how to tell if car was previously tuned for E85??

[steve99]

Originally Posted by Kiske

AFR will be higher for gas. 14.7ish vs E85's 8.7ish at idle (warmed up) depending on the tune.

unfortunatly it wont. The 02 sensor reads risidual oxygen so it doent know the afr or if its ethanol or petrol, lambda is still 1. Yes lambda 1 is achieved by 14.7 afr for petrol and 8.7 or so afr ethanol but the 02 sensor just reads lambda 1 then this is converted to 14.7 as most tune software or obd tools as they are set to petrol afr like all the tables in most tune software. like romraider or ecutek the target afr is all dispalyed in petrol afr regardles if you running petrol or e85

[gen3v8]

When I made the original comment I was thinking the car had been refueled with petrol and running an e85 tune

[platinumEX]

Stopped at work and checked out the car today. Nothing in the fuel system looks aftermarket (no E85 sensor). No RPM blip when I pulled back the cruise stalk. However, it did smell sweet to me and a buddy when I started it. I’m sure it would be obvious to someone who actually knows the smell but I don’t.

Thinking of buying an ethanol test kit. Another option would be fueling it up with E85 and see how it runs.

It seems like it’s much safer to fuel up a regular tuned vehicle with E85 than it would be to fuel up an E85 tuned vehicle with regular - correct?

[ka-t_240]

Find a local with a e85 test tube, or a friend that's maybe a GM / Ford Tech that may have access to a Ethanol Analyzer they can put in the fuel for you.

If the car has a e85 tune, and its cold, it may be hard to start.

If its a e85 tune and has 91 in the tank it will be very rich.

[gen3v8]

Get a fuel sample from your car. In a liquid measuring vessel pour in water (20%) near enough and mark the level now add fuel sample(80%). Shake it up let it settle.If the water amount has increased in volume it`s because it has absorbed ethanol from tour fuel. You Can`t go wrong. Even added a video.

[platinumEX]

Thanks guys! Ordered a test kit and will update in a few days.

[FR-S2GT86]

Don't even try to bother with siphoning the fuel from the tank via the filler tube, it won't work.

Your best bet is to remove the fuel pump fuse inside the engine bay fuse panel, start the vehicle and let it stall out, then disconnect the return line in the engine bay and use some 3/8 inch fuel hose purchased from an auto parts store to fit over the end of the return line and set the other end of that hose into a spare fuel tank. Reinstall your fuel pump fuse, then turn your key to the ON position without attempting to start the car and it will pump out about 3 oz. of fuel every time that you cycle the key on and off.

Have a fire extinguisher ready, keep any ignition sources away, and don't do it in a confined space.

You'll also need a fuel quick disconnect tool to release the connector before you can slip it off. Have some rags available as well to soak up any fuel spilled.

When you're done obtaining a sample, reconnect the return line and make sure to prime the fuel lines by cycling the key on and off a few times to get any air out of the lines.

Check for leaks.

[platinumEX]

Thanks guys! Worked like a charm. As soon as I accessed the fuel I immediately smelled the alcohol. Ran it thru the test, and...



80% ethanol. Thanks again for the help.

[jflogerzi]

Your next steps is to monitor afr and fuel trims. If the car drives fine my guess it was tuned with ecutek or open flash tablet. If you fill with regular gas you stand a high chance of blowing the motor. If you do need more gas fill it with pure e85 till you figure out the tuning issue

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[Sapphireho]

Sooooo, maybe he should take it to a tuner?

[platinumEX]

Originally Posted by jflogerzi

Your next steps is to monitor afr and fuel trims. If the car drives fine my guess it was tuned with ecutek or open flash tablet. If you fill with regular gas you stand a high chance of blowing the motor. If you do need more gas fill it with pure e85 till you figure out the tuning issue

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This was my main concern. I didn't want to put the wrong fuel in and risk damage. It did drive fine but I've only taken it around the block a couple times so far. It is slow to start after sitting a few days - sometimes taking a few cranks and sputtering before firing up. I've read that E85 tunes can be harder to start, specifically in colder weather but it's been in our warehouse that stays above 50 degrees. When I start it a day or two apart it usually fires right up.

Originally Posted by Sapphireho

Sooooo, maybe he should take it to a tuner?

That's the plan. I just needed to be able to fuel it up so I could drive it to the body shop, to the tuner, etc. A second/fun vehicle to keep has been a long time coming and I don't want to screw it up or blow the money I've saved buying a theft recovered vehicle.

[Sapphireho]

Originally Posted by platinumEX

That's the plan. I just needed to be able to fuel it up so I could drive it to the body shop, to the tuner, etc. A second/fun vehicle to keep has been a long time coming and I don't want to screw it up or blow the money I've saved buying a theft recovered vehicle.

Oh, btw, you said you pulled in the cruise stalk and nothing. Wanted to mention, with my ecutek, you have to hold it there for a few seconds before the tach reacts and points to current tune.

[FR-S2GT86]

Originally Posted by Sapphireho

Oh, btw, you said you pulled in the cruise stalk and nothing. Wanted to mention, with my ecutek, you have to hold it there for a few seconds before the tach reacts and points to current tune.

And that's ONLY if it were tuned with EcuTek, and ONLY if the tune was set up for multiple maps and ONLY if the map switching was assigned to the cruise control stalk. There are alternative map switching choices.

If there's no ethanol content sensor anywhere in the fuel lines, it's probably just a straight E-85 tune and not a flex-fuel tune. You should only fill with the fuel that is in the tank currently until you find out exactly what kind of tune you have, and you'll need to figure out what tuning program was used to flash the ECU to do that. Also, if the fuel station that you fill up at switches to a winter blend, which has less ethanol content than what's currently in your tank, you'll start running into rich AFR conditions.

The EcuTek ProECU software can tell you if there is an EcuTek license present, which will be the most obvious sign that it was tuned with that software suite. I'm not familiar with any of the other tuning suites but I'm pretty sure you would have to have that particular software to recognize that particular tune.

[jflogerzi]

Originally Posted by FR-S2GT86

And that's ONLY if it were tuned with EcuTek, and ONLY if the tune was set up for multiple maps and ONLY if the map switching was assigned to the cruise control stalk. There are alternative map switching choices.



If there's no ethanol content sensor anywhere in the fuel lines, it's probably just a straight E-85 tune and not a flex-fuel tune. You should only fill with the fuel that is in the tank currently until you find out exactly what kind of tune you have, and you'll need to figure out what tuning program was used to flash the ECU to do that. Also, if the fuel station that you fill up at switches to a winter blend, which has less ethanol content than what's currently in your tank, you'll start running into rich AFR conditions.



The EcuTek ProECU software can tell you if there is an EcuTek license present, which will be the most obvious sign that it was tuned with that software suite. I'm not familiar with any of the other tuning suites but I'm pretty sure you would have to have that particular software to recognize that particular tune.

He needs a cable

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