flex fuel kit failure...

[Jaden]

I wasn't too sure where to even put this. As some of you may be aware, I created my own flex fuel kit, but I had bought the sensor and fuel lines along with an edelbrock inline fuel filter on ebay when building the kit.

Everything worked fine for a while, then I drove the car to Houston from San Diego. On the way I started to smell fuel in the cabin and eventually I pulled over to investigate.

It turned out that the an hoses for the flex kit had started cracking and were leaking fuel.

I was almost to Houston so I went ahead and finished the trip without problems.

Then I went to a pool hall that night and the car wouldn't start when I left the pool hall.

For some stupid reason I had forgot to bring my tuner and I tried everything. I even tried just bypassing the flex kit entirely.

I ended up going ahead and upgrading the fuel pump to the 340lph AEM and the only way I could get everything to work was to create a new circuit and run the fuel pump directly and everything has worked fine from then.

I was in Houston going through training as a Halliburton mud engineer so I was in a hotel with none of my tools for nine weeks. I had my wife mail out my tuner. I ended up replacing the fuel pump and troubleshooting everything in the hotel parking lot... It only took me 3 weeks...lol.

Most of that was waiting on parts and such and being limited in the trouble shooting.

It ended up that the fuel sender hadn't worked properly and I was out of fuel. Once I put fuel in it started right up and worked no problem, but then the fuel pump controller went out (I think, I ended up bypassing it so never found out for sure).

Being limited on ability to troubleshoot and not being willing to pay another mechanic (I'm stubborn), I figured it must've been a bad fuel pump again, so I ordered a used stock fuel pump (whole unit this time) and tried that, when it didn't work either, I started narrowing things down by directly connecting the fuel pumps to the battery to see if they worked.

Since the AEM fuel pump worked still, I ended up just wiring a new circuit off of key on 12v source that has worked flawlessly ever since.

Fast forward a couple of months and I wanted my E85 back, so I look to replace the bad fuel lines and low and behold, whoever had created the AN fuel hoses had used STANDARD fuel line, not high pressure EFI fuel line rated for ethanol..

Duh, no wonder it failed.

Anyways, reprogrammed back the arduino to adjust based on the flex fuel sensor, reconnected the flex fuel kit with the PROPER fuel hose( I did reuse the AN fittings though) and now everything works again and the power is back now that I can use ethanol again...

Now it's ready for forced induction with the upgraded fuel pump...


Jaden

p.s. the reason I replaced the fuel pump was that since the fuel gauge was reading almost half full I didn't think it was likely that I was out of fuel and I thought that with the leaking fuel hoses, it might've over worked the fuel pump and burned it out especially running it that way for 22 hours straight on that long ass drive. I figured since I'd eventually be replacing the fuel pump anyways, that I might as well upgrade it while I was at it.

[Lantanafrs2]

Thankfully your car didn't burn to the ground. It's happened before.

[Summerwolf]

How much money did you save by making your own vs a plug and play solution?

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Jaden

I wasn't too sure where to even put this. As some of you may be aware, I created my own flex fuel kit, but I had bought the sensor and fuel lines along with an edelbrock inline fuel filter on ebay when building the kit.

Everything worked fine for a while, then I drove the car to Houston from San Diego. On the way I started to smell fuel in the cabin and eventually I pulled over to investigate.

Now, THAT was a learning experience for you -

Reminds me of back in the day when I wanted to put three single barreled carburetors on a stove bolt six. Yep, I couldn't afford a proper manifold so, I pulled one out of a junk yard and cut two additional holes in it. Welded on two flanges and mounted two more carburetors, that I pulled out of the junk yard.

Oh yes, after I fabricated a fuel block out of 1/4" galvanized pipes I was good to go - so I thought.

I got a couple of miles down the road when I smelled gasoline - lots of gasoline -

I popped the hood open and gas was flowing out of one of the end carburetors, soaking the engine compartment.

Apparently the float had stuck on that junk yard carburetor.

So much for THAT low budget power mod.


THE END


humfrz

[CSG Mike]

Wow.

Glad you're okay!

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by Summerwolf

How much money did you save by making your own vs a plug and play solution?

my total cost for flex fuel was $155.

Jaden

p.s. that is TOTAL cost including tuning solution.

[j3rf]

Originally Posted by Jaden

my total cost for flex fuel was $155.

Jaden

p.s. that is TOTAL cost including tuning solution.

Don't forget all the money spent on parts trying to fix the issue.

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by j3rf

Don't forget all the money spent on parts trying to fix the issue.

I sold back unused parts and I was upgrading my fuel pump anyways. Even still less than

So even if you include upgrade parts, total is less than $300.

You always get more than just savings doing things yourself. You get skills that are irreplaceable.

I do my own repairs even if it costs me more in the long run that way I know how to fix those issues in the future.

It never has cost me more in the long run though. In very few instances it's cost me almost as much,but that's itand it has saved me countless costs.

Jaden

[Lantanafrs2]

Don't wind your own valve springs lol actually why not at this point?

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by Lantanafrs2

Don't wind your own valve springs lol actually why not at this point?

I have a forge so I guess I could lol...

Jaden

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Jaden

I sold back unused parts and I was upgrading my fuel pump anyways. Even still less than

So even if you include upgrade parts, total is less than $300.

You always get more than just savings doing things yourself. You get skills that are irreplaceable.

I do my own repairs even if it costs me more in the long run that way I know how to fix those issues in the future.

It never has cost me more in the long run though. In very few instances it's cost me almost as much,but that's itand it has saved me countless costs.

Jaden

Have you seen the movie "The World's Fastest Indian"?

You remind me of that movie -


humfrz

[86MLR]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Have you seen the movie "The World's Fastest Indian"?

You remind me of that movie -


humfrz

Great movie based loosely on real life.

I know a few older gents that have fabed up contraptions, sadly alot of the skills, knowledge and the ability to problem solve is becoming a lost art.

Reference for the youngsters > https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www....astest-indian/

[Allch Chcar]

Originally Posted by Jaden

my total cost for flex fuel was $155.

Jaden

p.s. that is TOTAL cost including tuning solution.

Do you mind sharing what parts you used?
Using the right part seems like a no-brainer. But I've done it before. I ordered a power steering pump relocation kit for a '91 Mustang. The company didn't accept returns after you've tried to install it.

Also, that little screen filter on a fuel pump is important. I figured that out after the second time replacing it.

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by Allch Chcar

Do you mind sharing what parts you used?
Using the right part seems like a no-brainer. But I've done it before. I ordered a power steering pump relocation kit for a '91 Mustang. The company didn't accept returns after you've tried to install it.

Also, that little screen filter on a fuel pump is important. I figured that out after the second time replacing it.

I got a used bra flex kit off of eBay for $55.the lines they used in that kit were the wrong ones which is why they failed but the fittings were fine and I reused then with the correct high pressure hose.

It came with a continental sensor the connector and write and an inline edelbrock filter.

I used an arduino Nani and programmed it to convert the frequency signal to volts out.

I got a wiring harness adapter, also on eBay, for 50 Bucks.

By the time everything was said and done with wires connectors shrink wrap etc, I was in it for about 155.

I got the flex fuel tune from shiv...

Jaden

P. S. Even had I not gotten the flex kit, you can build all that stuff and buy a continental sensor for about what I paid if not a little more. The key is programming the arduino to convert the signal.