I just learned the wife filled the Ford F 150 with E85.
Not a flex fuel pickup.

What should I expect, and what should I do?

From CarTalk:

E85 Gas in a Non Flex Fuel Car
heidibheidib
April 2009 edited 1:11AM in Repair and Maintenance
Two weeks ago, my boyfriend offered to pump gas for me, and after he put the pump back into the gas slot, I noticed he filled my tank with E85 fuel.

I drive a 2007 Ford Taurus SEL that is NOT a Flex Fuel car.

I immediately called my local Ford dealer's service center to ask if I can drive with a full tank. He said it should be fine, just fill it up with regular gasoline when I get a chance.

The car ran fine. The next day, when we were driving back from our trip, the Check Engine Light came on.

I did some online research, and read that this commonly happens after E85 fuel is put into a non Flex Fuel car, since the O2 sensor is affected by the burn off of the E85 fuel.

Since this has happened, I've filled up my tank twice with regular gasoline, but the Check Engine Light is still on. Will the light eventually go off? Should I be more worried about this? The car seems to be running fine - the engine isn't rough or anything like that.

Thanks!
Tagged: Ford fuel engine light Taurus check gasoline Flex e85
Comments
tardistardis
April 2009 edited April 2009
The light should go off after the right number of start/stop cycles with good gas in the tank. Give it a few more fill-ups before worrying about it.

Once it sets a code, you have to have a meter to reset it. If you don't have a meter or a buddy with one, you'll have to pay a shop to do it.

You can reset the trouble code (turn it off) by disconnecting your battery and then turning on any one device that is always hot, such as your headlights or blow your horn for 30 seconds while your battery is disconnected. This will drain the capacitor that holds enough power to keep trouble codes stored. The only downside here is that any adaptive learning features your truck has will be lost and it will take a while for the vehicle to re-learn your driving habits. You'll also most likely loose your preset radio stations.

I don't know if you're in Canada or Iowa, but if our paths should cross over the next couple weeks I have a scan tool that will turn the trouble light off for you. PM me if you'll be traveling to or from Canada to arrange a meeting. It only takes a few minutes to turn it off.

O, O, O, O'Reilly Auto Parts will loan a scan tool for free.

Think about it- Flex fuel, in a Flex Frame vehicle- what's the problem?

I think part of the flex fuel conversion is upgraded rubber hoses as e85 eats the regular stuff up. You may have trouble.

A single tank of E85 won't deteriorate the fuel system, only if you continue to run it for a prolonged period of time. The one thing you'll probably notice though is a significant decrease in fuel economy.