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:

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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.