considering alky

[bad V6]

When I got my car it had a DIY alcohol setup on it, but I could not get the system to come on under boost. The pump would run and flow alky while testing, but could not get it to inject alky under boost. So I removed the setup and sat it up on a shelf in the garage. Now I have been pondering purchasing and installing an Alky Control kit. Recently I got around to installing my wideband O2, well that poor sensor didn't have a chance, with me running 110 leaded.

I've got a few questions.
1. What is the life expectancy of sensors when using alcohol?
2. Is there an down side to running alcohol?
3. How difficult is it to tune with alcohol?
4. With the current setup on my car (see sig) how should it respond to the
alcohol?

Thanks for any and all advice.
Pat

 

[johnnyttype]

I've got a few questions.
1. What is the life expectancy of sensors when using alcohol?
2. Is there an down side to running alcohol?
3. How difficult is it to tune with alcohol?
4. With the current setup on my car (see sig) how should it respond to the
alcohol?

Thanks for any and all advice.
Pat

i dont think alcohol has much of an effect on o2 sensors, ive sprayed plenty and have yet to have a problem with my stock narrow band sensor.

ive noticed with alcohol depending on where the bottle is, the alcohol will becomce heat soaked under the hood so hot lapping it is not good! hood up wait 30min and no problems normally for me.

i hardly had to tune my alky kit on my car. plugged in my tt chip for alky and razor kit for alky, turned nob to 5.5-6 and drove it! no problems!

im sure u and ur car would love some alky on board, best mod i did to my car so far!
hth!

 

[twodafloor]

hey there I just got the razor setup installed by Billy Andersen, it is awesome. 21 pounds no knock pump gas. you will not be disapointed!!!

 

[turbocamino1]

second all that...love my kit..julios "alky control" is the sh*t. he also stands behing his product and will answer all your questions and knows his stuff for sure. my car,which has a similar setup as yours went from17lbs with pump gas,with some knock,to 26lbs. @23*timing with 0 knock...must have gained 100 HP.biggest issue is tires/traction. it realy is the best $spent. read the many posts here....a wealth of info to be had!

 

[Razor]

No sensor issue if you run pump gas and alcohol. Your increase will depend on how much you increase the boost.. typically its pretty substantial over stock boost levels.

I dont have experience with the Gen2, but can give you guidelines when you call.

Thanks for looking us up..

Julio

 

[JC'sGN]

. Is there an down side to running alcohol?

Thanks for any and all advice.
Pat

Going fast...... is the only one I can think of.

 

[bad V6]

Last time at the track really sparked my interest in running alky. There are several local guys that are going the alcohol route lately. I was amazed at the way their cars were running on nothing but pump gas and methanol. I started thinking of reinstalling the DIY setup that I have and troubleshooting it, but don't want to risk that due to it's unknown age and possible problems.

I finally got a better handle on the tune after installing the wideband, but still have a lot to learn. I've tried to be cautious rather than greedy with dialing this thing in, hoping not to have to open up the motor until I am ready. For now I am satisfied with just a fast street car, but have a yearning for what is yet to come.

No sensor issue if you run pump gas and alcohol. Your increase will depend on how much you increase the boost.. typically its pretty substantial over stock boost levels.

I dont have experience with the Gen2, but can give you guidelines when you call.

Thanks for looking us up..

Julio

Not having to frequently replace O2 sensors sounds great. I've currently been running 22# with 110 octane, on the street (gotta be ready for those pony cars lurking around the corner). You all know what that does to the sensors.

Thanks for the info on your experiences, it is good to know that there are a great bunch of guys out to lend a knowledgable hand when needed. Ya'll have looking forward to hitting the bottle.

And Julio, I am pretty sure that you will be hearing from me in the future.


Thanks,
Pat

 

[bad V6]

Update

My wonderful wife kept inquiring as to what I'd like for Christmas, I finally told her, Alky Control. After her questioning why I wanted more stuff for the Buick, she said go ahead and get it, she is so understanding as to why I'm a kid and need my toys.

Can you guess who I got off the phone with yesterday? Answer is Razor.

Thanks Julio, for taking the time to go over the system and answer my questions. I look foward to joining the other users, here on the board and locally.

Pat

 

[Phoneguy]

Well done.
Now since your wife was so nice to get you an ALKY kit for Christmas, dont you think you should go out and get her something?

I think she would love a new set of MT Drag Radials under the tree from you. Just a thought.
Bryan

 

[bad V6]

That sounds great, but I've got a set in the garage with less than 200 miles on them. Those along with a new set of Tel Stars were purchased at the time of her birthday.

She's been very understanding about my purchases in the past, and enjoys the car also. So, I think it's her turn now. I guess I need to go ahead and get her that white BMW X5 she's been wanting for the past few years, she just won't go ahead and buy it on her own. Do you think she'd like that with a big red bow, setting beside the Christmas tree?

Pat

 

[Pablo]

Where did you install the wide band o2?

They are more tolerant to leaded fuel than narrow band sensors. They will not however tolerate excessive heat or pressure. You didn't mount it pre turbo or near the turbo did you?

Alcohol will not harm your wb o2 unless you are running the car on 100% alcohol (like a drag car) then there is some potential for damage to the sensor due to thermal shock on say for instance a cold start where there is some liquid methanol running out of the exhaust and hitting the heated sensor.

 

[bad V6]

WB sensor location should not be a problem, the sensor is in the downpipe at the last bend. With the cable routed to the LC1 controller, mounted beneath the console.

The problem I've had with the O2 sensors is that since I purchased the car, it had been on a strict diet of 110 or 117 leaded, try to keep it set in kill mode. The car sees very little street use. I drive to the occasional car show, get out and play with the pony cars when they are in town and that is pretty much it. Since purchasing the car in 2004, I've put less than 1200 miles on it.

Hopefully with work slacking up some over the next few years, I'll be able to enjoy the time and money I've invested into getting this car back onto the street.

 

[Pablo]

That's a good spot for it, about where I have mine.