1MZ-FE and Ethanol Fuel - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

therufus · 12-10-2005, 04:47 PM

I've searched, but cannot find if there is any information on how good/bad ethanol fuel is when put in a V6 Camry.

Has anyone had any experience with using ethanol fuel in the 1MZ-FE? With the ever increasing price of fuel and the attention people are paying to the environment, is it a feasable switch? Does it harm the engine in any way?

JetspeedCamry · 12-10-2005, 05:49 PM

This question can also be related to the fact that Australia now has 100RON fuel available from the pump. Catch is, it's got 10% ethanol. Supposed to be friendly for the environment.

therufus · 12-10-2005, 06:14 PM

It's cheap and good for the environment, but is it any good for a 1MZ-FE?

Phat Devil · 12-10-2005, 07:24 PM

It isnt cheap tho lol. It cost an extra 14 cents compared to normal unleaded.

therufus · 12-10-2005, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phat Devil

It isnt cheap tho lol. It cost an extra 14 cents compared to normal unleaded.

Last night:
Regular Unleaded: 110.9c/l
Ethanol 95RON: 107.9c/l
Ethanol 98RON: 112.9c/l

It's cheaper in NSW clearly.

trypsix · 12-10-2005, 08:13 PM

I doubt you can put ethonal in that engine (unless it actually says in the manual if you can). The ffv cars Ford have can. The ECU needs to be calibrated for it. Also alcohol dissovles rubber.
It also has 3/4 the energy density as gas. Gas with a small percentage of ethonal is probably okay.

leasaunce · 12-10-2005, 08:55 PM

Ethanol should be cheaper than normal fuel, but as it is still limited and i think there's only 1 Ethanol Petrol Station in sydney, the price can be more expensive sometimes, but by next year it should be much cheaper n more cleaner...

BlueFusion6851 · 12-10-2005, 09:00 PM

They have E-85 here (85% ethanol). Sadly it only works on a FEW GM SUV's and the Ford FFV.

I'd like to see more R&D on ethanol in foreign cars, but i don't think thats going to happen soon.

therufus · 12-10-2005, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leasaunce

Ethanol should be cheaper than normal fuel, but as it is still limited and i think there's only 1 Ethanol Petrol Station in sydney, the price can be more expensive sometimes, but by next year it should be much cheaper n more cleaner...

The station I went to was the one in Berkshire Park between Blacktown and Richmond on Blacktown Rd.

The ethanol mix is approx 10%. My question still stands. Is it going to harm my car?

leasaunce · 12-11-2005, 06:21 AM

^ i havent try it before. the closest ethanol petrol station is 1hr away.

just give TOYOTA a call. I dont think it will do any harm for your car. should be ok

terrynham · 12-11-2005, 06:30 AM

according to my owners manual, Toyota says it is 'safe' to use upto 10% ethanol in your petrol...

now whether it will damage your engine in the long term...i dont know...
there isnt any conclusive answer, not enough research has really been done yet to answer these sorts of questions

Shell is selling 100RON (5% Ethanol) petrol in a few of its service stations now...
so i guess the only way to find out is to give it a go

Corollacrazy42 · 12-11-2005, 01:09 PM

I've used 10% in my camry all the time because its cheaper.. and it seems to do just as well with it or regular

CerialPhreak · 12-11-2005, 02:37 PM

Damned near all the stations i go to have a sign that the gas may contain up to a certain percentage of ethanol (not sure how much off hand) so in theory every tank ive bought has had ethanol in it and my motor runs like new with 180k miles.

And im assuming RON = Octane? if so you've got some sweet gas down under cause the highest octane i can get my hands on is 93

therufus · 12-12-2005, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CerialPhreak

Damned near all the stations i go to have a sign that the gas may contain up to a certain percentage of ethanol (not sure how much off hand) so in theory every tank ive bought has had ethanol in it and my motor runs like new with 180k miles.

And im assuming RON = Octane? if so you've got some sweet gas down under cause the highest octane i can get my hands on is 93

Correct me if I'm wrong but RON stands for Relative Octane Number.

Whatever the acronym stands for, yes, RON = Octane measurement.

leasaunce · 12-12-2005, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by terrynham

according to my owners manual, Toyota says it is 'safe' to use upto 10% ethanol in your petrol...

now whether it will damage your engine in the long term...i dont know...
there isnt any conclusive answer, not enough research has really been done yet to answer these sorts of questions

Shell is selling 100RON (5% Ethanol) petrol in a few of its service stations now...
so i guess the only way to find out is to give it a go

yeah, i filled my camry with "Shell Optimax Extreme"

http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?...r_extreme.html

i can definately feel more power.... it's $0.02 more expensive than normal Optimax

There are currently only 34 Shell Petrol Station in Australia that sell "Optimax Extreme" at the moment.