Mistakenly filled my gas tank up with E85 this morning. Q4

4511 Views 47 Replies 24 Participants Last post by Avnyc11, 16 d ago

Karen

Discussion Starter · May 18, 2022

I mistakenly filled my gas tank up with E85 this morning. I am uncertain if I should drive the car or have it towed to get the gas tank flushed and new 91 gas put in. It is a 2019 Q4 Giuliani. I am at the gas station and uncertain what to do.

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wingler

· #2 · May 18, 2022

Karen said:
I mistakenly filled my gas tank up with E85 this morning. I am uncertain if I should drive the car or have it towed to get the gas tank flushed and new 91 gas put in. It is a 2019 Q4 Giuliani. I am at the gas station and uncertain what to do.

I have no idea what the risk is from running one tank (I’d guess pretty small), but the manual is clear that E85 should not be used.

Refueling
Do not use fuel containing methanol or ethanol E85. Using these mixtures may cause misfiring and driving issues, as well as damage vital components of the supply system.
For further details on the use of the correct fuel, see Ú page 251.

CAUTION!
DO NOT use E-85, gasoline containing methanol, or gasoline containing more than 15% ethanol (E-15). Use of these blends may result in starting and drivability problems, damage critical fuel system components, cause emissions to exceed the applicable standard, and/or cause the Malfunction Indicator Light to illuminate. Please observe pump labels as they should clearly communicate if a fuel contains greater than 15% ethanol (E-15).
Problems that result from using gasoline containing more than 15% ethanol (E-15) or gasoline containing methanol are not the responsibility of the manufacturer and not covered under New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

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Reactions: 2

Chipshot

· #3 · May 18, 2022

Giuliani??? Gotta love autocomplete.

I’d simply burn through that tank as quickly as possible (like today), following up with two half-tank “rinses”.

Reactions: 1

Karen

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 18, 2022

Chipshot said:
Giuliani??? Gotta love autocomplete.

I’d simply burn through that tank as quickly as possible (like today), following up with two half-tank “rinses”.

Yes, sorry about the incorrect spelling. I am really scared to drive my car

wingler said:
I have no idea what the risk is from running one tank (I’d guess pretty small), but the manual is clear that E85 should not be used.

Refueling
Do not use fuel containing methanol or ethanol E85. Using these mixtures may cause misfiring and driving issues, as well as damage vital components of the supply system.
For further details on the use of the correct fuel, see Ú page 251.

CAUTION!
DO NOT use E-85, gasoline containing methanol, or gasoline containing more than 15% ethanol (E-15). Use of these blends may result in starting and drivability problems, damage critical fuel system components, cause emissions to exceed the applicable standard, and/or cause the Malfunction Indicator Light to illuminate. Please observe pump labels as they should clearly communicate if a fuel contains greater than 15% ethanol (E-15).
Problems that result from using gasoline containing more than 15% ethanol (E-15) or gasoline containing methanol are not the responsibility of the manufacturer and not covered under New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

Thank you! I am going to have the tank flushed and start over. Thank you! I really messed up. I am in tears. I love my car and do not want to harm it.

Reactions: 5

Marmaduke

· #5 · May 18, 2022

That is the safest option. You cannot go wrong with just getting the correct gas put in it.

Reactions: 2

wingler

· #6 · May 18, 2022

Karen said:
Yes, sorry about the incorrect spelling. I am really scared to drive my car

Thank you! I am going to have the tank flushed and start over. Thank you! I really messed up. I am in tears. I love my car and do not want to harm it.

You’ll be fine. At least it wasn’t diesel. 🙂

Reactions: 2

Alfissimo

· #7 · May 18, 2022

Karen said:
Yes, sorry about the incorrect spelling. I am really scared to drive my car

Thank you! I am going to have the tank flushed and start over. Thank you! I really messed up. I am in tears. I love my car and do not want to harm it.

Drive it and refill with 91 + You will be fine

Reactions: 1

Alfa Nut

· #8 · May 18, 2022

Luckily?, we don't have such options at the station⛽. It's 91 or 95, or diesel.

The filler cap and manual both tell me nothing less than 95, so never had a problem...yet...

.

I'd also be in a panic if anything else was put in...

Karen

Discussion Starter · #9 · May 18, 2022

Thank you everyone for you assistance. I am getting it taken care of. I am truly grateful I found this forum.

Reactions: 5

shpuncik

· #10 · May 18, 2022

drain it and just fill with proper fuel.
if manual states not to use fuel containing methanol or ethanol E85 I'd not risk running through tank as it could damage fuel lines/seals.

Reactions: 2

Alfa Philly

· #11 · May 18, 2022

Drive down to half tank and fill it with 93

it’s most likely e-60 anyway. Doubtful it’s even close to 75-80.

Reactions: 1

RogueGT03

· #12 · May 18, 2022

Go to the auto parts store and buy a can of octane boost...pour it in...problem solved.

Reactions: 2

lockem

· #13 · May 18, 2022

RogueGT03 said:
Go to the auto parts store and buy a can of octane boost...pour it in...problem solved.

E85 is higher octane than gasoline.
The primary issue with E85 was pointed out by @shpuncik , chemical compatibility with rubber and seals in the fuel system. Problems caused may not be immediately apparent. Such problems may be anticipated and not exist, it is hard to tell. The high pressure fuel pump in Giulia could be damaged by E85 and problems not become apparent for thousands of miles.

The secondary issue with E85 is that more fuel needs to be delivered for it to burn correctly. It is unclear if the fuel system in Giulia has sufficient "extra" capacity to handle high throttle settings using E85.

If we want to drive our current cars in 2040 there is a non-trivial chance that we will all need to convert them to E100, so maybe learning what needs to change to do so needs to start now? One of the problems that I was told happens with E100 is that the car will not start when it is cold.

Lastly USA octane standards differ substantially from the rest of the world. The EPA has specified a method that is supposed to be more consistent across fuel chemistries, but that results in lower octane numbers. Thus Giulia is specified for 87 octane minimum and 91 octane recommended.

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Reactions: 2

Crosshairs

· #14 · May 18, 2022

lockem said:
The secondary issue with E85 is that more fuel needs to be delivered for it to burn correctly.

you need a LOT of E85 for proper combustion. ...chances are OP would melt a piston before any damage to the rubber components was done

Reactions: 1

Alpha

· #15 · May 18, 2022

Crosshairs said:
you need a LOT of E85 for proper combustion. ...chances are OP would melt a piston before any damage to the rubber components was done

Yea, not sure if the fuel trims can handle adding that much extra fuel

Reactions: 1

RogueGT03

· #16 · May 18, 2022

lockem said:
E85 is higher octane than gasoline.
The primary issue with E85 was pointed out by @shpuncik , chemical compatibility with rubber and seals in the fuel system. Problems caused may not be immediately apparent. Such problems may be anticipated and not exist, it is hard to tell. The high pressure fuel pump in Giulia could be damaged by E85 and problems not become apparent for thousands of miles.

The secondary issue with E85 is that more fuel needs to be delivered for it to burn correctly. It is unclear if the fuel system in Giulia has sufficient "extra" capacity to handle high throttle settings using E85.

If we want to drive our current cars in 2040 there is a non-trivial chance that we will all need to convert them to E100, so maybe learning what needs to change to do so needs to start now? One of the problems that I was told happens with E100 is that the car will not start when it is cold.

Lastly USA octane standards differ substantially from the rest of the world. The EPA has specified a method that is supposed to be more consistent across fuel chemistries, but that results in lower octane numbers. Thus Giulia is specified for 87 octane minimum and 91 octane recommended.

My bad...I misread. I thought it said 85 Octane...in that case it won't hut a bit to run a tank of E85 (~100 Octane) fuel. E85 on the fuel station pumps I've seen would be very hard to mistake with the regular Yellow based 0ctane tags as the E85 tags are white background and blue numbers...at least here they are in the Northeast.

Reactions: 1

The_Dude

· #17 · May 18, 2022

How much E85 did you get? How empty was the tank?

Reactions: 1

Alfa Philly

· #18 · May 18, 2022

No way it’s full E. Especially in todays fuel game. Most likely e51-e70 at best. Very rare to see pump E that rates higher. The ones that are consistently e80 are known to racers on full E and you’ll know it when you see trucks with drums or people fueling up car and cans. I run e85 in my QV on stock fuel pump and injectors. Him running half a tank and refilling with gas will be fine. Of course don’t hammer it.

lockem

· #19 · May 18, 2022

Crosshairs said:
you need a LOT of E85 for proper combustion. ...chances are OP would melt a piston before any damage to the rubber components was done

I believe that it is in the range of 40-50% more, but have no clue regarding any excess capacity in the system. I am not certain how the parts in the high pressure fuel pump are lubricated, but suspect that gasoline is used as the lubricant. Swapping in E85 could start a process of galling and rapid wear. I presume that this pump is expensive (similar unit on my diesel pickup truck was $5000 including R&R).

Engines designed for E85 generally have higher compression ratios in order to take advantage of the high octane of E85.

RogueGT03

· #20 · May 18, 2022

lockem said:
I believe that it is in the range of 40-50% more, but have no clue regarding any excess capacity in the system. I am not certain how the parts in the high pressure fuel pump are lubricated, but suspect that gasoline is used as the lubricant. Swapping in E85 could start a process of galling and rapid wear. I presume that this pump is expensive (similar unit on my diesel pickup truck was $5000 including R&R).

Engines designed for E85 generally have higher compression ratios in order to take advantage of the high octane of E85.

1 tank of E85 will do nothing to gall or cause rapid wear to an electric fuel pump. Gasoline doesn’t lubricate an electric fuel pump. Your diesel injector pump is a whole different animal. They are big money and typically warrantied for 5-7 yrs or 100K miles.

Reactions: 1

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