Acetone added to Gasoline o_O

[SnakeyesTx]

http://www.pureenergysystems.com/news/2005/03/17/6900069_Acetone/

First article I looked up on this. It sounds like a potent version of things like Seafoam, but my concern would be things like injector o-rings getting eaten up. Has anyone ever tried or done this before, and what success or horror stories have you had from the experience?

[califblue]

do a search...******** is all it is

[winfred]

snake oil

[pundit]

snake oil
Hmmm.... I've never tried adding snake oil to my gas tank... where do you get it? ;)

[Bill R.]

did a test on it and measured the mileage exactly, not only did it not do better,it did slightly worse.





http://www.pureenergysystems.com/news/2005/03/17/6900069_Acetone/

First article I looked up on this. It sounds like a potent version of things like Seafoam, but my concern would be things like injector o-rings getting eaten up. Has anyone ever tried or done this before, and what success or horror stories have you had from the experience?

[Jon K]

However, adding Toulene to fuel...or xylene :)

Toulene
R+M/2...114
Cost...$2.50/gal
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...94.2 Octane
20%...96.4 Octane
30%...98.6 Octane

FORMULA 2
Xylene
R+M/2...117
Cost...$2.75/gal
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...94.5 Octane
20%...97.0 Octane
30%...99.5 Octane

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

half dozen in each tank of gas.

Never had a moth eat through my tank yet

[Paul in NZ]

so you could buy low octane gas and up the octane with toluene or xylene?
Is that the idea Jon?>Would hardly be worth it would itunless you cant get the octane you need?

[BillionPa]

i have been adding acetone to my gas for over a year, and it has increased my mileage and throttle response.

DONT USE WITH GAS CONTAINING ETHANOL OR YOU WILL GET WORSE MILEAGE AND POTENTIAL ENGINE DAMAGE.

that said, you add it at 0.23% by volume, and it changes the surface tension of the gasoline allowing better atomization. works for fuel injected engines not carbureated engines.

do NOT add more than 0.25% by volume, as it begins to effect the combustion process at this point by reducing the combustability of the gas. lower than 0.20% doesnt change the surface tension enough. if you have a higher compression engine (like 10:1 and up) then adding a bit more acetone (.01% for every +1:1 increase in compression) will not negatively effect the combusion process.

the concentration is too low to effect the rubber components in the fuel system, and also low enough that the cost of the acetone vs the benefit makes it very worth it. my city mpg goes up about .5 (3%) but my highway mpg is between 31-40 (thats reaaaaly good), and my combined average was 20% higher than prior, although it has dropped to 10% with the increased use of S4 this summer.

it costs $1 for 4oz of acetone, which is how much i use for 13gal of gas (0.24% max), at $3 a gallon = $39.. therefore, i would need a 1/39 improvement in mileage to justify the use of it, which is 2.6%, well within the limit for its continued use. and if not for the mileage increase, then for the cleanliness of the injector heads, and the funky exhaust smell.

it works best when used with either lucas upper cylinder lube or FP60, or some other lubricating substance that increases combusion temp. the effect is synergistic, providing better engine efficiency than either would allow alone.

old school moth balls are highly oxygenated and make the car perform like it has a supercharger. that however is best suited to carbuerated cars, unless you increase the amount slowly so that the ECU can figure out wtf is going on.

[BillionPa]

oh i also have some xylene, which i was messing around with, my unboosted engine doesnt like it too much, 92 octane is fine for me. i can always use it to remove paint though!

[tim]

It's good for decarbing (removing carbon) on a two stroke engine like an outboard motor or a dirt bike.

[bagpuss]

Acetone is a far more powerful solvent than petrol and I would be hesitant to agree that it wouldn't be affecting the numerous non-metallic components and thus, over time, the concern is that it 'could' eat some of these components (O-Rings etc) away. The second question is environmental and since you state that the exhaust smells different, one would have to question what the (extra) exhaust products are (a fine mist of o-ring material perhaps), and indeed the affect on the catalyst of using chemicals/concentrations for which it wasn't designed.

As for Xylene (and Toluene), these are strong carcinogens and apart from the affect on the environment (dont get me wrong I'm not a green basher), you might end up with expensive replacement catalyst bills as these chemicals are highly reactive and likely poisonous to catalyst in larger quantities than already present in fuel, you could also get lung cancer from inhaling them whilst you pour them into the tank and skin cancer when you spill it on your hands.

Personally, I would keep both chemicals well away from my car, and indeed myself, and thats also a semi-professional opinion (Chartered Chemist).

[632 Regal]

so with an engine chip you should still continue to use the higher octane fuels when using the acetone additive?

oh i also have some xylene, which i was messing around with, my unboosted engine doesnt like it too much, 92 octane is fine for me. i can always use it to remove paint though!

[fujioko]

I put some in the kids Honda Spree with 4900 miles on it. Usually at 4000-5000 miles Spree engines need a good cleaning. Anyway a few days later one of the piston rings broke.. carbon chunk?

When I took the engine apart, the head and the top of the piston were spotless!

Something to think about.

[Jon K]

Sounds like a shitty motor. Nothing wrong with running xylene or acetone, it'll murder your cats tho.

[632 Regal]

it claims to clean carbon deposits, how much did you add?
I put some in the kids Honda Spree with 4900 miles on it. Usually at 4000-5000 miles Spree engines need a good cleaning. Anyway a few days later one of the piston rings broke.. carbon chunk?

When I took the engine apart, the head and the top of the piston were spotless!

Something to think about.

[gale]

I read that link a few months back. Their recommended "dose" is 1 oz. acetone per 10 gal. gas, with a max of 3 oz. To me, that seems like a pretty weak dilution ratio. Do you think that little amount of acetone will have any negative effects? I never tried it because sure as ****, I'll spill it down the side of my car & ruin the paint.

From what I remember, the benefit was the effect acetone has on breaking surface tension on the gasoline, allowing it to disperse better & get a more complete burn. Maybe it's snake oil, maybe not.

[632 Regal]

without trying it myself theres no way to have an answer that it either works or doesnt. That small of an amount I dont thing could hurt anything. I have a can at work just sitting there :D


I read that link a few months back. Their recommended "dose" is 1 oz. acetone per 10 gal. gas, with a max of 3 oz. To me, that seems like a pretty weak dilution ratio. Do you think that little amount of acetone will have any negative effects? I never tried it because sure as ****, I'll spill it down the side of my car & ruin the paint.

From what I remember, the benefit was the effect acetone has on breaking surface tension on the gasoline, allowing it to disperse better & get a more complete burn. Maybe it's snake oil, maybe not.

[BillionPa]

gasoline is like, mostly toulene and xylene anyway, so adding some to the gas will not make it more or less toxic or anything.

the change in exhaust smell is because there are LESS harmful emissions in it, and as such no longer smells the same.

the acetone at 0.23% raises octane so minimally that it wont do much to reduce detonation, although if you are borderline it may stop it. if the performance chip calls for 92 or higher, use 92 or higher.

only use acetone that is 100% pure, 0 VOC. if you are using nail polish remover you will **** some **** up hardcore. i use bondo or duplicolor brand from checkers, which is 100% pure. it was $7.99 for 32oz when i got it, so i got 3 cans. that was a while ago.

it does do a spectacular job of keeping the engine clean as well, as the combination of acetone toulene and xylene you create is a good solvent for removing carbon deposits. i add a bit of Techron to the mix before putting it in my tank (i have a lot of it) to keep EVERYTHING clean.

do NOT (i must emphasize this) mix acetone with octane boosters (not sure if its the nitromethane or mmt that reacts) or methanol or ethanol or any other alcohol as the reaction is not pretty.

last summer i did some tests mixing **** together, and as such my recommended mix is as follows

for every 13gals of gas add the following:
4oz Acetone
3oz FP60 or Lucas UCL
3oz Techron or Progaurd or Jectron

those components dont seem to react with eachother in anyway.
i premix a new can of the stuff after fillup, and check it before i fill up for signs of reaction (i also tested various combinations over longer periods before hand.)

[fujioko]

Oh.. I put in a lot. Mabey 1/2 pint to a gallon... perhaps too much?

[fujioko]

Just before the Honda Spree experiment I put some Acetone (a lot) in the Lawnboy. The mower ran just fine, however the next time I tried to run it, the engine started and then died. I took the carburetor apart and discovered the coating on the cork float was gone! The float had to be replaced.

Acetone is an interesting chemical to experiment with. Perhaps today I’ll try something new.

I have a 3.5 HP Briggs & Stratton sitting in the garage. I pulled the engine off one of the rototillers I destroyed. This engine has a lot of hours on it and I imagine it has to be pretty carboned up. In the name of science I’ll pull the head and photograph the extent of the carbon build up. Then reassemble the Briggs and run it on a mix of acetone and fuel.

Let’s see what happens!

[bagpuss]

Interesting experiment. My bet is it'll clean it some, then kill it (in the end). lol

[632 Regal]

LMAO...it says to use like 3oz per 10 gallons! thats .3oz per gallon or 1.5oz per 5 gallons. Poor engines...


Just before the Honda Spree experiment I put some Acetone (a lot) in the Lawnboy. The mower ran just fine, however the next time I tried to run it, the engine started and then died. I took the carburetor apart and discovered the coating on the cork float was gone! The float had to be replaced.

Acetone is an interesting chemical to experiment with. Perhaps today I’ll try something new.

I have a 3.5 HP Briggs & Stratton sitting in the garage. I pulled the engine off one of the rototillers I destroyed. This engine has a lot of hours on it and I imagine it has to be pretty carboned up. In the name of science I’ll pull the head and photograph the extent of the carbon build up. Then reassemble the Briggs and run it on a mix of acetone and fuel.

Let’s see what happens!

[SnakeyesTx]

So, basically... this isn't smoke and mirrors or snake oil. We should send this to mythbusters to run it with all the commonly posted combinations! :D

[632 Regal]

mythbusters already tried this with poor results. Doesnt mean it doesnt work, some engines have no gains where others can. I have a gallon of acetone at work which I dont use for much of anything so I wont even lose the $3.00 or whatever investment.


So, basically... this isn't smoke and mirrors or snake oil. We should send this to mythbusters to run it with all the commonly posted combinations! :D

[Bill R.]

carburated, they also tested a couple of other things too on that episode. I watched it. Here's alink to the description (http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2006/05/exploding_trousers_great_gas_conspiracy.html)





mythbusters already tried this with poor results. Doesnt mean it doesnt work, some engines have no gains where others can. I have a gallon of acetone at work which I dont use for much of anything so I wont even lose the $3.00 or whatever investment.

[Jon K]

mythbusters already tried this with poor results. Doesnt mean it doesnt work, some engines have no gains where others can. I have a gallon of acetone at work which I dont use for much of anything so I wont even lose the $3.00 or whatever investment.


No, what mythbusters tried was running teh car on straight acetone, paint thinner, mineral spirits trying to get better mileage out of it - they were not concerned with the octane of the fuel. What putting 30% of acetone in your tank does is make about ~99 octane fuel, which for performance motors (read: no stock motors with chips...) means safety and power.

[SnakeyesTx]

I kinda thought that was what it was leaning towards too. This wasn't the same episode where they tried sugar in the gas, and eggs in the radiator was it?

I think this acetone dilution in the gas would be a good test on a computer controlled fuel injected engine, not at wore out 30 year old, carbureted small block chevy.

[632 Regal]

I only remember the 2 ford pickups...err maybe that was the tailgate up/down mileage experiment.
I kinda thought that was what it was leaning towards too. This wasn't the same episode where they tried sugar in the gas, and eggs in the radiator was it?

I think this acetone dilution in the gas would be a good test on a computer controlled fuel injected engine, not at wore out 30 year old, carbureted small block chevy.

[Jon K]

There was the acetone test, then there was another with mileage of AC on windows up or AC Off windows down, and mileages tail gate up or down... all are after optimizing mileage not power. Acetone will do nothing for your mileage.

[fujioko]

Here are some "before" pictures of the Briggs engine. I reassembled the engine and mounted it to a board. Filled the tank with fresh fuel and about an ounce of acetone. The engine ran many hours on the tank of fuel. Refilled the tank with the same mix and ran it some more.

Tomorrow evening I'll post the pictures of the result.

Also I'll post more pictures of the "mole killing machine" in a thread I started in the "way off topic" section. I snaped the pictures today, however the camera is still in the garage.. and I'm tired.

[632 Regal]

dude 1oz to what? 3 gallons of gas I hope!
Here are some "before" pictures of the Briggs engine. I reassembled the engine and mounted it to a board. Filled the tank with fresh fuel and about an ounce of acetone. The engine ran many hours on the tank of fuel. Refilled the tank with the same mix and ran it some more.

Tomorrow evening I'll post the pictures of the result.

Also I'll post more pictures of the "mole killing machine" in a thread I started in the "way off topic" section. I snaped the pictures today, however the camera is still in the garage.. and I'm tired.

[fujioko]

Ok.. apparently I have put too much acetone in the fuel. Hey.. if a little is good than a lot is better….

Anyway I decided to run one more tank full of fuel through the machine. My one ounce of acetone is mixed with one US qt of fuel. I’ll bet Jeff id rolling his eyes… yeah its too much.

So what happens when you use too much… well apparently it cleans too fast and the little particles don’t have a chance to exit the engine. Fouling the plug is possible. Of course a strong solvent will certainly damage sensitive components.. but nothing is too sensitive on a Briggs engine so I don’t worry.

The last running of the engine was temporally postponed when the engine wouldn’t start.. Oh.. something tells me that ain’t good…. I pulled the brand new plug and found the nose of the plug was broken.. Too hot? or just a crappy Chinese spark plug. I don’t know. Perhaps both.

I replace the plug and started the little engine. Fast forward several hours and the end result is what follows.

PICTURE


In summary the formula was 3 to 4 ounces of acetone in ¾ gallon of fuel. Way too much acetone. No apparent damage. Engine is cleaner and runs a bit better than when I started this experiment. The carburetor on this Briggs has a diaphragm and should be sensitive to the acetone. The carb seemed just fine and continues to work well.

The engine ran at about 1200 RPM with no load. I think I’ll put a load on it and run the test again.