Tried unusual additive?

I'm looking for whopper tales about what happened when you added such-and-such to the tank. For instance--

Has anyone ever tried adding a few percent of gasoline to his diesel to see if there is any mileage improvement?

(Some of you may have noticed my recent comment about getting very good mileage when running about 5% biodiesel plus Powerservice, but that's not very creative.)

Ernie Rogers

Ernie...have you tried cutting out the PS and just using the 5% BD? Just curious. There have been a number of studies with heavy duty diesels that stated a 5% BD blend gave a nice boost in fuel economy. Just wondering how it would effect our little 1.9s (I don't have local access to BD...still trying to find some people willing to Co-Op in my area to home brew in lew of any commercial availability)

In depths of winter, have occasionally added 5% or so gasoline to diesel on my '92 TD. Actually mentioned in manual on that particular car. Never bothered to check mileage, was doing it for ease of starting in extremely cold weather (< -25 C). Drove the pump attendant crazy, his job is bad enough in weather that cold. Did seem to help cold starts (more volatiles to light off in very cold engine). Engine on this car is non-ECU controlled, no sensors. Injection is indirect, unlike TDI. Understand not recommended for TDI.
Original engine lasted to 593,000kms (broken ring), now on second engine.

Ernie Rogers said:

I'm looking for whopper tales about what happened when you added such-and-such to the tank.

Click to expand...

Mothballs.

Quite a few fuel MSDS indicate napthalene, otherwise known as Mothballs?

Never tried it myself.

Confession

Hi Ernie.

How are you?

Okay...I've got a confession about using a weird additive.

I once added 10 mL of a micro-emulsion I created in the lab of a water-based nano-particle (proprietary metallic system) emusified in biodiesel. I made the biodiesel in August and the nano-particle system on the day of the usage. I tested emulsion stability by five minutes of centrifugation at 2500 rpm. I added this to a partial (1/3 full) tank of regular D2 fuel.


I was only looking for smoke reduction and 'seat of the pants' type observations. I noticed smoke reduction but no change in percieved power or torque.

Okay, it wasn't a whopper sorry.

ooh, ooh, ooh: Magic Diesel Catalyst!!!

10 mL of proprietary metalic catalysts, guaranteed to cut smoke, and increase mileage by at least 50% from burning the smoke, heretofore wasted, WASTED by "regular" combustion. Now, with Nick's Secret Diesel Catalyst, you too can run on smoke! (Provide your own mirrors, however.)

Sorry, Nick, I'll get down now. Just couldn't resist. And certainly no more, er, exagerated, than previous claims by many others for the benefits of acetone, mothballs, twirling flipper do-dads, bits of copper wire, magnets, electrolytic cells, hydrogen, and cat piss.

BTW, thank you for your efforts to debunk such magical thinking whenever and wherever it pops up, usually right after fuel prices go up a bit.

ofhs93 said:

Ernie...have you tried cutting out the PS and just using the 5% BD? Just curious. There have been a number of studies with heavy duty diesels that stated a 5% BD blend gave a nice boost in fuel economy. Just wondering how it would effect our little 1.9s (I don't have local access to BD...still trying to find some people willing to Co-Op in my area to home brew in lew of any commercial availability)

Click to expand...

Wow, guys, those were great stories!

Yes, I was thinking that I should clean the experimental stuff out of my tank, then use the ScanGauge to look for a mileage improvement. Easy test-- drive a short highway circuit on straight D2, then add the biodiesel to about 5% and drive it again. I could do that in an afternoon.

New subject-- Was just reading in a textbook that dimethyl ether (straight) would make a good diesel fuel, and it's easily synthesized from methane (by way of methanol). This stuff is VERY volatile. What do you think would happen if, say, 1/2% were added to D2? I am sensitive to the idea that it may add a hazard quality that the government would frown on, but if it improved mileage-- Yeah, I know I'm acting silly. I just got finished with saying that hydrogen injection doesn't work.

Ernie Rogers

What would happen, Ernie? Well, first of all, you'd change a relatively safe and easily handled fuel and convert it into a fire hazard worse than gasoline.

Heck, Ernie, nitroglycerine would make a great power/mileage additive to diesel fuel as well, but I don't want to be anyplace nearby when you add it to your tank. Dude, you simply gotta quit reading about these things before one of them kills you and everyone on your block.

Adding ether is dangerous--

Ouch. Thanks, I needed that

Ernie

naturist said:

What would happen, Ernie? Well, first of all, you'd change a relatively safe and easily handled fuel and convert it into a fire hazard worse than gasoline.

Heck, Ernie, nitroglycerine would make a great power/mileage additive to diesel fuel as well, but I don't want to be anyplace nearby when you add it to your tank. Dude, you simply gotta quit reading about these things before one of them kills you and everyone on your block.

Click to expand...

Once, after first reading about biodiesel, I dumped a 2 quart bottle of my wife's vegetable oil in the tank, which was about half full. Didn't do a damn thing - other than I got hell when my daughter was looking for it to bake something.

Tried PowerService for the first time this weekend, both in the Deere and the Jetta. In both cases I could tell the second it hit the motor. Either the stuff is pretty good or the local diesel is so bad that anything helps.

2-butoxyethanol
also known as
ethylene glycol mono butyl ether
also known as
butyl cellosolve
1 milliliter per gallon of diesel fuel
also known as
1 teaspoon per 25 gallons of diesel fuel