Captain Proton Posted November 17, 2019 Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 I will preface this by saying I am not a tuner. I had my Link Fury tuned buy another company who tuned it for E85, using a Continental/AC Delco E85 sensor so I can have a flex fuel option. This is been running well for the last year and a half (I use E85 primarily). However, a few days ago I went to get fuel and when I started the car back up it, began to buck and pop and would not go above 3000 RPM. I drove the car home, plugged in my laptop to the ECU and found that the ethanol sensor was reading 0% ethanol however the sensor was reading fuel temp. I purchased a new sensor and installed it however I'm still reading 0% ethanol. There has been NO changes to anything else in the ECU. I check for fault codes, there were none. I'm at a loss for where to look next. I have contacted the tuner but I don't expect to get a call until next week. Any help on where to look would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ducie54 Posted November 17, 2019 Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 Are you getting fuel flow and pressure? Any idea the condition of your fuel filter. Captain Proton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Proton Posted November 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 Fuel pressure is fine as far as I can see. I have an AEM FPS in-line of the fuel rail. I replaced the fuel filter w/a new WIX when I installed the E85 sensor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adamw Posted November 17, 2019 Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 It sounds like the ethanol sensor digital input is outside of its operating range and has switched over to the fault/error value. The fault setting is user adjustable but most commonly it is set to zero% so that it if it fails it runs like crap and you know there is a problem. The normal operating range of a flex fuel sensor output is between 50 and 150Hz, the ECU will consider it in error if the frequency goes below 40Hz or above 160Hz. So to get yourself running again you can temporarily set the fault setting to say 85% (or whatever you believe the E% in the tank is at). I would only drive it easy like this though and set it back to zero once fixed. Here's where you find that setting: Now, to check what is causing the problem, with the engine running you can go to the runtimes screen (F12), digital tab, and find the DI that is set to ethanol sensor (in my example below it is DI5), then look at the DI frequency reported on the lefthand side (mine is showing 120.1Hz). If it is showing 0.0% then there is a wiring problem - a loose connection or no power at the sensor or similar. If it is showing a frequency but it is below 50Hz or above 150Hz then it is a fuel contamination problem - most likely water or diesel in the fuel. Captain Proton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Proton Posted November 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 Adam, Thanks for the info, I'll check it out here in about an hour and report back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Proton Posted November 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 Adam, Got it done. The tuner I used didn't set-up the screen like you have so it took me a bit to find the correct screen. The E85 sensor is on DI6 in my set-up. The Hz reading was @ 190. What does that signify? Further, the E85 sensor appears to be active since it's still reading fuel temp. I pulled the connector off while @ idle and the temp went to 62 degrees from 72 degrees when I have it plugged in. I plug it back in and the fuel temp goes back to 72 degrees, then up to 74 degrees after a couple minutes @ idle. So, I'm kinda ruling out a wiring issues. What's your thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adamw Posted November 17, 2019 Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 Anything above 150Hz means contaminated fuel. Most likely water but could also be diesel or similar. You will have to drain the tank Captain Proton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Proton Posted November 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 Running out to the hardware store for a jiggle pump. Should I fill w/gasoline? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Proton Posted November 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2019 Got the gas swapped, primed the system and started Captain Proton (my Ariel Atom 2) and within 2-3 seconds, I was getting a 80% ethanol content read. Went to the DI frequency screen and saw it oscillate between 120.2 to 120.7 Hz. Checked all the fittings again, re-installed the body panels and went for a quick drive. No studdering, popping or stumbling. Adam, thanks so much for the support and assistance, it's much appreciated. So you can see who you helped; here's a vid of me and Captain Proton on the dyno. IMG_0699.mp4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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