I have the flex fuel 3.0L engine and curious to know if anyone has used E85 and if there were any noticeable differences.

99 Ranger, 4WD, 5sp manual, Super cab, Off Road

 

Power goes down some due to the energy potential being lower than that of gasoline. Gas mileage drops as well, pretty significantly. After you switch, you'll need to disconnect your battery to reset the ECU for E85.

 

Not true! One of the differences between a regular 3.0L and a FFV 3.0L is
a sensor in the fuel line that detects E85.

 

What is the ECU, why does it have to be reset and does it reset automatically? I too have a flex fuel '99 Ranger and have never burned E85. It is just now coming to the western Pa. area.

 

Bob is correct the ECU ( Engine Control Unit) will sense the E85 and change the settings for the appropriate fuel maps needed to run it. All you have to do is put whichever fuel you want to run into the tank the vehicle will do the rest.

 

On a Ranger, it's actually called a PCM. This is the computer that controls engine and transmission functions......And, as you can see my post, on a FFV,
it DOES NOT have to be manually reset.

 

<!-- Staff edit: Yet another incorrect answer. --> There is a sensor in the fuel system that detects concentration of alcohol in the fuel and such data is sent to the ECM and promptly used to make *decisions* regarding engine operation parameters. Think about it, who in the hell fills a tank full with E85 one day, then needs to fill it a day later but it's 1/2 full and all they can get is regular unleaded. Who wants to yank off a battery cable on a cold and windy winter day, stand there for 20 minutes, hook it back up, allow the vehicle to relearn idle, and have to reset features on their stereo?

 

I concur, it shouldn't take an ECU reset. I think I've read posts of people who switched after a long time on gasoline and had issues because the ethanol "cleaned out" their fuel system, clogging their fuel filter. Might just be something to watch out for.

Also, I don't think most people report a seat-of-pants power loss. But your fuel mileage will decrease. There are several threads in the "Alternative Fuels, Hybrids, and Mileage" forum that address these concerns.

-Jim

 

my highway milage dropped from 18 to 13 when i went to e85. it was also priced at 1.77 where reg was 2.32

72% drop in milage
76% drop in fuel price

I actually did worse on e85...

Matt

 

Using your numbers I get:

27% drop in MPG
23% drop in fuel price

How did you get 72% and 76%??????

 

This thread in the Alternative Fuels forum debates E85 rather thoroughly.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...flex-fuel.html

 

I saw those goofy numbers . 76% loss of mil(e)age would quickly imply less than 9 mpg; just do a visual sanity check on math. However, and at any rate, a little more calculating is needed to determine the benefit/disbenefit of burning alcohol.

*How to calculate percentage changes:

((final value ) - (initial value)) / (initial value)


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Todays math assignment (calculators allowed if over 12 YO):

Esther drives her Chevy Malibu only to the grocery store, the doctors office, her dentist for false teeth, and to church on Sunday morning. On her last fill up, she drove 375 miles and it cost $52.69 to fill the tank. What was her average fuel cost per mile for the last 375 miles driven?

 

I'm guessing that he meant to say that the price of ethanol was 76% that of gasoline ($1.77/gallon / $2.32/gallon = .763) and that his mileage running on ethanol was 72% of his mileage running on gasoline (13mpg/18mpg = .722). Effectively, he stated the absolute percentage, not the percentage change (or difference).

-Jim

 

So, what happens if you put the E85 stuff in an older fuel injected vehicle? I.E. an '88 Ranger 2.9?

I don't know if it will get to Cali anytime soon but I need to be aware if I should run into the stuff.

Naturally I would assume that it would be marked on the pump, but stranger things have happened . . .

Rich

 

It is suggested however, to allow the fuel tank to get as low as possible before swithing back and forth. As far as putting it in a vehicle that isn't supposed to run on E85, the pcm will read lean and ask for even more fuel, setting codes and driveability problems.