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Acetone as a fuel additive.

2K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  MrSciTrek 
#1 ·
#2 ·
I've read of it before, but never tried it. Personally, I'd be more likely to try it in the bike first since there aren't all those pesky, expensive sensors in an EX, depending on the car you've got.

I have my doubts based on the fact that the hoses and systems are designed for gasoline. I don't know how acetone affects all that. Maybe it doesn't, or maybe it accelerates things, causing heat and side effects outside the realm of natural function. Too many maybes. Nitrous works and is not a normal additive to an engine system, but too much or too frequent and it blows apart an engine just the same.

That guys seems to have tested and retested to prove his point, but I'll still let you try it first and report back :D.
 
#3 ·
Heres the science that Ive read about it.

Just like when you burn too high of an octane a 500, a car doesnt burn all of the fuel.
Acetone breaks up the fuel bonds so more fuel is burned,almost like you are putting more gas in your car. It also burns cleaner, plus you only use a little acetone per 10 gallons of gas. It depends on the vehicle and engine, but it usually leads to an increase in fuel effiency.
If I try it in my car, I'll test it on a tank of gas in the 500, and I'll post the results.
 
#4 ·
I came across the acetone idea a couple years ago in a tractor forum I used to frequent. I was quite interested because I put quite a bit of money in my tank commuting to work and any mileage increase I can get would be welcome.

I looked up as much as I could find about it and also read some so-called "scientific" explanations as to why it might work (helping atomize the fuel into finer droplets, etc). I also found several legit sounding chemists who said it was B.S. Across several forums that I found references to people trying it, there was an almost even split between those who said it worked to varying degrees and those who found no improvement at all. I did notice, however, that those who seemed to find the most improvement tended to be those who drove older cars. I then found someone speculated that the improvement some people seem to get is likely due to the acetone acting like a fuel injection cleaner and cleaning up their fuel system rather than any sort of chemical action helping to burn fuel more efficiently. I think this is the most likely explanation for any effect acetone might have (in fact, I believe many fuel system cleaners have a high acetone content).

Eventually I tried it on my Toyota Tacoma. I first ran a couple tanks of fuel injection cleaner through to make sure the fuel system was working as well as it could before trying the acetone. I measured my mileage over several tanks both with and without the acetone and it made no difference at all for me.
 
#6 ·
Yes, I have tried it on 3 cars and a co-worker has tried it on his van.  Here are the results:


2000 Subaru Outback:  freeway miles got about 1 mile more per gallon, no change in city miles.
2001 Toyota Solara:  freeway miles got about 2 miles more per gallon, about 1 mile more in city.
1991 Jeep:  about 2 more miles on freeway, no change in city.

1998 Dodge Van:  Squeezed out about 400 miles on a full tank (normally gets about 320 on a full tank).

It should be noted no change of gas brands was involved, same brand every time.  I was told by several mechanics the reason why it helps is due to the fact that it helps 'atomize' the fuel as it sprays thourgh the injectors; i.e. makes an even spray of mist for more efficient burns.


Judge for yourself, but I'm convinced.  Be careful how much you use, because over-doing it can dry out seals in the engine.  Only use about 2-4oz per tank   :'(


EM
 
#7 ·
There was a big deal made of this in a car forum I once was vary active in.
Zx2 enthusiasts (last of the 2 door escorts, 2.0 DOHC Zetec engines) at www.teamzx2.com

Probably the top mechanical guy there, "mechtech" started the thread saying:
"Many of you have already heard of, and possibly researched, the use of small amounts of acetone mixed with gas for fuel economy benefits.

The downsides are that is is corrosive to some plastics, and that it is a total waste [Mythbusters].
The upsides are that it will clean things out really well, and help power, economy, and smoothness.

It apparently lowers the surface tension of the fuel droplets, they atomize better, and there is a more efficient use of fuel. When properly diluted at 2 oz/10 gal, the corrosion is not an issue. Gasoline already had far more toluene in it, which is more corrosive than acetone."

Then lots of people chimed in (self included) with opinions & some references to info online.
Read the whole discussion at:
http://teamzx2.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=d67b78c93e01d3c2fe63d972d32e7a82&topic=14123.0


Mythbusters is a fun show, intriguing. It's not always great science... but it's generally much better than most folks could do on their own. I couldn't find a Googled video using "Mythbusters acetone." Some discussion sites said Mythbusters used 2 vehicles for the testing: a newer Toyota and an Oldsmobile.

"Acetone" Googled up a mileage test video, but I'm not registered so access was denied.
 
#9 ·
bgl990 said:
I came across the acetone idea a couple years ago in a tractor forum I used to frequent. I was quite interested because I put quite a bit of money in my tank commuting to work and any mileage increase I can get would be welcome.

I looked up as much as I could find about it and also read some so-called "scientific" explanations as to why it might work (helping atomize the fuel into finer droplets, etc). I also found several legit sounding chemists who said it was B.S. Across several forums that I found references to people trying it, there was an almost even split between those who said it worked to varying degrees and those who found no improvement at all. I did notice, however, that those who seemed to find the most improvement tended to be those who drove older cars. I then found someone speculated that the improvement some people seem to get is likely due to the acetone acting like a fuel injection cleaner and cleaning up their fuel system rather than any sort of chemical action helping to burn fuel more efficiently. I think this is the most likely explanation for any effect acetone might have (in fact, I believe many fuel system cleaners have a high acetone content).

Eventually I tried it on my Toyota Tacoma. I first ran a couple tanks of fuel injection cleaner through to make sure the fuel system was working as well as it could before trying the acetone. I measured my mileage over several tanks both with and without the acetone and it made no difference at all for me.
Sounds like SeaFoam - some people swear by it, others don't see the point, and nobody can really explain it ;). Okay, maybe not exactly the same...

You say most of the improvements you've seen were on older vehicles - were any of those benchmarked as current vs. factory spec, or was it just before and after cases? I just wonder if the mileage was improved over stock, or if things were just poor to start and it helped get things back.
 
#11 ·
Nick D said:
Sounds like SeaFoam - some people swear by it, others don't see the point, and nobody can really explain it ;). Okay, maybe not exactly the same...

You say most of the improvements you've seen were on older vehicles - were any of those benchmarked as current vs. factory spec, or was it just before and after cases? I just wonder if the mileage was improved over stock, or if things were just poor to start and it helped get things back.
As I recall the stories were always about the improvement seen after using acetone vs. just before having used it. No comparisons to factory spec mileages. That's partly what leads me to believe the acetone is just acting as a fuel system cleaner.

Here's another bit of personal experience with acetone I didn't put in my original post: I have an old Farmall M tractor with a post driver mounted on the front. The thing is something of a wreck and burns oil so bad you have to clean all the spark plugs every time you use it. It would normally last maybe an hour of use before the plugs were fouled to the point of starting to become non-functional. After reading about the acetone, the next time I had to use the tractor I poured "some" acetone in the tank (not a stupidly huge amount, but quite a bit more than what you'd mix in your auto tank). I used the tractor for probably 3 or 4 hours and it kept firing on all 4 the whole time. I conclude the acetone must have some reasonable cleaning effect, at least at the concentration I was burning that time.
 
#12 ·
bgl990- now that's an experiment! Did the engine later have any valve, valve seat or fuel pump/injector problems? Hose degradation? Fuel filter erosion?

Combining older vehicles with newer or modded fuels is kinda problematic.
 
#13 ·
I heard about the acetone a while back and tried it in my 03 Neon, the first couple tanks I saw an improvement then it was back to normal. I think the engine computer might have made some adjustments or something. :p
 
#14 ·
MrSciTrek said:
bgl990- now that's an experiment! Did the engine later have any valve, valve seat or fuel pump/injector problems? Hose degradation? Fuel filter erosion?

Combining older vehicles with newer or modded fuels is kinda problematic.
Well, the tractor is 60 years old, so no fuel injectors or fuel pump (or fuel filter for that matter. Or much of a functional air filter either come to think of it) :p
As for other problems, who knows? The engine is is pretty bad shape to begin with, so it would be hard to tell if the acetone did anything any worse than it already is. All I know is it seemed to keep the plugs cleaner for longer than usual. The biggest problem now is that I forgot to drain the water last winter (never bothered wasting antifreeze in it) and cracked the block. I don't know if there is any internal damage from the freezing, but there is a 3" long hairline crack in the side of the block. If I'm lucky that will be all and I can JB weld it or something. If not, oh well - I want to rebuild the post driver and mount it on my new tractor anyway.

Oops, guess this is off topic ...
:)
 
#15 ·
Related... lesson from the school of hard knocks:


My first car was a 1962 Chevy II w/ nearly 100,000 miles on it. Which was a LOT in the day. It had an oil bath air cleaner, ran with a single "weight" oil.

I decided that the engine would benefit from a good chemical cleaning inside. Read some claims on different brands & decided to go with the Rislone, which is added to the engine oil.

It cleaned it out really well but it lost power. Local engine guys who I asked AFTERWARDS generally thought that it cleaned out residue around the rings that had helped to seal off blow-by and maintain compression.


Here's the modern site: http://www.barsproducts.com/100QR.htm
 
#16 ·
MrSciTrek said:
Related... lesson from the school of hard knocks:


My first car was a 1962 Chevy II w/ nearly 100,000 miles on it. Which was a LOT in the day. It had an oil bath air cleaner, ran with a single "weight" oil.

I decided that the engine would benefit from a good chemical cleaning inside. Read some claims on different brands & decided to go with the Rislone, which is added to the engine oil.

It cleaned it out really well but it lost power. Local engine guys who I asked AFTERWARDS generally thought that it cleaned out residue around the rings that had helped to seal off blow-by and maintain compression.


Here's the modern site: http://www.barsproducts.com/100QR.htm
kinda like how engine crud seals up otherwise leaky gaskets, and when you switch to a synthetic, it clear all that away and viola, oil leaks.
 
#17 ·
Knightslugger said:
MrSciTrek said:
Related... lesson from the school of hard knocks:


My first car was a 1962 Chevy II w/ nearly 100,000 miles on it. Which was a LOT in the day. It had an oil bath air cleaner, ran with a single "weight" oil.

I decided that the engine would benefit from a good chemical cleaning inside. Read some claims on different brands & decided to go with the Rislone, which is added to the engine oil.

It cleaned it out really well but it lost power. Local engine guys who I asked AFTERWARDS generally thought that it cleaned out residue around the rings that had helped to seal off blow-by and maintain compression.


Here's the modern site: http://www.barsproducts.com/100QR.htm
kinda like how engine crud seals up otherwise leaky gaskets, and when you switch to a synthetic, it clear all that away and viola, oil leaks.
That was especially true w/ older cars (& bikes?) with older technology gaskets & seals.
The newer vehicles & materials shouldn't be a problem w/ synthetic of the right viscosity.
 
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