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ethanol issues

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by dmjatl, Jun 13, 2013.

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  1. dmjatl

    dmjatl New Member

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    I'm new to this forum. My mileage had been going down; and about a week ago, my check engine light came on. I took the car to get serviced at my Toyota dealer and was told that my gas had too much ethanol in it. I almost always use the gas at Sam's club. I haven't driven enough to need to refill yet, and my milage is continuing to go down. The engine also revs before it goes off at a red light and yesterday, at times, would not even go off when I stopped. Can anyone tell me if there is a particular station whose gas helps resolve this problem?
    Thanks.
     
    #1 dmjatl, Jun 13, 2013
  2. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Welcome aboard. I'd be curious to know what state you are in. This is an unusual diagnosis. 10% ethanol is pretty much standard, and hard to believe you could get more than this. But there is such thing as Top Tier gasoline. Here you are talking major brands that meet certain standards: your Shells, Chevrons, Exxons, BP etc. You can google Top Tier gasoline to find the details. Some states may offer 15% ethanol and 85% ethanol, so check your pump to see what you are getting. Some states you can get 0% ethanol, but your car does not need it. Most of us use the standard 10% ethanol with no probs.
     
    #2 wjtracy, Jun 13, 2013
  3. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    I believe wj meant to write, "but your car does NOT need it". E10 is fine for a Prius, but *don't* use E85.

    Drive it for another tankful and see what happens. If you continue to perceive a problem take it to a different Toyota dealer.
     
    #3 richard schumacher, Jun 15, 2013
  4. dbcassidy

    dbcassidy Toyota Hybrid Nation, 8 Million Strong

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    Ethanol is a good solvent in cleaning the injectors. In a conventional gas tank, condensation can build up when outside temps drop. This condensation gets absorbed by the ethanol and sent to be burned in the engine. The Prius doesn't have the condensation problem due to the fuel bladder.

    If the E10 is left in the tank for months, then you run the risk of the fuel breaking down in the fuel system. Fuel today just does not last like fuels in the past.

    DBCassidy
     
    #4 dbcassidy, Jun 15, 2013
  5. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    OP has a Gen III, no bladder
     
    #5 xs650, Jun 15, 2013
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  6. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Greetings and Welcome Aboard!


    Unless you put E85 in your car....and I don't think that this is the case, since I've never seen a Sam's that sells E85.....your Toyota dealership juuuuuuust might be full of crap.
    Did they pull a code?
    What was it?

    How did they test your gas for overethanolization and how much ethanol did their "test" tell them that your fuel contains?


    Get another opinion.
    You have two problems....or maybe just one.
    Many things can cause a Prius' fuel efficiency to drop but there is a specific reason that your CEL is illuminating.
    If you're trying to burn E-85....or some designer blend of E85 and E10....stop....otherwise, you're going to have to live with both the idiot light AND the diminished fuel efficiency.

    More info would be helpful to determine what your problem might be and somewhere in these hallowed halls there is a looooooong questionnaire concerning "why is my fuel efficiency dropping?"

    Good Luck!
     
    #6 ETC(SS), Jun 15, 2013
  7. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    The OP started two identical threads on this topic :confused:

    Mike

    Mobile on my SGH-i717
     
    #7 WE0H, Jun 15, 2013
  8. Jon Hagen

    Jon Hagen Active Member

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    I doubt Sams E10 is the problem, as I have used it in my Prius without problems or measurable MPG drop.
    I have run as much as E30 In my gen 3 Prius without any drivability problems or any warning lights .

    If you suspect your fuel supplier is selling gasoline advertised as ethanol free or if you suspect the ethanol content is higher than the 10% stated on the pump, Your local Briggs & Stratton dealer sells an easy to use fuel test kit for about $11. I have this kit, and it works well to detect if any ethanol in fuel and the % of ethanol used.

    795161 Alcohol Tester
     
    #8 Jon Hagen, Jun 15, 2013
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  9. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Thank you Richard...you are correct. Made the edit. That's funny I fixed that post a couple days ago (I tried anyway). Oh well, we are missing the OP report back.
     
    #9 wjtracy, Jun 15, 2013
  10. Hill Billy

    Hill Billy New Member

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    I have just bought a 2012 Gen III Prius, and the manual recommends premium unleaded (>=95), but the label on the fuel cap says "Ethanol E10 suitable." E10 is 10c/l cheaper than 91 normal unleaded, and Premium is 10c/l more than normal. So that means that there's a huge economic incentive to using E10. If so, why's there no mention of this in the manual? Is E10 91 or 95 octane, or doesn't it matter? If it doesn't matter why not just use normal 91 unleaded?
     
    #10 Hill Billy, Jul 7, 2013
  11. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    Really? The 2012 manual recommends premium unleaded? My 2010 uses 87 octane regular. Did Toyota really change the gas requirements?
     
    #11 RRxing, Jul 7, 2013
  12. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    No. Neither of mine did.
     
    #12 F8L, Jul 7, 2013
  13. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Octane is measured differently around the world, if he is not in the USA, he may be using Research Octane, Motor Octane or, as in the US, AKI Octane as a standard.
    Octane rating - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    The US 2012 Prius manual calls for 87 AKI Octane, or 91 Research Octane. (Page 3 of this PDF or page 562 of the manual)
    http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM47704U/pdf/sec_06-01.pdf
     
    #13 JimboPalmer, Jul 7, 2013
  14. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    [Duplicate post]
     
    #14 JimboPalmer, Jul 7, 2013
  15. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    2010 manual reads the same.

    OP did not give a location, so I assumed USA. You are correct in pointing out the non-standardized octane ratings.

    Edit - I just noticed the OP posted pricing as c/l (per litre), so it's non-USA.
     
    #15 RRxing, Jul 7, 2013
  16. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    If I was magically able to make a single change to PriusChat, Location would be a mandatory field.
     
    #16 JimboPalmer, Jul 7, 2013
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  17. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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    It sure would help with a lot of things.
     
    #17 El Dobro, Jul 7, 2013
  18. thymara

    thymara Junior Member

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    *deleted*
     
    #18 thymara, Jul 7, 2013
  19. thymara

    thymara Junior Member

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    clearly a delete option for edit is required

    I apologize for my incompetence
     
    #19 thymara, Jul 7, 2013
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  20. Hill Billy

    Hill Billy New Member

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    Yes it's very clearly stated in the manual. Maybe it's different in Australia. The model number is ZVW30R.
     
    #20 Hill Billy, Jul 7, 2013
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