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Jul 19, 2015 22:34:48 GMT
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E85 may look cheaper but you will use about 30% more. Is it still cheaper? Over here they sold it at the same price as super unleaded and then wondered why nobody bought it (apart from very few cars being able to run on it).
I accidently filled my EFI Vitesse with it - almost a full tank. It ran...... VERY badly. Got 10 miles home and drained it. As I use Megasquirt, I could have just upped the fuelling by 30% and it would probably have worked for cruising around. Injectors wouldn't have flowed enough for full power.
The drained E85 was used in my Honda lawnmower over 2 seasons. It ran ok without any mods but really hard to start from cold and a bit down on power.
Nick
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1967 Triumph Vitesse convertible (old friend)
1996 Audi A6 2.5 TDI Avant (still durability testing)
1972 GT6 Mk3 (Restored after loong rest & getting the hang of being a car again)
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Clement
Europe
ambitious but rubbish
Posts: 2,095
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Jul 21, 2015 10:47:17 GMT
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Interesting that. E85 is very cheap here, around 85cts a litre compared to 1.50cts a litre for 98 octane. Some cars seem to adapt flawlessly, some don't but the main issue is that my car doesn't have lambda sensors from the factory... If the mix is wrong it could damage stuff quite easily.
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Jul 21, 2015 18:25:46 GMT
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Only flex fuel vehicles can use E85. Not sure who makes them now - was just Ford and Saab when I last looked, which was a a good while ago.* Takes more than a lambda sensor - they have fuel sensors that tell the ECU what "blend" is approaching the engine. Often turbo equipped cars as they can make more benefit from it by increasing the boost. Will still use alot more E85 compared to 98 (~ 30% as I said before) so it needs to be cheaper. * en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_flexible-fuel_vehicles_by_car_manufacturermight be of vague interest. Seem to be MUCH more common in the US. IN Europe they seem to be introducing by stealth E5, E10, E15 etc...... E10 is about the limit for "normal" cars. Nick |
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1967 Triumph Vitesse convertible (old friend)
1996 Audi A6 2.5 TDI Avant (still durability testing)
1972 GT6 Mk3 (Restored after loong rest & getting the hang of being a car again)
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Or you can convert your car with ThisI know it won't be cheap but it is a solution... |
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ulver
Part of things
Posts: 67 
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Jul 22, 2015 19:11:08 GMT
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Good stuff Clement, France is a great country for 'grand touring'. I always envy your relative lack of traffic. This and your Alfa are part of what got me back into thinking about Italian cars leading to buying my own (albeit not quite so exotic) Italian V6..
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'99 Alfa Romeo 156 2.5 V6  |
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Clement
Europe
ambitious but rubbish
Posts: 2,095
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Jul 24, 2015 10:51:18 GMT
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Haltech is a bit far off the mark in terms of pricing but I've been thinking about Megasquirt for a while now. A few Biturbo owners have tried similar things with good enough results, but at the moment it's not a priority. Thanks for the link and explanations though, the image of how this stuff works gets clearer in my mind  ulver , thanks a lot mate you're too kind! I find myself drawm to Italian cars for some reason, too. |
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Jul 29, 2015 17:07:41 GMT
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been a while since i looked here the shoddy soldering comes standard, the fusebox has the same problem megasquirting the car is a good idea, i've started preparations for mine if you want to upgrade your suspension, look at bmw shocks, i use e30 m3 struts (front) and e12 rear, both are bilstein b6, further i czan recommend installing a rear anti-rollbar/stabilizer, this makes a hell of a difference (far more traction) your upgraded throtllebody:  mine ;-) 80mm instead of 2x36  |
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-charles-
maserati biturbo
alfasud sprint 16v
clk55 amg
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Clement
Europe
ambitious but rubbish
Posts: 2,095
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Jul 29, 2015 18:53:36 GMT
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I don't think I'll bother installing a rear ARB for the moment, it's something I have in mind but for the moment it's not a priority. If the subframe plans ever happen they would make this much easier, too! Good shout about the shocks, those currently on the car are comfy but so soft the suspension keeps bottoming out on small things.
As for Megasquirt, I still have a lot of reading to do to really understand how it works, what it does, what it needs, how I can communicate with it and ultimately, what I would want it to do on my car. Batch, semi-sequential or fully sequential injection? What about ignition? And E85? Do I need to change some sensors for references that MS is meant to work with, ie Bosch instead of Weber or Magnetti Marelli? It really opens up so many possibilities that I feel somewhat lost among them all right now.
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Jul 29, 2015 21:35:15 GMT
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Clement
Europe
ambitious but rubbish
Posts: 2,095
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Jul 30, 2015 16:40:39 GMT
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Thanks for the advice, I'll be buying it come payday! I hope you don't mind if I don't share it with friends though, they are into neither car tinkering nor English speaking for the most part. I'm sure it's the kind of book that still has some knowledge left in it afer reading it three times, so it won't be wasted  |
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goldnrust
West Midlands
Minimalist
Posts: 1,887
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Jul 30, 2015 20:24:58 GMT
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I'll second that book as a damn good buy for anyone considering Megasquirt It will give you all the background info you'll need to be able to then 'understand' why you're setting up the Megasquirt the way you are, rathe than blindly following a step by step guide someone might post on a forum |
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Clement
Europe
ambitious but rubbish
Posts: 2,095
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Aug 12, 2015 10:39:53 GMT
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Clutch is gone, biting point kept going lower and lower until adjusting the pedal made the slave cylinder piston pop out.
I have neither will, time nor money to sort it out this month. Exhaust needs to come out, front subframe has to be dropped 150-200mm to let the g/box out, etc.
I'll take the opportunity to get the steering rack refurbished, maybe weld in a couple of bungs in the exhaust to use with wideband sensors further down the line, and perhaps get rid of the middle box too.
I hope the Forester will sustain the three weeks I need to use it, I was using the 222 but it only succeeded for two days...
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Aug 12, 2015 22:46:56 GMT
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A that's a curse word but a clutch is a serviceable item anyway, once replaced in theory you won't be replacing it for a long time again, always nice having a new clutch too. And it's a great excuse to do the other bits. I'd say the glass is more than half full. Rock on Clement.
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Still learning...still spending...still breaking things!
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Yep- no matter what manual car you have eventually it'll need the clutch replaced. Like above you get to sort out other jobs while its out. Shame it happened in summer though.
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Last Edit: Aug 13, 2015 1:14:38 GMT by yoeddynz
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Yes, your car is one of the ones that make me even consider owning another Biturbo. And the EFI book? Great tip. It's already in my wish list so I can pick that up before the next build. THANKS! Yeah, this place is cool and Clement, stick with it, your car is cool and will be very happy with a new clutch.
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Clement
Europe
ambitious but rubbish
Posts: 2,095
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Aug 13, 2015 13:47:10 GMT
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True that. I was expecting it to last further than 75,000km because I tend to be gentle with it but I guess 26 years of service have taken their toll anyways.
I've been thinking about ways to make the job easier, especially when lowering the subframe. It's a pig of a job to align it so I think I'll replacr the front two bolts with some long all-thread to help guide it back up while allowing it to drop and tilt.
In other news, I'm using the Forester again and it's just a lovely old barge. Slow but comfy, a perfect roadtrip-with-mates car. Also, it seems it's possible to do the head gaskets without removing the engine, just jacking it up 15-20cm is enough for the heads to clear the frame rails! That's good news.
I can't decide between tackling the Maser or the Subaru first.
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Aug 13, 2015 21:53:52 GMT
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Don't rush the repairs 222, Subaru first.
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Still learning...still spending...still breaking things!
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Clement
Europe
ambitious but rubbish
Posts: 2,095
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Aug 15, 2015 11:18:16 GMT
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Since the car doesn't work, we might as well turn to its looks. I think I'll be going for a spoilerless boot lid, as evidenced in these pictures:   It looks generally cleaner, less fussy, and I like cars that have front aero but not rear. Wheels are nice too, but I'm longing for some Borbet As  whose monobloc style really suits the lines of the car. A slighty dark shade for the centres would be spot-on I reckon. Also, I've acquired a front bumper as well as a NACA-duct enhanced bonnet, such as on this car  |
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Last Edit: Aug 15, 2015 11:19:51 GMT by Clement
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Aug 15, 2015 16:11:07 GMT
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Shame about the running issues Clement, I like the spoiler less look
MBorbet A's are a good call I was thinking Mercedes AMG block wheels or Ronal turbos
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1966 Ford Cortina GT
2018 Ford Fiesta ST
Full time engineer, part time waffler on Youtube - see Jim_Builds
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Clement
Europe
ambitious but rubbish
Posts: 2,095
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Oct 30, 2015 15:10:18 GMT
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I moved closer to the centre of Nantes, so I needed a bike to commute. To be rational, I wanted a 125cc to keep things simple and cheap. As I had never ridden a 'proper' motorcycle before, I went and did the right thing: a roadtrip. Pictures hereafter are from the day I bought the bike (wed 21st) to wed 28th, 1100miles (1800km) later after meeting friends in Limoges, Florac (in the département of Lozère, such a beautiful place), and my family in Mâcon.               Here's what it looks like with a friend on it : It's a Honda MSX, four-stroke 125cc 10hp engine. Swift enough around town but the top end feels a little strangled, I've heard one or two mods can be achieved to help with that! Also, it drinks about 2,5 litres/100km (which is bang on a million and twelve mpg). It's incredibly easy and fun to ride, I had some proper good times in the twisties in Lozère! Oh and by the way I drove the poor clutchless Maser to my workshop, I should get started on it next weekend. |
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