Fuel additives
 

Has anyone ever used a fuel additive in there 1990 ZR1 due to the ethanol in the gas? I was told this would help out with the injectors.


John
1990 #2331

Re: Fuel additives
 

None of the additives I've seen help with compatibility as there isn't really a way to neutralize the ethanols capacity as a solvent. What most of the additives aim to do is keep the alcohol from collecting moisture from the air. Meaning, it isn't going to improve the life of the early non ethanol compatible injectors.

Re: Fuel additives
 

Thanks for the info. I guess you just have to deal with the injector issues if they come up.

John
1990 #2331

Re: Fuel additives
 

Not if, when... 😋

Re: Fuel additives
 

I know. I don't think injectors were ever done on my car. So I would think I am due. 1990 car with 5,000 miles on it. When do you start to have issues with them??

John
1990 #2331

Re: Fuel additives
 

Chemical reactions or interactions are affected by the concentration of the reagents and temperature and exposure time. Miles driven is NOT a factor (per se').

One key indicator of the coil's condition is the resistance value BUT ONLY MEASURED WHEN THE COILS ARE NEAR OPERATING (HOT) CONDITION.

The original resistance of the coils is 12-13 ohms for OE injectors. A reading of 10 ohms when the rest is @ 12.x IS an indicator the injector is in trouble. A reading of 8 ohms OR LESS is a BAD injector.

Only a matter of time (in an alcohol enviornment) before the susceptible injectors will fail, i.e., the OE injectors in the 90-92 ZR-1s. Period.

.

Re: Fuel additives
 

If measuring injector coil resistance is out of your wheelhouse, you'll know for sure there's a problem when the engine is missing and your flywheel is making a disturbing racket at idle.

So yeah .. just go ahead and replace them - like Paul said, exposure time is the enemy, not mileage. My car only had 20k on it when I bought it in feb and it had at least one failing injector.

Great article by Mark Haibeck on the subject: http://www.zr1specialist.com/HAT%20W...eplacement.pdf

Re: Fuel additives
 

My car has 84,000 miles. I lost one 18 years ago to a backfire during startup. I now make sure I never turn the key off until the engine fires up. I am changing to 91 octane Ethanol free unleaded to avoid the potential injector failure. So far I have been lucky. I do put Stabil Storage gas treatment on each tankful to keep the gas fresh, since my ZR-1 is retired like me.


Lou

Re: Fuel additives
 

If you genuinely have 84k on the original injectors (which is amazing), the damage is likely done. Switching to ethanol free now will net you better gas mileage, but won't do much to save the injectors.

Re: Fuel additives
 

But the LT5 is still as strong as she was at 6K miles when I bought it. Although I believe that the Ethanol has caused problem on many members Z’s, my old daily driver (stock except for Marc’s Chip) is still an awesome drive.

What are the signs of failing injectors, if I still get throw back in my seat at WOT?


Lou