Torque App, Flex Fuel

Beatme · March 21, 2015

Hey guys, been doing some looking into this whole flex fuel scenario with the 2015 trucks. Mine is not an FFV truck, and I'm trying to figure out what exactly the $100 FFV option gets you. I've had my truck tuned by Justin at Black Bear Performance and am loving the results from it! I asked him about running e85 and he said right in my stock program it has listed:

B0178 Flex Fuel Option. Yes

He also said that there is a set of e85 tables in the computer and that I am perfectly good running e85. He said that it calculates ethanol content the same way the previous gen trucks did. Well on to my issue/question here. I have the "Torque" app for my phone with a Bluetooth obd module and can monitor basically every sensor in the vehicle with it, I highly recommend it. Anyway, there is an ethanol % option to monitor and in my truck there is no readout on that. What I'm asking is, if anyone out there with an FFV truck and the Torque app can see if there is a readout on that sensor in their truck. I'm trying to nail down if there's a sensor that exists in the FFV trucks that's not in the normal ones, or if the $100 option is really only for badging. Sorry for the long winded post but hopefully we can figure this out!

bigsapper · March 21, 2015

Sadly torque isn't available for iPhone. I use EngineLink and I'm able to monitor ethanol% for my 2014

vetteboy9 · March 21, 2015

I have a 2014 5.3 flex fuel engine, and torque is able to poll the ethanol sensor. Its actually quite fast, put a tank of e85 in and it detects it in about 15 seconds, just long enough to wash the old gas out of the lines.

gone_fishing · March 21, 2015

Hey guys, been doing some looking into this whole flex fuel scenario with the 2015 trucks. Mine is not an FFV truck, and I'm trying to figure out what exactly the $100 FFV option gets you. I've had my truck tuned by Justin at Black Bear Performance and am loving the results from it! I asked him about running e85 and he said right in my stock program it has listed:

B0178 Flex Fuel Option. Yes

He also said that there is a set of e85 tables in the computer and that I am perfectly good running e85. He said that it calculates ethanol content the same way the previous gen trucks did. Well on to my issue/question here. I have the "Torque" app for my phone with a Bluetooth obd module and can monitor basically every sensor in the vehicle with it, I highly recommend it. Anyway, there is an ethanol % option to monitor and in my truck there is no readout on that. What I'm asking is, if anyone out there with an FFV truck and the Torque app can see if there is a readout on that sensor in their truck. I'm trying to nail down if there's a sensor that exists in the FFV trucks that's not in the normal ones, or if the $100 option is really only for badging. Sorry for the long winded post but hopefully we can figure this out!

I too have the Torque app on my Android phone with a bluetooth OB2 dongle. I was also trying to find ethanol content but haven't been able to yet. It should be programmable with the custom PID feature but I have yet to find the right parameters.

gone_fishing · March 21, 2015

I have a 2014 5.3 flex fuel engine, and torque is able to poll the ethanol sensor. Its actually quite fast, put a tank of e85 in and it detects it in about 15 seconds, just long enough to wash the old gas out of the lines.

Did you have to add the ethanol reading through PID's or did it just show up on its own?

Beatme · March 21, 2015

Did you have to add the ethanol reading through PID's or did it just show up on its own?

It just shows up as ethanol % when I try to add a display from the realtime information screen. Problem is that it doesn't display anything on my truck, just a blank readout. I would love to see what it does on a 2015 FFV truck, I see the '14's are displaying a reading but have yet to see from a '15. If it does in fact display on a 15 FFV then my next step is to locate said alcohol content sensor, then see if it can be added to the truck.

TJay74 · March 22, 2015

if your truck was setup to run E85 then you should have a yellow gas cap stating that along with the flexfuel badge on the truck. just because the tables are in the ECM doesn't mean you can run it, if your truck doesn't have the flex fuel sensor the ECM has no way to be able to know when to go from the gas tables to the E85 tables.

calgator73 · March 22, 2015

My understanding is the ethanol sensor is not installed.

My understanding is the ethanol sensor is not installed.

Edit...on non ffv vehicles

Beatme · March 22, 2015

if your truck was setup to run E85 then you should have a yellow gas cap stating that along with the flexfuel badge on the truck. just because the tables are in the ECM doesn't mean you can run it, if your truck doesn't have the flex fuel sensor the ECM has no way to be able to know when to go from the gas tables to the E85 tables.

Guess you didn't read my first post. None of the 07-13 FFV trucks had a sensor either.

My understanding is the ethanol sensor is not installed.

Edit...on non ffv vehicles

Mine as well, just want to sort it all out and eliminate all the false info/misconceptions about this.

calgator73 · March 22, 2015

Gotcha....wonder if simply plumbing in the sensor enables the tables.

TJay74 · March 22, 2015

In order for the vehicle to run E85 it has to have the sensor, no other way for the ECM to know when to use those tables. It takes a lot more fuel on E85 than versus gas.

Holy Smokes · March 22, 2015

Interesting.... Looking at the Engine Link iPhone app. What's the easiest/best OBD adapter to work on our K2's and what's the best connection method; Bluetooth or wifi?

Beatme · March 22, 2015

In order for the vehicle to run E85 it has to have the sensor, no other way for the ECM to know when to use those tables. It takes a lot more fuel on E85 than versus gas.

Not trying to be a dick, but please stop spreading misinformation. You're wrong about needing a sensor, as I already stated,07-13 trucks did not have a sensor and were capable. The computer has programmed algorithms to figure it out, not as quickly as a dedicated sensor, but it does it nonetheless. If you can't confirm where this sensor is, or if it can be added to a non ffv truck, then you're just clouding up the post with false info. I'm very well aware of e85 fuel requirements, just trying to get proper and exact info on the subject.

ZmanII · March 22, 2015

I would like to know what is missing as well. When I ordered my truck, the flex fuel wasn't listed as an option on the gm website. Now it is listed as an option again, but I assume my truck isn't going to have it.

bigsapper · March 22, 2015

Guess you didn't read my first post. None of the 07-13 FFV trucks had a sensor either.

Mine as well, just want to sort it all out and eliminate all the false info/misconceptions about this.

My 2013 did have the yellow cap, but did not have the FF badge on the tailgate.