E85 conversion

[Zhehan]

The 5vz ECU completely ignores the knock sensor below ~3k rpm and runs fixed (conservative) timing in that area. This is why the supercharged guys lave low RPM pinging issues. No idea *why* but, there you go.

-Charlie

The 5VZ-FE is mechanically noisy which is why I think they designed the knock sensors that way. I thought you might have some secret knowledge I wasn't aware of.

Obviously there are a lot of solutions to the HGLRPM ping issue now.

Thanks for the response.
Cheers.

 

[TracyNorton]

Hey, I appreciate the responses. I realize this not simple, BUT...E85 is *almost* half of the price of 89 octane here in CA...and if it may be at least remotely possible to convert...it would be worth the effort.

 

[19963.4lsr5]

The 5vz ECU completely ignores the knock sensor below ~3k rpm and runs fixed (conservative) timing in that area. This is why the supercharged guys lave low RPM pinging issues. No idea *why* but, there you go.

-Charlie

I went one heat range colder with my sparkplugs because of this. Between decking the block and heads for my rebuild I probably have .25 to .5 more compression.


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[Zhehan]

The closest E85 to me is a 30 minute drive and is the ONLY station listed in the Portland, OR area. There are 5 total stations listed in Oregon on this site: Alternative Fuels Data Center: Ethanol Fueling Station Locations

Looking at the map, besides California, it's mostly east of the Rockies... WTF?

 

[Robb235]

Hey, I appreciate the responses. I realize this not simple, BUT...E85 is *almost* half of the price of 89 octane here in CA...and if it may be at least remotely possible to convert...it would be worth the effort.

It’s very possible and simple. Throw in a set of lime green 7MGE or blue 2JZ 315cc fuel injectors, and go fill up with E85. I would recommend replacing your fuel pump with one from URD that’s E85 compatible.


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[gamefreakgc]

Hey, I appreciate the responses. I realize this not simple, BUT...E85 is *almost* half of the price of 89 octane here in CA...and if it may be at least remotely possible to convert...it would be worth the effort.

Yeah I've noticed that too. I drive right by a few places that sell about $3.80 whereas premium is $6+. I've already blown one engine and I would not be able to get E85 very consistently so someone else is going to have to be the trailblazer on this one. I like that this kit actually has a flex fuel sensor though, so many others miss this part and just assume you're getting E85 at every fill up.

 

[TracyNorton]

and then there is this: Auto Products - eFlexFuel Technology (enter Toyota 4Runner 3.4 1998)
How To Install An eFlexPlus Kit Onto A 1st Generation Toyota 4Runner - YouTube

 

[JohnMc]

Yeah I've noticed that too. I drive right by a few places that sell about $3.80 whereas premium is $6+. I've already blown one engine and I would not be able to get E85 very consistently so someone else is going to have to be the trailblazer on this one. I like that this kit actually has a flex fuel sensor though, so many others miss this part and just assume you're getting E85 at every fill up.

One of my other cars is a turbo Volvo. And a long while back I did a 'dual fuel' setup on it using a Megasquirt V1. I 'misused' a nitrous trigger - when you grounded that input it switched to different fuel/spark/boost control tables, in theory to support a 'dry' nitrous kit and have the fuel injection squirt the extra fuel needed. I just wired it up to a dash switch. Run it almost out of one fuel, fill up on the other, and flip the dash switch.

Then it seemed like a never ending task of trying to nail down the E85 tune. It seemed random, lean, rich, back and forth. Eventually, for other reasons, I upgraded to a MS3X megasquirt which supported true flex fuel, and I installed a flex fuel sensor. Ahhhh... Now it makes sense. I saw tanks of E85 ranging from 80% down to 25%. E85 is 'up to' 85%.

Without a flex sensor to do the large corrections needed for each different tankful, you're requiring the computer to (slowly) fuel trim to correct.

 

[shadow247]

I saw tanks of E85 ranging from 80% down to 25%. E85 is 'up to' 85%.

Interesting. So you're saying actual Ethanol Content in E85 could be as low as 25% from the pump? Thats wild...

 

[Robb235]

I saw tanks of E85 ranging from 80% down to 25%. E85 is 'up to' 85%.

Interesting. So you're saying actual Ethanol Content in E85 could be as low as 25% from the pump? Thats wild...

All the E85 stations in my area have disclaimers on the pump saying something like E85 is between 51-83% percent ethanol. 25% ethanol is nuts, I wonder what happened there.

 

[gamefreakgc]

All the E85 stations in my area have disclaimers on the pump saying something like E85 is between 51-83% percent ethanol. 25% ethanol is nuts, I wonder what happened there.

Yes indeed. That's how it is here in CA, about E50-E85. That's why the flex fuel sensor is a key part that many of these conversion kits miss.

 

[JohnMc]

Interesting. So you're saying actual Ethanol Content in E85 could be as low as 25% from the pump? Thats wild...

That's just what I saw from various local gas stations. I'd say it's not impossible to get regular (E10) gas out of an E85 pump.

Did the refinery do that? Did they dump a load of regular (E10) into the E85 tank on purpose or by accident?

Dunno, but it's pretty variable.

 

[Robb235]

Just wanted to check back in and say my results with E85 and turbo have been very positive. E85 is so much more forgiving than gas if you make a mistake. Even with the 30% mileage reduction, E85 is still much more economical than Premium. Although the reduced range kinda sucks at times. Just running bigger injectors and 255lph fuel pump. The smell of burning E85 is also much more pleasant than that of gasoline.

 

[JohnMc]

Just wanted to check back in and say my results with E85 and turbo have been very positive. E85 is so much more forgiving than gas if you make a mistake. Even with the 30% mileage reduction, E85 is still much more economical than Premium. Although the reduced range kinda sucks at times. Just running bigger injectors and 255lph fuel pump. The smell of burning E85 is also much more pleasant than that of gasoline.

Yeah, the E85 is so much more detonation resistant, it's possible to advance the timing too much without detonation, and end up making less power.

And yeah, a more pleasant slightly sweet smell to the exhaust.