E85 Users...I have a question.
 

Any one else running E85 with an OFT Stg2 UEL tune? I have found that since running E85, I have had a slower than normal start first thing in the morning. Just the very first start, it seems to hesitate a bit. Unfortunately, it seems to be getting worse. This morning I started my car and it hesitated for a second, then seemed like it almost stalled. I drive a manual, if it makes a difference. I didn't know if the viscosity of E85 was different than normal 93 octane, and it was just a fuel pump issue and nothing to worry about, or if I should go back to 93 octane. I don't want to damage my car.


Thanks,
Tim

e85 doesn't like cold temps during start up. this is normal

That's assuming that its cold in Venice. It's 80 right now in Miami.

I heard once the temp drops below 50F, its a bit more difficult to start because the fuel doesn't vaporize the same. Could be wrong though..

I have also heard cold start is hard, hence the 70% switch in the winter

Okay. As long as Im not damaging anything. That was my primary concern. And its only the first start of the morning, once its sat all night. And Venice is not cold. I believe it was a frigid 75 when I woke up. But if its normal, Im happy. I LOVE the gains that I have and the smooth powerband that E85 has given me. Only problem is driving to get it....only one station with E85 in a 40 mile radius from my house.....

I live in socal...
 

I live in southern california and it's the same thing. Don't worry about it. I hate having to turn it over twice so I'll feather the gas pedal and it won't stall out...

Jaden

I've found that if you turn the ignition on for a few seconds (don't crank the motor, just set the ignition "on") it seems to start up with less hesitation.

Note: this may be all in my imagination.

That's priming the fuel pump; any car usually will start easier or the same. It's a safe thing to do that can alleviate component stress.

Stations are transitioning out of winter blends and into summer blends with higher ethanol contents so it would make sense for it to be a little harder to start on a "cooler" morning. As the weather continues to warm up it should get better for you. Unless you were tuned on E70...

I'm running the stage 2 UEL E85 tune from Shiv, so I'm not sure exactly what it is rated at/for. Btw, LOVE your products. Thanks for all you do for our cars!

Shiv's stock tunes are pretty conservative and I think are tuned for around E665

There's a thread here for modifying the injector pulsewidth for cold starts in RomRaider. My car never had an issue with starting after that. Lemme see if I can find it...

Edit: Found it!

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...1&postcount=40

It might take some fine tuning to get it perfect but this post is definitely very helpful.

Yes those tweaks will likely fix cold start issue (got that info in tune tweaks thread link below)

Also you can add a gallon of 93 petrol to full tank of E85 to dilute E% in winter just keep overall E% about about E60

Glad to know I'm not the only one. Switched to E85 a few weeks ago and lately I've been noticing the same thing. It kind of sputters and sounds like it's going to stall, and then recovers.

Depending on your E% you may get cold start issues once temps get below about 50F

The Higher you E% the earlier you will start to get start hesitations.

either tweak the Cranking Injector pulse widths or add a bit of petrol to your E85. See above posts. or you can do both if its really cold.

I start to notice it at about 55F but our E85 is about E90 constant

another alternative

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...21#post1444921

You live in Temecula. You have a E85 station on Murrieta Hot Springs and another 5 miles down on Clinton Keith. lol
I feel bad for the rest of socal especially OC. lol

yeah but I try not to fill up there...
 

I work in Mo Valley and I drive over to calimesa where I get E85 for 2.19 a gallon...

Or beaumont where I get it for 2.29... It's 2.85 on Murrieta Hot Springs right now...

Jaden

No issues cold starting with my Flex Fuel kit and FF tune. I had issues before with a regular E85 tune via EcuTek.

OFT cant do flex fuel though.

I have the modified cranking tables set on my OFT tune. Cranks first time on 40 or 50 degree days, but I found if I blip the throttle right after starting, I get less hesitation. Goes away completely after 15-20 seconds. No issues on warmer starts.

Then why can you download E85 tunes from their website? A lot of people run E85 with OFT tune and nothing else.. and E85 = flex fuel right?

What @ATL BRZ is saying is OFT doesn't accept input from Flex Fuel sensors. With a Flex Fuel tune and sensors, you can run anything from 91 octane gas to E90 on the same tune. With the OFT E85 tune, you can run E60 up, but nothing below, and not regular gas.

E85 tune =/= Flex Fuel

OFT E85 tunes are canned tunes which do not adjust on the fly based on the actual ethanol content which in a true flex fuel setup is measured from a sensor in the fuel lines.

FlexFuel requires a fuel line kit and sensor with an output to the ECU which the tune uses to adjust timing/AFR in real time based on the actual E content. OFT cant do this. EcuTek can.

http://i.imgur.com/7b5IXYS.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/9vD4dQr.jpg

True flex fuel is safer and more convenient since actual ethanol content from E85 pumps can vary greatly by season. From 60-70% in the winter to 80-85% in the summer. With flex fuel you can run whatever mixture of pump gas and E85 that you want without having to run the tank dry before switching fuels. The tune is always spot on as the timing and AFR targets are referenced by a custom map that's based on the signal from the ethanol content analyzer.

Ok, thanks for the clarification. I just thought they were the same thing because the E85 pump says "for flexfuel vehicles only" on it.

So.. is there any reason to be concerned since I'm running OFT E85 UEL tune and filling up with only E85?

no not if your NA we have enough octane rating at about E60 , boosted is a different story though.


http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53477