E85 effects after 1 seson

[BEATAV8]

Rick,
Did the car see a lot of short trips this season? First thing I would suspect based on the symptoms is that the engine did not get warmed up very well every time it was driven.

 

[we4Mateo]

Still a lot of unknowns. Are one person's amazing results repeatable at every e85 pump in the country?

 

[turbo89]

Still a lot of unknowns. Are one person's amazing results repeatable at every e85 pump in the country?

There are 12 of us in this post alone ... I use at least half a dozen pumps ( in 3 different states) a year in my own cars .. yes I do sample most of the time ..

Most of the cars are from Wisconsin , Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan ... I am sure that I would get a call if someone found issues anything even close to what Rick posted....
No rusted motors, no rusted turbine housings, no destroyed paper filters, no melted rubber lines, ... only a few Walbro pumps take a dump which is par for the course with them.

Something else is going on with that setup .. it isn't the fuel.

 

[DavidM]

Been running E85 since March 2013. I use 93 for the winter months here in NC as it sits most of the time. Only issue I've encountered is my fuel return line from regulator to frame sprung a pin hole leak. Going to go with Racetronix line soon.

Here's a pic of my stock Turbo that was ran on E-85 for a year.

Also run E85 stabilizer additive.

 

[turbo96max]

I just bolted up my heads and totally forgot about the bs on this thread so i didnt take pics. Everyone try it and see results for yourself. If these were the true results no one would use this stuff.

 

[TURBOPOWERED68]

E85 car that has been sitting around a lot since July. here is what i just saw.
Turned ON my car in 45* temp and saw water dripping from my turbo-- Not sure of where exactly
I did let the car run for a good amount of time -- the fan cycled at least 5 times before i shut it down for the night.
i am going to be upgrading my turbo again real soon, i'll post pictures of the housing when i remove it.

 

[BEATAV8]

E85 car that has been sitting around a lot since July. here is what i just saw.
Turned ON my car in 45* temp and saw water dripping from my turbo-- Not sure of where exactly
I did let the car run for a good amount of time -- the fan cycled at least 5 times before i shut it down for the night.
i am going to be upgrading my turbo again real soon, i'll post pictures of the housing when i remove it.

Mine has always done that, whether it has gas in it or E85. Water from the exhaust gas condenses in the cold headers and it ends up dripping out from between the downpipe and turbine housing. If the engine were shut off during this condition it would allow an opportunity for some nasty corrosion to happen. Perfect example of why it's important to come up to operating temp every time the engine runs.

 

[TURBOPOWERED68]

Mine has always done that, whether it has gas in it or E85. Water from the exhaust gas condenses in the cold headers and it ends up dripping out from between the downpipe and turbine housing. If the engine were shut off during this condition it would allow an opportunity for some nasty corrosion to happen. Perfect example of why it's important to come up to operating temp every time the engine runs.

exactly why i am sortta scared of low miles old cars.

 

[DavidM]

Mine has always done that, whether it has gas in it or E85. Water from the exhaust gas condenses in the cold headers and it ends up dripping out from between the downpipe and turbine housing. If the engine were shut off during this condition it would allow an opportunity for some nasty corrosion to happen. Perfect example of why it's important to come up to operating temp every time the engine runs.

Same here 93 or E85 in cold weather, water will weep out from described area above. I do see more smoke/water from tail pipe in cold weather on E85 on cold start ups. Goes away after coming up on temp. Difinitely a 180 T-Stat for an E85 car driven in the winter. My fans are on toggle switches so I let temp get to 190-195 before flicking one on.

 

[EVIL]

I’ve been watching this thread from the beginning. One of the best threads going.

I’ve only used 93 and there is almost always water seeping from the turbo on start up.

I will always let it get to operating temp after reading this.

Like someone mentioned earlier, it would be great to start a list/thread of who’s turbo’s and or engines get what corrosion and in what state they are from and the summer and winter temps and humidity factor. Maybe we can figure something out. Then, when enough data is collected and we see a general area in the country of concern maybe people can ask questions and find out where fuels are coming from.

Good stuff here.

D

 

[Mike T]

Good thread... I've also been watching from the beginning and have been reading articles and similar discussions on other forums. I'm still looking to be convinced either way.

 

[turboplow]

Well it seems like the only problems are with two people. The original poster and a guy running it with a carb. motor. Is there any one else having problems?

 

[TURBOPOWERED68]

Could it be weather related?
High humidity?

 

[CuzzinOlaf]

It is my car and I always warm it up to 160 before driving it; it now has a 180 thermostat. I didn't add any additives, always filled up at Thorntons, and drive the car roughly 1000 miles a year or so. It isn't a track car, I do get on it when I drive it, and the car just turned 34k miles. Last time out it ran a 12.0 @ 111mph exactly like it went to Rick.

 

[turbo89]

It is my car and I always warm it up to 160 before driving it; it now has a 180 thermostat. I didn't add any additives, always filled up at Thorntons, and drive the car roughly 1000 miles a year or so. It isn't a track car, I do get on it when I drive it, and the car just turned 34k miles. Last time out it ran a 12.0 @ 111mph exactly like it went to Rick.

Ok NOW THIS THREAD MAKES SENSE !!!!!!

 

[CuzzinOlaf]

How so? It is still driven and ran right before Rick pulled it apart.

 

[87chrisss]

How so? It is still driven and ran right before Rick pulled it apart.

Why was the engine pulled apart?

 

[TurboBuRick]

post #58

 

[87chrisss]

Question?
Rick, since the Ethanol is what you have pointed to as the root cause of the rusting... I'm assuming you have inspected the fuel system and fuel tank? Care to share how that looks for thread purposes?

 

[belsie]

I remember a thread that suggested a cut-off switch for the fuel pump thus draining the injectors till dry to prevent any Goo buildup. Any thoughts on this as a safeguard??