Mx5, Chapter 2

[The American]

Can I get some info in this as well please? They look like a lot of fun

Check out the MG Car Club of Queensland website for details.

You'll need:
- CAMS L2S + club membership
- CAMS compliant extinguisher
- full face helmet to compliant standard
- rally CTP extension for each event
- door number or something you can make one from (I use electrical tape)
Get in touch with them for more info.

Normal scrutineering applies.

The club runs a few come 'n' try days each year.
It would be great to see a selection of MX5s out there. It's pretty good for spectating both of the track and the pits. It's definitely worth a visit, even just to watch.

[The American]

I just came back from a drive, waiting for The Nothing bug to re-emerge so I could pounce on the Crank Position Sensor with some cool water. No symptoms! I think I'll have to try again on the next spare hot afternoon I find.

As a side note, 19.95L/100km on e85 taking in a drive to Mount Cotton and back, Mount Glorious and back, and a Hillclimb. If I visit Morgan Park, I will need a fuel strategy just to get there!

[Magpie]

Welcome to E85. My strategy will be to trailer the car with jerry cans of E85, this is necessitated also by my choice of E85, drum as opposed to pump.

Rumour is the NA8 tank holds 5lts more than the NA6 so may sway fuel tanks, based on your figures that will give me 25 more k's

[The American]

An update without an update!

For completeness, the balance of the engine cutting out saga is mostly recorded here :http://mx5cartalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=67030

Haltech have had the ECU for a week so far, but have not been able to look at it yet. After more than a month in the shop, I'm looking forward to getting it back!

[Ice88]

Thought of using a flex fuel sensor?

Also e85 fuel usage should be within 30-40% more then e85. So perhaps running a bit rich?

Otherwise fill with 98. Take a Jerry to the track and fill with e85 once there?

[The American]

Hi Ice88, the car is fitted and tuned with a flex sensor so, yes that is an option. That might form part of the fuel strategy.

As for economy, the driving that contributed to the consumption figure noted above was spirited to say the least! I've not had the opportunity to just drive through a tank of e85 on freeway/part throttle.

[Magpie]

I will never know the feeling of using E85 on the road as the car is being tuned with drum not pump E85. Still trying to work out how much to carry, a full day at time Attack is about 60 trs of 98. Taking 80 ltrs to Sydney in April.

[Ice88]

Hi Ice88, the car is fitted and tuned with a flex sensor so, yes that is an option. That might form part of the fuel strategy.

As for economy, the driving that contributed to the consumption figure noted above was spirited to say the least! I've not had the opportunity to just drive through a tank of e85 on freeway/part throttle.

Awesome sauce.

Provides you with plenty of options with small chance of getting stuck somewhere with no fuel

Could help if I could read, failed to note the fact your boosted, which would contribute to such a high figure.

I will never know the feeling of using E85 on the road as the car is being tuned with drum not pump E85. Still trying to work out how much to carry, a full day at time Attack is about 60 trs of 98. Taking 80 ltrs to Sydney in April.

You should still be able to use flex fuels, providing Haltechs work the same as adapts regarding this the tune should be able to scale according to the ethanol content in the fuel, no?

[Magpie]

Oils ain't oils Sol...

Pump E85 can vary between E70 and E85 (Australian Standard) and has a RON around 109. The E85 I'm using is E85 and a RON around 116. If you have not guessed there is also a price difference between the 2.

The consistency of the E85 and the higher RON allows more timing and tuning options. If I was going to be using E85 on the street then it would have been tuned on pump E85 and a suitable street tune. The risk is that using a fuel with less RON will cause pre-detonation and ruin the motor. Think running 91 in a 98 only car.

I'll get some more data on my tune next week (and post it in my build thread). Hopefully a tune will be done with E85, 50/50 E85/98 and 98 to give some better transition values.

[Ice88]

Oils ain't oils Sol...

Pump E85 can vary between E70 and E85 (Australian Standard) and has a RON around 109. The E85 I'm using is E85 and a RON around 116. If you have not guessed there is also a price difference between the 2.

The consistency of the E85 and the higher RON allows more timing and tuning options. If I was going to be using E85 on the street then it would have been tuned on pump E85 and a suitable street tune. The risk is that using a fuel with less RON will cause pre-detonation and ruin the motor. Think running 91 in a 98 only car.

I'll get some more data on my tune next week (and post it in my build thread). Hopefully a tune will be done with E85, 50/50 E85/98 and 98 to give some better transition values.

Actually if its advertised as e85 it has to contain 85%.

Flex fuel however can vary amounts, really its meant to only vary seasonally to help with cold starts etc.

What I'm not sure on, is the base fuel that the Ethanol is added to. If the base fuel is 98 then there will be a small difference (given that it would only compose 15% in the case of E85.) which would alter the octane number.

[Magpie]

Ice88 read the E85 determination 2012 (The American again sorry for taking over this thread). What does the service station pump say about the E85 it dispenses? The truth is never as simple as it should be when consumers are being sold a product.

Caltex marketing words - A new choice in fuel is here! Caltex Bio E-Flex contains up to 85% ethanol and provides an energy option beyond traditional fuel mix, which is something we can all feel good about.

Holden blurb - It is used as the basis for E85 Fuel - a fuel blend that typically contains a mixture of up to 85 per cent ethanol and at least 15 per cent petrol

The FACTS!
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2012L01771
1 Name of determination
This determination is the Fuel Quality Information Standard (Ethanol E85) Determination 2012.

2 Commencement
This determination commences on 1 November 2012.

3 Definitions
In this determination:

E85 means a fuel blend consisting of:
(a) 70–85% ethanol; and
(b) petrol that meets the requirements of the Fuel Standard (Petrol) Determination 2001.

service station means premises at which E85 is sold by retail from a fuel pump.

4 Service stations
(1) The fuel quality information standard for the supply of E85 from a service station is that one of the following appears, clearly displayed, on any fuel pump at the station dispensing E85:
(a) the words ‘Contains 70–85% ethanol’, and ‘Not Petrol or Diesel’;
(b) the words ‘Contains x% ethanol’, where x is a number between 70 and 85, and ‘Not Petrol or Diesel’.
(2) For paragraph (1) (b), a number that is not a whole number is to be rounded to the nearest whole number, with a number ending with 0.5 being rounded up.

[The American]

Finally the car is mine again!

A reasonable length drive, and no faults. Hopefully, the polyfuse in the ECU was the root cause, and I'll have no further trouble with random cut outs. Dave at GTAutogarage spent 3 full days tracing what was ultimately a fault with the newest equipment in the system. Whatever profit margin might have been in the install and tune is surely gone now.


But! The on/off throttle sensitivity issue persisted. I picked up a second hand TPS from A'+ and swapped it in this afternoon. The original looks much 'younger' than the second hand unit, but the drive was instantly transformed. No more hesitation on throttle crack, and it's now easy to take off smoothly.

The unit on my car has no adjustability, so I can only conclude mine was faulty.

[Ice88]

Ice88 read the E85 determination 2012 (The American again sorry for taking over this thread). What does the service station pump say about the E85 it dispenses? The truth is never as simple as it should be when consumers are being sold a product.

Caltex marketing words - A new choice in fuel is here! Caltex Bio E-Flex contains up to 85% ethanol and provides an energy option beyond traditional fuel mix, which is something we can all feel good about.

Holden blurb - It is used as the basis for E85 Fuel - a fuel blend that typically contains a mixture of up to 85 per cent ethanol and at least 15 per cent petrol

The FACTS!
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2012L01771
1 Name of determination
This determination is the Fuel Quality Information Standard (Ethanol E85) Determination 2012.

2 Commencement
This determination commences on 1 November 2012.

3 Definitions
In this determination:

E85 means a fuel blend consisting of:
(a) 70–85% ethanol; and
(b) petrol that meets the requirements of the Fuel Standard (Petrol) Determination 2001.

service station means premises at which E85 is sold by retail from a fuel pump.

4 Service stations
(1) The fuel quality information standard for the supply of E85 from a service station is that one of the following appears, clearly displayed, on any fuel pump at the station dispensing E85:
(a) the words ‘Contains 70–85% ethanol’, and ‘Not Petrol or Diesel’;
(b) the words ‘Contains x% ethanol’, where x is a number between 70 and 85, and ‘Not Petrol or Diesel’.
(2) For paragraph (1) (b), a number that is not a whole number is to be rounded to the nearest whole number, with a number ending with 0.5 being rounded up.

Huh. Learn something new every day.

Funny cause im sure I've read an officialish looking source that said otherwise

Finally the car is mine again!

A reasonable length drive, and no faults. Hopefully, the polyfuse in the ECU was the root cause, and I'll have no further trouble with random cut outs. Dave at GTAutogarage spent 3 full days tracing what was ultimately a fault with the newest equipment in the system. Whatever profit margin might have been in the install and tune is surely gone now.


But! The on/off throttle sensitivity issue persisted. I picked up a second hand TPS from A'+ and swapped it in this afternoon. The original looks much 'younger' than the second hand unit, but the drive was instantly transformed. No more hesitation on throttle crack, and it's now easy to take off smoothly.

The unit on my car has no adjustability, so I can only conclude mine was faulty.

Worth noting that a FS-DE tps may work if your chasing down another.

[The American]

I just posted my entry form for next weekend's round 3 Hillclimb at Mount Cotton. 48.75 is my time to beat. Clips like this one, however, serve to keep my ambitions cautious!

[youtu]https://youtu.be/McnhbzutW34[/youtu]

https://youtu.be/McnhbzutW34

[The American]

I participated in the hillclimb at Mount Cotton this weekend, and I came away damage free, which is more than can be said for some! One fellow in a cart style machine came off the track and launched off the top of an arrester barrier. When he landed, he had three broken ribs and a puncture wound to the leg. Ouch!

I didn't get a single clean run in, due to some temporary hesitation that appeared in my first run on the hill.
It got worse in my second and third runs on day one. I thought it might have been the calibration of my TPS which had been malfunctioning. Overnight, I reset the calibration and came back for another run on day two. Worse! So I called quits after one run.

By this stage, the fuel level was under 1/4 tank on the gauge, and a drive up to Mt Glorious saw the hesitation occur again in the steeper corners.

I then drove out to Bald Hills for a full tank of E85 and then back to Mt Glorious. No hesitation.

I'm not convinced that it's fuel surge, but it could be....