Posted on 07/26/2005 10:55:35 AM PDT by rface
Many months ago, I read a post on FR about adding acetone to gasoline to increase mileage. I tried the method outlined in the posting and paid attention to the naysayers and to those who thought that the idea might work.
Here’s the FR thread that I am referring:
Acetone In Fuel Said to Increase Mileage 15-35%
The original paper:
Pure Energy Systems: Acetone In Fuel Said to Increase Mileage
I immediately noticed that my 1996 Ford Explorer w/ 5.0 L V8 increased from 16 mpg to 19 or 20 mpg. This was a substantial increase, so I have added acetone to my gasoline for some 700 gallons of gasoline --- which equates to around 33 tankfuls of gas or 13,000 miles. I now add 10 ml acetone/gal of gasoline at every fuel stop.
My Ford Explorer has about 175,000 miles on it, and the “Check Engine” light (probably Oxygen sensor) has been on for about 50,000 miles – but it runs good and uses no oil. I have changed the oil regularly and I keep my tires at ~35 lbs of air pressure. It’s a good running Ford and it looks good --- when I get around to cleaning it up.
The Miracle:
I was driving home from work a few days ago and something didn’t look right on my dashboard……something was wrong.
I looked again at the oil pressure gauge. Okay. Temperature? Okay. Voltmeter? Okay. Hmmmmm. The “Check Engine” light is off.
What’s up with that?? Probably the dang bulb finally burned out.
No biggie. The Ford still runs good and I was tired of seeing that “Check Engine” light stare me in the face.
When I got home, I turned the engine off, and then re-turned the key to the accessory switch….and the dash board lit up as it was supposed to …. Including my “Check Engine” light!
Results: Yes, folks. Acetone in your gasoline will increase your mpg and it will make your “Check Engine” light go off.
Lesson Learned: This is just another example of the truth in the philosophy that I occasionally go by: “If you ignore a problem long enough, it will go away.”
"MythBusters busted the myth that sugar in the fuel tank harms engines. It didn't do anything."
Are you series? This is hugh!
Actually, I'm shocked. I always thought it would gum up the whole works. Whether they busted it or not, I'm not going to try it.
NO2 only allows you to add more fuel as the oxygen atoms split off during combustion. It's not necessarily more efficient, just more!
I doubt that the acetone creats much power, just maybe a more complete burn. I bet the acetone lowers the flashpoint of the gas and/or better atomization. Avoid using it on a turbo/supercharged vehicle if that was the case, as it would cause detonation.
Sounds like murder on the rubber components of the fuel system.
Those who are looking for more MPG should convert to synthetic oil, gearlube and ATF. Much safer.
Oh yeah, it's coming back to me now - don't most NO2 systems require you to install a beefier fuel pump? (Just read up on them, never played with them.)
Do you know what octane rating is? It is the opposite of what most people think.
Most people assume that a high number means that the gas burns hotter/faster, but the truth is that there is more retardant added to the fuel to make it burn slower/longer thereby producing more force against the piston for a longer period of time.
If you weigh a gallon of gas now it would weigh less than last year, and as a bonus you get to pay more!
I have a rolling diesel powered fleet of about 150 trucks, you want extra lube, add light kerosene, not motor oil.
No, but I know that it is calculated by the (R+M)/2 Method.
yep, many systems have a fuel nozzle to inject additional fuel.
Also, the higher octane is more resistant to detonation in high compression/forced induction engines where the compression alone can cause the fuel to ignite while the piston is still moving up. Bad news, it'll knock for a little, and then stuff breaks.
Lower octane gas should provided more power in lower compression vehicles, i.e. not a Corvette or a Subaru WRX Sti.
If I remember correctly there were wet and dry systems where the dry just pumped more fuel and the wet actually added more fuel in through nozzles fixed in to the intake manifold. How'd I do?
Which product is that? I've never seen it listed or even rumored.
Have you experimented with MMO (Marvel Mystery Oil) for lubricity?
OK, that sounds plausible, at least. Fuel that is inadequately atomized will not burn fully, decreasing power and mileage and increasing emissions. However, a modern fuel injection system that is functioning correctly should have no problem producing an optimum air/fuel mixture of fully atomized gasoline and air, so I wouldn't expect any gains, either.
No, nitrous oxide disassociates in the combustion chamber to provide more oxygen, which allows more fuel to be burned (NOS systems also inject extra fuel), making more power.
But yes, if an engine's FI system is not atomizing the fuel completely (due to, say, dirty fuel injectors) AND acetone makes it easier to atomize the fuel, then it might just improve efficiency. That's IF acetone actually has such an effect. But I find it hard to believe that the EPA and fuel manufacturers wouldn't have stumbled onto such an easy improvement and be using it.
Yep, dry systems just up the fuel pressure, but are only good for 50-75 horse at best. If you want more than that, wet system it is.
Close. Octane rating relates to the resistance of the fuel to detonation, which is the explosive combustion of part of the air-fuel mixture before the flame front reaches it. There are many different ways to reduce this propensity, not necessarily involving slowing down the combustion process. In fact, from what I know about detonation I would say that as a general rule a longer/slower burn would be more prone to detonation, not less. What is true is that most octane boosters use in fuels today have a lower specific energy than the main components of the fuel, so that higher octane fuel also generally has a lower specific energy than lower octane blends.
I seldom ever stop for red lights, as they generally have turned green by the time I get there.
Do this and you'll save a bunch of bucks on gas, not to mention your brakes will last 3 times longer, and you will double the life of your drivetrain.
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