The starting characteristics of all grades of E85 ethanol make it unsuitable for use when ambient temperatures fall below 0°F (-18°C).

Consult your fuel distributor for the availability of winter grade ethanol.

As the outside temperature approaches freezing, ethanol fuel distributors should supply winter grade ethanol (same as with unleaded gasoline). If summer grade ethanol is used in cold weather conditions, 0°F to 32°F (-18°C to 0°C), you may experience increased cranking times, rough idle or hesitation until the engine has warmed up.

You may experience a decrease in peak performance when the engine is cold when operating on E85 ethanol.

Do not crank the engine for more than 10 seconds at a time as starter damage may occur. If the engine fails to start, turn the key to off and wait 30 seconds before trying again.

Do not use starting fluid such as ether in the air intake system. Such fluid could cause immediate explosive damage to the engine and possible personal injury.

If you should experience cold weather starting problems on E85 ethanol, and neither an alternative brand of E85 ethanol nor an engine block heater is available, the addition of unleaded gasoline to your tank will improve cold starting performance. Your vehicle is designed to operate on E85 ethanol alone, unleaded gasoline alone, or any mixture of the two.

See Choosing the right fuel in the Maintenance and Specifications chapter for more information on ethanol.

If the engine fails to start using the preceding instructions (flexible fuel vehicles only)

1. Press and hold down the accelerator 1/3 to 1/2 way to floor, then crank the engine.
2. When the engine starts, release the key, then gradually release the accelerator pedal as the engine speeds up. If the engine still fails to start, repeat Step 1.