Injector "gunk" and E-85
#62
EvoM Guru
iTrader: (50)
I pulled my ID1000 injectors last night to begin installation of a new fuel rail. The injectors had been in the car for about 9 months and saw E85 exclusively except for one tank of gas back in August. Injector tips were completely clean. This mirrors my experience with running FIC1050 injectors for a bit over a year on E85. The gunk is definitely not a fuel system issue but a fuel issue.
#63
Evolved Member
iTrader: (19)
I just had mine out the other day too, I was detailing the motor/bay and thought it would be interesting to see how the 6 months have gone with complete E-85 use and if there was any buildup. They looked completely clean as well, no issue whatsoever.
I run PTE 1200's.
I run PTE 1200's.
#65
Evolved Member
iTrader: (37)
For the people with clean injectors I am almost wondering if maybe the gunk is getting back into the motor? So far we have been assuming that if the injector is clean, then you are good to go. Also wondering if the gunk is dependent on how the specific injector seats.
#67
Evolved Member
iTrader: (6)
Looks like the boosted Buick boys and the Subie dudes have seen this as well:
http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/e85...ctor-gunk.html
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...php?p=29553876
If you are having the issue the most recent thought is to run a tank or two of gas through the car periodically.
http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/e85...ctor-gunk.html
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...php?p=29553876
If you are having the issue the most recent thought is to run a tank or two of gas through the car periodically.
#68
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Location: Burleson, Tx/ Seattle, Wa (currently)
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I am running FIC 1050's with e85 for about 17000 miles, I pulled the injectors yesterday and have no buildup. I used a glide scope to look into the manifold and down the ports and did not see any build up, so unless it is on the back side of the valves (couldn't get the camera that far back) I don't have any
#69
Evolving Member
I have studied this issue somewhat for a while. I sent samples of ethanol corrosion inhibitor and a couple of ethanol approved fuel additives made by Lubrizol (one of the largest additive suppliers for terminal and bulk plant operators) to the gentleman in the CO lab. What the issue seems to point to COULD be pipeline drag reducers and a very few gasoline addtitives that are present in the gas portion of E85 - I would definately not say that is for certain however. Could it be sulfur residue left over from gas days in steel gas station or vehicle tank pores, maybe. Could it be related to the boost vs fuel spray pressures- I do not know. What I do know is it is rare, shows up in certain geograhic markets (but not all stations in the market) and tends only appear in certain models that are modified.
My interest in this issue come from the fact I operate 18 E85 stations, work for an ethanol producer, and enjoy the performance world. I have never had this issue come up from the E85 I sell from anyone- even the guys who have done similar mods to what I see here. I have several bracket racers, drag, and circle track guys who buy from me. What I desire most is that this issue be resolved so that E85 never gets a "black eye" for these rare but bothersome events. Part of the problem for me to gather info is we just do not see it here and I have purposely run my FFV's for long periods without ever seeing 1 drop of gasoline (since it does seem that gas will dissolve it). For example my old 2005 Taurus has 217,419 miles on it and only the first 19,000 miles was on gasoline with rare shots of gas because I was testing a retail pump function.
I have tried to collect data in some of the websites in an attempt to get answers but never seem to get complete enough information. I will attempt this here;
VERY IMPORTANT;
*Do You always buys E85 from the same station?_______
*What station- city, brand, and phone #____________________
Put some of your E85 in a CLEAN GLASS jar and hold up to the sun or white light-
*What is the color- Absolute water clear? ________ OR Slightly yellow________
*Is there any murky appearance?__________ Or does light sparkle thru it?_______
NICE TO ALSO KNOW;
What can you tell us about your mods;
*Injector brand, type, _______________
*Fuel pressures___________
*Boost max____________
*Fuel pump____________
*Filter type- brand, specs-ie: micron, paper,microglass, stainless mesh_________________
*Tank construction- steel, poly, aluminum fuel cell, stainless fuel cell, foam type insert?____________
*Timing as compared to standard OEM.___________
Any other data you feel may be revelant____________________
Please note- I will not be able to use this data IF you buy from multiple sources- at least from the viewpoint it might be a fuel related issue.
Since we do not know IF it is a fuel problem for sure- It might be best to PM me with the info rather than posting it. We do not want to point fingers IF it is not a fuel issue by naming stations. I'll leave this up to you folks- I suppose if we post purchase locations for all to see we might find others willing to add in and thus find it faster, yet after 30 some years in the fuels business I know that the "me too's" and others making assumptions can lead to improper conclusions by some.
I will use the telephone # for the station in an attempt to track back the source of the E85, and thus the blender and hydrocarbon plus additive used for the gasoline portion. Some of these I will run down myself while others I will let some industry guys do. Lets see if we can get useful data this time around.
My interest in this issue come from the fact I operate 18 E85 stations, work for an ethanol producer, and enjoy the performance world. I have never had this issue come up from the E85 I sell from anyone- even the guys who have done similar mods to what I see here. I have several bracket racers, drag, and circle track guys who buy from me. What I desire most is that this issue be resolved so that E85 never gets a "black eye" for these rare but bothersome events. Part of the problem for me to gather info is we just do not see it here and I have purposely run my FFV's for long periods without ever seeing 1 drop of gasoline (since it does seem that gas will dissolve it). For example my old 2005 Taurus has 217,419 miles on it and only the first 19,000 miles was on gasoline with rare shots of gas because I was testing a retail pump function.
I have tried to collect data in some of the websites in an attempt to get answers but never seem to get complete enough information. I will attempt this here;
VERY IMPORTANT;
*Do You always buys E85 from the same station?_______
*What station- city, brand, and phone #____________________
Put some of your E85 in a CLEAN GLASS jar and hold up to the sun or white light-
*What is the color- Absolute water clear? ________ OR Slightly yellow________
*Is there any murky appearance?__________ Or does light sparkle thru it?_______
NICE TO ALSO KNOW;
What can you tell us about your mods;
*Injector brand, type, _______________
*Fuel pressures___________
*Boost max____________
*Fuel pump____________
*Filter type- brand, specs-ie: micron, paper,microglass, stainless mesh_________________
*Tank construction- steel, poly, aluminum fuel cell, stainless fuel cell, foam type insert?____________
*Timing as compared to standard OEM.___________
Any other data you feel may be revelant____________________
Please note- I will not be able to use this data IF you buy from multiple sources- at least from the viewpoint it might be a fuel related issue.
Since we do not know IF it is a fuel problem for sure- It might be best to PM me with the info rather than posting it. We do not want to point fingers IF it is not a fuel issue by naming stations. I'll leave this up to you folks- I suppose if we post purchase locations for all to see we might find others willing to add in and thus find it faster, yet after 30 some years in the fuels business I know that the "me too's" and others making assumptions can lead to improper conclusions by some.
I will use the telephone # for the station in an attempt to track back the source of the E85, and thus the blender and hydrocarbon plus additive used for the gasoline portion. Some of these I will run down myself while others I will let some industry guys do. Lets see if we can get useful data this time around.
Last edited by 1outlaw; Feb 28, 2010 at 04:01 PM.
#70
EvoM Staff Alumni
iTrader: (3)
^^^Finally some help from the members on Planet E85=)
Thanks for your informative post!!!
BTW: Only been running E85 for 3 months / Pearson Fuels customer / Pomona CA......No Gunk confirmed or unconfirmed, but very interested
Thanks for your informative post!!!
BTW: Only been running E85 for 3 months / Pearson Fuels customer / Pomona CA......No Gunk confirmed or unconfirmed, but very interested
Last edited by MinusPrevious; Feb 28, 2010 at 09:16 PM.
#71
EvoM Guru
iTrader: (50)
My responses...
... VERY IMPORTANT;
*Do You always buys E85 from the same station? - Yes
*What station- city, brand, and phone # - Pacific Pride, Richland, WA, 509-547-3326
Put some of your E85 in a CLEAN GLASS jar and hold up to the sun or white light-
*What is the color- Absolute water clear? ________ OR Slightly yellow________
*Is there any murky appearance?__________ Or does light sparkle thru it?_______
NICE TO ALSO KNOW;
What can you tell us about your mods;
*Injector brand, type - multiple
*Fuel pressures - 43.5 psi base with FPR vacuum line disconnected
*Boost max- 27 psi
*Fuel pump - Walbro 255
*Filter type- brand, specs-ie: micron, paper, microglass, stainless mesh - stock, material unknown
*Tank construction- steel, poly, aluminum fuel cell, stainless fuel cell, foam type insert? - stock, steel, appears to be lined.
*Timing as compared to standard OEM - generally more then OEM
Any other data you feel may be revelant - no gunk buildup ever, have checked several times.
...
... VERY IMPORTANT;
*Do You always buys E85 from the same station? - Yes
*What station- city, brand, and phone # - Pacific Pride, Richland, WA, 509-547-3326
Put some of your E85 in a CLEAN GLASS jar and hold up to the sun or white light-
*What is the color- Absolute water clear? ________ OR Slightly yellow________
*Is there any murky appearance?__________ Or does light sparkle thru it?_______
NICE TO ALSO KNOW;
What can you tell us about your mods;
*Injector brand, type - multiple
*Fuel pressures - 43.5 psi base with FPR vacuum line disconnected
*Boost max- 27 psi
*Fuel pump - Walbro 255
*Filter type- brand, specs-ie: micron, paper, microglass, stainless mesh - stock, material unknown
*Tank construction- steel, poly, aluminum fuel cell, stainless fuel cell, foam type insert? - stock, steel, appears to be lined.
*Timing as compared to standard OEM - generally more then OEM
Any other data you feel may be revelant - no gunk buildup ever, have checked several times.
...
#72
Evolving Member
Thanks guys- keep them coming. Please note I am also very interested in the fuel color- that CAN (but not always) be an indicator of the type of gasoline/hydrocarbon used. You might even note what color base gasoline E0 or E10 is in your area.
What MinusPrevious --you lurk over there? LOL
What MinusPrevious --you lurk over there? LOL
#73
Evolving Member
iTrader: (18)
Here's a plastic bottle full of e-85 from Missouri. It's been in there since August '09. I wanted to see if this stuff was corrosive to plastic and it clearly looks ok. It's not clear. It has a yellowish tint to it. I poured some on the ground and the flame is really cool. There was no carbon deposits left on the concrete once it was done burning.