do? Will this cause damage?

By | Jun 19, 2009
dallas asked:


Has this ever happened to anyone? If so, what did you do?

Caffeinated Content – Members-Only Content for WordPress
Tags: , , , ,
7 Comments so far
  1. GARRY A June 21, 2009 11:01 am

    Drain Fuel System,Put Fresh Gas,See If Its Damaged?If It Is Flex Fuel Don’t Worry About It,I Do Not Think It Is However…I Would Advise The Insurance Co.Because The Repairs Probably Be Expensive

  2. Master Rick June 22, 2009 6:14 pm

    the damage will be nil as long as you don’t continue…………………..just fill it up with premium to help thin out the mix……………….you will be fine mileage will suffer a bit for that tank of fuel.

  3. Thomas S June 23, 2009 10:28 pm

    When in doubt drain it and put in regular fuel. here in Iowa we have an ethanol mix. Some car parts places say not to use it because it can harm the fuel pump. It eats away at the plastics or something. One man who told me this has been in the business for decades. I ran out of gas once in the desert in Nevada, I put all the Coleman fuel I had into the tank I sure beat walking 30 miles in a desert with no traffic.

  4. Ratt June 25, 2009 2:36 pm

    it will not hurt it at all i am a mechanic and they use that fuel up north all the time it is supposed to be less harmful on the enivorment but i would not worry about it just run it till its out

  5. ETHOL June 25, 2009 10:38 pm

    That will depend on how much E85 is in the tank, full tank? Half tank? 1/4 tank ? If there is a small amount , you shouldn’t have problems, just dilute it with regular unleaded gas. ( do not use premium to dilute, premium can contain 10% ethanol, most 87 octane fuel only contains 4-5% ethanol.)

    Your vehicle can operate safely with up to 10% ethanol.

    If she put a whole tankful of E85, that is up to 85% ethanol & that could be a problem but I dont think its serious. call your local Mazda service dept. for advice. You will get much better & more accurate advice from them than @ Yahoo!Answers

  6. monte June 26, 2009 7:18 am

    One fill of E85 won’t hurt anything. Did this last year with my Caprice. No problem. If you’re worried, call a Mazda dealer and ask them.

  7. chattterus June 27, 2009 12:06 am

    In most vehicles not prepared for E85 one tank won’t harm anything.
    Ethanol is corrosive, given enough time it will eat through any plastic tubes or seals. Very few engine blocks will would suffer any harm.

    Do as the others have suggested, fill the gas tank with normal gasoline soon.

Leave a Comment

If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

Comments

© 2009 Switch Fuel - WordPress Themes by DBT