Is there a reason you're running 91 at all?

 

Helps prevent the injector tips from collecting the black goo

 

Im on the 91 flush as well. Down approx 90 whp but thats OK. 91 stinks

91 has a much higher percentage of the cleaning agent (PIB)

 

Correct! It's all just to be on the safe side. It makes me wonder what the E85 only guys are doing to prevent the black gunk. Maybe they are pulling their injectors and sending them off to be cleaned every 10k or so ? At that point i would invest in a bench top injector cleaning machine just for convenience. Hell, if I had the space, I would get a tire changing machine too haha. Lots of used good ones on craigslist.

 

E85 is actually much more clean in the fuel system than gasoline. The black gunk people have seen "from E85" is the ethanol breaking loose old gasoline that has turned into a varnish like form (which also holds onto dirt in the fuel). Ethanol itself makes for a very good solvent which is why people have issues with clogging fuel filters or injectors when switching over after the car has had gas in the tank for years.

I can say this with certainty as my BS required me to take a 400 level alternative fuels class, a good chunk of which was alcohol based fuels. To back it up with some empirical results, I as well as more than a few friends have run cars in the midwest on E85 for years without experiencing any clogging or contamination issues.

Here's a little article on what I mean: http://injectorrepair.com/ethanol-problem/

 

The black goo has been quite the topic on here for years now. Regardless of what the studies state myself personally along with many others have dealt with the black goo and it seems the best thing to do is run a tank or two of normal pump fuel every once in a while. FWIW when i first switched to e85 years ago, since I was paranoid of it happening to me, every once in a while I ran 93 in the car and never had any issues. But then I got lazy and probably didnt run pump fuel in my car for at least 4 years and was strictly e85. Well sure enough when I pulled my injectors last they were covered in black goo. I do not know what it can be attributed to but what I do know is that I never once had that issue in the past, then got lazy the last few years and now my injectors suffered from it.

 

Yea it's pretty controversial across most car forums, just thought I'd share my experiences. If what you do isn't giving you any issues then there's no harm in continuing to do so.

 

This is a really cool epic build, the feeling you will get when you feel that kind of power on the streets.... Lord have mercy

 

Very interesting article! I, too, believe that E85 is much cleaner than gasoline. Maybe the black goo is a result of a E85 breaking down oil vapors or something on that level? In my previous build I would be on E85 for months without any issues. That was on FIC1050cc low-impedance injectors. I'll be switching back and forth from 91 and E85 is just to be on the safe side, but in a weird way, it's kinda fun. You get used to 91 power again and then suddenly switch to E85 for more power, always puts a smile on your face.


Thanks man! It definitely tested the hell out me. Here's a short, crappy quality, 1-2. This was on a fairly hot day, but the car moves well. This much power on the streets is fun as hell if used responsibly. Paired with a good set of tires, brake pads, and coilovers, there's very little you can't do.

You know when you put your signal on and people intentionally block you from getting into a lane ? They are unable to do so anymore. If someone cuts you off or brake checks you, you will always have the ability to stop harder and turn faster. Looking like someone is coming in hot and about to rear end you? Launch control out of the way and let someone else be their victim that day because they probably drive a prius and there are enough of those on the streets as is.

 

A few changes this month fellas, some good news and some bad news.

I'll start with the good for once.

I already posted this part elsewhere, but I picked up some STM 20mm hubcentric spacers and ARP extended wheel studs. I really like the way the OEM BBS wheels look on the Evo IX, but they just have the wrong offset. After lots of measuring I realized I was able to use the factory lugs too, although there are chrome plated open ended mag style seat lugs from Dorman that will work as well. I also decided to pull the trigger on a two channel dash cam. I picked up a Blackvue DR900S 4k cam with an aircraft aluminum mount that bolts to the rear view mirror. I am very happy with it thus far because it syncs to my house's wifi when I get home so that I can view the video capture on my phone or PC. No more pulling micro sd cards. I also found a way around buying their "parking mode" battery pack. I'm using a timer controlled delay relay that keeps power to the camera for two hours after I turn the ignition off. That should be more than long enough for grocery store stops and obnoxious lunch break locations. It's sort of like a turbo timer for electronics that you can configure the time on and power anything that takes a 12v DC source. That delay relay costs only 15 bucks as opposed to the 300 dollar battery from Blackvue. The idea behind the Blackvue battery is so that it doesn't drain your car battery, but the camera won't be able to do that in two hours and driving in between.



Sweet new metal..


Much better....and NO RUBBING!




Timer controlled delay relay board


front cam


rear cam



The other good news is my that my lease finally expired on the Mazda 6....So my wife and I bought her a Black 2018 Mazda MX5 RF Club. This is the BBS/Brembo package with a Boss sound system, Bilstein shocks, LSD, LED headlights, and 6 speed manual trans. She loves it, and it's nice upgrade from the 4 door family sedan we had prior. Also I don't care what anybody says, this new Miata can HANDLE and looks great doing it!


His and Hers




The bad news....

The Evo is leaking oil slowly from the oil pump front cover area and I am fairly certain it is the oil pump gear seal. Seems like an early seal failure as my oil pressure and crank case pressure is under control these days. Leaks typically flow from the highest location down and it's squeaky clean behind my cam gears and crank gear. I don't think its the oil pan leaking because I cleaned the hell out of the area and used plenty of RTV upon install. I took some pictures to show you guys first before I start changing parts I don't need to. Where do you think it's coming from and is there a way to change the oil pump gear seal without pulling the oil pump front case assembly?








Thanks in advance for your help Gents.

 

It certainly does look like it's the pump gear seal but did you replace the front case with a new one? IIRC the front case comes with that seal already installed and I'd be pretty surprised it began leaking that fast.

I'd be more inclined to think it's the oil pan since that's way more likely to leak but anything is possible.

 

Yup, this front case was a new one. I wonder it's possible that the oil pump shaft is off center. The "fix all possibilities " solution would be to just replace the oil pump front cover, which I don't necessarily mind doing if I have to, but I just changed the oil

I'm going to try replacing the Oil pump seal first and keep an eye on it for a while.

 

Was it an OE pump or and ACL pump? If anything maybe throw a bit of UV dye in the oil and that might give you a better idea where it's coming from.

 

OEM pump as far as I can tell. I've never worked with UV dye before, is it safe to place and leave in the oil? I'm actually not surprised that this happened to me as far more unlikely things have haha.

 

Man, I have the same problem with the front seal Brand new oem front cover and seal already installed, I get a few drips under the car every time I drive it. I replaced the pan with a brand new one thinking that's what it was too. Didn't help a bit.. I've just accepted that it's going to have some horsepower sweat and put a drip pan under it for now lol