E85 FFV engine or not?

[brainpause]

I'm tired of looking and reading. I'm getting conflicting information anyway.

I've got a 2014 Sonic LT with 1.8 auto. Since I've owned it (18 months, 40k miles), I've always assumed I had a non-FFV engine because the gas cap is black.

So I was looking for struts, and was drilling down at chevypartsprime.com. To make a long story short, I have the LUW RPO code, which at the chevypartsprime.com website, indicates it is FFV E85 max.

So I did some more digging. My 8th VIN digit is H, which would indicate FFV engine, per the GM document at ftp://safercar.gov/MfrMail/ORG7595.pdf

However, I found that most (but maybe not all) vehicles that are FFV do have a yellow gas cap. Mine is black.

The sticker under my hood does not say FFV anywhere.

I've read the discussions about the benefits of E85 (if any), so that's not the point of my question.

So, I have GM documents that indicate FFV, VIN that indicates FFV, but other indications that maybe it isn't.

Which do I have?

Larry

 

[Kcmo83]

Isnt there usually a ffv badge on the car ? I have a 1.8 also but i dont run corn oil sludge in mine. Zero corn juice in my I4

 

[brainpause]

Isnt there usually a ffv badge on the car ? I have a 1.8 also but i dont run corn oil sludge in mine. Zero corn juice in my I4

No, not always.

I've pretty much concluded that my engine is non FFV, because the sticker under the hood doesn't have FFV, and no yellow gas cap.

Pretty much a non-issue anyway, because of the worse mileage. My car has essentially no CO output anyway, so ethanol doesn't help. I'm not a tree hugger to begin with. I worship the Creator, not the creation.

Larry

 

[Kcmo83]

Yeah plus anything GDI the less corn sludge the better.

 

[carsNskis]

Yellow fuel cap still be the easiest indicator to find.

The fuel door should also have a fuel recommendation

 

[texsprsonic]

I've checked 3 different vin decoders and the Chevrolet literature and it all says that my 1.8L is the LUW engine and should be flexfuel yet there is no yellow gas cap and no e85 sticker. I wonder whats going on lol. Any help from the Chevrolet reps on this?

 

[Dubbs_RS]

The engine might be capable of running it, much like the 1.4T... But is the rest of the car? The fuel lines? Is there an ethanol sensor? Is it tuned to run it? That would explain the lack of yellow cap and flex fuel badge.

 

[MyLonewolf25]

No, not always.

I've pretty much concluded that my engine is non FFV, because the sticker under the hood doesn't have FFV, and no yellow gas cap.

Pretty much a non-issue anyway, because of the worse mileage. My car has essentially no CO output anyway, so ethanol doesn't help. I'm not a tree hugger to begin with. I worship the Creator, not the creation.

Larry

You do know overall it's more economic right?
And more POWWAH


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[BNRacing]

The 1.8 cannot run E85 from the factory. The fuel injectors are too small. BNR makes aftermarket fuel injectors that are capable of running E85 if you are interested in doing it.

 

[Swordsmith]

I don't know about the 1.8

The 1.4T was originally designed to be able to use anything from 0% to 85% ethanol, but last minute changes eliminated this capability.

It is easily modified to restore this lost capacity.

The smallest mod would be to just have a manually installed tune which tells the computer what % of ethanol you are running, and always run that %.

The computer has inputs which allow it to accept data from an ethanol sensor, and you can put a fuel sensor in from a compatable FFV car. Then, you can use a tune which allows the computer to adjust on the fly regardless of how much ethanol you mix in.

Running a high ethanol mix will give you the potential for more power generation... but the stock injectors cannot flow enough fluid to reach that potential. So you can replace the stock injectors to increase max flow, with or without also adding a sensor.

In the 1.4T, fuel economy is substantially worse on E85, however, with the bigger injectors, maximum power is also substantially higher. I see about 2/3rds the fuel economy but I get about 50 additional hp at max.

BUT the bad news is, the cost of E85 tends to only be a little lower than the cost of regular (E10) gas, such that your miles per dollar will be lower even though the price of a tank is cheaper, because a tank gets you a lot less distance.

I don't know how much of that applies to the 1.8, I'm not sure that without boost, you would even really be able to get substantially more power. Wouldn't be surprised though to find that someone has already done this, either in a Sonic or in one of the other cars which share the engine, like the Cruze or the Trax.

 

[MyLonewolf25]

I don't know about the 1.8

The 1.4T was originally designed to be able to use anything from 0% to 85% ethanol, but last minute changes eliminated this capability.

It is easily modified to restore this lost capacity.

The smallest mod would be to just have a manually installed tune which tells the computer what % of ethanol you are running, and always run that %.

The computer has inputs which allow it to accept data from an ethanol sensor, and you can put a fuel sensor in from a compatable FFV car. Then, you can use a tune which allows the computer to adjust on the fly regardless of how much ethanol you mix in.

Running a high ethanol mix will give you the potential for more power generation... but the stock injectors cannot flow enough fluid to reach that potential. So you can replace the stock injectors to increase max flow, with or without also adding a sensor.

In the 1.4T, fuel economy is substantially worse on E85, however, with the bigger injectors, maximum power is also substantially higher. I see about 2/3rds the fuel economy but I get about 50 additional hp at max.

BUT the bad news is, the cost of E85 tends to only be a little lower than the cost of regular (E10) gas, such that your miles per dollar will be lower even though the price of a tank is cheaper, because a tank gets you a lot less distance.

I don't know how much of that applies to the 1.8, I'm not sure that without boost, you would even really be able to get substantially more power. Wouldn't be surprised though to find that someone has already done this, either in a Sonic or in one of the other cars which share the engine, like the Cruze or the Trax.

Um.... in a lot of places around me at least e85 is MUCH cheaper
By a dollar more often than not

unless you're running single digit numbers e85 is better $$

Say you have 10 gallon tank
Get 15 mpg
150 miles on 91
25.8 usd full tank at 2.58 per gallon
Say you get 12 on e85
120 miles full tank
14.8 bucks full tank at 1.48 per gallery
That's over 10$ for 30 miles difference

E85 is still 86% just miles wise to 91
And e85 at that price point is only 6% OF of being half the price
It just doesn't add up to be more expensive than e85 for me at least
While yes you get slightly less mpg
It's still a larger percent difference than the cost factor
You'd have to cut your mpg in half for it to start being more expensive

Keep in mind full tank on the sonic is 12 gallons
And it's depending on price
But unless you get a bit difference in mpg
And 90% of the time e85 is cheaper by a large margin
It will be overall per mile cheaper
You just may need to fill up slightly more often


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[MyLonewolf25]

IT MAY BE ABLE TO

I was monkeying around with my early self Christmas present and was intrigued by an ETHANOL CONTENT SENSOR!

Yes of course you'd have to upgrade injectors
But
It may just work

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[$ub$onic]

I don't believe it's a real sensor.

From what I recall it's a virtual sensor based off of afr

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[MyLonewolf25]

I don't believe it's a real sensor.

From what I recall it's a virtual sensor based off of afr

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Dam



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[MyLonewolf25]

If it's a virtual sensor why would I have a fuse for it on my car..?


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[Eric Smit]

Why do you ask for help and then when you get the answer, regardless of how many times we say no, refuse to listen? We've been doing this for years.

 

[$ub$onic]

There was 1 other 1.8 claiming it was E85 flex factory but had no proof to back it up

To my knowledge it was only a virtual sensor

Besides that the injectors will only support till about E20

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[MyLonewolf25]

Why do you ask for help and then when you get the answer, regardless of how many times we say no, refuse to listen? We've been doing this for years.

Because I've been getting consistent conflicting information on weather it is or not the more I look

+ why the hell would they put a fuse for a virtual sensor?


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[MyLonewolf25]

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum#/topics/1023?page=2&_k=7jc2xe

And then ontop of it with forum posts like this


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