Grumpy Bears 2015 Silverado 2WD

[Grumpy Bear]

April 2022 Fuel Report

 

5/3/2022

 

390 miles / 14.851 gallons = 26.3 mpg. 

 

This has got to be one of the windiest and wettest springs in recent memory. Maybe a few hours during the wee hours o f the morning where winds are under 20 mph and getting several inches a rain a week. Slow steady soakers that make one think it might be time to build an Ark. 

[Grumpy Bear]

154,000 Miles

 

5/7/2022

 

Top off fluids and adjusted tire pressures. It's about to get stupid hot here. 

First time ever I added a few ounces (8) of oil to this OCI that is 4,100 miles along. 

That silly point where it shows full on one side and a little low on the other. C'mon GM. 

ATF looks Minty Fresh  

About time for a spring tune up.

 

Edited May 8, 2022 by Grumpy Bear
Correcting auto correct.

[Grumpy Bear]

Transmission Update PLUS

 

5/11/2022 Commentary Below Graphs.

 

 

 

On whole it runs hotter with the TBV.  In lower temperatures that is exactly what I wanted. In hot weather it is at the limit.

 

MY LIMIT

 

You can see that around 70 F it 'tries' to hold a regulated temperature. This machine just runs out of cooling capacity. It is just that simple. Below about 60F the cooler is bypassed and the fluid heat is regulated by radiation alone. Above the throttling point it is load dependent. And does not tolerate being ignored. 

 

**********************************

 

Started 'spring cleaning' yesterday. Interior first. She's got the winter nasties. The total clean up will take a long time as I do repairs and touchups as I go. Silly hot this week. To much so to do to much  

 

Edited May 12, 2022 by Grumpy Bear

[Grumpy Bear]

Cooling System

 

5/12/2022

 

Pulled 1/2 gallon of coolant and replaced with a like amount of distilled water. 

 

This reduced the volume % Ethylene Glycol from 50% to 43.24%. That is a 4% increase in specific heat. About the same as adding a radiator 4% thicker. (Refractometer) 

 

Today was a few degrees hotter than yesterday and the winds significantly greater. 

 

Yesterday (see post above) once past the 'tipping point' the transmission cooling system would not recover. Just settled into a new high. Turn on the AC and it would continue to climb. I don't know how long but I bailed before 180F. 

 

Today fluid temps were down a bit, 3 to 4F, and took longer to peak. Stayed under 170 F....just and when forced over 170 F as in stopping or running under 45 mph, it recovered to back under 170 F within a few miles in open air over 50 mph. Even with the AC on. Even with the wind on her six. 

 

Still warmer than I like. But manageable with technique. Right at or just in front of the 'tipping point' now. 

 

Experiment showed me what I wanted to see. 

 

 

 

[Grumpy Bear]

154,523 Mile Fuel Switch!

 

5/14/2022

 

Pepper is now on E-85

 

Local pricing has made this doable even against 87 Octane E-10.

 

Petro Truck Stop's tank test 79% currently and I added about 14.5 gallons to the 26 gallon tank for a final proof of roughly 48% Ethanol in service by inline ECU measurement. 48% should result in roughly a 15% loss in mileage but it doesn't look like that is going to be the case if the first 100 miles are any indicator. Spot check in 80F zero wind 55 mph service is over 30 mpg. Not what I expected nor what it did last time I tried this. 

 

Seems Pepper likes this much alky as it eliminated almost all knock induced ignition ****** and in doing so allows her to stay in AFM nearly continuously. Much like it did 3 summers ago when I was using 0W20 Red Line.

 

Local 87 E-10 today was running $4.43/gallon. E85 today was $3.19 right across the street.  

 

Time will tell. 

[customboss]

Wish we had a local E85 source. Our E15 from a new Maverik station is only 87 octane.....pishposh.

[Grumpy Bear]

14 hours ago, customboss said:

Wish we had a local E85 source. Our E15 from a new Maverik station is only 87 octane.....pishposh.

 

There's a word you don't hear everyday. 

 

Tis the trouble with alky fuels. Availability and PRICE. I've said it before and I'll say it again. GREEDS belly is NEVER full. 

[garagerog]

It's my opinion that ethanol blends higher than 10% have little chance of being economically viable outside of the corn belt.  Why?  Transportation, especially now with the price of diesel. You would need a whole new network of pipelines from the corn belt fanning out through the country and that stands a snowball's chance in hell given the current political climate. I live in SC and E-85 is somewhat available here, but it's only a few pennies cheaper per gallon than E-10, so unless you're tuned and want the performance benefit, it's just not worth it. I believe the Colonial pipeline passes through our upstate, so the trucking costs are negligible here for gulf refined gas. The ethanol for higher blended gasohol would have to be trucked in (maybe rail, which still takes diesel) and therein lies the rub. My wife's Equinox is flex fuel and I would love to use E-85 in it in hopes of mitigating valve coking and other issues, but it's just not worth it for the roughly 30% hit in mpg.

[Grumpy Bear]

154,750 Mile Services

 

5/16/2022

 

Replaced Inlet air filter AC-Delco A3181C with a Purolator ONE A45314. Planting season is nearly over. 

 

This service included and through cleaning of the inlet air box and intake tube, resonator chamber inside and out. Don't forget cleaning out the rain drains in the floor of the box. 

 

Hosed bugs from A/C condenser. Blocking air to radiator. 

 

Once under way I did an under hood spring cleaning but not a full bore detailing. Just starting the 'tune up'. 

 

Gave her a nice bath as well but again not full on detail. Way to dusty. 

 

 

Edited May 17, 2022 by Grumpy Bear
Additional content

[Grumpy Bear]

7 hours ago, garagerog said:

It's my opinion that ethanol blends higher than 10% have little chance of being economically viable outside of the corn belt.  Why?  Transportation, especially now with the price of diesel. You would need a whole new network of pipelines from the corn belt fanning out through the country and that stands a snowball's chance in hell given the current political climate. I live in SC and E-85 is somewhat available here, but it's only a few pennies cheaper per gallon than E-10, so unless you're tuned and want the performance benefit, it's just not worth it. I believe the Colonial pipeline passes through our upstate, so the trucking costs are negligible here for gulf refined gas. The ethanol for higher blended gasohol would have to be trucked in (maybe rail, which still takes diesel) and therein lies the rub. My wife's Equinox is flex fuel and I would love to use E-85 in it in hopes of mitigating valve coking and other issues, but it's just not worth it for the roughly 30% hit in mpg.

 

20 miles north of me E-84 is $4.35 at one Casey's and a few blocks away $4.45. 25 miles southwest of me at Petro it's $3.19 and at BP $3.29. Just 12 miles south at another Casey's it $5.35  $2.16 from high to low. 67.7%!!! All three of these Casey's are serviced by the same tank field near Des Moines Iowa. My brother drove for them. So this isn't shipping cost. This is flat out GOUDGING. 

 

That said the cheapest and most consistent station is also in my normal path of travel. So for now......

[customboss]

13 hours ago, Grumpy Bear said:

 

20 miles north of me E-84 is $4.35 at one Casey's and a few blocks away $4.45. 25 miles southwest of me at Petro it's $3.19 and at BP $3.29. Just 12 miles south at another Casey's it $5.35  $2.16 from high to low. 67.7%!!! All three of these Casey's are serviced by the same tank field near Des Moines Iowa. My brother drove for them. So this isn't shipping cost. This is flat out GOUDGING. 

 

That said the cheapest and most consistent station is also in my normal path of travel. So for now......

"Free markets"......LOL 

[KARNUT]

My observations in my travels through town passing several gas stations. There’re  generally within pennies of each other and price change happens after delivery. The exception are grocery stores that offer discounts for costumers. Strangely though through this period sometimes they are higher depending on gas prices changes and delivery. There was one gas station that was 50 cents cheaper than the closest station within site of each other. By the time I came back by there sat a tanker and a price change. Can gouging happen? Of course. In Texas there’s laws for that in extreme times. Otherwise drive on by. Usually there’s another in a short distance.

[Grumpy Bear]

Transmission Update

 

5/17/2022

 

Some improvement above 70 F after coolant concentration adjustment and another after cleaning bugs from A/C condenser. Nothing earth moving but now solidly under 170 F with better recovery ability. 

 

 

 

(New Graphs in a newer posting)

Edited July 4, 2022 by Grumpy Bear

[Grumpy Bear]

A Second Lifetime

155,000 Mile Services

 

5/18/2022

 

154,953 actual miles

5,096 miles this OCI

3,673.2 engine hours

41.18 mph.

224 days since last oil change! 32 weeks! 7.36 months! 61.5% of a year. 

That was a long nap. 

8 ounces makeup oil. First ever add. 

 

6 Quarts Valvoline Premium Blue Restore 10W30 

Purolator PLB22500 filter

Clean on the outside and now cleaning the inside  

 

Dizzy was never going to use this stuff anyway. 

 

Detroit believes the lifetime of a vehicle to be 150K miles. Pepper made that standing on her head. 

Total non routine maintenance: 

 

• Pinion Seal -Weeping-Replaced
• Plastic Starter Cover-Warped making noise-Replaced.
• Puncture repair-nail in tire-Plugged and Booted. 

 

 

 

[Grumpy Bear]

Shopping, E-50 and Transmission Update

 

5/19/2022

 

Shopping

 

Full day. Supplies trip to Hoerr Racing in Peoria Illinois. About a 360 mile day and Dan has $358 more of my money. Fuel for the day was wash for shipping cost almost to the penny and Rex and I had a really nice day. Few cases of Red Line and some tools. 

 

Transmission update

 

Got up early knowing as the day wore on the winds would pick up out of the south and right on cue as we started the return trip they did. We ran a 7 mph head wind going to and 15 mph tailwind coming home. Love it when that happens. About 200 miles of this loop run north and south the remainder east and west through the Illinois River basin. 5% grades up and down. Day started 53 F and ending just under 90 F. So I got to see allot of data, took allot of snaps and updated the charts. 

 

Bottom line is, further radiator cleaning netted good results shown in the graph below. It tired to regulate quite well until it ran out of cooling. Staying under 160 F and recovery was very impressive....until it ran out of cooling. But FINALLY no worse than running without the TVB. 

 

There is a 3 degree delta between a head wind and a tail wind. About the same between even ground and 5% grades. Hot soak it and it will get over 170 F and resist coming down until you get into clean air again.  Then she cools right back down. Does not like slogging along under 50 mph or following truck traffic. 

 

Hoerr Racing hadn't the cooler I was hoping for. Infinite backorder.  I can't get better control without one. 

 

(Updated Graph in newer posting)

 

Fuel.

 

Getting this blend thing down and the instruments calibrated. Targeting E-50 and within 1% of the 49% target three tanks running. Now logged 806 miles using 30.536 gallons for 26.40 MPG RESULT. EPA labeling says 24 MPG Highway on gasoline.                                       

 

Getting 8% better than EPA numbers on E-50. 

 

Cost per mile is only about a cent lower than gasoline and volatile. About 14 cents a mile but fuel is for the moment 40 cents a gallon cheaper. Just uses more of it. That is upside down at any other station within 100 miles of me. This may not be sustainable with a savings BUT I'll stick with it anyway for the cleaner burn and full advance. 

 

ZERO Knock induced r e t a r d. ZERO 

Edited July 4, 2022 by Grumpy Bear