Help-do Ethanol Content Sensors Read Methanol?

[linkems]

It's more of an anything that's not petrol sensor, it's reading the ratio of petrol not ethanol. So if you get e85 then add 5% water it should read as e90, as demonstrated at the sau/wolf e85 tech night last year. As long as methanol mixes with petrol and doesn't separate i don't see an issue. If you're using this for water/meth injection then it won't work as the sensor can't differentiate the two. You should probably look into the effects methanol has on certain metals and decide if the sensor will cope.

Edited June 11, 2015 by linkems

[Ben C34]

The sensors aren't that expensive really.

Get one and go all science on its ass.

[jet_r31]

what are you planning?, water/meth inj and the 10 percent meth in the fuel allans trick on top of that ?

cheers

darren

[sky30]

U got it darren.

No e85 here, next best option.

U played around with it before?

[jet_r31]

yeh, steve had that, then we did wmi, and ended up with 2 degrees more timing on wmi, but same power as his ignition system was a joke and flatlined up top

both setups did 30 psi and took 20-22 degrees of timing on 98 wmi and 98 +10 percent meth

Ive used e85 and wi together aswell

Im building another car atm. Will be wmi..but if can't get to 35psi ish on just pump 98..ill be doing the same as your planning...f**k e85..i want to drive it everywhere..not to one random servo 40 minutes away..

plenty of other people have played with it in more quantity when e85 coudnt be bought for a while ...I think 60 percent meth/40 percent 98 is close to e85. But you probally dont need that much octane..

how much wmi your spraying atm? what fuel to wmi percentage?

cheers

darren

Edited June 11, 2015 by jet_r31

[sky30]

Darren, Im only running around 8% of total fuel in WMI, im soon to test with a second nozzle and up to 15%.

Yea the amount of E85 available in SA servos is crap, and none at all in country areas, so thats why im wanting to do the meth flex fuel.

Do you know much about the sensors, and if they would work from 0 to 15% meth/pump mix?

I cant get a clear answer anywhere on this

[jet_r31]

thats f**kall....i run 20 percent with a 50/50 mix.

Nah can't help with the sensor, i have no idea. ll just do as scott said and mix it up as i use it if i have to go that way, but i think i'll have traction issues before i get to that level

cheers

darren

[GTRPSI]

My understanding is the sensor measures whats petrol and convert it back to whats left as E85.

So if it reads 30% petrol content it displays that as E70 (converts it over as the balance being ethanol)

And having said that, they can be tricked and are therefore highly inaccurate in situations where the fuel may be contaminated with water, it will read crazy high meth content with some water contamination, and methanol tends to absorb water easily so in real life its highly possible.

There are many clips online where ethanol content sensors are tested, water added, watch the results, scary stuff considering that servo pump fuel tanks are vented to atmosphere.

Wouldn't you love your flex tune to advance the timing while you got a bad batch of water contaminated E85 after running on 98?

We had that SAU E85 night a Sabdinnies last year, was a real eye opener, add a bit of 98 to E85 and watch the E85 content drop dramatically, add just a little water to E60 and watch it become E100......scary shit.

[scotty nm35]

They designed it to be scary shit Peter. Don't believe the hype. I do agree that the sensor is easily tricked, but water just doesn't get absorbed like that unless you leave the tank cap off in the rain.

Daz dropped his GTR off here for fabrication after his 2630 was built, we drained the tank as it had been sitting in Barry's workshop for a year and a half with no engine, open fuel lines and rail. After cleaning the injectors and lines he didn't want to run the old fuel, so I drained it and put in in my evo.

Thanks for the free fuel Darren, it ran fine at 32 pounds. AFR's were perfect, no det obviously.