got a ? about acetone & gasoline mixture

Jerrwayne

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Sometime last year late one night I cought the last of a Cosat To Coast radio show with George Norie(used to be the Art Bell show)anyway sometimes there are some interesting showes on there and that perticular night there happened to be a guest on that said something about mixing acetone with regular gasoline and it worked even better than premium gas.I can't remember what the mixture was.Did anyone happen to here that or just happen to know anything about such.I got a supercharged motorcycle that sure likes 110 octane but I may try to make up some home brew for it.I will try to check the radio' web site.Just thought I would check with a few people in the different clubs I'm in first. Thanks!;)
 
2-3 ounces per 10 gallons used adjust for peak mileage.ive been using it over a year in my 96 conti with an avg of 20 in town and 29-30 on hwy.
 
last I checked, acetone eats plastic, you know, like the wire jackets on your fuel pump wiring.

Sounds like a good way to get a short in that wiring. Maybe someone will run a test with the right proportions in a glass jar and dropping a wire in it to see if the concentration is high enough to eat the jacket over a few months
 
Thanks for the replies

what I cought of the radio program it sounded good to me.The Speaker sounded like he knew what he was doing.Just sounded like another way to boost your octane to me and this way you know it's good stuff instead of some who knows what mixed up just to get your money.:D
 
Frogman said:
Already been done.

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

In the relatively minute quantities used, it won't harm any plastics.

While the author claims that he put carb parts in a jar for testing (nothing about wiring or other in-tank fuel pump parts), he also writes;

"Be consistent where you buy your gasoline because different gasolines vary tremendously. The best gas and the worst gas in your neighborhood will likely have a 30-percent spread in mileage."

Anyone EVER see a 30% difference in fuel economy between stations?

Of course not. Either he is lying or his method of calculating mileage is so lax as to be totally unreliable, not filling the tank all the way up or spilling fuel or something.

He does not address anything other than gasoline seals in a carb in his testing and he makes wild claims that any reasonable person can see are untrue. I would not trust his 'science' when it comes to my property.

He also talks about how much fuel is dumped out the tailpipe (it is his main argument for the 'benefits' of adding a corrosive to your fuel system.)

Maybe 20 years ago, with a poorly set carburator, but fuel injected vehicles with O2 feedback don't waste fuel. At other than WOT (where they are set rich for safety from the manufacturer) the amount of hydrocarbons (unburned fuel) is measured in PARTS PER MILLION (PPM)! A cat-con will clean up, at a guess, 95% of them, that means (based on my personal emission testing report from Illinois) that you are looking at a maximum of 400-800 PPM. With the expected volume of exhaust diluting it, it is still well less than 1% unburned fuel leaving the engine through the exhaust.

So, in theory you might get 1% increase in fuel economy if it works like he claims. His numbers show a 20% or more increase. Not possible. The article is a myth.
 
Moes8 said:

Laughing, you do know that the same guy wrote both articles referenced in this thread, right?

Using an article written by a dude to 'prove' another article the same guy wrote is just plain silly.


Now, I see that he sells additives, which makes him less of a crackpot and more of a scam artist in my opinion.

Maybe he is sincere and honestly believes he has found a way to get more energy out of gasoline than is theoretically possible, but he is still wrong.

The original point was wondering if acetone would harm the fuel system. Far as I am concerned, the jury is still out on it. I just hate to see someone take a risk with adding acetone (or anything else) and believing it is proven safe.

Your vehicle, your choice, just don't whine later if there is trouble.
 
well to answer the compatability question if you check the msds for acetone you will find that buna-n is impervious to it.buna-n is required for all modern fuel system sealing o rings.as for the pump parts ie plastic parts are made out of celcon(nylon) which once cured is pretty much impervious to anything.

also at the mix stated there wont be enough acetone to do any harm at all.i did a msds search before i started using it and several name brand additives contain acetone.

as for results i have been using it for over a year and my 96 conti gets excellent gas mileage idles well and has no drips from the pipes anymore.
when i had her inspected in july i asked the guy how my emmissions looked and he told me they were very very low.

i dont use the techron,but it is a well respected additive cleaner so i might add some to the mix.

as for oils torco and royal purple have fanatical followers,but i still prefer motorcraft oil and filters,mc has always had high marks for quality.
 
Having read through the article, and knowing a thing or two about fuel, I can say that this guy is full of sh!t. Putting some magical additive in your tank WILL NOT increase fuel vaporization.

If your fuel injectors are so crappy that they are spraying fuel droplets the size of raindrops, no amount of acetone is going to do crap to increase fuel mileage.

Furthermore, increased octane only helps to prevent detonation, it does not magically add horsepower without manipulating the timing and fuel tables. Higher octane fuel actually burns slower, and will typically result in less power production if the motor does not require it. Pouring five gallons of 109 octane unleaded in your Lincoln isn't going to make it run any harder unless the swill you're putting in your tank now is detonating.

Paul.
 
Here's a question - Not for or against - But

Would the computer make adjustments after you have added the acetone?

Meaning that the benefits would only work if you are on a long haul where the car is running (like a trip) once you turn off the car the computer would make adjustments and you are back to where you started?

I don't claim to be any expert just posing the question...
 
It works for me

I have been playing with it in my '87 Fiat X1/9 Bosch L-Tronic FI. I get about 10% mpg increase with 2oz acetone to 10gal 87octane. I can also notice a bit more performance from that poor little 1500cc 4 banger (no dino) . However, I can't see how it would make much difference to a new cutting edge-tech car with variable valve timing, new injectors, smart ECU and all the other emissions and performance electronics. accept help keep the injectors clean. I could be wrong.
 
if you want to lower your octane, add some eather!
 
Frogman said:
Have YOU tried it? No? Then you have no room to talk.

Simple as that.

I see that you are mad at me for disagreeing with your choice of adding acetone to your car. You wouldn't feel that way if you were 100% sure it were safe. You would have produced evidence that it was ok. Instead, you attack me as having no basis for caution instead of admitting that you may have jumped on the acetone bandwagon without doing the proper research, I did not write my posts to attack you or prove you wrong.

If you read my post before your last one, you will see that I wrote that the jury is still out on whether it is harmful or not. I only commented ony the folly of relying on a single person for information, a person who sells products based on the strength of these claims. No different than a traveling medicine show. If you believe that his testing is adequate, that he is honest with all his claims, then as I also wrote, your car, your choice.

I read his ramblings and they are downright amusing. Did you know that adding too much acetone will raise your octane too high and you will lose mileage? First I ever heard that the energy content of gasoline can be reduced by adding anti-knock chemicals.

He also has a disclaimer on some of the websites he has;

Acetone and Your Engine
Acetone is known to deteriorate cheap plastics and other substances. While the components in a car's fuel system should be of high quality, and thus immune to any deleterious effects from exposure to acetone, be aware that "ideal" is not always the case in practice. Be advised that not all systems have been tested against acetone. Until such thorough testing has been accomplished and certified by a accredited authority, you assume your own liability for experimentally testing acetone in your particular system.


In other words, buyer beware.

Another blurb from his own hand;

Using the ScanGauge at 50MPH, my best mileage was 48-52 in my Neon a few weeks ago. Then I stopped the acetone to do some reverse testing. The next four tanks of the same Texaco gas showed 42-43, 37-38, 33-34, 30-31. No acetone when each tank was filled at half-full. The drop was about 20 MPG overall. Recent tests at a steady 50 MPH show 61-63 MPG in the Neon. People report OVER 62 MPG in Toyota Prius vehicles with a tiny bit of acetone in the gas. The other person with me each time wrote down the results. Single source reporting is not a good idea.

I do agree with the last sentence, single source reporting is a very poor choice when it comes to proving something.

He uses a rather imprecise plug-in module to 'calculate' MPG instead of measuring miles and fuel added, it is not actually average MPH, but instant MPG. The same device that shows over 60 MPG in a Neon. The same device that showed 48-52 in the same car under, what he implies, are the same conditions a few weeks before. So it seems that using acetone and then stopping, then starting up again will gain 50% fuel economy at 50MPH, I guess if you do it again, you get 75% increase? I mean stopping it showed almost a 30% decrease (suprisingly the same decrease that you can get from varying gas stations in your neighborhood from his 'testing method')

Oh yeah, he also sells this module at his website, feel free to buy some to do your own testing.

Another disclaimer, if you read into his spiel deep enough, is that you might not see fuel mileage increase, but it is due to your local gas station having a different mix of fuel additives that do the same job. Although he claims that no refiners have anything like acetone for his surface tension theory, not sure how he expects to directly contradict himself and get away with it. Would make a fine politician I suppose.

I don't personally care what people want to try with their own cars. I just hate to see people who blindly go in on the lastest fad, relying on a self-proclaimed, single source, expert who sells products based on the assumption that his theory is correct.

Just be aware, that is all.

My choice is obviously to not be using acetone, does it work as he claims?

I don't know.

The point is that nobody knows, so as our friend Louis (author of all the acetone articles I could find on the 'net) writes; You assume your own liability for experimentally testing acetone in your particular system.

While I have great respect for MSDS (I am certified as a hazmat first responder, which sounds much more impressive than it is, but I am very familiar with the sheets), it is not an exhaustive reference. Having said that, I would be much more responsive to the idea that it may be safe for the fuel pump wiring and seals after reading that it does not react in its pure state to the internals of a fuel pump. The thinking being that the wiring should be similar it its resistance properties. Although mixing chemicals can show some strange results to materials that they would not show singularly.

I am neither recommending or not recommending what anyone does with their car, just don't be a sheep, do some real research before believing what you read on the internet. This rambling post included.

Hopefully, anything I have posted here or above has not caused anyone to believe that I am attacking them personally, I have a great respect for the people on here, it is a forum where people truly try to help each other and I have tried to give my input in the same spirit. If it seems to anyone that I have not given them there due respect, I truly do apologize. It was not my intention to do so.


-D
 
Mad at you for disagreeing with me? An old man once said, "You cannot learn anything from people who always agree with you."

What is it with some of you people and getting all butthurt then claiming someone was attacking you, if they don't agree with you.

Had I been attacking you, (which I have no reason to do), then I would have pulled a fossten on you, and used the bold blue "whiny voice" thing.

Now please, MTFO with the "OMG, you're attacking me!" crap. It was a statement, not an attack

All I asked was if you have personally used acetone as a fuel additive. If you have not, then you have no room to argue with someone who's been using it for quite some time wih negative side effects to the fuel system, all of your interweb fact finding missions aside.

I don't have a multimillion dollar lab to test these claims. But I do have a car that I can test them on, and you know what? So far, I HAVE seen an improvement in fuel efficiency with this crappy West coast fuel. Is it 10MPG improvement? Hell no. I've been seeing 1-2 MPG improvement. I tried it when I heard about it, and it just became routine to add 3.5oz to a tankfull. I am actually going to pull my tank sometime this week to send it out for a three pump retrofit. I will pull the canister for some pictures. We'll see how badly 3.5 oz of Acetone to 18 gallons of gas ate the plastic canister after..
what, almost a year worth of usage?
 
Thanks for the info.

I'm going to try it for awhile.I don't have anything to lose as far as I'm concerned.No more than the mixture calls for I don't see how it would hurt.I don't expect to see much of a gain but anything is a plus.I'v spent big bucks just to get one or two extra horse power so I don't think I'l be disappointed. Thanks again for the reply.I didn't mean to start a mess though.It's worth a try to me. Later.:)
 

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