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muddysub

muddysub

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at least i hope... or am i an idiot for believing this? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

my shop foreman told me today that i could run the hose from my windshield washer tank into a hole that i would have to drill in my air cleaner and put a sprayer nozzle on the end inside the air cleaner and fill the tank with straight alcohol. and when i want more power i could just hit the wipers and VROOOM!! so am i retarded or could this work? and if it did work would it destroy my engine? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
Interesting idea. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif I suppose it could work. I'm assuming alcohol...like "alcohol fueled dragster" right?

What will you do when your windshield is dirty /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
sounds like it might work not sure though, but if you get the ambition to try it let us know, cheap NOS i guess?/forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif
 
my feelings on that are not to do it. try it on a lawn mower or something. if you ad more fuel to a mixture, and not more air, then it is going to be rich, and rich is slow. also alcahol has different burning properties than gassoline, it may make a lean condition, if so and you are running regular gas, and under a load, and say the timing isnt right on. your going to get detoantion in a bad (break something expensive) way. just my .02. if you try it let us know.
/forums/images/graemlins/usaflag.gif /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gif /forums/images/graemlins/usaflag.gif
 
Basicly you add alcohol to gas to slow down the burn to prevent pre detonation (pinging) Alcohol is not as flamable as gas it has a lower flash point.
If you have a high compression/performance engine. Mixing gas and alcohol (methanol) makes the gas burn cleaner and cooler without pre-detonation so you can run more timing advance than with just gas alone. This allowes you to make more power. But you usually need to tune the carb and increase jet sizes to richen up the fuel ratio or you will burn valves real fast
In a basicly stock engine adding alcohol wont do a whole lot. You could tune your engine for it and add more total advance to make more power but you are risking breaking or burning something If you dont know what is going on.
Speaking of burning /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif Running a flamible liquid thru your windsheild washer system into the air cleaner sounds like a great way to burn down your rig
 
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Speaking of burning Running a flamible liquid thru your windsheild washer system into the air cleaner sounds like a great way to burn down your rig


[/ QUOTE ] true /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif i don't think i'll do it.
 
No, you're not an idiot but I think you'll be disappointed if you try it.

Alcohol injection (actually a mixture of alcohol and water) has been experimented with since the 30's and 40's when the military used it on forced induction (supercharged) engines to reduce detonation at higher boost pressures.

Alcohol injection does 2 things:
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[*]First, the rapid evaporation rate of alcohol will cool the intake charge to allow more air/fuel mixture into your combustion chambers. Nitrous Oxide also cools the intake charge and provides the same benefit, although Nitrous evaporates MUCH faster and cools the intake charge MUCH more.

[*]Second, adding alcohol will effectively raise the octane rating of the air/fuel mixture. Now, before you get all excited, a higher octane rating ONLY means that the charge will burn slower, reducing detonation. If you run the alcohol injection all the time ($$$$$$$$$) you COULD advance your timing a few degrees and get a few more ponies out of your engine.
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Compared to Nitrous Oxide .... well, there really is NO comparison other than the fact that they both cool the intake charge. The bigest advantage of Nitrous is the fact that it contains OXYGEN that is released when it is vaporized. That is why you also have fuel nozzles with a nitrous system, to add more fuel. Thats where the power comes from.


Bottom line: After plumbing everything, messing with your timing, buying alcohol (about $5.00/gal) and adjusting the contraption to work properly, you MIGHT see a TINY change in horsepower due to the cooler intake charge.

I realy wouldn't recommend installing it on a daily driver but if you drive a Big Block Suburban over the mountains everyday with a 10k trailer hooked on the back, alcohol and/or water injection would be a great idea to help control detonation on those long uphill runs.


If you do try it .... show us the pictures!


/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
The 'real' way of doing that is carb cleaner can in the truck with a tube running into the air cleaner lid. When you want a boost you hit the spray nossle on the can...
My uncle use to drag race with that setup.

Good luck running alcohol threw an electric motor let me know how that turns out /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

Jeremiah
 
By the way, alcohol also contains O2 like Nitrous, the difference is the percentage, but as both of you said, you have to modify your engine to get the power out of the alcohol, and you will still burn your engine fast because alcohol is a great oil cleaner, so it will clean your cylinder walls and burn the rings.
Also the fact tha alcohol (unlike nitrous) is on it's own flamable, so do you want that under your hot hood.
I think not.
But keep bringing ideas guys, someday we will find cheaper ways tod o things. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
well i guess that was a bad idea, i'm not gonna try it. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
not a bad idea, but i dunno if i would want it in my rig, i have always thought about something along these lines but never had the cahonies to install it, instead of alcohol i was going to insert some of my Nitro Methane from my RC car /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif hehehe nothing like a little 30% boost to get ya going, the only thing is the RC fuel has a oil in it and i was not sure about the mixing of Castor oil into the intake, but who knows, maybe ??? maybe not i still might do it about the time i have money for another motor, hehehe

if ya try it let us know /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif


thanks

Ck1500 /forums/images/graemlins/ears.gif
 
In moderation it would be similar to water injection. In small amounts water is a good thing for a motor. Cools the intake air and helps reduce carbon. The alcohol would just cool the air more because of how fast it evaporates.

I hardly think its worth the effort, even for as simple as it is. Youll never get a nitrous kick if thats what your thinking.

I dont think it would be harmful,(in moderation) but I dont think it would help either.
 
ok well i thought of a what if question. What if you took rubbing alcohol and poured it down your gas tank? would anything happen? my friends joke that you could make the engine burn hotter and mess it up, but im not really sure if it would do anything.
 
One other thing we use to do on hot nights drag racing is ICEE, NOT ICE. You know the Plastic blocks of ice you freeze to pack in a cooler? Place one on the opposite side of the intake port on the air cleaner (not inside the air filter), it cools and adds moisture to the air. We use to wrap the fuel lines in the flexable ICEE packs also (you can buy the fancy canisters to route the fuel lines through that have the water drains but they are $60+).
I wouldn't drive around with one in, but we use to drop it in long enough for a quick run.
 
You don't want to put alcohol in your tank, it will get moisture and make it rust. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
Alcohol is the main ingredient of aftermarket products to remove water in the fuel tank that accumulates from condensation. It absorbs the water molecules and carries them out to be combusted. So its a good thing to use occasionally.
 
Won't help performance, but since the burn is cleaner, up to about 25% rubbing alcohol to gas mix can help you pass emissions. (same idea as the stuff on the shelfs selling for what, $5-10 a can?)
 
putting alcohol in your gas tank is not a good idea trust me ive tried it i put denatured alcohol in a car i had and it removed all of the varnish film from inside the tank and fuel lines and put them into the fuel filter. 4 filters later it was fine
 
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