4 Gallons of e85 mixed with 92 pump! What a difference!

[bsbllfit7]

So i have been continually adding 4 gallons of e85 to each fill up. The results are awesome and have me contemplating running e85 all the time! The extra octane is allowing slightly higher boost, leaner afr's and more timing with only 4 gallons! Before i would knock with any advance at 20 psi on 92 oct and now im running 22.5 up to 24 at redline with 3-7 degrees of advance. I also wasnt able to go any leaner then 10.1 afr before doing this and now im right around 11.1. I did have to compensate and change my Speed density table to accommodate for the need for more fuel with e85. The beauty is if i need to fill up and am not at a area where i have a station i just zero out my sliders and remind myself not to go full throttle and she performs perfectly. IDC's are at about 65% with the 4 gallons of e85 and dsm link estimate of horsepower is around 420whp! I am going to go with 5 gallons next time and see how that performs. My idc's should still be under 80% but will probably allow me to lean it out even more and possible a degree or two of extra timing. This is all temporary tell i get new cams and meth/water injection but the results are amazing!

 

[Calan]

The only effect I've seen when running ethanol (besides the black goo)....

The goo is a PITA and was clogging my injectors in a single tank-full.

BUT...I think the Stabil additive has it licked; at least it looked that way before I lifted my head a couple months ago. I'll be monitoring it closely when I get the head tossed back on and the car making noise again.

 

[WIKDGSX619]

Is it ok to just throw in a couple gallons of e85 to a near full tank of 91 octane? Anything special need to be done? 90 gsx awd - fully built -35r turbo

 

[99gst_racer]

Some locals here were having issues with E85 clogging the 10-micron fuel filters that are used with gasoline. I doubt anyone would have issues with running E85 mixed with gasoline, but it's something to consider if you run straight E85 and alot of it. Some companies, including Aeromotive, are now offering 40-micron elements for alcohol based fuels.

 

[Calan]

Is it ok to just throw in a couple gallons of e85 to a near full tank of 91 octane?

It usually doesn't cause any issues.

BUT... (and no offense intended), if you have to ask this question you probably shouldn't be doing it unless you are monitoring your WOT AFR, fuel trims, and knock pretty closely.

 

[-red97rum-]

The goo is a PITA and was clogging my injectors in a single tank-full.

BUT...I think the Stabil additive has it licked; at least it looked that way before I lifted my head a couple months ago. I'll be monitoring it closely when I get the head tossed back on and the car making noise again.

Yep and speaking of that I really should pull my injectors to check them again. A couple of my injectors has quite a bit of that black shit hanging off of them when I did my head gasket a few months ago. That was about a year's worth straight e85 and not a drop of 91.

What's this Stabil additive you mentioned? Is it available at vatozone and O'reily's?

 

[Calan]

Yep and speaking of that I really should pull my injectors to check them again. A couple of my injectors has quite a bit of that black shit hanging off of them when I did my head gasket a few months ago. That was about a year's worth straight e85 and not a drop of 91.

What's this Stabil additive you mentioned? Is it available at vatozone and O'reily's?

It's a fuel additive that has actually been around a while, available at most parts stores. There are four "flavors" of it...red for gas, blue for marine use, green for diesel, and a new orange blend which is specifically for ethanol-blended fuel (probably not much different than the marine variety).

http://www.goldeagle.com/brands/stabil/products.aspx

I started using the blue marine stuff (couldn't find the new ethanol blend) just before lifting the head, and it worked from what I could tell over the short time I used it.

Before I tried it, I thoroughly cleaned my injectors and they gummed up again over the course of one tank of E85. After cleaning them yet again, I started adding the Stabil and went through probably 3 more tanks of E85, and when I pulled the injectors for the head work they were still clean. In the past I tried running straight gas after every 2-3 tanks of E-85... but since one tank of E85 would gum them up, that was pretty useless.

A few weeks ago I found the new orange stuff at Wal-Mart, so I'll be testing it in a week or two.

It's interesting to note that we never had any goo issues at all for years...then it suddenly appeared. This supports the theory that it's caused by additives found in certain regions.

 

[-red97rum-]

I'm definitely going to give this stuff a try. I'll probably need to pull the injectors out and clean them.

Here's a couple pics of then last time I had my injectors out when I did the HG. This wasn't the worst one either:

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[Calan]

Yep... they look just like mine did every time I pulled them.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/new...-gas-e70-advanced-merged-5.html#post152500860

The $10,000 question is how #2 was spotless while the rest were all gummed up. And I know for a fact that it was firing and working just fine. That's one of the bigger mysteries I've encountered in a long list of strange DSM anomalies over the years.

 

[jrohner]

Someone I was talking to claimed they saw the black goo in a corn-burning furnace; IF this is true (I don't consider them a reliable source), it's probably something to do with the corn used to make the ethanol and not some other additive. I wonder if it happens in places where they use other crops to make ethanol besides corn.

I've had some injectors really bad after a few months, and others not bad at all after a year.

 

[phunny]

Did you even read any of the corrosion article you linked to? Apparently not, so here's a few quotes from it:

"But the corrosive effects of ethanol are actually very minimal and are not very destructive. Also, the issue of fuel being corrosive is not something new. After all, even regular gasoline (and all types of liquid) is also corrosive."

"As mentioned, the corrosive effects of ethanol-blended gasoline or E10 are not highly-detrimental."

"Newer models (from 1990s and up) are equipped with fuel systems that can withstand the corrosive properties of both water and fuel. In addition, the distilling and production processes employed by ethanol producers and oil companies nowadays are more superior compared to those of yesteryears. For instance, chemical additives are now added to the fuel to inhibit the corrosive properties."

"With regard to the corrosion of gas tanks, there have been some concerns over the rusting of gas tanks when loaded with ethanol. This may be true for older car models since their gas tanks are made from steel and are coated with lead."

"Clearly, ethanol-blended fuel or E10 does not corrode the fuel system, gas tank, and other components of vehicles."

********

Please stop spreading misinformation and fear. Unless you have personal experience of E85 directly causing issues on your own personal DSM, you really should just stay out of that aspect of this conversation.

Wish I would've read this before I drained my tank

 

[Calan]

Someone I was talking to claimed they saw the black goo in a corn-burning furnace; IF this is true, it's probably something to do with the corn used to make the ethanol and not some other additive. I wonder if it happens in places where they use other crops to make ethanol besides corn.

I've had some injectors really bad after a few months, and others not bad at all after a year.

Interesting.

There is a huge thread about it over on EvoM, where some of the guys are actual chemists and did some pretty in-depth testing. I don't think there has ever been a consensus on exactly what it is, but I do remember that things like dissolved rubber (or other fuel system materials) had mostly been ruled out, since it appears even in pristine systems designed specifically for ethanol and methanol fuels, and doesn't match the chemical properties of those materials.

Whatever it is, it's not a constant and appears to be regional. I'm surprised the government and EPA hasn't jumped all over it, given the current interest in FFV's and alternative fuels.

 

[mattasi]

@WIKDGSX619 e85 question

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Is it ok to just throw in a couple gallons of e85 to a near full tank of 91 octane? Anything special need to be done? 90 gsx awd - fully built -35r turbo


English Racing tuned my car on 91pump gas and they suggested that I add 2-3 gallons of e-85 or any race gas when you go to the strip. It will run smoother and better.

 

[bsbllfit7]

here is a log showing what i was able to get out of 5 gallons of e85 with the rest pump gas. Im still definitely tuning the car and am going to up the timing even more. I have the timing adjusted both in the sliders and DA tables so when and if i have to go back to pump i can just adjust the sliders. Take a look and tell me what you think!

 

[Calan]

I'm definitely going to give this stuff a try. I'll probably need to pull the injectors out and clean them.

Dustin - Did you try the Stabil and see any results yet?