New guy with a 2013 Escalade ESV Premium AWD

[91RS]

That’s why I was clarifying what I was talking about.

 

[skpyle]

Sooo...I installed the Black Bear tune on November 15th, and datalogged a drive to work on the 18th. Because I am a slug, I didn't get around to sending the datalog back to them until November 29th. This past Wednesday, December 8th, they replied back to me. "...the data looks great here for the most part. I can see that slightly better fuel would benefit you, but otherwise things look good!"
Say what? I have always run 93 octane fuel in my vehicles. The Porsche is high compression, as is the S-10, and the Explorer had a tune. The Escalade is no different. I have been purchasing 93 octane fuel from the same QT for years. They have suggested I try a different brand of fuel and/or a different gas station.

This implies the 93 octane fuel at QT is not 93 octane. Damm*it.
Regardless, I need to try different fuel. I have not heard back from Black Bear for clarification, but I am assuming they were seeing high knock counts.
In order to quantify this, and compare fuel, I can use my Tech 2 to look at knock counts while driving? Where specifically would I look in the Tech 2 menus?

My intent is to check knock counts with the current 1/4 tank of fuel, gas up again, and check knock counts on that gas. Repeat with various brands of fuel until I get the lowest knock counts.

Does any of this make sense?

Thanks for your time!

 

[petethepug]

I haven’t read past threads, jumping in now. R your knock sensors oem/ new?

 

[swathdiver]

Sooo...I installed the Black Bear tune on November 15th, and datalogged a drive to work on the 18th. Because I am a slug, I didn't get around to sending the datalog back to them until November 29th. This past Wednesday, December 8th, they replied back to me. "...the data looks great here for the most part. I can see that slightly better fuel would benefit you, but otherwise things look good!"
Say what? I have always run 93 octane fuel in my vehicles. The Porsche is high compression, as is the S-10, and the Explorer had a tune. The Escalade is no different. I have been purchasing 93 octane fuel from the same QT for years. They have suggested I try a different brand of fuel and/or a different gas station.

This implies the 93 octane fuel at QT is not 93 octane. Damm*it.
Regardless, I need to try different fuel. I have not heard back from Black Bear for clarification, but I am assuming they were seeing high knock counts.
In order to quantify this, and compare fuel, I can use my Tech 2 to look at knock counts while driving? Where specifically would I look in the Tech 2 menus?

My intent is to check knock counts with the current 1/4 tank of fuel, gas up again, and check knock counts on that gas. Repeat with various brands of fuel until I get the lowest knock counts.

Does any of this make sense?

Thanks for your time!

Not only can you see knock counts, you can graph them and record them for playback later as well. The menu on a 2013 looks different than my 2009 so I cannot walk you through it by memory. @gooffeyguy

Different brands of gas do make a difference. Chevron is tops, followed by Mobil and Sunoco. In the past, I could always count on Shell to take away 2 mpg, even when running their high test fuel. A couple months ago I was forced to use it in a remote area and it did not disappoint, still got worse mileage!

I just took on a tankful of Sam's Club gas, don't know who the current supplier is but should run a datalog because it is over 60 cents less a gallon compared with Chevron right now.

 

[m1949]

Hello Gentlemen,

Long time lurker, now finally able to post. I come here from the Ford Explorer world. My beloved 1999 Explorer Limited 5.0L AWD was taken out by an inattentive drive last month.
Since I had to go back into debt to get a replacement, I decided to get something I wanted. I had been looking at 2010-2014 Tahoes for awhile. However, in my relative area, they were going for $25 large. Which I was OK enough with.
Then I stumbled upon this 2013 Escalade ESV Premium AWD at a dealer 4 hours from home. It was a two owner with 123,702 miles on the clock. I have a decent service history. Shock replacement at all four corners in early 2020 stands out as a very good thing.

The test drive was great! I was comfortable and had all kinds of room. However, it didn't feel all that big to drive. My Explorer was a little cozy inside. Granted, I am a fat bastard...
And...when I put my foot in the water pump, the 6.2L made GREAT noises!

The dealership replaced the oil pan gasket, oil cooler lines, transmission cooler lines, air filter, cabin air filter, and wiper blades during their inspection of the vehicle. As well as did an oil change.
They are delivering the Escalade to my home tomorrow afternoon. Why? Because they are touching up paint scratches on the bumpers and replacing all four door window trim appliques.

I have ordered an Alldatadiy subscription for it.
I have ordered an AutoCal V3 tune kit from BlackBear Performance.
I will be ordering a Tech 2 as soon as I sort through the 'Tell Me Why I Want A Tech 2' thread.

My plan is to change all the fluids immediately, with the exception of the transmission fluid. (It is currently nice and red, however...)
And replace the battery.
Oh yeah, I need to write down all the RPO codes from the sticker in the glove box.
Then inspect the brakes and such.
I have ordered Sonnax pressure switch rebuild kit and the 6L45-6L91-ZIP kit, and a new GM transmission pan. I will weld a bung to the new pan for a drain plug. When the Sonnax parts arrive, I will drain the trans and drop the valve body. Once back together, I will flush the transmission with new synthetic GM Dexron VI.

In the near future, I am doing a plugs/wires tune up and replacing the serpentine belt and tensioner.

From there, I will just drive the wheels off it and learn the nuances in care and feeding of a 2013 Escalade. I have been lurking here for a few months. My Explorer was totalled last month, but she was old. I had been looking for something else for a bit.

I plan on being an active member on this forum. Thanks for having me!



Photos below are at the dealership today:

View attachment 352513


View attachment 352514


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Welcome! You've got a beauty there. Hope you have many miles of enjoyment.

 

[swathdiver]

Ok, clarification of terms, you can run a Live Plot and record it using the Snapshot function.

I took mine out to test the Sam's Club gas and she recorded 8 degrees of knock retard accelerating from 65 to 85. On E85 I usually get zero knock retard. Traffic was fairly heavy so I didn't get to try different menus or make any more runs.

The Tech-2 will even show you which cylinder knock was detected in. Have fun with it!

 

[skpyle]

I haven’t read past threads, jumping in now. R your knock sensors oem/ new?

They are OEM. However, I have two new ACDelco 2131576 knock sensors waiting to be installed.

 

[skpyle]

Welcome! You've got a beauty there. Hope you have many miles of enjoyment.

Thank you! So far, so good. And I am quite in love with this Escalade.

 

[skpyle]

Not only can you see knock counts, you can graph them and record them for playback later as well. The menu on a 2013 looks different than my 2009 so I cannot walk you through it by memory. @gooffeyguy

Different brands of gas do make a difference. Chevron is tops, followed by Mobil and Sunoco. In the past, I could always count on Shell to take away 2 mpg, even when running their high test fuel. A couple months ago I was forced to use it in a remote area and it did not disappoint, still got worse mileage!

I just took on a tankful of Sam's Club gas, don't know who the current supplier is but should run a datalog because it is over 60 cents less a gallon compared with Chevron right now.

Ok, clarification of terms, you can run a Live Plot and record it using the Snapshot function.

I took mine out to test the Sam's Club gas and she recorded 8 degrees of knock retard accelerating from 65 to 85. On E85 I usually get zero knock retard. Traffic was fairly heavy so I didn't get to try different menus or make any more runs.

The Tech-2 will even show you which cylinder knock was detected in. Have fun with it!

Excellent! Thank you!
On my next day off, I will start playing around with my Tech 2 and see what I can learn.
I appreciate the advice.

 

[skpyle]

I spent some quality time yesterday with the Tech 2 and finally found the Diagnositc: Ignition menu. On the way to work last night, I live streamed: vehicle speed, engine RPM, and knock retard. The results were a little surprising. Most of the knocks were at steady state, around 60mph and 1500RPM. I was seeing an average of 3 degrees, with the occasional spike to 5. It seemed to be if the road elevation changed slightly. Meaning slightly increased load. I will live stream engine load with the other parameters next time. I put my foot in the water pump once, accelerating quickly from 60mpg to 80mph. I saw a blip of 2 degrees of knock retard.

I have some photos of the Tech 2 screens for setting up the diagnostics, but I have not downloaded them yet.

If nothing else, this data gives me a baseline to work with when I change gas stations at the next tank.

 

[skpyle]

Update on the Escalade...its a daily driver. I have put almost 5000 miles on it, and am loving it! It goes where I want it to go, and I am comfortable doing it. It just eats up the miles.

Shortly after I bought my Escalade, my wife brought me a souvenir back from New Orleans. I now have a pirate voodoo doll hanging from the rear view mirror. He is my Copirate on all my drives.

I am draining the catch can every 1000 miles, getting around 1/2oz of oil/water/milkshake.

I have been trying different brands of fuel and different gas stations, all while monitoring knock retard. I will run the fuel tank as low as I dare go, then refuel with 24-25 gallons of the selected fuel. I then drive until the fuel tank is down to 3/4. This ensures all the last batch of gas is gone. I then monitor knock retard, engine load, engine RPM's, and vehicle speed via the Tech 2 on my drive to work. This drive is consistent, so the data points are the same for each test.

So far, the results have been consistent: I see around 5 degrees knock retard at part throttle, around 1500RPM and around 60MPH. It seems to happen most when the grade increases slightly. This has been very repeatable.
I will continue this testing until I find a 93 octane fuel in my area that doesn't cause knock retard, or I run out of gas stations.

 

[skpyle]

My Copirate…

 

[adventurenali92]

View attachment 362568

My Copirate…

Love the copirate! Lol.
Glad to hear you’re loving the caddy!

 

[skpyle]

Love the copirate! Lol.
Glad to hear you’re loving the caddy!

Thanks! I am not big on trinkets and accessories hanging from a mirror. However...this one just seemed right.

I absolutely love this Escalade! I was heartbroken to lose my Explorer, but this is filling the hole nicely.

 

[pwtr02ss]

Glad it's been treating you well!

 

[skpyle]

Glad it's been treating you well!

Thank you!
I am now a firm believer in the GMT900 platform.

 

[skpyle]

Follow up to my February update on fuel and knocks.

I have tried all of the major gas stations between Blacksburg and Spartanburg. I have run tanks of 93 octane fuel from each. And the results have been the same. Consistent knock as described in my February update.
For lack of a better idea, I just kept driving.

Last week, after I refueled from my local QT, I added two 15oz bottles of Lucas Octane Booster, part number 10026. 'Theoretically' each can adds 3 octane levels. So, 'theoretically' my fuel tank would be full of 99 octane gasoline. Honestly, I was hoping for around 96 octane.

I drove around for a day to mix the fuel. Next day, I watched the OCTSCL_M factor value on my EFILive AutoCal V3 unit. Black Bear said the OCTSCL_M factor is what indicated I needed better fuel. Ideal value was 0.0. I was seeing anywhere from 0.9 - 0.5. With this batch of treated fuel, I saw different results.

Trip to work, value went from 0.5 eventually down to 0.1, with a few peaks and valleys. Most of this was highway driving, with a little surface street driving. I noticed the value dropped more on surface streets.
Trip home, value started at 0.0, worked its way up to 0.2, then back down to less than 0.1.

Tonight, on my trip to work, I monitored knock on cylinders 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 on my Tech 2 using Live Plot. For the most part, knocks were quiet. However, I saw random spikes on cylinders 2, 4, and 5. They did not seem to correspond to load or RPM. Once I hit surface streets, I saw no more knock spikes.

My plan is to SeaFoam the top end on Wednesday, then replace the knock sensors on Thursday.
And drive again...

 

[gooffeyguy]

Do you have any E85 in your area? I'd try running a tank of that to help clean out the combustion chambers. It'll also help with knock, it's like 105 octane

 

[skpyle]

Do you have any E85 in your area? I'd try running a tank of that to help clean out the combustion chambers. It'll also help with knock, it's like 105 octane

I wish!

Nearest E85 station is 40 miles from home, and way out of my way for work. I am stuck with gasoline.

Thanks!

 

[skpyle]

OK, I was able to SeaFoam the combustion chambers this morning.

After arriving home from work, I set the engine speed to 1850 using Tech 2 Special Function, Engine Throttle Speed.
I made a little rig with tubing and a throttling valve. Suction side went into a can of SeaFoam, discharge side went into the PCV vacuum port on top of the intake manifold. I used the suction line from the catch can.

I ran two 16oz bottles of SeaFoam through the intake. I pretty much just cracked the valve I heard the engine speed slow down. I had good flow of SeaFoam.
Emptied both cans in quick fashion.
I noticed a little white smoke from both tailpipes.

I let the engine idle for a moment, then shut it off to soak.

After an hour, I restarted the engine. It took several revolutions to fire, sputtered once, then ran fine.

I took the Eacalade on a ye olde Italian Tune-Up on some back roads. I kept the shifter in M3, and RPM’s around 3000.
Nice little jaunt around the countryside, then a leisurely highway ride home.

Engine is running fine.

Tonight, I start replacing the knock sensors…