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Make sure you pump the proper gasoline

By Doug McAllister

We recently had a client come in to the shop with a "check engine" warning light on and the car did not seem to be running quite right. After a thorough inspection, we determined the engine was running extremely lean.

We then analyzed the fuel and found the client had actually put E85 blended fuel in their car. This is not good because unless your car is a flex-fuel vehicle, it will not run properly on E85, a gasoline blend with a higher ethanol content. You could actually damage your car by running the wrong fuel in it.

There are several blends of gasoline being dispensed at many of the newer fuel stations, so you need to be careful with what you are putting in your tank. Regular gas in the Chicago area has a 10 percent ethyl alcohol blend and it works just fine in most cars, boats and other equipment. When manufacturers started selling flex-fuel vehicles a few years back, we started to see E85 become available at some gas stations. Make sure you don't use this fuel unless you have a flex-fuel vehicle because it is 85 percent alcohol.

Recently, we started seeing E15 (15 percent alcohol) become available in our area and there is some controversy as to whether this is bad for your car. It should not be used in any vehicle made prior to 2001 and not in boats or other equipment.

I personally would not use E15 and do not think the few cents it saves would be worth it. I have a flex-fuel vehicle and I don't use anything but normal regular fuel. Please be careful at the pump; if the price seems low, you might have grabbed hold of the wrong nozzle. Always double check what you are putting in your tank.

• Douglas Automotive is at 417 W. Main St., Barrington; 123 Virginia Road, Crystal Lake; and 416 Northwest Hwy., Fox River Grove. For information, visit douglasautomotive.com. Send questions to underthehood@dailyherald.com.

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