ryukinevo

iTrader: (36)

DANGER! Could starting fluid have damaged my new motor?

I read online, talked to an engine builder, and I found out starting fluid should not be used to start my evo!?

Background: New motor has roughly 459 miles, freshly tuned 10/09/15 609whp wastegate psi only (Mustang dyno).

• 10/10/15 Temperature: 73° 3pm (Temperature 66° 10/09/15). It has always been very hard to start right from zero miles. I figured it was due to the previous tuner? Picked up evo and drove 4hrs home (Holiday E85).
  I thought that it was not going to start and I was going to have to leave it at the shop. I didn't want to do that because this shop is a 4hr drive from home with the second car to get there. I figured that it is the way it is going to be so I proceeded to drive it 4hrs home. The clutch is touchy and easy to stall (Quartermaster twin old style with old style discs).
• 10/18/15 Temperature: 57° 8pm: Took friend for joy ride, didn't get on it much, and filled up (Kum & Go E85): It would not start!
• 10/19/15 Temperature: 77° 2pm: Still would not start and sprayed starting fluid to get it home into the garage. (Starting fluid: 1x)
• 10/26/15 Temperature: 55° 11am: Still would not start and sprayed starting fluid to start it. (Starting fluid: 2x)
• 11/02/15 Temperature: 74° 11am: Tried to start my evo in the garage today and same symptoms. It is hot, and sunny today, which was the same temperature at the time of pickup from my current tune.

I have sprayed a total of 3x and now I worried if I did damage to the motor? How do I find out if there is damage to my motor besides cutting open the oil filter?

Everyone says this is a tuning issue and my tuner has left me high and dry! He says, "That is the best I can do and it is due to my parts/setup I have installed!" I did not find this out until day of pickup! He blamed it on 3 things: FIC 2150s, FP4R cams, AEM Series 2 evo 9 ems, and obviously E85.

I am not sure what to do now? evo is supposed to be fixed, car insurance expensive, injectors sitting in E85, stuck in the garage!
Any help/comments is appreciated!

Ev0ikon

iTrader: (18)

Go to a different tuner.

Tuxevo

iTrader: (8)

Get a different tuner who knows what their doing. Your combination of parts and ems has been tuned successfully by plenty of people.

egis

Starting fluid will not damage your motor as long as you not spraying crazy amount of it.i had same issue as you on E85 last winter. It's my dd so I had no choice but to use starting fluid. I was spraying like 2 seconds of the fluid at the time.needed to do that like 10 times during the coldest months.like others said its your tune for sure. Some tuners don't want to spend time on that.i was no exception. Got tired of that **** and changed into speed density.so far so good. Couple of nights in Chicago were 32F.

project_skyline

iTrader: (30)

Your tuner sounds more like a tooner who has no idea what hes doing. Can you access your aem and pull the tune?

TheBoz

iTrader: (9)

I had my Evo8 running just fine on AEM EMS Series 1 + E85 and FIC2150cc. I had a decent cold start, and perfect idle at 1000rpm. So there is either a real issue with the car, or the tune is all sorts of jacked up. You can email it to me and I can spot check the tune for you.

ryukinevo

iTrader: (36)

Thank you to all the replys! I only received one email notification so I guess I should have checked my post sooner!
This was my thinking as well. I do not know what else it could be? This this the 2nd tuner that has had no luck with my starting/idling issue. I think they do not want to put the time in to fix it so they blame it on my parts?
I hope you are right. I will be changing oil and cutting open the oil filter to look for metal. I will update my post with my findings.
Yes I can, but no AF since I can't start it.
Thank you for your pm.

feautoevo

iTrader: (8)

Here's the problem... your tuner... and the aem ems (however with a great tuner, they should be able to make it start "decent") my experience with aem ems was exactly the same for the same reason... I switched tuners and back to the oem ecu (with 2150cc injectors and huge cams and e85) the car started INSTANTLY and ran almost perfectly!! The stock ecu is much more e85 and drivability friendly! NOW the rings... when you try to start your engine and it doesn't start on the first or second or third try...each time you crank it (assuming your injectors are fine and not stuck shut from e85 rusting the ball to the seat) every single crank is dumping a **** ton of fuel into the engine!! You keep trying... it keeps dumping and dumping and dumping... the fuel is a solvent and literally removes the layer of oil on your cylinder walls allowing the rings to wear into the wall (scraping away the crosshatch of the hone.. this is designed to hold that film of oil, but if it's worn away it will allow oil to push by and cause your motor to smoke) also that fuel that you dumped into the cylinders has no where to go except into the oil pan (reducing your oils effectiveness) and making the cylinder wash problem worse... so bottom line... get a new tuner!! My amazing stock ecu experience was with tscomptuned... he's a professional and Tom is busy but holy **** he knows what he's doing and your motor will start like stock even if you're making a 1000hp!

ryukinevo

iTrader: (36)

Thank you Brett for taking the time to share your experience and knowledge!

wreckleford

iTrader: (2)

This is why I never recommend starting/breaking in a new motor on e85. Get it running properly on pump gas and put some miles on it and then switch over.

ryukinevo

iTrader: (36)

That's a good point, but in my situation with my evo was set up for flex fuel. I had 2 tuners and neither one of them knew how to do it later after buying the parts to do it!

Then, I asked about dual map tune and they gave me some reason not to do that.

At this point my car may have to sit for the winter depending on what tscomptuned says?

Anyone have experience with tscomptuned?

wreckleford

iTrader: (2)

I suggest you drain out the ethanol, put in pump gas and try again. I am not sure why the flex fuel is an issue.

Rom

Tom (tscomptuned) did my tune on my stock ECU.. E85, 1200cc injectors, cams, 450lph pump, intercooler, TBE, short intake, etc, and it's been running with no issues for 18 months+. He setup dual maps (accelerator pedal switching) for E85 and 91, and it's been great!

Thanks!

S.

ryukinevo

iTrader: (36)

That's great to hear!

Status Update: 11/02/15
I just went to try to start my evo in the garage today. It is 74 degrees, hot, and sunny today, which was the same temperature at the time of pickup from my current tune.

It has the same symptoms cranks, but doesn't start. Could it be the gas or fouled plugs?

I am going to call my current tuner and ask him this question!

Thanks
Scott

ryukinevo

iTrader: (36)

Another vote from 2006GSR for tscomptuned. Thanks for the pm!