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Author	Topic: 50% E85 usage is considered "severe use" for engine oil changes	Post a Reply Back to Topics

Edpap Champion Author Pennsylvania Posts:4,324 Points:505,950 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Mar 28, 2012 7:51:43 PM Ignore Edpap Report Abuse What Is Considered Severe Use? Severe use involves extensive idling or driving frequently in stop-and-go traffic; operating in cold temperatures below 10 degrees or extreme temperatures above 90 degrees; extreme humidity; repeated short-distance trips of less than five miles; towing a trailer or hauling heavy materials; or using E85 fuel more than 50 percent of the time. If you do drive in any one of these conditions in a typical week, you are driving in severe conditions, and may need to change oil more often.

Edpap

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Pennsylvania

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Message Posted: Mar 28, 2012 7:51:43 PM

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What Is Considered Severe Use?

Severe use involves extensive idling or driving frequently in stop-and-go traffic; operating in cold temperatures below 10 degrees or extreme temperatures above 90 degrees; extreme humidity; repeated short-distance trips of less than five miles; towing a trailer or hauling heavy materials; or using E85 fuel more than 50 percent of the time. If you do drive in any one of these conditions in a typical week, you are driving in severe conditions, and may need to change oil more often.

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gamechanger2011 Champion Author Wichita Posts:1,534 Points:54,340 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Jun 5, 2012 8:56:50 AM Ignore gamechanger2011 Report Abuse You are welcome Reb4
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,103 Points:1,821,150 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: Jun 5, 2012 8:28:32 AM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse thanks gamechanger2011, appreciate you posting here...
MertieMan Champion Author Lexington Posts:14,786 Points:2,895,570 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Jun 5, 2012 7:58:10 AM Ignore MertieMan Report Abuse Anything where ethanol is involved is severe.
gamechanger2011 Champion Author Wichita Posts:1,534 Points:54,340 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Jun 4, 2012 11:37:43 PM Ignore gamechanger2011 Report Abuse Reb4 said......"I love reading these old posts, and they are so timely. I particularly like reading my posts battling the contradictions and spins..." Definition of narcissism.... "1. Excessive love or admiration of oneself. See Synonyms at conceit. 2. A psychological condition characterized by self-preoccupation, lack of empathy, and unconscious deficits in self-esteem." :)
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,103 Points:1,821,150 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: Jun 4, 2012 9:15:52 PM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse I love reading these old posts, and they are so timely. I particularly like reading my posts battling the contradictions and spins...
goldseeker Champion Author West Virginia Posts:19,545 Points:2,718,815 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Apr 10, 2012 3:42:19 AM Ignore goldseeker Report Abuse firejkp22: I was up your way yesterday. I stopped in Uniontown and topped my tank off with E85 at a local Sunoco Station. My splash blend mix came to e25 and I showed no reduction in my mileage. As I got nearer to Pittsburgh I saw that Sheetz was carrying E85, but they were 12 cents higher than the Sunoco Station. Kind of figures since Sunoco owns their own ethanol company. Concerning oil changes. I use fully synthetic oil, so I do not worry too much about the mileage. I go at least 5000 miles between changes, and the old oil looks pretty good. [Edited by: goldseeker at 4/10/2012 3:44:06 AM EST]
ProfDude Champion Author Illinois Posts:2,195 Points:446,610 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Apr 10, 2012 3:10:33 AM Ignore ProfDude Report Abuse The owner's manual for my 2003 Sable FFV recommended oil changes every 3,000 miles with E-85 use and every 5,000 miles with E-10 use. The 2002 Suburban manual didn't indicate anything about the difference and the auto-reminder oil change light came on around 5,000 miles or so regardless of fuel mixtures being used. Sometimes I just wonder about the overall engineering. What if a vehicle engine were simply better designed to burn ethanol in the first place? My old 2003 Mercury certainly was not. Through 133,000 miles on the Sable and 196,000 miles on the Suburban, no engine problems. Oil changed as noted above.
timmyC4 Veteran Author Twin Cities Posts:417 Points:60,600 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Apr 3, 2012 4:22:40 PM Ignore timmyC4 Report Abuse I think I'll run E85 in my Diesel the stuff is so great. No sense eating corn flakes anymore. I like burning the stuff. Smells good too. No sense wearing any cologne. What other kind of food should we burn?
Cummins2500 Champion Author Iowa Posts:3,128 Points:752,375 Joined:Jan 2007	Message Posted: Apr 3, 2012 3:23:16 PM Ignore Cummins2500 Report Abuse firejkp22, Why not post up your oil report so we can have a look and are you using synthetic oil? I've been told by several mechanics at the Toyota dealership that standard oil will break down faster with E85 usage.
FIREJKP22 All-Star Author Pittsburgh Posts:588 Points:243,700 Joined:Feb 2003	Message Posted: Apr 1, 2012 3:39:29 PM Ignore FIREJKP22 Report Abuse I find this to be a bunch of garbage, and of course, another uninformed individual posting B.S. on here. I run E85 100% of the time on my flex fuel engine and after 7500 miles, my oil was barely even dark or burned. I sent my oil for an analysis and the analysis showed I could of waited to change my oil for a longer period of time. Just burnt a hole in Edpap's little B.S. theory...
SilverStreaker Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:11,934 Points:2,215,565 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Apr 1, 2012 12:26:50 PM Ignore SilverStreaker Report Abuse My car engine just blew up because I've been using E85 - April Fool! I actually had a mechanic tell me my engine would blow up if I kept running ethanol blends in my non-FFVs. That was about 3 years ago, after I had been running ethanol blends for about a year. I still have not had a single ethanol related problem.
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,103 Points:1,821,150 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: Apr 1, 2012 10:15:05 AM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse RacerGene, and change oil per recommendations?
RacerGene Champion Author Alabama Posts:1,703 Points:366,225 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Mar 31, 2012 7:57:50 AM Ignore RacerGene Report Abuse use the recommended E85 oil blend, and don’t worry about it
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,103 Points:1,821,150 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2012 10:41:16 PM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse "You can cherry pick your poison, but you cannot fool me. "Goldseeker, I honestly don't understand that statement...Ethanol corrosion in pipelines This article, discusses the potentials of corrosion and how to properly address them.. This company creates pipelines. I do not believe they are trying to do a hatchet job of ethanol... Ethanol corrosion in pipelines Please refer to my original post from ... Mar 29, 2012 7:53:27 AM hold on all you ethanol fans, but I find this to be an odd statement, if it's a flex fuel vehicle... I would like to see evidence of that as well. Someone with a ffv should be able to look that up in their owner's manual... And I did look it up and Toyota does recommend changing oil more frequently "using E85 fuel more than 50 percent of the time" Tundra 2012 ffv - refer to page 36... [Edited by: reb4 at 3/30/2012 10:46:46 PM EST]
goldseeker Champion Author West Virginia Posts:19,545 Points:2,718,815 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2012 5:37:42 PM Ignore goldseeker Report Abuse Just keep on fishing reb. I know for a fact that ph balancers are used in ethanol and also gasoline. You can cherry pick your poison, but you cannot fool me.
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,103 Points:1,821,150 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2012 2:13:31 PM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse "No Reb4! Both you and Edpap are on a fishing expedition." Goldseeker, so you believe the article that krzysiek_ck use, which just happened to be the same one I used... But the part i lifted was in your mind a fishing expedition... And by the way, the rings were after 2 years, (please look at the postings). And this guy even believes in the old wives tail of acid in e85... Goldseeker, by the way, just so it's clear to you, this is the same posting as the picture you were impressed with ... [Edited by: reb4 at 3/30/2012 2:14:28 PM EST]
goldseeker Champion Author West Virginia Posts:19,545 Points:2,718,815 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2012 1:08:53 PM Ignore goldseeker Report Abuse No Reb4! Both you and Edpap are on a fishing expedition. The corrosion factor with ethanol is nothing more than an "old wives tale". The reason is quite simple. Ethanol companies add ph balancers to their fuel before it is even sold. Guess what? Gasoline refiners also add ph balancers. krzysiek_ck: I have been looking at pictures like that for years, both from ffvs and non ffvs. They have always been much cleaner than a engine on gasoline. I have also noted that spark plugs remain carbon free. I have seen pictures of spark plugs on performance sites, and also know regular e85 users that have pulled their plugs on my request and they all said the same thing. Plugs were clean and carbon free. "There is a caution to this posting, FFV vehicles have a special coating that will give added protection against this impact. " Guess that 68 Camaro does not qualify as an ffv so there is no special coating...right? LOL. [Edited by: goldseeker at 3/30/2012 1:13:48 PM EST]
tropicalmn Sophomore Author Minnesota Posts:172 Points:145,815 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2012 12:15:18 PM Ignore tropicalmn Report Abuse API SN with Resource Conserving matches ILSAC GF-5 by combining API SN performance with improved fuel economy, turbocharger protection, emission control system compatibility, and protection of engines operating on ethanol-containing fuels up to E85.There may have been some substance to what Edgap found in the past.If you buy oil that meets the the most current API service category SN should no longer be a concern.
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,103 Points:1,821,150 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2012 9:35:50 AM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse I guess edpap has found something here. evidently many manufacturers do recommend this. One source from Toyota Tundra Flex FUel site, (found similar info from other sites). Interesting blog poster who indicates why dealers recommend this... Guess it's a water issue which tends to make e85 fuel more acidic. And the chances of water contamination now adays, though not unheard of, are rare.. There is a caution to this posting, FFV vehicles have a special coating that will give added protection against this impact. So unless you purchase an addon conversion kit to convert your vehicle to e85, AND get 1% (or more) water contamination, in the fuel (a lot of water by the way), you should be safe... By the way, did not see Krzysiek_Ck's posting when I started this (got called away in middle of post).
krzysiek_ck Champion Author Illinois Posts:5,322 Points:728,160 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2012 9:13:00 AM Ignore krzysiek_ck Report Abuse "After two seasons on E85 I took the heads off and started to disassemble for inspection before it gets sold." Take the look at the pictures. Engine wear and E85
krzysiek_ck Champion Author Illinois Posts:5,322 Points:728,160 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2012 8:57:44 AM Ignore krzysiek_ck Report Abuse "Therefore, the recommendation that drivers using E85 should change their oil more fequently is, at best, paranoid. Any dealership service department that makes this recommendation is either ignorant, overly cautious, or after your wallet. If you’re running E85 in your flex fuel truck, stick with the standard 5,000 mile oil change interval, make sure to use the recommended E85 oil blend, and don’t worry about it." 2500 Mile Oil Changes Because You’re Running E-85? P-shaw This article also explains why E85 could be bad for the engine and what can be done to prevent it. [Edited by: krzysiek_ck at 3/30/2012 9:01:49 AM EST]
chemist74 Champion Author Cleveland Posts:13,510 Points:2,395,980 Joined:Apr 2005	Message Posted: Mar 30, 2012 8:42:52 AM Ignore chemist74 Report Abuse I do not know what is in a FFV owners manual but some vehicles can have problems with fuel dilution, where unburned or partially burned fuel gets past the rings and into the oil sump. For any fuel, this can cause the oil viscosity to drop (producing more wear) if the oil does not get hot enough to drive the fuel out of the oil. In the case of ethanol, this has the POTENTIAL of increasing engine rust and causing additives in the oil to drop out of solution. The latest upgrade to engine oil specs required some changes to decrease (but not completely eliminate) the potential problems from ethanol.
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,103 Points:1,821,150 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: Mar 29, 2012 8:53:27 AM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse hold on all you ethanol fans, but I find this to be an odd statement, if it's a flex fuel vehicle... I would like to see evidence of that as well. Someone with a ffv should be able to look that up in their owner's manual... [Edited by: reb4 at 3/29/2012 8:53:55 AM EST]
gamechanger2011 Champion Author Wichita Posts:1,534 Points:54,340 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Mar 28, 2012 11:39:54 PM Ignore gamechanger2011 Report Abuse Go to "Are there any pro ethanol supporters on this site" thread and ask Jonny Energy. He just joined our site to help answer questions.
goldseeker Champion Author West Virginia Posts:19,545 Points:2,718,815 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Mar 28, 2012 8:03:10 PM Ignore goldseeker Report Abuse Rubbish! There is no truth to that statement at all. Look I use full synthetic oil and there are numerous studies showing that it doesn't break down under the severist of driving conditions. It has even been tested at 80 below zero. You do what you want. I will change my oil every 6000-8000 miles. [Edited by: goldseeker at 3/28/2012 8:04:23 PM EST]