Hey guys,
I've been doing a little myth busting lately on E85 fuel and did the following tests:
1/ filled up 40 litres of e85 into ( 2x jerry plastic cans ) and left them to sit in the garage over a 6-8 week period.
2/ pre mixed e85 with prem 100 ( up to 5-10 litres ) filling up with prem 100 1st and filling the rest with e85 after
why?
a. I wanted to see for myself if water would be absorbed via the ethanol ( especially in these cold conditions in melb )
b. ethanol content would change? from e90-e85 to e80 down >>>
c. use this stored fuel to fill the car up and do some logging and LV shots
d. would it eat away the plastic jerry's
e. any affects on starting / performance / drivablility / issues
f. pre mixing has any affects on cold starts, cranking, timing, afr, idle, ecu adjustments, loss of power, etc etc...
findings?
a. no water absorbed from my findings, used the e85 tester to confirm =
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/QUICK-FUEL-RACE-MARINE-ALCOHOL-ETHANOL-E85-TEST-KIT-/200364597073b. no change in content
c. logging and LV shots confirm no timing was pulled, IAM at 1, no change in afr and she drives like a dream!
d. the jerry's cracked in half.......................................ahahahaha NOT!
e. only thing I did notice ( and i don't know if it's coincidence? ) was slightly harder starting but by not much, performance wise no issues as said above
f. only thing I did notice ( and i don't know if it's coincidence? ) was slightly better starting with pre mix fuel, but I re filled with 100% e85 and no real concrete difference can be said? I've only had 1 hard cranking since stopping these tests...but it was 5 degrees outside ( hadn't driven the car/started the car in 4 days )
Again with logging and LV shots with pre mix fuel no timing was pulled, IAM at 1, no afr changes and still pulls like a train....the only thing I forgot to do which is probably the most important is measure the e85 content with my pre mix fuel and see what the ratio is Vs fuel? will be doing this again soon and posting up my results and findings...
Someone very wise on this forum has given me excellent advice and tips on this topic * you know who you are....thanks a bunch *
Also my mate scotty has stored united e85 / eflex fuels in drums over months on end outside ( 6 months from what I remember ) with no issues either...
so conclusion?
MYTH BUSTED