10% ethanol junk has junked my car

RFMustangGT · May 16, 2008

Drove the car around today and it has gone BAD lean from the ethanol. A/F gauge driving around wouldn't even move to the green. I pulled codes and sure enough banks 1 and 2 lean. I need a quick fix such as an additive or an adjustment I can make. I have a track day at Nashville Speedway that is 180 bucks non refundable entry fee next Saturday so I have to go. I read someplace that an additive used for boats called starbrite (I think) works wonders for EFI cars. could bumping the fuel pressure higher (already at 35psi) and adjusting the timming help some? I know I need a computer tune bad but that will have to wait till I have time in August for Fun Ford Weekend.

95strokerPSU · May 17, 2008

Mix in some race fuel???

urban96 · May 17, 2008

isnt stock fuel pressure 39?

HISSIN50 · May 17, 2008

Are you sure the fuel is the cause of the leanness?

Alec · May 17, 2008

10% ethanol mix has been around for a long time. Are you sure you didn't put e85 in it. My 91 and my 95 ran fine with the "summer blend"..

blksn955.o · May 17, 2008

Ditto on the 10% mix...are you sure you did not put E85 in on accident?

Were I live 10% is at every pump and has been as long as I can remember (way before I started driving in 93). I live in St. Louis so its not like a super small town or anything either.

I would check a few things first.

Set the fuel press. to 39psi

What type of A/F guage are you running , quality one like innovate, FAST, ect.?

Clean the MAF

Make sure your not running a tank of E85. Make sure your not running E85 in the next tank.

What are the specific trouble codes. Someone on here might know if the specific lean bank code is a sign of another issue.

RFMustangGT · May 17, 2008

172 and 176 are the codes that I pulled.
Yes it is 10% ethanol and not e85.
Autometer AF gauge.
Pretty sure it is the fuel because it has had no problems till my area started using it and my car start to sit for long periods.

I'll bump the fuel pressure up today and see if that helps. Thanks for the fast relpies guys!

blksn955.o · May 17, 2008

All cars sold in the US since IIRC sometime in the mid-late 80's have to be able to run on 10% eth. with no problems. I have ran on accident 87 octane with 10% eth. in my 10.5 comp. motor with no problems I freaked when I looked at the pump and turned down the timing to cover my butt. I have not seen a non-10% eth. pump around me in 10yrs.

Unless the gas station just has really bad gas, it does happen esp. if the stations tank is low as water tends to build up at the bottom. I would really really doubt 10% eth. is the issue. Probably just crappy timing for something to go out show up.

Oh, the autometer guage is not something I would base a lean issue on. The autometer is not an accurate A/F guage. They tap into/use the narrow band factory o2's not wide band o2's. They are more or less fancy light shows. If your really worried find someone with a good quality W/B to double check.

IF your popping a lean code on both banks I would start looking for a vac. leak for starters.

94-302-vert · May 17, 2008

I would try a good fuel system cleaner... I have heard of the 10% eth clogging up small engines...

DDSTANG94 · May 17, 2008

Imm sooo confused I didnt think u had a choice but to get 10% ethanol

GTA_V6_Mustang · May 18, 2008

It cant be the fact that its 10% ethanol. I use that no problem beating the crap out of my car on 87 for a while and am presented with 0 issues. It could be bad fuel or something or just a problem with a vacuum line since u said your car has been sitting longer now. But I have been able to take the old stang to 70% ethanol before setting a lean condition and adaptives at limit code. So I would look at other things.

fawcett · May 18, 2008

Clogged/Not Firing injector(s)?
Just throwing it out there.
My borthers gf pilots oil tankers, she specializes in bringing them into her local harbor. Anyways to make a long story short she told us that it is somewhat common for oil tankers to cross transport fuel transfer lines. They have different octane containers on the container ship and when the 93 and 87 lines get crossed up and begin pumping-they keep pumping and we have no idea that we are paying 93 prices for 87 fuel.
Oh and she also said that our Navy ships suck at taking on fuel while at sea. She has seen several times where the Navy guys couldnt hook up the lines right and the fuel spilt straight into the oceans. Thousands of gallons, all covered up.

Get rid of the fuel, try at it again (not at the same gas station) and get back to us.
Drain that crap into some 5 gallon jugs and use it for your lawn mower or whatever.

RFMustangGT · May 18, 2008

ok... I bought some lucas fuel system stuff, bumped the fuel pressure up some more, went to a different gas station and mixed 75% 93 and 25% 110 unleaded. I drove it around for about 20 minutes and things seemed fine. After packing, I head out on my 130 mile trip back to my apartment. Car seems to run ton better. Injectors I suspect might have been clogged.

blksn955.o · May 18, 2008

fawcett said:
Clogged/Not Firing injector(s)?
Just throwing it out there.
My borthers gf pilots oil tankers, she specializes in bringing them into her local harbor. Anyways to make a long story short she told us that it is somewhat common for oil tankers to cross transport fuel transfer lines. They have different octane containers on the container ship and when the 93 and 87 lines get crossed up and begin pumping-they keep pumping and we have no idea that we are paying 93 prices for 87 fuel.
Oh and she also said that our Navy ships suck at taking on fuel while at sea. She has seen several times where the Navy guys couldnt hook up the lines right and the fuel spilt straight into the oceans. Thousands of gallons, all covered up.

Get rid of the fuel, try at it again (not at the same gas station) and get back to us.
Drain that crap into some 5 gallon jugs and use it for your lawn mower or whatever.

It sounds like the fuel for the actuall tanker fueling, gasoline is generally not shipped via ocean liners crude is. The tankers should be running diesel anyway unless they have generators or something else that runs on regular fuel.

That kind of depends on a few things if its totaly true. The raw oil (un-refined) that comes in on ocean tankers and is refined at locations were it is unloaded or shipped to the region the fuel will be refined or used. Refined as there are several dozen types of processes specific to locations based on the geog. and EPA ratings. Fuel can be lost/mixed up but that would only be after it is refined (refining is done in the US) and going somewere else. Most regions that need different processes do this at a local refiner and there are pipelines that take it from were it is unloaded as raw crude to get refined. It would be very hard to have gasoline loss or mixing from ocean liners that carry crude oil, but easy to see crude being lost to a "mini" spill. Gasoline could leak or mix at the refinery though.

There is alot of regulation on the min. Octane ratings with testing done to an extreme degree. FWIW- Mobil oil is generally ranked the highest OVER the min. octane rating and it is common for the big brands to also be over but Mobil is the most over. There is also regulation on the accuracy of the pumps.

05xgt · May 18, 2008

FYI many states DO ship refined Gas by tanker! ie refined in Houston then shipped to Fla by tanker to a storage facility ie GATX. It can also be shipped by rail to inner states that do not have ports available. To say only crude oil is shipped by tanker is incorrect.

HISSIN50 · May 18, 2008

Chances are that it was not clogged injectors (even varnished injectors take a little drive time to clear up and that generally only occurs after a decent period of non-use).

Chitty or contaminated gas are quite possible. Or you just masked an underlying issue by bumping FP up. The EEC might shorten the Inj PW once it starts figuring things out. I just mention it so you keep an eye on things.

I didnt follow things real close here but if you haven't, replace that fuel filter. It'll be 10 mins and 10 bucks well spent. It helps remove one more variable too. Anytime I suspect bad gas (sediment from near empty tanks at the station, etc) I swap the filter.

Good luck.

95Mustang302 · May 18, 2008

10 bux on the c&l garbage meter... I'll bet you its the meter thats causing the issue...

desertcox05 · May 19, 2008

I've seen those codes before and all I did was clean the maf and change to an oil free air filter no more codes

fiveoho · May 19, 2008

i live in Tn as well. the gas stations in my town have only had 10% ethanol for a few months. i do believe that ethanal acts as a cleaning agent in your gas tank. if you have any gunk in your tank, the ethanol will probably clean it...which is a good thing. but in the process, that gunk may clog a fuel filter or other fuel system components. after running a tank or two of 10%, it may be a good idea to change fuel filters.

RFMustangGT · May 19, 2008

Yeah I'll get around to the filter next. I guess places that are just now getting 10% are having the problems. Few guys in my area having the same symptoms.

mcminnville eh? I'm over here in Murfreesboro. any good car cruise in spots in the area?

10% ethanol junk has junked my car

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