Adding Acetone to fuel - Anyone tried it yet?

[daktari]

UPDATE!!! Well it's been running on it for nearly a week now. 320Km covered. I'm not sure if it's my imagination but I could swear the engine is running a little smoother. Can't feel any appreciable difference in power though. Although I only potter about at 45 - 50 MPH anyway.
One difference that may just be down to a number of things, is fuel consumption. Went and topped up this morning and the old girl took a smidge over 36 litres, which by my very rough calculations works out at around 25MPG. This is a sizeable improvement over the last 3 tankfuls which have seen an average of 22.4 MPG  Course it could be down to a few things so I'll wait and see how it pans out. The only other thing to note is the black smoke thing is definately better. Just the merest hint of smoke when i boot it now. Hardly any on kick down and pulling away. So one week on and everything is looking pretty good. Early days. 

[Jynx]

lookin good then 

[dragon]

sounding promising then keep us informed

[daktari]

Week two. Everything seems fine. Just topped up with Diesel . just managed to squeeze in 11 gallons. Mileage covered 276. Which works out a smidge over 25MPG. I'm chuffed at that cos the old girls been towing a fair bit this week. probably about a hundred miles worth with a 10x6 trailer loaded with timber for the best part. 
Again other things may have added to the overall consumption results. Lots of injector cleaner for starters. And I cleaned the I/C and EGR valve out. We'll see how it pans out. 

[fazer600]

i tried some acetone a little while ago and it didnt seem to have an affect on the motor.
i only tried one bottle. i might try it again for a longer period.

so is anyone still using it on a regular basis and has it had any noticible effects...!

[daktari]

Yep I'm still using it. No issues and fuel consumption averaging around 25 - 26 mpg. going to blank off my EGR valve at some stage and get the pump re-calibrated. Hardly smokes at all which is either because my EGR valve is keeping clean and working well or the motor is running clean anyway. Either way it'll be redundant. 

[beekeep]

Is there any more news on the acetone front?  I have obtained a bottle and might try it today.

All the best

Steve

[daktari]

Absolutely no problems to report. Fuel consumption is more or less the same. 25 -26 MPG (Short Town & Country driving with plenty of hill work) I would expect better on long runs. And throttle response seems good. Certainly better than it was when I first got it. Still not blanked off the EGR valve..... Don't seem to have the time lately 

[beekeep]

Thanks for the update.  I'll bung some in now although it will be difficult to check mpg in my case because the paj spends most of its time crawling in fields and stop/starting.

[bladeage]

A HISTORY OF ACETONE !!!

Acetone was invented initially as a solvent to reduce and liquify newspaper printing ink. When the printing ink arrives it comes in semi/solid form and needs to be watered down to produce what you see on your daily news paper!

A little experiment for anyone thinking of putting this in there fuel tanks...............Take one plastic vending cup and half fill with acetone (not nail varnish remover!) , you will notice that after approximately 20 seconds the cup will start to buckle and distort and will then after approximately 2 mins give up the ghost and hole!

Acetone, when coming into contact with any oil/rubber based products will begin to break it down at the molecular level no matter what concentration, this is what it is designed to do !

I am a Radiologist (industrial/aerospace) predominently, but also hold qualification in Penetrant inspection and we use Acetone to remove penetrant from components, it is very nasty stuff in it's pure form and will guarenteed, even at minimal concentration ! eat away at... valve seals, bearing shrouds, oil based manifolds and basically anything that contains the black stuff !!

Engineering suicide in my opinion to put it in your petrol/fuel tank as an addative,it may be used (I dont know!!) in petrol additives but it will not be the type of Acetone you guys are talking about!

Do me a favour and don't do it !

Regards,
.......Paul..........

[bladeage]

Sorry,just to add a little more.....

Wether we are using an addative or not, a metered amount of fuel is genuinely that! a metered amount of fuel, thats what your ecu tells the pump to administer to the engine at any given point of acceleration/decelleration,there is no addative that could ever be invented to give better(noticeable) mileage to a fuel (ecu) injected engine!(other than to restore it to original via cleaning etc!)

I have a tip but it gives you a real pain in the left leg!.....2.5 tonnes of moving metal at 50 mph when you pull the clutch in if on a slight downhill will only gather momentum and if you are able to hold the speed for 2 miles then do that 10 times and you have saved a fiver.....works for me every day on the way to work lol !

cheers,
.....Paul.....

[daktari]

Thanks for the clutch tip Paul...... Don't work on an auto though 
Is comparing a poly-plastic cup to a rubber or nitrile rubber seal a fair comparrison? I'm aware that acetone mixing with rubber may have a detrimental effect and to that end I've been keeping an eye on things. Last time I changed my fuel filter (About a month ago) I checked the seals and also the contents of the filter. Clean as a whistle, no nasties floating about. The condition of the seals appeared to be as good as ever also checking the fuel pipes has revealed no problems.
Whilst it may be proven that acetone can have an adverse effect on rubber when applied neat I wonder how long the same condition would take to become evident mixed at a ratio of 1 part acetone to 1000 parts diesel? So far I,ve been using it for near on 6000 miles and this is the first filter change. So far I guess i've put in around a litre of Acetone and near as dammit 1100 litres of fuel and touch wood all appears to be ok. 

[bladeage]

Ello M8,

Yeah I did take time to read the posts on the posted link, I think that short term the benefits of putting acetone in with the fuel maybe of a beneficial cleaning nature(at that dilution) and to an engine that has done 80k plus that has never been cleaned out (injectors etc) then you would notice a definite power difference i.e. smoother running and acceleration as the injectors would be clear and back to their normal shower pattern.

I am dubious  of adding such a volatile substance because, if you leave an engine stood for a long period of time without turning over etc (talking a couple of years) even the oil in its purist added form to the engine will degrade bearing shrouds etc also other byproducts that accumulate in engine oil will accelerate this to some degree, so adding acetone into the equasion to the rigours of an engine...................
I am not qualified to say wether it is a good idea or not but having seen what it does to various things (even nitrile handling gloves....it makes them swell!) I am scepticle to say the least.

Are you after all the miles seeing a difference in mpg other than that after a couple of tank full's? I would genuinely be interested and may do some real research at work on Acetone and its benefits etc?? There are a few chemists where I work that would help me out with info and tests etc!

Lol.....Auto...Clutch.....Hmmmmm , it must have been late and I was very tired :-)

Cheers,
....Paul.......

[daktari]

I've kept a rough record of the fuel consumption and it's averaged out at around 25 MPG. Which given the fact that roads over here don't encourage much use of overdrive  (or even staying in any one gear) for extended periods is reasonably good. I can only compare my consumption figures with my mates SWB 2.5 which according to him  is 22 -23 MPG and my other halfs 2.8 which is an abysmal 20 MPG. Of course there are variations such as driving styles to take into account when comparing with others. But overall I'm happy that it's as good as it is.

I might try it without the Acetone for a few tankfuls to see what the difference is. But as you intimated in your last post it could be more down to the fact that the engine/injectors are cleaner that accounts for the perceived improvement. I'll keep you posted. 

[Dabsy]

We all know Acetone is the main ingredient for the like of Nail polish REMOVER, therefore it IS a thinner... FACT