I got better mileage

[pedal2themetal]

Hi, just thought I'd throw it out there..
I switched from supreme Ethanol fuel with 90 something octane to Ethanol Free regular with like 86 octane and gained almost 2 miles per gallon and the car runs much better..
Car is a 1975 Fury, 318 , 0* timing set, with 450 Quick Flow carb, cam is 440 in. ex. stock heads with cleaned up ports, stock exhaust manifolds run into true duels with High flow mufflers out the back, stock distributor timing (I think) is like 12*.

Take care be safe
tim

 

[Cranky]

Hi, just thought I'd throw it out there..
I switched from supreme Ethanol fuel with 90 something octane to Ethanol Free regular with like 86 octane and gained almost 2 miles per gallon and the car runs much better..
Car is a 1975 Fury, 318 , 0* timing set, with 450 Quick Flow carb, cam is 440 in. ex. stock heads with cleaned up ports, stock exhaust manifolds run into true duels with High flow mufflers out the back, stock distributor timing (I think) is like 12*.

Take care be safe
tim

Yup....nature of the beast. It always takes more 'alcohol' to make the same HP etc.....but I'm surprised you are running 0 for initial timing.

 

[Jerry Hall]

No matter what your tune, the % of ethanol in the fuel will result in about the same % loss of fuel economy. Add to that, if you let ethanol fuel sit in metal fuel tanks for long periods of time the corn turns to water and rusts the tanks, clogs the fuel filters and carburetors.

 

[dadsbee]

Less BTU's in alcohol than gas.... simple as that. Nobody seems to want to acknowledge that since pushing up the price of corn!

 

[pedal2themetal]

Yup....nature of the beast. It always takes more 'alcohol' to make the same HP etc.....but I'm surprised you are running 0 for initial timing.

Hi,
not running 0* timing running .. running about 12* .. 0* timing set

good luck take care be safe
tim

 

[Cranky]

Hi,
not running 0* timing running .. running about 12* .. 0* timing set

good luck take care be safe
tim

I always ran around 15 initial and whatever the engine wanted for total.....depended on the tune, cam, compression etc etc etc.

 

[JDmac72chrgr]

Ethanol SUCKS!!!

 

[BSB67]

Ethanol has less BTU/gallon than gasoline. But air/ethanol stoichiometric is 9:1. Net BTU is about the same, maybe slightly better for ethanol.

 

[Kern Dog]

Hi,
not running 0* timing running .. running about 12* .. 0* timing set

good luck take care be safe
tim

Your writing is cryptic and not very clear. It is easy to misunderstand what you're trying to relay. "Cam is 440 in" ??? That leads one to believe that you think you have a camshaft from a 440 cubic inch engine.
I don't have a choice but to run ethanol here in this state. As long as it is cycled through and does not sit for months, it seems to be okay. Maybe the mild climate helps with that? I've seen the scare stories about the extensive damage that others have seen with ethanol but the worst that I have seen is quicker failing rubber fuel lines and crud in the carburetors. No fuel line or tank problems so far.

 

[Jerry Hall]

Your writing is cryptic and not very clear. It is easy to misunderstand what you're trying to relay. "Cam is 440 in" ??? That leads one to believe that you think you have a camshaft from a 440 cubic inch engine.
I don't have a choice but to run ethanol here in this state. As long as it is cycled through and does not sit for months, it seems to be okay. Maybe the mild climate helps with that? I've seen the scare stories about the extensive damage that others have seen with ethanol but the worst that I have seen is quicker failing rubber fuel lines and crud in the carburetors. No fuel line or tan problems so far.

Yep, Kern rubber fuel lines turn to mush, fuel pump diaphragms fail, etc. I replaced 4 fuel tanks before I learned my lesson. That was over 20 years ago. The only ethanol fuel I have got since was sold by a station that was cheating the public. They were selling 87 ethanol fuel for 93 non ethanol. My one Hemi car at the time started to detonate under acceleration was my hint. I turned in a gallon to the state for testing and they shut the place down.

 

[YY1]

Interesting octane ratings in the OP.

Is it R+M/2 rated?

Here, E10 blends are 87, 89, and either 92 or 93.

The just recently introduced E15 at 86.

The non-eth are all either 89 or 90.

 

[pedal2themetal]

Your writing is cryptic and not very clear. It is easy to misunderstand what you're trying to relay. "Cam is 440 in" ??? That leads one to believe that you think you have a camshaft from a 440 cubic inch engine.
I don't have a choice but to run ethanol here in this state. As long as it is cycled through and does not sit for months, it seems to be okay. Maybe the mild climate helps with that? I've seen the scare stories about the extensive damage that others have seen with ethanol but the worst that I have seen is quicker failing rubber fuel lines and crud in the carburetors. No fuel line or tank problems so far.

HI Dog,
Yeah, I thought about that as I posted it.. Tho I didn't use the " sign .. I was thinking they would know that (in) was intake and (ex) was exhaust for lift of the cam..
I'll be more careful in my postings Thanks

Take care be safe
tim

 

[pedal2themetal]

Yup....nature of the beast. It always takes more 'alcohol' to make the same HP etc.....but I'm surprised you are running 0 for initial timing.

HI Cranky,
Just throwing it out there but the stock timing setting on the tag under the hood for my 75 is (0*).

take care be safe
tim

 

[YY1]

Mine is 0* on my 73 as well, and it pings like crazy advanced any more than that 0*.

 

[Cranky]

HI Cranky,
Just throwing it out there but the stock timing setting on the tag under the hood for my 75 is (0*).

take care be safe
tim

Lots of cars in the very early 70's and newer got reduced timing to help reduce NOx (oxides of nitrogen) but usually 0 initial makes the car sluggish on take off. I usually started with 10 but usually ended up with 15 initial and gave it all the total it liked ie, performed the best. Over the years I learned how to 'cheat' with the newer emissions junk to reduce NOx. My 95 Dakota was usually high and it even failed inspection a few times over the years and the cat converter does nothing for NOx. Cooler air into the engine reduces it and so does retarded timing. Just taking the air filter out of the canister even reduced it and so did a cooler engine so going in for inspection in the winter time usually did the trick. But I never had an older car run very good at 0 initial. In fact, every single car I tuned ran better when it wasn't tuned to the factory specs. A happy car means happy driving

 

[Cranky]

Mine is 0* on my 73 as well, and it pings like crazy advanced any more than that 0*.

Your 73 318 car pings even at 5 degrees? Is it bone stock?

 

[YY1]

Your 73 318 car pings even at 5 degrees? Is it bone stock?

It pings at 1* !!

I've done the "advance it until it pings and then back off until it doesn't" several times and it always comes back to 0* at idle.

It runs fine and will spin the tire from a standing start with 2.76 gears.

65,000 original miles.

Has added 2" dual exhaust and less restrictive air cleaner.

I've used non-eth 89 for at least the past 5 years with a very occasional $20 of of non-eth 90.

14.9 MPG average.

The accelerator pump is starting to go and I'm deciding if I'll just put on a 500/600 CFM 4 barrel and performer intake I've been saving.
It will be easier to add my AC idle kick up solenoid if I do that, too.

 

[Cranky]

It pings at 1* !!

I've done the "advance it until it pings and then back off until it doesn't" several times and it always comes back to 0* at idle.

It runs fine and will spin the tire from a standing start.

65,000 original miles.

Has added 2" dual exhaust and less restrictive air cleaner.

I've used non-eth 89 for at least the past 5 years with a very occasional $20 of of non-eth 90.

14.9 MPG average.

The accelerator pump is starting to go and I'm deciding if I'll just put on a 500/600 CFM 4 barrel and performer intake I've been saving.
It will be easier to add my AC idle kick up solenoid if I do that, too.

Have you ever checked for true TDC on it?

 

[YY1]

No.

It really does run fine and is in factory spec.

I probably should have when the engine was out for painting, etc, but didn't.
I even bought a swap meet degree wheel around that same time.

It does get hot if the AC is running and stopped at a few traffic lights close together.
That's about it. Shifting to N or bringing the RPM up a bit helps with that.
I think the solenoid will resolve it.
Without the AC on it runs pretty cool. Almost too cool- like 170*.

 

[pedal2themetal]

It pings at 1* !!

I've done the "advance it until it pings and then back off until it doesn't" several times and it always comes back to 0* at idle.

It runs fine and will spin the tire from a standing start with 2.76 gears.

65,000 original miles.

Has added 2" dual exhaust and less restrictive air cleaner.

I've used non-eth 89 for at least the past 5 years with a very occasional $20 of of non-eth 90.

14.9 MPG average.

The accelerator pump is starting to go and I'm deciding if I'll just put on a 500/600 CFM 4 barrel and performer intake I've been saving.
It will be easier to add my AC idle kick up solenoid if I do that, too.

HI,
Your signature says with up grades?? What kind of up grades? did you change, distributor or timing set and if so to what?

good luck take care be safe
tim