accidentally put B100 in a Corolla gas tank

[rotarykid]

I accidentally poured some B100 5.6 gals into my 07 Corolla which had maybe 6 gals in to begin with a couple of weeks ago . Drove the car for about two miles then drained the tank completely or as much as I could get out . It threw a code for running too lean , has thrown it couple of times since . I filled to brim with premium from the fill amount I'm sure maybe 3/4 to a gal of the BD100 mix ( B50/E10 85 oct ) was still in the tank . So in the end I had a 5 % BD mix in with E10 91 oct in the tank .

I ran the tank almost dry then refilled to check fuel economy . To my surprise I achieved ~34.5 on the city only loop with a lot of "N" use at a stop and when coasting with no power required . Normally my wife would achieve 30-31.7 max on similar loops at similar speeds with my wife behind the wheel , I have over 10k miles of identical data to back those numbers up . I've pushed the thing to just short of 37 mpgs a couple of times when I was the only driver on lower speed city only loops . I always fill to the top until it stays there and all the gas in the Denver area is at least E10 so that is what I filled with . After the missfuel I filled with E10 91 octane which is the highest octane available to get up here .

My question is why did I see such a jump in mpgs with the introduction of the B100 to tank ?????????

And what is that running too lean code about ???

Is running a low % of BD a good idea to improve mpgs in a gasser????

What harm could a low % of BD being added to E10 RUG 85 octane up here cause to the engine or emissions ????? What about adding some BD to a E85 / E10 RUG mix , note I never exceed E30-E35 in anything ?????

A note , I've been splash blending E85 & E10 85 oct for a maximum of E30-35 gasoline for about two years now in all the gasoline vehicles I have to drive .

Thanks

 

[NewTdi]

sounds to me that you found a possible recipe for better mileage. In Europe it was customary to put a few liters on unleaded in the diesel tanks during the winter months so I guess the opposite could also be true in terms of benefits.

 

[diesel-dave]

the more "e" you add to your tank the worst milege you'll get period.
you got better mileage due to the high octane gas you added prob. but the cost is not worth it.

diesel in gas cars accidents is not like gas in diesel

 

[Honeydew]

Maybe the biodiesel acting in its role as a solvent cleaned the accumulated goop caused by the ethanol-tainted gasoline out of the fuel system thereby restoring efficiency.

My Honda outboard ran much better and probably therefore more efficiently after I manually cleaned the E10 goop out of the carbs. Haven't had to do that again since going back to G100 from the marina.

 

[diesel-dave]

thats true also, ever try starbrite ethanol additive, i always use it in my power tools and bikes. no more issues. marine motors hate ethanol too. stupid mandates, where's the freedom to keep your older motors/ small from getting ruined.

 

[Honeydew]

I've used the star-brite but am not convinced it is enough to mitigate ethanol problems with the outboard. Since G100 is available I fill up gas cans whenever I fill the boat and run that in my 2-strokes. Mower has to settle for E10 with additive.

 

[MrMopar]

Side question: is this an automatic transmission? If so, why are you using Neutral at stoplights?

 

[VWBeamer]

I agree , it was the High octane, but it might worth it. 3-4 extra miles for 30 extra cents...

the more "e" you add to your tank the worst milege you'll get period.
you got better mileage due to the high octane gas you added prob. but the cost is not worth it.

diesel in gas cars accidents is not like gas in diesel

 

[rotarykid]

Thanks all , I was thinking maybe the extra energy in BD was canceling out E energy content loss . And I expected the higher octane to make a maybe 1-2 mpg difference not as much as I saw .

Yes it's a #$%%% automatic , "N" use at a stop in these automatics reduces a lot of engine strain , wasted gasoline in gear while stopped . When the engine is cold you can let up on the brake and the car will accelerate to ~25 mph with no extra throttle input . And using "N" just at stops boost mpgs by at least 4 mpgs on city only loops , I have the documented data to back that statement up . Using "N" going in & out of gear when power isn't needed raises the mpgs by ~7 mpgs on city only loops .

These electronic automatics today seem to go in and out of gear without missing a beat . I know the Toyota and Honda I have are equipped with velocity sensors all over the things to help choose what gear it should be in at any given speed , acceleration or deceleration .

I drive these things similarly to how the Audi/VW "E" mode automatics of the 80s operated automatically ( touch the accelerator in gear , lift off the throttle into "N" seemlessly ) and see similar gains in city mpgs to what was given driving in "E" mode over just staying in "D" gave in them in these . The "E" mode automatics used in the QuantumTD and 5000TD diesels would see a ~30-32 city / 28 highway @ speeds above 55-60 mph if left in "D" while when "E" mode was used on city/urban loops that would jump to 38-40 mpgUS consistantly around Denver . I'm pretty good at shifing into and out of "N" as power is needed or not needed just like the "E" mode automatic would do .

In stop & go traffic with 3 adults and 2 children in my 05 Accord last week doing this I was able to achieve 30.4 mpgUS for the tank using this technique . From experience doing this and just leaving the thing in "D" would have returned mid 10s at best . I know they could easily programs the ECU controlled automatics of today to freewheel like the "E" mode auto VW/Audi used but for some reason they don't . From my experience this would raise average city mpgs by at least 4-7 mpgs at a minimum in most drivers hands .

 

[rotarykid]

For those wondering how this happened ,

I have a ~dozen or so of the older style rubber made 5 ( 5.8 gal capacity ) & 2 1/5 ( 2.95 gal capacity ) gal gas containers with the screw tight vent on the opposite top side I normally use them for D2 & BD . A design they quit making 10-12+ years ago .

But since I have been stuck driving gassers for the last 1 1/2 years in CA & CO not by choice I might add I've used them to purchase and to store gas in when cheapest in large quantity . I had to sell one of my diesels last fall , still have two diesels but they are in another state and I still have some B100 around in my diesel/gas containers . All of the containers use the same flexible fill extension , the extensions are stored inside the container with an O-ring and cap held down by the big plastic threaded ring .

My neighbor was teasing my wife today about how wrong my garage looks with my 07 Corolla and 05 Accord parked in it . One of the neighbors asked my wife last fall if she had killed me and replaced my cars while I was out of town .............I also have a late model 06 Camry parked in S. CAL I embarased about owning also .......My wife said 6 cars were too many last fall so I sold one of my diesel Jettas . Now I'm down to a more managable 5 ............


The problem that caused the misfuel arose from me using an empty container to store the wet , soaked with gasoline spout while using a spout from another one to empty the container with . Some how one that was soaked in gasoline recently was stuck into a container of B100 . I pulled the spout out to smell what was in the container and it smelled like gas not BD so I emptied it into my tank . I realized very quickly that something was wrong so proceeded to empty the tank .

 

[manual_tranny]

Don't feel bad. I had a bottle of mobil 1 I filed with transmission fluid.. because my fluid transfer pump didn't fit my transmission fluid bottle. After putting most of it in my transmission, I left it on the shelf unmarked for a year and didn't notice until after I had started pouring it into the motor...

 

[Lug_Nut]

Color coding helps. Red for gasoline, yellow for biodiesel, and a blue jug (just one, that's all I need) for petrodiesel.

And some members wonder why I complain when they use iced tea containers for fuel additives...

 

[MrMopar]

Yes it's a #$%%% automatic , "N" use at a stop in these automatics reduces a lot of engine strain , wasted gasoline in gear while stopped . When the engine is cold you can let up on the brake and the car will accelerate to ~25 mph with no extra throttle input .

That sounds like you need to get the trans fixed or idle speed adjusted instead of jigging the trans in and out of N at stops.

 

[rotarykid]

That sounds like you need to get the trans fixed or idle speed adjusted instead of jigging the trans in and out of N at stops.

Who said anything about the idle speeds being off ??????????? They are both automatically load & rpm range adjusted by the ECU . Actually they both are cars that have been verified by Honda & Toyota certified techs that have the equipment to do so that they have their idle speeds cold and warm right down the center line where they should be .

The point to using "N" is there is just that much waste by design in slushbox automatics in general when left in "D" at a stop especially when the engine is cold .............By the way both cars are CARB PZEVs cars which mean they dump a lot of extra gas in the engine , over fuel while cold to get the emissions up to functioning temp quickly which wastes a lot of gas if left in D at a stop during warm up . Any extra unnessicary load that can be avoided during warm up saves fuel/gas .

And I stand by what I wrote that pretty much all slush box / torque converter automatics waste a lot of fuel/gas when left in "D" when stopped . Especially when cold and especially when cold on a CARB emission-ed vehicle . Some of the later model CARB certified cars/SUVs/Pickups ect....... have exhaust system electric grid preheaters which cause extra drain on the electric system during warm up which adds engine load which uses extra gas on warm up .

A simple rule of thumb , is anything that reduces engine load like using "N" while stopped can substantially improve mpgs , especially warm up mpgs . Care to argue that point ..............

Also the reduced load of using "N" while stopped reduces internal clutch & clutch plate wear along with built up internal heat from that wasted friction . Do this enough over the life of a slush box automatic you can add years & miles to the life span . That is unless you do something stupid like try to slam power threw the trans while shifting back into "D" . I've also verified the fact that you get cooler trans fluid operating temps from any automatic if you do the things I suggest while driving . The reduced wasted friction translates into less stress on and wear of the trans fluid keeping it cleaner longer .

And it's simple physics , less friction not wasted on sitting in "D" translates into saved gasoline/diesel or what ever you are running on .