E85 Fuel System Storage

[Gareth87]

I will be leaving to go O/S for 7 months shortly and I am unsure about what to do with my fuel system while I am away and my car is in storage.

I can have my Dad drive it from time to time but it will still sit for a few weeks between drives most likely.

Plan was to drain the E85 and run 98 in it until it runs like shit and then shut it down... I have ID1300 stainless injectors and a Walbro 460 along with Barricade fuel line. Only thing that isn't E85 compliant is my fuel reg.

Interested to hear some ideas...

Thanks in advance for the feeback.

[boostn0199]

Either option will be alright, even if can give a good drive once a month making sure get oil up to temp you wont have a issue with leaving it sitting with e85 for a few weeks or like you said drain it and try get as much out of injectors as you can and just leave it, I would go for the drive every few weeks option if I had choice.

[GTR_JOEY]

If its going to be sitting there for weeks on end I'd only be running 98 in it..

Ethenol with f*ck your pumps real quick and clog your injectors with jelly. Seen this first hand.

First thing I did when my engine blew was take my ID2000s out and got them cleaned. They ll stay in a bag until its ready to run

[boostn0199]

If its going to be sitting there for weeks on end I'd only be running 98 in it..

Ethenol with f*ck your pumps real quick and clog your injectors with jelly. Seen this first hand.

First thing I did when my engine blew was take my ID2000s out and got them cleaned. They ll stay in a bag until its ready to run

Yeah thats true, but from what ive expereinced in my own my track car has been e85 for 4 years now and most of the time will sit for a month between events not being run and pumps and injectors have not had a problem (044 feed pump, nismo intank lift pump and fiveo injectors) but If sitting longer than a month I will atleast run the car for a few min just to get the e85 running through the pump and injectors to avoid the issues you listed.

Edited March 4, 2015 by boostn0199

[scotty nm35]

If its going to be sitting there for weeks on end I'd only be running 98 in it..

Ethenol with f*ck your pumps real quick and clog your injectors with jelly. Seen this first hand.

First thing I did when my engine blew was take my ID2000s out and got them cleaned. They ll stay in a bag until its ready to run

Same thing happens with the cleaning/flow testing solution anyway, and petrol for that matter. I wouldn't be getting them cleaned until you are ready to install them again.

[GTR_JOEY]

You need to get the ethenol out if them, pretty sure Piggaz tried cleaning them after they were clogged and they were too far gone..

Could be wrong though

[gtr jet]

If its going to be sitting there for weeks on end I'd only be running 98 in it..

Ethenol with f*ck your pumps real quick and clog your injectors with jelly. Seen this first hand.

First thing I did when my engine blew was take my ID2000s out and got them cleaned. They ll stay in a bag until its ready to run

Can I ask what happened to your pump? My car sits for maybe 3 weeks max at a time and there doesn't seem to be any issues but a couple of weeks ago I put the car on the dyno and the pump seemed to be struggling. (Walbro 400 making 300kw on -7s so should be plenty of head room).

[GTR_JOEY]

I have 2 walbro 400s and a nismo lift, I drained all the ethenol out of the. But didn't flush them

My pumps personally haven't been tested but I'm going to assume that the pumps I have are fecked.. I hope not bit after 18 months I don't hold hope for them

The pumps I have seen fail simply just lose pressure I until the car barely runs

[Piggaz]

Same thing happens with the cleaning/flow testing solution anyway, and petrol for that matter. I wouldn't be getting them cleaned until you are ready to install them again.

My engine popped with E85 in it. Injectors and pumps sat around for 10 months while I sorted it all out.

One of the feed pumps became quite lazy (AFR and pressure gauges showed this) and my spray pattern was a disaster on the ID 2000's. No amount of cleaning made them usable again.

The only thing I can put it down to is the E85. If that happens on pump fuel then you're fooked either way.

[scotty nm35]

The only 460 I have seen fail, which seized, had been flushed with water. Moisture will be your only issue, so if flushed in petrol or better, kero, and put in a sealed container you shouldn't have any problems.

(edit: Spraying a little wd40 in the inlet may help combat the rust internally too. )

[thewayweroll]

How about Lucas Ethanol Fuel Conditioner ?? Use it every tank never had an issue ,Get it from Autobarn .

Edited March 4, 2015 by thewayweroll

[scotty nm35]

Only required if you plan to leave the car for month/s without using the fuel imo, I haven't had reason to run a fuel conditioner in 5 years of running e85.

[iruvyouskyrine]

IIRC Trent from checkered tuning (fk knows how to spell it haha) suggested that E85 doesn't lubricate the seals in fuel pumps and injectors or something similar. He always runs some sort of motul additive.

[scotty nm35]

I would have thought 5 years continuous use is enough to dispel those rumors, surely my old 255 Walbro's would have flogged out by now if it was ever going to be an issue... Same goes for the Xspurt 1000's.

Your choice if you want to run an additive, but i would be worried what the additive is doing, not the ethanol.

[iruvyouskyrine]

Just putting it out there mate. Trent said he had been running it for 4-5 years and he's in the business of knowing this sort of stuff. I'm not suggesting that it's required just putting it out there so people can make their own educated choices.

[scotty nm35]

Unfortunately threads like this put fear into people's minds, and really, no-one knows the long term effects on components, so education is not really an option. This is exactly why I only run e85 in both my cars, to dispel the myths.

Leaving any fuel in your tank for long periods will cause problems, petrol, c16 and diesel all have worse issues than anyone generally experiences with old e85, as long as your fuel system is sealed.

[Gareth87]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

I'm thinking at this stage as I run a surge tank, I will hook up an old fuel pump to the feed line with just enough 98 octane to start the engine and so it will only sit with 98 in the feed and return line.

I will get my Dad to drive it at least every 2 weeks with E85 in it then. Should be a good solution in case it does go a month sitting still.

[Piggaz]

That looks like the issue.

Micko has run E85 in both his cars for years and hasn't had an issue. The problem is when they sit around for months and months on end that problems start to pop up. But sitting around like a shag on a rock they don't like generally.

[XRATED]

I run the e85 out of the tank and put 20lt of 98 in to flush the system... my drift car sits for a few months at a time between floggings/

[scotty nm35]

I run the e85 out of the tank and put 20lt of 98 in to flush the system... my drift car sits for a few months at a time between floggings/

My question is, why do you worry so much about it to flush with petrol? Have you had issues previously, or is it just down to the myths again? Straight Ethanol is stable long term from my experience, not sure about the additives United etc run with e85, but it doesn't turn to jelly in a jerry can or 44gal that's for sure.

Not saying you shouldn't flush it, but surely just replacing the e85 before you start it would suffice? Those with ev14 2000's would need to be more worried than most I guess.