I didn't know about the log book, you should add notes though to what fuel you are using. That thing is pretty cool. I've never heard of it before.
And I have always been a skeptic. I question everything. Everything.
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
I didn't know about the log book, you should add notes though to what fuel you are using. That thing is pretty cool. I've never heard of it before.
And I have always been a skeptic. I question everything. Everything.
I'm very interested in this as well. @J1000, you say that you're planning to switch back to regular gas at some point to gather some comparison data. Once you're done with that are you considering making any further mods, such as bigger injectors or a turbo, that might be more difficult to reverse but would further optimize the motor for ethanol? In other words, is your eventual goal to run only on ethanol, or do you want to be able to switch back and forth between ethanol and gasoline?
- Thread starter
- #43
Just a quick update and a teaser since I'm still waiting on parts. Filled up today again 112 miles, 10.6 gallons = 10.5 MPG. This drive cycle included a lot of city driving, towing my trailer, and probably a solid hour at least of idling with the AC on full blast. After fill up my E% only went up to 65% from 64%. Reports are that this station and others across town have already switched to their wintertime E70 blend so that's probably to be expected. This is likely now the lowest MPG I will see until springtime if that is the case. Added bonus I signed up for rewards program and got 10 cents off per gallon today so the cost was only $2.05 per gallon! I also added a flex fuel sensor to my daily driver Honda Civic that has a Hondata K-Pro ECU cuz why not. Flex fuel sensors are only $30 these days.
As for injectors: well no, I do not want BIGGER injectors because that will just make the engine run even more rich at WOT. As I found out with my AFR gauge the truck is running at ~11.3:1 AFR which is way too rich. It should be ~12.5:1 at WOT for best HP. Unusually, high ethanol blends actually can have more tendency to knock when at richer AFRs which would cause the ECU to pull timing further reducing HP.
I could turn the fuel pressure down, but lowering fuel pressure will reduce the atomization of the fuel and reduce efficiency.
The best solution is SMALLER injectors and then dialing in the correct AFR by using an adjustable fuel pressure regulator. The injectors I chose are from a ~2009 Toyota 3.3L V6 used in minivans and Camrys. The injectors are 12-hole 255cc at 44psi (stock 4.7L V8 2UZ-FE injectors are 4-hole 270-275cc at 44psi depending on who you ask). This will lean out the truck all across the board, the ECU will compensate easily in closed-loop operation, but at WOT it should result in a leaner AFR.
I am also adding an adjustable fuel pressure regulator so that if the AFR turns out to be too lean at WOT, then I can increase fuel pressure to dial in the AFR to that target of 12.5:1. Double benefit to this is the new injectors' 12-hole design creates way more atomization and increasing fuel pressure further improves that.
Note: this is something that can be done to any truck using any fuel and would likely benefit a completely stock 100 series. I plan to run regular gasoline and make sure the AFRs look good on that fuel too. I want this truck to be truly flex fuel and run on anything (my wife) puts in it.
As I said just a teaser as I'm still waiting on parts:
The injectors are used with new seals and o-rings. They have been ultrasonic cleaned with backflowing until they are balanced.
12-hole spray
Fuelab adjustable fuel pressure regulator and quality fittings and clamps. Fuel leaks are very bad.
Probably not a turbo or supercharger, at least for a few years unless I find a TRD kit local or for a good price I can't pass up. I may get some DT headers but also likely not for awhile.
As for injectors: well no, I do not want BIGGER injectors because that will just make the engine run even more rich at WOT. As I found out with my AFR gauge the truck is running at ~11.3:1 AFR which is way too rich. It should be ~12.5:1 at WOT for best HP. Unusually, high ethanol blends actually can have more tendency to knock when at richer AFRs which would cause the ECU to pull timing further reducing HP.
I could turn the fuel pressure down, but lowering fuel pressure will reduce the atomization of the fuel and reduce efficiency.
The best solution is SMALLER injectors and then dialing in the correct AFR by using an adjustable fuel pressure regulator. The injectors I chose are from a ~2009 Toyota 3.3L V6 used in minivans and Camrys. The injectors are 12-hole 255cc at 44psi (stock 4.7L V8 2UZ-FE injectors are 4-hole 270-275cc at 44psi depending on who you ask). This will lean out the truck all across the board, the ECU will compensate easily in closed-loop operation, but at WOT it should result in a leaner AFR.
I am also adding an adjustable fuel pressure regulator so that if the AFR turns out to be too lean at WOT, then I can increase fuel pressure to dial in the AFR to that target of 12.5:1. Double benefit to this is the new injectors' 12-hole design creates way more atomization and increasing fuel pressure further improves that.
Note: this is something that can be done to any truck using any fuel and would likely benefit a completely stock 100 series. I plan to run regular gasoline and make sure the AFRs look good on that fuel too. I want this truck to be truly flex fuel and run on anything (my wife) puts in it.
As I said just a teaser as I'm still waiting on parts:
The injectors are used with new seals and o-rings. They have been ultrasonic cleaned with backflowing until they are balanced.
12-hole spray
Fuelab adjustable fuel pressure regulator and quality fittings and clamps. Fuel leaks are very bad.
Last edited:
Just gotta say, nice work documenting all of this.
I am just curious, have you looked up the 05-06 Tundra intake? Supposedly it is less restrictive and allows for much more air. Would this help with the vehicle running too rich? Anyone ever installed bigger injectors?
- Thread starter
- #46
My truck is an '07 VVTI so it already has the same black plastic intake as the 05-06 Tundra.
- Thread starter
- #47
Fueled up again 216 miles, 17.4 gallons = 12.4 MPG! Better than expected. Also the local 85 gas went up to $2.85 so I'm definitely now saving money using E85. I installed the injectors and everything is running even better. Unfortunately, the AFR is still too rich for max HP but it is leaner than before. Now it is running ~11.9:1 vs. ~11.3:1. The injectors went in about halfway through this fuel cycle, plus I spilled quite a bit of gas when installing the injectors.
WOT at 11.9:1 AFR:
The truck now has this awesome growl down in the 2000 RPM range that sounds just awesome as I'm climbing hills in 5th gear OD.
It's easier to install a new set of injectors than it is to change spark plugs.
Plastic intake on VVTI 100 series
WOT at 11.9:1 AFR:
The truck now has this awesome growl down in the 2000 RPM range that sounds just awesome as I'm climbing hills in 5th gear OD.
It's easier to install a new set of injectors than it is to change spark plugs.
Plastic intake on VVTI 100 series
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #48
Been driving the truck a lot this week. Stopped by Slee and got some rock sliders today then I filled up again!
226 miles, 17.5 gallons = 12.9 MPG! Wow not bad! Still only at E67.
226 miles, 17.5 gallons = 12.9 MPG! Wow not bad! Still only at E67.
- Thread starter
- #50
Somewhere in between those two numbers .In the end it only matters what mode the O2 sensor is set to. I have it set to gas AFR so it will always read stoich at 14.7 even if the fuel is ethanol.
- Thread starter
- #51
Dangit! I just found this product which I should have bought instead of the eFlexFuel kit:
MAF Conversion to MAP | Iphone ECU | www.mapecu.com
This MAP-ECU product is a piggy-back ECU that modifies the signals to and from the stock ECU to get the desire engine performance and can be fully tuned on a PC. The MAP-ECU will allow adjustments to be made to the fuel table and also the ignition table! Ignition tuning is key and where most of the HP gains in E85 will be found. Not only that but it accepts inputs from ethanol content sensors which means the MAP-ECU can automatically adjust based on ethanol % just like the eFlexFuel kit, but I could dial it in even more precisely. This MAP-ECU would give me everything I wanted and more for tuning on E85 properly, and support any future mods like turbocharging, supercharging, headers, nitrous etc. The cost is about $700 plus the wiring harness so roughly 2x the cost of the eFlexFuel kit, however with infinitely more usability.
I will likely be selling my eFlexFuel kit (at least trying to) and purchasing this MAP-ECU.
No other updates. My dad borrowed the LX for the past week and has been driving it. Likely he filled it with regular gas too.
MAF Conversion to MAP | Iphone ECU | www.mapecu.com
This MAP-ECU product is a piggy-back ECU that modifies the signals to and from the stock ECU to get the desire engine performance and can be fully tuned on a PC. The MAP-ECU will allow adjustments to be made to the fuel table and also the ignition table! Ignition tuning is key and where most of the HP gains in E85 will be found. Not only that but it accepts inputs from ethanol content sensors which means the MAP-ECU can automatically adjust based on ethanol % just like the eFlexFuel kit, but I could dial it in even more precisely. This MAP-ECU would give me everything I wanted and more for tuning on E85 properly, and support any future mods like turbocharging, supercharging, headers, nitrous etc. The cost is about $700 plus the wiring harness so roughly 2x the cost of the eFlexFuel kit, however with infinitely more usability.
I will likely be selling my eFlexFuel kit (at least trying to) and purchasing this MAP-ECU.
No other updates. My dad borrowed the LX for the past week and has been driving it. Likely he filled it with regular gas too.
- Thread starter
- #52
Just an update: my truck is still running and my fuel lines haven't started leaking yet 
My dad indeed filled up with regular 85 gas. Got it back from him and drove around and didn't really notice a power loss, but then I filled up with E85 again and BOOM I immediately noticed a difference. I drove about 200 miles that day, almost exactly 100 miles with 85 octane gas and the other 100 miles on E85 and the difference was staggering. We have tons of hills in CO and I use cruise control a lot so when the transmission doesn't downshift and the truck keeps chugging up the hill, it's very noticeable!
I did an offroad trip and went up to about 10,000 feet. No pressure build up in my tank.
For my offroad trip I got 10 MPG, otherwise I'm getting 12-13 MPG consistently now. Compared to 16 MPG on 85 gasoline (which is optimistic), I am still saving money and getting better performance.
I also ordered the MAP-ECU3 kit and will be installing that soon. In the meantime if anyone wants my eFlexFuel conversion kit please PM me. I am listing it for sale at $300, $50 off retail.
First time driving in cold weather. The Lexus starts up just as fast as it did before, my Honda definitely is taking a few more cranks on ethanol, however.
My dad indeed filled up with regular 85 gas. Got it back from him and drove around and didn't really notice a power loss, but then I filled up with E85 again and BOOM I immediately noticed a difference. I drove about 200 miles that day, almost exactly 100 miles with 85 octane gas and the other 100 miles on E85 and the difference was staggering. We have tons of hills in CO and I use cruise control a lot so when the transmission doesn't downshift and the truck keeps chugging up the hill, it's very noticeable!
I did an offroad trip and went up to about 10,000 feet. No pressure build up in my tank.
For my offroad trip I got 10 MPG, otherwise I'm getting 12-13 MPG consistently now. Compared to 16 MPG on 85 gasoline (which is optimistic), I am still saving money and getting better performance.
I also ordered the MAP-ECU3 kit and will be installing that soon. In the meantime if anyone wants my eFlexFuel conversion kit please PM me. I am listing it for sale at $300, $50 off retail.
First time driving in cold weather. The Lexus starts up just as fast as it did before, my Honda definitely is taking a few more cranks on ethanol, however.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #53
Truck is still running great! Gas has been cheap but E85 is getting cheaper too. I've been mixing E85 with regular gas since it's so cheap the truck runs great on E20-E30. I got 17mpg on the highway the other day over a 200 mile trip.
Also I cleaned my engine bay, just saw the old photo of my engine above. Gross.
Also I cleaned my engine bay, just saw the old photo of my engine above. Gross.
Last edited:
So for those of us just interested how pure our gas is when we fill up is there an easy way to monitor this with a sensor?
- Thread starter
- #55
Yep absolutely! The easiest and cheapest method is to get a simple E85 test tube. You fill it up to a line with your fuel, and then fill to another line with water and the separation point is marked with the percentage. Make sure you get one that will let you measure down to 5% ethanol. They only cost a few dollars.
The other option which is more high tech and sexy is to get a GM style flex fuel sensor and some sort of gauge output. There are a few different models, and all seem much more expensive than they should be from $150 upwards. The sensor itself can be had for $25 and if you are handy you could probably build something to measure the output. The sensor will also give you fuel temperature.
The other option which is more high tech and sexy is to get a GM style flex fuel sensor and some sort of gauge output. There are a few different models, and all seem much more expensive than they should be from $150 upwards. The sensor itself can be had for $25 and if you are handy you could probably build something to measure the output. The sensor will also give you fuel temperature.
- Thread starter
- #56
I got a Dragy, which is a small GPS device for precisely measuring 1/4 mile and other performance stats. Supposedly it is about as accurate as you can get without actually going to a track.
Dragy: Amazon.com: dragy 10Hz GPS Based Performance Meter (Dragy New): Automotive
I did a couple runs with E60 and then again with regular 85-octane gasoline. Below are the best results for each.
E60
85-octane
Dragy: Amazon.com: dragy 10Hz GPS Based Performance Meter (Dragy New): Automotive
I did a couple runs with E60 and then again with regular 85-octane gasoline. Below are the best results for each.
| E60 | 85-octane | |
| 0-30 | 3.79 | 3.85 |
| 0-60 | 12.10 | 13.67 |
| 1/4 mile | 18.56 @ 71.74 MPH | 19.17 @ 68.09 MPH |
E60
85-octane
Last edited:
This is a super cool thread J1000 keep the updates coming.
I have been running E85 in my 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX since 2007. It makes 3X the power and gets the same MPG as factory. I would love to switch the LX to a Flex-fuel vehicle. Or if anything switching to a smaller more efficient injector to lean out the factory AFR and maximize efficiency like you have done.
Factory tunes are so wasteful it's just plain sad!!!
I have been running E85 in my 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX since 2007. It makes 3X the power and gets the same MPG as factory. I would love to switch the LX to a Flex-fuel vehicle. Or if anything switching to a smaller more efficient injector to lean out the factory AFR and maximize efficiency like you have done.
Factory tunes are so wasteful it's just plain sad!!!
- Thread starter
- #58
Thanks man! I have a Mazda Miata I just dyno tuned on E70 and it also makes 3x the factory horsepower! MPG went way down though haha but mostly because of my right foot.
The truck has been awesome, I was going to do an update post here in the next few months as I currently have been driving on flex fuel for about 23k miles so I was going to do an update at 25k but I may as well do it now.
Still runs awesome, no problems, no ill effects, just smooth power. Still haven't gotten my MAP3 ECU installed yet so I'm still on the EFlexFuel kit but hope to change that soon and unlock even more power.
MPG has been between 10 and 14 depending on drive cycle and ethanol percentage really wish I could get that up a bit but these trucks just suck fuel. I drive fast too, and idle a lot. Could probably do better if I tried.
The truck has been awesome, I was going to do an update post here in the next few months as I currently have been driving on flex fuel for about 23k miles so I was going to do an update at 25k but I may as well do it now.
Still runs awesome, no problems, no ill effects, just smooth power. Still haven't gotten my MAP3 ECU installed yet so I'm still on the EFlexFuel kit but hope to change that soon and unlock even more power.
MPG has been between 10 and 14 depending on drive cycle and ethanol percentage really wish I could get that up a bit but these trucks just suck fuel. I drive fast too, and idle a lot. Could probably do better if I tried.
sammybones
Study in Moppishness
Certainly a cool thread. All that’s left to do is find a gas station that has e85
Super cool. What ecu are you using on your Mazda?
That's my Eclipse. I have it running on AEM Infinity it makes 830AWHP and has ran a best time of 10.2 @143 mph.
That's my Eclipse. I have it running on AEM Infinity it makes 830AWHP and has ran a best time of 10.2 @143 mph.
Last edited:
