Please note that it is quite normal that starts are not the same with gasoline as with E85. Since ethanol is less flammable than gasoline, the vehicle does not always start on the first try, especially if the engine is cold. It is normal on some vehicles to make one to three attempts to start the vehicle and to have some roughness during the first 5 minutes of driving with a cold engine in full E85/high ethanol content. Concerning the eFlexFuel kit we advise you to check:
- The solidity of the ground point of the kit with the contact surfaces well cleaned. It is a good idea to further check the quality of ground point by measuring the ohmic resistance with a multimeter between the end/circle of the ground cable and the ground point on car battery/chassis.
- The correct temperature sensor placement. It plays an important role in start-up enrichment. The temperature sensor should be placed as close as possible to the actual engine block or cylinder head but away from the ignition coils. A good location for the temperature sensor is near the cylinder head next to the fuel injectors.
- All components and cables in the kit are placed away from the ignition coils or other high voltage elements in the engine compartment to avoid electrical interference to the eFlexFuel system.
On our eFlexApp application we advise you to check:
- Consistency of all displayed values (temperatures, ethanol level, active injectors, diagrams).
- The error codes displayed.
- The engine temperature displayed corresponds approximately to the outside temperature when starting a cold engine.
It is also mandatory that the car is well maintained, especially condition of spark plugs and fuel filter have direct impact on cold starts. Make sure you use good quality OEM grade parts for best performance with E85.