Increasing Gas MILEAGE?

[whitefirebird96]

I too have been using the acetone since the post came about. I have been staying right around 2 oz per tank, and noticing about a 10% increase in mileage, or about 2-3 in the city and 3-5 on the highway.

[Copperhead]

first of all where does one purchase the acetone? secondly...few post back...car companies aren't worried about emissions and mpg as muxh as they are warranty issues...reasons they don't program the pcm like it should be is due to the fact they have to account for everything...120 degree temps with the a/c on full blast in the middle of death valley running on mexican gas..stuff like that..

[kinetic]

lol

acetone can be bought at Home Depot, Lowe's, and most any hardware store.

also, PCMs are tested @ 60ºC and -40ºC, (as well as RF tested) to account for such extremes ;)
we put those *****es in the Thermotron for at least an hour, then RF test, and final test.

[96NJBird]

yeah thanks guys for the posts....now what exactly is acetone? and is it safe for our cars and what does it do?

My dad just got the 02 bird with 20k on the clock and i have the 96 bird with 163k on the clock with a re-built top end...would running acetone in both cars be alright? thanks

[kinetic]

acetone is 2-propanone... isopropyl alcohol with a hydrogen missing, yielding a carbon-oxygen double bond between two methyl groups. It's very volatile, but no more than ether, or other fuel additives typically used to boost octane/clean injectors (i.e. methanol, MTBE, Toluene)

It has a reputation for warping rubbers and plastics, but fuel lines are fluorinated polymers (MUCH stronger than polyethylenes), therefore resistant to such small concentrations, even over the long run. I've worked with acetone, and had to be familiar with its properties, via MSDS.

I'm on my 7th tank, with 60+ ml (2+ oz) acetone (I do a LOT of commuting), and I looked at my O-rings on friday...still intact.

because of the C=O bond, it has some polar properties, which strip valence electrons from hydrocarbons (gasoline), lowing the activation energy, thus reducing the surface tension, allowing for more thourough combustion. The trick is, because it acts as a catalyst, you have to get the right concentration (volume acetone/volume gasoline), otherwise, it facilitates too much of a reaction, and becomes either unnoticable, or inefficient.

**VERY IMPORTANT** make sure your timing is good, or this won't help you at all. Otherwise, a solvent like acetone will preserve engine life, by clearing ALL carbon deposits with everyday driving.

[ July 17, 2005, 01:52 AM: Message edited by: kinetic ]

[peeeot]

Kinetic-- I'm very interested in this whole acetone thing. I read the majority of the lengthy article (at lubedev.com) on the subject referenced in a different thread.

According to some calculations I did, if using acetone is safe for the vehicle, the annual fuel savings of even a 10% improvement in economy are significant enough to make it worth using. I have been preparing to set up some experiments to test for the risk of damaging fuel system components, but if you've been using the stuff already, I may be willing to just take your word for it.

You were on your 7th tank with acetone in mid-July. Have you continued to use it? Other than the improvement in economy, have you recognized any changes in smoothness or idle quality? The author of the aforementioned lengthy article claims 50 years of experience with using acetone in fuel and that he has never seen any negative damaging side effects to its use. Based on your experience, would you consider it safe to use in the recommended (max. 3oz) quantities?

I appreciate any detail you can give me on this subject. I'm really interested in giving it a try, but want to keep the risk factor as small as possible. Thanks in advance.