Ethanol - E85

[Cameron McPherson]

you can feed in 0-5v into lamba input 1, then narrowband scaling is performed by a table within the ECU. So you are able to log wideband using existing oxy sensor input, but the ECU still operates correctly with a narrowband value.

For example using a Innovate MTX-L, you will no longer need to use the narrowband simulated output.

Bruh I swear that's not even English.

 

[TME_Steve]

Translation. You can use a Wideband into the ecu with this if you want

 

[TME_Steve]

Wow! That is just the one I wanted. I'd like to try this rom if it comes available here. My converter is feeding the pin 75 with approx 1.7 Voltage (55Hz) to 4.3 V (150Hz) so would your ROM work straight with that? We have 98E fuel here in Finland which has 5% alcohol and then the actual E85 stuff.

Not without other hardware....

 

[Gav]

how many people are running flew now?
and how often are people going back to 98 fuel weather its for 1 tank or more.

 

[TME_Steve]

Flex? Maybe 6. But a few more coming in the new few months. Most seem to stay on e85 till they get stuck or go for a long drive like melbourne to adelaide.

 

[twisted32]

Thats because 98 makes me sad Steve...

 

[Kaldek]

I'm one of the upcoming conversions. My intention is to use E85 for fun weekends and whenever I happen to find it. Otherwise I'll run 98.

I kinda see E85 as like a longer lasting version of NOS.

 

[jungle]

how many people are running flew now?
and how often are people going back to 98 fuel weather its for 1 tank or more.

Hey Gav, my Leggy is with @TME_Steve
I'm getting it cause it's an big increase in torque and the fuel economy is pretty close to 98. Plus I'm keen to see what my combo can do with it. There's a Servo 10 minutes from my work

 

[lateshow]

I just got about 10.9 l/100km. It was driving about 80-110 kph. This must be a record on E85. It seems that bigger turbos and cams have actually made the fuel economy better which sounds like something you wouldn't expect.

My colleague in Finland has the same mods but he also has a longer 5th drive and a separate arduino controlling wideband --> narrowband output. He has managed to get his AFR target to 15.4 on E85. He has even smaller fuel consumption than I. It's a shame that we dont have a function in the software for leaning the AFRs on closed loop.

 

[TME_Steve]

well done. @Schneider has consistently achieved low 9s highway and even dipped into the 8s iirc on e85
we're running most e85 cars open loop to help economy

 

[lateshow]

well done. @Schneider has consistently achieved low 9s highway and even dipped into the 8s iirc on e85
we're running most e85 cars open loop to help economy

I used to run my car in open loop years ago with gasoline. It seemed that letting it go to 16.0 in very low loads (like idle) and about 15.5 under normal load areas gave me some advantage, maybe even half a liter . And the way vr4 maf is scaled from the factory quite easily leads to this.

But I thought you guys had a rom with wideband input so that you could use closed loop for different target.

 

[lateshow]

Came across something rather interesting yesterday. One legnum has had a strange issue: won't start properly if engine is turned off for like 10 minutes. But will start very nicely if car has stood still for several days.

What we found was a fucked up fuel regulator. It is leaking to the solenoid and to inlet manifold. There was one transparent hose that was full of ethanol. No wonder it wont start. It will suck extra ethanol to manifold making sure there is plenty of extra. And when starting there is nothing to compensate the extra fuel.

So stock regulators won't last forever with alcohol.

 

[lateshow]

A word of warning:

We have here at least two cases where the original fuel pressure regulator has started leaking. These both cars have had ethanol in fuel system for long periods. So I always suggest to keep the system full of gasoline when car isn't in use. That is what I did to my car a few weeks ago. Emptied ethanol from the pump and refilled 10 litres of gasoline.

 

[Kaldek]

Leaking fuel regulators can happen on cars without E85 but it's rare and your sample set suggests the Ethanol is perishing the rubber in the regulator diaphragm.

An E85-safe aftermarket regulator would help for those that use E85 a lot. But then if you're doing that you may as well work front to back and replace all the parts that might perish including hoses.

 

[TME_Steve]

Weird, we've got a few that have been running E85 for years and not one with a problem yet. One has been sitting for 12 months full of E85 as well, no issue with it either. Still, evo wise the FPR's are a problem, what I don't get is that they don't seem to be a problem on these, may be the higher boost levels on an evo cause problems....

 

[Kaldek]

Worth pointing out that FPR diaphragm failure is not unheard of, even on cars only running gasoline. I even personally saw a couple of Honda motorbikes do it.

Age + wear + E85 probably just accelerates a problem that a car was going to have regardless.