Fuel for 2018 Grand Caravan?

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I was reading manual on new 18 Grand Caravan on fuel requirements there's one for flex fuel and one for regular. I have flex fuel so I will quote manual.

" If your vehicle is E85 compatible, it will operate on unleaded gasoline with any octane rating greater than 87 (R+M)/2, or solely E-85 Fuel, or a mixture of these fuel."

"Some additives used in regular gasoline are not fully compatible with E-85 and may form deposits in your engine. To eliminate driveability issues that may be caused by these deposits, a supplemental gasoline additive, such as Mopar Injector Cleanup or Techron maybe used."

Think I will do as always and run midgrade and synthetic oil. Your thoughts
 
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Originally Posted by gathermewool
Does it really say GREATER than 87 AKI or does it say at least 87 AKI?

Really says greater than. This a direct quote
 
I think they forgot "equal or" in that sentence. A FCA minivan with a requirement of mid-grade? heck yah, that's going to bode well for sales!
 
That is like oil requirements of 5w20 but can use 5w30 if 5w20 not available at cost of fuel mileage
Weird writing if I say so
 
Originally Posted by KGMtech
I think they forgot "equal or" in that sentence. A FCA minivan with a requirement of mid-grade? heck yah, that's going to bode well for sales!

Well who reads manuals. Not a deal breaker as only 5.00 more a tank. Heck we spend more money for synthetic oil changes at 5k. Only a cup of coffee at fill up
Regular 3.6 says 87 this quote was for flex fuel
 
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But that's in the section specifically called out for Flexible Fuel, right? Under the general section for fuels doesn't it say:

Quote
This engine is designed to meet all emissions
regulations and provide excellent
fuel economy and performance when
using high-quality unleaded "Regular"
gasoline having an octane rating of 87 as
specified by the (R+M)/2 method. The
use of higher octane "Premium" gasoline
will not provide any benefit over "Regular" gasoline in
these engines.
 
Wouldn't be the first time i saw an error in an owners manual.

I had one manual that said to service wheel bearings every 30K. So I did. The problem was nobody sold the seal, not even the dealer. They only sold the whole bearing cartridge. Everyone behind the counter looked at me like I was stupid for servicing the bearing.
 
Originally Posted by kschachn
But that's in the section specifically called out for Flexible Fuel, right? Under the general section for fuels doesn't it say:

Quote
This engine is designed to meet all emissions
regulations and provide excellent
fuel economy and performance when
using high-quality unleaded "Regular"
gasoline having an octane rating of 87 as
specified by the (R+M)/2 method. The
use of higher octane "Premium" gasoline
will not provide any benefit over "Regular" gasoline in
these engines.

Yes you are correct
 
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Charlotte 3 years
Daniel 7 months ago
Best Answer
I have a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan that has started having all kinds of starting issues lately in this cold weather. At 25k miles, I took it into dealer to fix. Finally after bringing it in multiple different times for them to try stuff to fix it, they checked the fuel. Turns out, according to this Chrysler dealer, mixing e85 and unleaded is causing particles to show up in my gas tank, or debris in the gas. It ran great all summer with my mixing regular and e85 all the time but once it got cold (10 F or lower) I started getting these sputter starts where the engine had to sputter and sputter to finally get started. They recommended i use up the whole tank before I switch to regular or to e85....not to mix. Funny how my last vehicle, a Chevy Uplander had no problems running both kinds of gas all mixed up . I ran that vehicle to 200k miles before trading it in. Thoughts anyone?
This is on an E85 forum
 
The higher the octane rating, the slower the fuel burns. There is absolutely no advantage to using anything other than regular, if the engine will tolerate it ... As long as it only pings once in a while climbing hills or hitting the on ramp, you are at your best fuel grade. Anything above that is a waste of money.

Running a bottle of Techron through the system every 3 or 4 months will help. That is where the dollars should go. Not the fuel grade ...
 
Originally Posted by tiger862

All Questions
Charlotte 3 years
Daniel 7 months ago
Best Answer
I have a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan that has started having all kinds of starting issues lately in this cold weather. At 25k miles, I took it into dealer to fix. Finally after bringing it in multiple different times for them to try stuff to fix it, they checked the fuel. Turns out, according to this Chrysler dealer, mixing e85 and unleaded is causing particles to show up in my gas tank, or debris in the gas. It ran great all summer with my mixing regular and e85 all the time but once it got cold (10 F or lower) I started getting these sputter starts where the engine had to sputter and sputter to finally get started. They recommended i use up the whole tank before I switch to regular or to e85....not to mix. Funny how my last vehicle, a Chevy Uplander had no problems running both kinds of gas all mixed up . I ran that vehicle to 200k miles before trading it in. Thoughts anyone?
This is on an E85 forum



Not familiar with using E85. How often do you switch between the two? IMO I'd avoid the E85 and run non E85 fuel for now to see if it clears up. As they say use the whole tank of E85 first.
 
My dads had regular fuel for over 300k and it's running great. We did experiment with E85 once and it didn't start well in the cold weather without being plugged in.
 
Again from the owner's manual:

Quote
Fuel Requirements
If your vehicle is E-85 compatible, it will operate on
unleaded gasoline with any octane rating greater than 87
(R+M)/2, or solely E-85 fuel, or any mixture of these fuels.
For best results, avoid fueling patterns alternating between
E-85 and unleaded gasoline.
When switching fuel types:
• Add 5 gallons (19 liters) or more when refueling.
• Drive the vehicle immediately after refueling for at least
5 miles (8 km).
Observing these precautions will avoid possible hard starting
and/or driveability problems during warm up..

And:

Quote
The characteristics of E-85 fuel make it unsuitable for use
when ambient temperatures fall below 0°F (-18°C). In the
range of 0°F (-18°C) to 32°F (0°C), an increase in the time it
takes for your engine to start may be experienced, and a
deterioration in driveability (sags and/or hesitations) until
the engine is fully warmed up. These issues may be
improved with the use of seasonally adjusted E-85 fuel.
NOTE: Use of the engine block heater (if equipped) may
improve engine start time when using E-85 fuel when the
ambient temperature is less than 32°F (0°C).
 
Originally Posted by gathermewool
E10 + E85 causing particulates in the gas tank??? I very seriously doubt that to be true!

Completely agree, that would have to be some sort of precipitate and you aren't going to get that out of EtOH and a short-chain hydrocarbon.

I saw that but kind of skied over that part.
 
Originally Posted by kschachn
Originally Posted by gathermewool
E10 + E85 causing particulates in the gas tank??? I very seriously doubt that to be true!

Completely agree, that would have to be some sort of precipitate and you aren't going to get that out of EtOH and a short-chain hydrocarbon.

I saw that but kind of skied over that part.


I think that is dodge cya. Anyhow I went with midgrade today. Been running midgrade for years. Did figure the difference at 30.00 and it 1 gallon different from regular
 
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Originally Posted by tiger862
I think that is dodge cya. Anyhow I went with midgrade today. Been running midgrade for years. Did figure the difference at 30.00 and it 1 gallon different from regular

Quote
This engine is designed to meet all emissions
regulations and provide excellent
fuel economy and performance when
using high-quality unleaded "Regular"
gasoline having an octane rating of 87 as
specified by the (R+M)/2 method. The
use of higher octane "Premium" gasoline
will not provide any benefit over "Regular" gasoline in
these engines.
 
Originally Posted by kschachn
Originally Posted by tiger862
I think that is dodge cya. Anyhow I went with midgrade today. Been running midgrade for years. Did figure the difference at 30.00 and it 1 gallon different from regular

Quote
This engine is designed to meet all emissions
regulations and provide excellent
fuel economy and performance when
using high-quality unleaded "Regular"
gasoline having an octane rating of 87 as
specified by the (R+M)/2 method. The
use of higher octane "Premium" gasoline
will not provide any benefit over "Regular" gasoline in
these engines.


That is under regular 3.6 as well as in general section. You even quoted the flex fuel where it states greater than 87 octane. I have flex fuel. I don't expect any improvements other than a little more cleaners. I could add a bottle at each tank but cost would wash out.
 
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