now that ive got you attention i need help basicly what im doing is i want to convert my inline six in my mav to run off of alcohol (ethenol)(everclear) i know some of the stuff but not all i need the specs and tips
Mavman should be able to help on it, he is running it on his race car and also converted his ATV to run it. Some issue's to deal with is jetting and carb parts that are prone to deteriation. Also oil contamination is critical, must be changed very often for longevity of engine life. Other issues are fuel pump and tank placement in front of engine compartment. Is not a cheap conversion and even at lower price for methanol, you will use twice as much, compared to gas. The engine will run a lot cooler though and have more noticable power etc.
Ethanol I don't know much about, other than it is used as an additive in 'gasahol' (blended gas) to ease the demand for oil. I have seen several websites on the internet that deal with ethanol conversions so it might pay to do a Google search on it. As far as Methanol (which OldGuy is talking about) goes, it's simple to switch back & forth, especially if you have a lower ouput (less than 300 HP) engine. Just basic re-jetting of the car plus attention to small details can get you where it needs to be. Everyone says its corrosive...well alky itself is not. It's the water vapor that it absorbs that is corrosive. The alky evaporates clean, leaving absolutely no residue of any kind and when water vapor makes contact, it tends to corrode aluminum and rubber parts. The only time it really happens is when a system is run completely dry. Leave fuel in it and problems are scarce. Also, Meth creates a foul odor when burned and dries your eyes and nose, which makes them burn. Sit in a injected alky race car and you'll see what I mean. That's the primary reason that it's not used widely in a street car. I love it on race cars and 4 wheelers though...even made a alcohol burning 200 Yamaha 3 wheeler once just to see if it could be done. If it wasn't for the stink, you'd never know, other than it had more power and ran MUCH cooler. Speaking of which, you can use a much smaller radiator with meth than with gas. Matter of fact my car can drive from pit area to the staging lanes, make a burnout, full pass, and drive back to the pits (all that without being shut off...burns about 2 gallons if I get behind a slow driver on the return road) and never get over 140....with the water pump turned OFF. The beauty of injection...pull out the fuel shut off lever (which is mandatory on mechanical injection) and you can lean it out so it will barely run--which builds heat after a pass so water vapor will not build up in the motor (which causes the oil to "milk"). I've read also that Ethanol is basically the same as far as consumtion goes...it likes to be run at a air/fuel ratio of about 8:1 for the most part, so you'll use about twice as much. Meth runs best at about 7:1 for most power, and as lean as 10:1 with no load...but you have to retard the timing to keep combustion temps low as to keep from burning plugs and pistons and gaskets.
i say screw the gasohol... drink the everclear...better yet get some 'shine and then who will care??? :bananaman :bananaman :bananaman
Alcohol for 'every day use' requires fuel hardware that resists corrosion over the long term. For higher performance, larger volume fuel supply, modified carb jetting and setup are in order. The engine will be a bit harder to start smoothly when cold and especially at lower temps. Methanol cost is still over $2 a gallon, then the supply can be a problem as well as fuel milage. I would rethink it's use for any application but all out performance. We run a 351w track engine on Meth and use nearly 30 gallon a nite making well over 500 hp and have to drain the carb, pump and lines every sunday after racing. All our fueling system parts are very expensve so can't take chances leaving it in.
That seems like an awful lot of fuel... We don't run alcohol, but know several people who do, and they're running big-inch motors pushing 700-800 HP and they don't use that much. And that's sitting around idling a lot this time of year to get the engine temps up, and going deep into eliminations (drag racing). What kind of pump are you using? What type of carb/injection setup? Just curious...
Yes it is a circle track engine running much longer at WOT than for drag racing. Typical use for 20 lap run is close to 20 gallons on a 1/3 mile track. The fuel pump is belt driven with 5/8" hose feed/return lines. Carb cost for this application is nearly $1000 with fuel log and adjustable regulator.
Thanks for the clarification...I was worried there for a while! Being a drag racer....it's sometimes hard for me to accept the fact that there are indeed other forms of motorsports! I can only hope that someday you will see the light and stop running around in circles and come on over to the path of the straight and narrow. Sorry, I couldn't resist. Actually, I've thought several times about trying roundy round. I've put in a few cages for those guys in the past, and have toyed with the idea for myself. Even went so far as purchasing a car for possible use. Then my friend who was wanting to participate with me came down with a very serious back injury that required surgery. I figured I could wait until he's able to get back into the game before I move any farther forward with the project. He's now back to work and when he's ready, I think we'll probably give it a try. Later,
Do it. The bug will bite. It can be a lot of work but at least you have a chance to win money each week. Our car is a sportsman winged sprinter. The game is deadly serious. Like putting a bunch of wild cats in a box, all with over 500 hp to burn.
Your carb problems are no sweat - Holley makes carbs for using alcohol. You will need 140 - 170 proof alcohol - thats pretty easy you can get 140 with a single run through a well calibrated still with no problem. You will need a tank that holds about 50% more alcohol than you have for gas to get the same cruising range. On the plus side (and you will want to take advantage of this) you can run 13:1 compression or a bit more. You can get more horsepower than with gas even with a stock cam. The carb (or fuel injection) will have to supply your engine with about 100% more fuel (by weight) than with gasoline. You will need to preheat the fuel air mixture for cold starting (a couple of deisel glow plugs under the carb should work) and mods to your fuel system to eliminate the corrosive qualities of the alcohol. Rubber parts will have to be replaced too as they will swell and deteriorate almost overnight. Do a google search to find out more info - And happy motoring! PaulS
