Pure Acetone in the tank..anyone? (1 Viewer)

[airlaird]

An engineeer buddy of mine has done some research and some real time experimenting on his 94 cruiser. He claims 10 oz. of pure acetone has increased his mileage and power. He claims his mileage ha gone from 10.8 to 13.5 and his tank from 260 to 320...any thoughts on this?. He states it basically boost octane to 100. Isn't Acetone used in fuel injector cleaning?




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[powderpig]

Ben at slee when I was still there, show me some stuff on the pirates board about this. I can not remember if it made it way here on mud or not. It seem to say that it is a Octane booster. It did not say how much to use.
What does 10 oz of acetone cost? Could be a interesting experment for you Air. Let us know what you think after testing in your truck. robbie

 

[Doc]

Acetone is a pretty cheap comodity, as it's readily available in home 'depot' type stores as a paint remover product.

Acetone will encourage your seals to dry out and rubber to rot though, IIRC.

 

[cabron]

I would think that in the long term it would cause the breakdown of any soft compounds like rubber and lead to problems down the road.

 

[MaddBaggins]

Acetone is not kind to rubber products, but then again gasoline isn't very nice either.

 

[airlaird]

Yeah..it's about $2.00 at Walmart in a 10 oz. bottle. Apparently you add it to simply 4-5 tankfulls to clean out the system, deposits etc.. Definately not made for long time use.
airlaird


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[Skillet]

Careful with the acetone.

That stuff can really do damage to plastics and rubbers that were not designed around it.

Besides, much of the acetone available at places like Home Depot or other hardware stores contains other, filler chemicals that can gum things up.

One thing that you may want to try is toluene as an octane booster and injector cleaner. I used it in my A4 with good results. It seemed to clean things up and she ran a lot smoother after a couple of treatments. Check this: <http://www.elektro.com/~audi/audi/toluene.html>

I used 1 gallon of pure toluene per 16 gallons of fuel.

However, you need to go to a respected place like Sherwin Williams or other dedicated paint company to get a gallon of the pure stuff, as this too can contain filler chemicals if you purchase it from run-of-the- mill hardware stores.

About $8 per gallon and some stores may require you to present a contractors license or "reason" for needing it due to the fact that it is the main ingredient that kids like to sniff in paint, scotch guard and other cheap thrill sniffable products.

Since it is a naturally occurring by-product of crude oil, your engine's rubbers and plastics handle it much better than acetone.

 

[M-80]

Here are some links about adding acetone to fuel. I heard about it on some talk radio show my husband forced my to listen to. The host kept saying that petroleum and automotive companies will tell you that it doesn't work because they make money from having less efficient vehicles. Sounds interesting but I just haven't worked up the courage to try it.

http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Acetone_as_a_Fuel_Additive

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

From Wikipedia:
"...Acetone is often the primary (or only) component in nail polish remover. Acetone is also used as a superglue remover. Small quantities of acetone added to fuel may improve economy and engine performance, though this is only anecdotal and refuted by most automotive engineers..."

I wonder what the Mud experts like C-Dan, IdahoDoug and others would say about acetone.


Steve, when and if you try this, be sure to let us know.

 

[Tools R Us]

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=50334

 

[lowenbrau]

There has been talk of this in the diesel world too. If acetone works, it's due to its ability to reduce surface tension. I've never heard an expert opinion on how much this increases the volitility of the fuel while in the tank. Gasoline is already too dangerous for use in motor vehicles. If we hadn't already been using it for a century it would never be approved as a motor fuel.

If its not just snake oil, I could see a future where a surfactant is carefully mixed with the fuel right before it enters the engine.

 

[fzj80kidpen]

Lowenbrau you are right on about the reducing surface tension.
That seems to be the beneficial result of added small ratios to gas. I have never run it but adding just and couple oz. to a tank full just seems like it would be so diluted that it would not do any damage to seals etc that are already designed to be in contact with gas. As to using toluene, it is a much strong organic solvent (if I remember correctly) and I would not recommend using it except for throttle body cleaner. I may have to give this acetone thing a try. Seems to be alot of people out there talking it up and with 170k I am not to far from a rebuild anyway.

 

[airlaird]

Well I agree...a few ounces in the tank may be OK...just nervous to try it...hmmmm...well....maybe a few ounces wil be a good experiment

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airlaird

 

[snailwagon]

Toluene has more plastic and rubber incompatibilities than acetone. (also has been pulled from standard consumer use for carcinogenic effects and because it is a common solvent in clandestine drug labs). The current replacement for toluene is xylene, which is very similar but with a higher boiling point/more surface tension. Look on the back of a leak stop bottle, contains xylene. So this and toluene will swell up all your rubber seals. Running acetone at 2 or 3% of your fuel is pretty dilute and wouldn't cause problems with rubber or plastic swelling. I'd be pretty skeptical about putting a gallon of anything besides alcohol in my tank.
Now someone do a cruiser assay already.

 

[Skillet]

Toluene has more plastic and rubber incompatibilities than acetone. (also has been pulled from standard consumer use for carcinogenic effects and because it is a common solvent in clandestine drug labs). The current replacement for toluene is xylene, which is very similar but with a higher boiling point/more surface tension. Look on the back of a leak stop bottle, contains xylene. So this and toluene will swell up all your rubber seals. Running acetone at 2 or 3% of your fuel is pretty dilute and wouldn't cause problems with rubber or plastic swelling. I'd be pretty skeptical about putting a gallon of anything besides alcohol in my tank.
Now someone do a cruiser assay already.

Alright, alright...I take back the toluene thing...sheesh.

Did work well in my Audi though.

Guess I could call the new owner and see if the fuel system exploded.

 

[notyourmomslx450]

and because it is a common solvent in clandestine drug labs).

So is acetone, coincidentally. My dad has a fiberglass business (goes through literally tons of acetone per year), and when he first started it up, the local FBI came out b/c a nosy neighbor saw all the acetone and thought we were making meth. Turns out we were just making fiberglass ductwork and tanks. Go Figure, making fiberglass at a fiberglass shop.

BTW, I would worry about using acetone too often. I know that just using a couple of times in a day to get fiberglass and resin off your hands will dry them out to the point of cracking. I'd hate to see long term effects on rubber. (you can't put lotion on internal seals and gaskets like you can on your hands)

my .000002 cents

 

[Atticus]

Lowenbrau you are right on about the reducing surface tension.
That seems to be the beneficial result of added small ratios to gas. I have never run it but adding just and couple oz. to a tank full just seems like it would be so diluted that it would not do any damage to seals etc that are already designed to be in contact with gas. As to using toluene, it is a much strong organic solvent (if I remember correctly) and I would not recommend using it except for throttle body cleaner. I may have to give this acetone thing a try. Seems to be alot of people out there talking it up and with 170k I am not to far from a rebuild anyway.

You're something like 80,000 miles away from a rebuild. Something to consider.

 

[Darwood]

One thing that you may want to try is toluene as an octane booster and injector cleaner. I used it in my A4 with good results. It seemed to clean things up and she ran a lot smoother after a couple of treatments.

xylene is another octance boost that alot of folks recommend. I've never heard about using acetone and I would be worried about the rubber lines.

 

[RavenTai]

I knwo a guy who is trying this in his CJ, milage was nto much of an improvement but power was, but both he and I are a little more hesitant to try it in a fuel injected engine, a lot more expensive parts in contact with the fuel,

Acetone really scews up some plastics, some things I have accidentally destroyed with acetone are polycarbonate safety glasses. crazes almost instantly, 5 brand new cabin windows, acrylic? carzed, and Snap-on screw driver handles (melt) but some other plastics are not affected by it at all such as the plastic bottole acetone comes in.


I have no idea what the plastic and rubber parts of the fuel system in an 80 are made of or if will accept acetone long term even in small ammounts.

 

[Photoman]

FWIW, Acetone is a photographer’s trick to cleaning lenses. CAREFULLY! A drop on the lens cloth, then wipe the lens glass. Do NOT put the Acetone on the lens or any paint, and then wipe. Also, don’t let a drop fall on the side your Hasselblad lens.

Methyl Hydrate which I have heard is Methyl Alcohol? is good for removing moisture from gas tanks and seems to boost performance. Also heard it has helped pass emission tests? Good for clearing ice from windshields and unfreezing locks. Not good for paint.

And for the home chemist. Pow!

Bill

 

[GeoRoss]

I use alot of acetone (99.9% ACS grade) for mineral separations at work. I buy 20L jugs and IIRC it is $60, so

20L~675 fluid oz

so I pay about 9 cents per oz.

Acetone doesn't like polycarbonate, acrylic resins or polystyrene plastics. Polyethylene or high density polyethylene (HDPE) plastics do fine. Rubber does not do well under prolonged contact, but is ok for short term. I do not know how much worse it is on rubber than ethanol. What I do know is that the acetone 'dries' out the rubber by extracting compounds in the rubber that are very soluble in acetone. Over time the rubber will fail. IIRC there were problems with some 80's vintage motors and ethanol additives in gas along these lines.

Acetone has a very low flash point high evaporation rates. Do not use it to start camp fires, I repeat, do not use it to start camp fires. According to my wife the biologist, it is bad for your sperm so don't spill it on ya down there near your hootus .

Ross