Acetone in diesel fuel

[Martin White]

Just wondering if anyone here has tried it for improved fuel economy and performance. I'd be interested to hear comments. There is a great deal of contradicting press about this concept. A quick search on the net will show what I mean. But I don't think it's as easily discounted as just another crazy idea.

[Kalawang]

To the best of my knowledge, acetone can be used to improve the burn of gasoline and thereby, after a bit of re-tuning, improve both mileage and performance, but in the case of deisel the loss of lubricity from experiments with kerosene or acetone or alcohol can cause problems with the fuel pump and some other parts of the engine that I can't remember at the moment.


Kalawang

[cody c]

i just started running acetone in my 87 f250 6.9 diesel and my 83 bj60, i havent noticed much, maybe a little increase in power, but i have noticed a decrease in smoke. acetone is supposed to be a lot less corrosive than alcohol and easier on components and seals while cleaning out your engine. it does however bond to h20 meaning you should drain your sedimenter first, although there is some additives that have acetone mixed with water. acetone decreases the surface tension of diesel, meaning it thins it out allowing for a finer mist and better atomization and fuel efiiciency as well. i got medical grade acetone from a friend in medical research to make sure of the purity. if you decide to add acetone id recomend finding a pure source because im not sure what might be in the stuff at the hardware store. also if your worried about lubricity biodiesel is supposed to be much better than pump diesel in that department. i dont drive my vehicles much because i have a work truck but i can leave a long term opinion if you want to wait. cheers

[esde]

I tried this with my diesel Benz. It made a big difference at first. By thinning the fuel, it sprays better through an old clogged injector. I installed rebuilt injectors and then the difference was gone. Save the cash and get new injectors. If you've got a diesel plce close, they can rebuild and balance (match) yours. HTH, SD

[M John Galt]

My truck runs ~6% veg-oil and 120ml acetone per 90 litre tankful. This restores lubricity to the low sulfur fuel and reduces emisions for less smoke and a cleaner burn. Runs quieter too.

[Greg_B]

Originally Posted by Martin White

Just wondering if anyone here has tried it for improved fuel economy and performance. I'd be interested to hear comments. There is a great deal of contradicting press about this concept. A quick search on the net will show what I mean. But I don't think it's as easily discounted as just another crazy idea.

Ask Sheldon when you meet. His Dad has been doing this in his HJ61, and honestly I keep on forgetting to ask how it is going.

gb

[MLX450]

They had an episode on mythbusters (acetone+gasoline). No improvement on MPG. Busted!

[70sguy]

It doesn't suprise me about the gasoline, I don't suppose they tried it on diesel.
I did try this on my VW TDI for a few tanks and it did seem to make a slight improvement.. who knows..

[bigbrowndog]

The blokes running it here say to be sure to buy quality acetone and only use the correct amount. Also that you need to use it all the time not now and then. With the high boost on the turbo I have not tried it yet but some swear by it.

[deuce]

I don't have the site handy (I'm at work), but there is a very long article on the subject. The guy attacks the "Mythbusters", along with big oil companies. Not saying he is completely right or wron, but it's an interesting read. I'll post it up later. Anyway he states that for gas engines use 2-3ozs per 10gal of gas, and I think he says 2oz for every 10 gallons of diesel. He also talks about xylene(?) and a few other alternatives.

[Diesel42]

That study can be read here: www.lubedev.com

[deuce]

www.lubedev.com/smartgas/additive.htm

[Martin White]

This thread has been up some time now, and if you read through it, you get links to some sites quoting improved mileage. But there are few if any posts saying that someone on this forum has tried it and it actually works. I read the lubedev info. on acetone, and it seems to me there is some pseudo science (electron absorbers for improved mpg?) going on there. I don't particularly care whether or not their explanation is correct or not. We all know there are things that science simply can not explain. For instance, long run landslideds, but I digress.

So bottom line, has anyone here on this forum done this with diesel and if so what exactly was the impact of acetone on your fuel consumption?

[M John Galt]

Just Do It. For less than the price of a beer you can satisfy your curiosity. Some people notice a change, others don't; it depends a lot on your driving habits.

[Martin White]

Fair comment. I was just attempting to find out what others had to say. I'll have to figure out a way to get acetone in there without inadvertently removing paint!

[bigbertha]

Well, I am doing the acetone experiment in my gas fj60. I do not have mileage estimates yet, but after burning 3/4 tank I can tell you with utmost certainty that I have realized a noticeable increase in power and performance. It really does feel like I installed a small turbo. The engine has 40K on it and new everything. She runs like new on regular gas. So far, mileage seems to be unimproved and unimpaired but I need to run a few full tanks with different acetone ratios first.

[Greg H.]

Originally Posted by MLX450

They had an episode on mythbusters (acetone+gasoline). No improvement on MPG. Busted!

Sadly Mythbusters is not the ultimate authority in science - in fact there have been later episodes in which they have disproved earlier episodes, because they changed the variables that were tested and as such, can not be relied on for accuracy.