2014 Navigator: to corn or not to corn

[cadfaeltex]

My wife just got a new 2014 Lincoln Navigator. It's the first car we've had that is a flex fuel. I've done a bit of reading on here on the subject but didn't see much about running E85 in flex fuel engines particularly.

I know it gets less MPG but often sells for cheaper. If it's low enough to offset the lower MpG is there a reason not to run it?

If I do use it, any reason not to use regular also if situations change?

 

[badtlc]

any reason not to run E85 if cost is OK with it? Not really mechanically speaking. the downsides to burning ethanol are the toxic emissions that cause lung disease.

the next question is if you can switch to regular after running E85? It should be OK but keep in mind E85 has a crazy high octane rating and the engine probably advances the timing quite a bit to try and help offset the energy content loss of ethanol. Due to this, running regular would require the knock sensors to readjust. i'm not sure switching between the two is the best idea but it isn't going to blow your ride up.

 

[4wheeldog]

Originally Posted By: badtlc
any reason not to run E85 if cost is OK with it? Not really mechanically speaking. the downsides to burning ethanol are the toxic emissions that cause lung disease.

the next question is if you can switch to regular after running E85? It should be OK but keep in mind E85 has a crazy high octane rating and the engine probably advances the timing quite a bit to try and help offset the energy content loss of ethanol. Due to this, running regular would require the knock sensors to readjust. i'm not sure switching between the two is the best idea but it isn't going to blow your ride up.


The timing adjustments (For each cylinder) take a nanosecond. The timing is essentially adjusted after every combustion event, so hundreds of times a second.

As much as I am opposed to ethanol being foisted off on us as fuel, I would really like to hear more about it damaging lungs. Really? As opposed to gasoline and diesel? I really don't think so.....

 

[KD0AXS]

As I understand it, flex fuel vehicles have a sensor that monitors the mixture of gasoline and ethanol being fed to the engine, and the computer adjusts the engine management accordingly.

 

[badtlc]

Originally Posted By: 4wheeldog

As much as I am opposed to ethanol being foisted off on us as fuel, I would really like to hear more about it damaging lungs. Really? As opposed to gasoline and diesel? I really don't think so.....


Ethanol combustion in engines produces a lot of 'hydes like formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. Brazil has some serious air quality issues since their massive move to ethanol. It might also increase Ozone in certain areas of the country. Cancer rates would likely be the same between the two choices.

 

[wymi516]

2 cars in my sig can use E85.
The Impala that I drive doesn't run any different on E85 and loses about 4 mpg.
My wife drives the Chrysler 200 and it definitely runs stronger on E85 and also loses about 4 mpg. Also the Chrysler V6 has a little harder time starting in below zero temps with E85. No difference starting the Impala with E85 in frigid temps.

 

[sciphi]

No reason at all not to run it. The engine will make a good bit of power on it compared to pump gas. It will guzzle it rapidly since it does take more E85 to have the same energy output as E10 gas.

Flex-fuel engines have a sensor in the gas tank that adjusts the timing and other engine parameters based on ethanol content in the fuel. The ECU also has different maps for E85 and regular gas.

If ethanol content in fuel were an issue, we'd be seeing a lot of grenaded engines from Brazil. Their cars can run on any mixture of gasoline and ethanol, from 100% gas to 100% ethanol. In summary, it's a non-issue in a flex-fuel vehicle.

 

[krismoriah72]

Here is a guy that ran E85 for a year and tore down his engine to look..YMMV

http://www.modularfords.com/threads/100017-Pics-of-my-pistons-heads-E85-ethanol

 

[krismoriah72]

Here is a guy that ran E85 for a year and tore down his engine to look..YMMV

http://www.modularfords.com/threads/100017-Pics-of-my-pistons-heads-E85-ethanol

 

[CarbonSteel]

I have more or less the same engine in my FX4 and there is a very noticeable difference in power when using E85 (but the MPG drops as well). I think Ford posted a 20-25 HP difference between E85 and E10 for my 5.4L (which I assume is still in the 2014 Navigator--2015 they have a new engine).

I use E85 when towing (most of the time) and it does make a difference in power, but unless the cost spread between E85 and E10 is at least $0.70 it is not worth it to me--YMMV.

I have towed thousands of miles on E85 and my FX4 runs just fine so no damage will occur, other than the loss of MPG. The only note I had in my owner's manual was something to the effect that for every 3 or 4 tanks of E85 you should run a tank E10; not sure what the reason was though.