Will a Gas Engine Run on Isopropyl Alcohol? Let's find out!
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- Опубликовано: 17 сен 2017
- Hundreds of commenters have asked me to use isopropyl alcohol in a gas engine to find out what will happen. Let's find out!
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Хобби
The engine ran rough because of 2 things, First, you are automatically running 10% lean because the Alcohol is 10% water,
Second, Alcohol requires almost TWICE the mixture ratio of gasoline (7 to 1, instead of 14.6 to 1) for a proper burn.
Double the size of the main jet in the carb, and then stand back, you'll get around a 50% horsepower increase,
AND, the motor will run very cool, AND, the combustion chamber will be sparkling clean in about 10 minutes of run time.
If you want to run it permanently on Isopropyl alcohol you need to get the hottest spark plug that will properly screw into the head, (many automotive plugs will work and are a much higher heat range), then get a belt sander and sand down the
cylinder head as much as you dare, to get the compression ratio up...
DO NOT bypass the governor or you WILL throw the rod through the side of the crankcase.
Always get the motor good and hot each time you run it, or you will start to accumulate water in the oil.
If you run it more than around 15 minutes, the moisture in the oil will be boiled out and won't be a problem.
All excellent points and advice. Thanks for commenting on how to properly convert an engine to run on rubbing alcohol. Thanks again!
You can buy acetone from a hardware store like lowes I would like to see that.
Jim Brown true we used in race cars.
Jim Brown 19 April 2018 3477944124 4esasqustch@gmail.com can you tell me which addative to use to save my 63cc 2stroke engine after a bad possession and no oil mixed in gas. I suspect because of needing help to relocate due to land destruction notice last Friday 13 April 2018. Only 6 weeks. Desperate for the help of land grant and relocation. Blessings
*""The balanced equation is C3H8O + 9/2 O2 = 6 CO2 + 8 H2O, and the molecular weights are C3H8O = 60 g/mol and O2 = 32 g/mol. So, 1 mol * 60 g/m C3H8O : 9/2 mol * 32 g /mol O2, or 60 : 144 or 1 : 2.4. However, air is only 21 % O2 so to get 2.4 g O2 you need 2.4 / 0.21 = 11.4 g air, so the stoichiometric ratio by weight for isopropanol is 11.4 : 1.""*
Quote from an Automotive forum 2005. This is likely 100% Isopropyl alcohol.
Also note, Ethanol ,Methanol and Isopropyl are different.
Moon shine should be next
Thanks for this recommendation!
Please try moonshine because if it runs good on it....it may be a handy thing to know in the future the way things been goin.
This should happen
Yes this the a great idea
Moonshine is usually less than 60% alcohol so I doubt it would run so good in anything but a low compression tractor from the first half of the last century, but Everclear (95%) should work fine. I second the idea of trying to find the lowest proof that will run a modern small engine. You could add about 5% of distilled water by volume until it stops.
I ran a moped on 90% isopropyl alcohol when I was 16. It was hard to start but actually felt like it had tons of power compared to gas. Then it got stolen. :/
Impressive!
Kiss that moped goodbye
Lol
Who the fuck steals a moped
@@OldSchoolZ-wy2yx Another teenager
I like your no nonsense, cut through the bullshit approach to making videos. At no point do you drone on or bore us with too much detail. Good job as always dude
You should try supercharging a lawn mower using a leaf blower!
Thank you for this recommendation!
I did this back in high school using a Briggs 3hp engine and an electrolux vacuum in blow mode. Ie house from vacs end . I has to also pressurize the gas tank too so gas would not blow back oyt the tank. The boost was in the 2psi range using an electrolux model xxx.
Super or turbo charging a carburettor engine is quit hard. You can't just bolt it and and have it work. It might still work but it will run super lean
First, you need a reliable engine power measurement system in place to measure power gains.
This idea definitely works :)! measuring the hp difference would be cool though.
I freaking love your channel, there's really nothing like it anywhere, keep up the awesome projects man!
Thank you very much for the positive comment!
found it. I like how you do your best to give an unbiased show on comparative videos and how much work you put in to each one. Keep up the good work. I found this channel about 2 days ago and have been watching a lot of the vids.
Thank you very much for the positive comment.
Don't be self conscious you did great. Straight to the point with no unnecessary bs. I learned everything I wanted to and got the answer for my question. Your video is the only one so far that i watched from start to finish without losing interest or rolling my eyes. I am very impressed.
Thanks so much!
How can you not love this guy. Such a genuine dude 👍 I’d comment a suggestion but seems there are enough of those already to keep him busy for awhile lol
Thank you very much for the positive comment! More ideas are always welcome. I plan projects months ahead to allow time for ordering supplies, developing the project format and testing methods, etc. Thanks again!
Awesome thank you. Who knew a small engine would run on so many different substances. Great content.
Thank you!
Crazy! I never expected it to work so well. Thanks as usual!
You're welcome!
Thank you Mr farm for doing stuff we think about but never do. Your videos have been very helpful to me. Rock on!
Thank you
Try adding like half a cup of antifreeze to the oil in a engine and run it and see what damage it does to replicate a blown head gasket in a car
Thank you for this recommendation!
That's an awesome idea.
i love that
Trey W cars have pressurized oil systems and these small engines just splash the oil around. So it wouldn't be a very accurate test. I don't think it would do much
Cadillac/Subaru simulator
I'd like to see an attempt at blowing up an engine with NOS. Keep the videos coming. Great job!
Thank you for this video project recommendation!
Engine Masters
Project Farm Doooo it! That is a great idea he has. Would like to see you do this.
Nicholas Nelson
How about blowing up a street racing green Mitsubishi Eclipse with NOS?! Oh no, wait, that's been done :P
The problem with running piles of nitrous through a 6hp engine is the fact that you're limited on CFM. The engine is physically not pulling in enough air, and whatever HP shot you're running will simply just escape the carb and go into the air. You're also dealing with atomized fuel being near an ignition source (boom).
It'll start the mower on fire before it blows the engine.
You give way more than much of us deserve ! Thank you for these tests
Thank you very much for the positive comment!
I hope you see this message. You often/always say that we should submit ideas. Here's one very important to me. RUST tests. Try different rust coatings, rust converters and stuff like POR15. Have samples in a aquarium or something where all the optimal rusting conditions are simulated to see which samples are doing best.
I love your attitude and demeanor. You do a great job and are both enjoyable and knowledgeable! I definitely enjoy watching your posts! Keep up the great work!
Thank you so much!
Love these "will it run" videos! Great job!
Thank you!
He really should rename the channel to Small Engine Hell. But Damn I love these vids.
lol. Thank you!
@@ProjectFarm have a question please answer it.
Can we run a patrol bike engine with the 50% mixture of patrol and ipa without having any issues
@@manishuppal4447 someone in another comment said you can run it totally on alcohol if you change the fuel ratio get a hotter spark plugs and shave the head down a bit
Always enjoy going through the back catalog. keep your stick on the ice!
Thank you!
I'm a little confused why you didn't mention the unbelievable before and after cleaning results. That seemed to work even better than seafoam. Are we missing something?
I like your videos and you do a commendable job of showing everything. It looks like the alcohol cleaned the exhaust valve! From one test engineer to another, Good Job
Thank you very much!
I’ve mixed 91% in with fuel when trying to get a carburetor working normal. And I figured since Seafoam had the same ingredient that it might help even though it lacks the other ingredients. I’d love to see if a mower engine will run on Seafoam only.
Thank you for this recommendation!
This guy is such a gentleman and smart he very open and honest I believe he's not sponsored by anyone when he says that
Thank you
Great to see this video. In 2001, I stupidly ran out of fuel in my car. No gas station but a pharmacy nearby. I bought 3 bottles of this 91% rubbing alcohol and was able to drive a few miles to a gas station.
Impressive! Glad this worked.
I've tried small engines on my moonshine (ethanol) knew it would run, though the stoich is different.
You have lovely green lawns compared to here in mid West Australia.
Thanks for the feedback.
Ever notice how he waits to do a lawnmower video until he needs to cut his grass? Killing two birds with one stone, love it! I wanna see maple syrup in place of oil, I think it'd be fun to see the havoc that will cause on an engine internally.
Zander Xymox very creative that would be interesting to see. I'm with you on that one.
Thank you for this recommendation!
Zander Xymox best idea since sliced bread
Wow! That was amazing. I was sure of what would happen if you ran alcohol in an engine. Thanks for trying that.
Thanks for the positive comment!
Appreciate your Scientific- intensive Hands On Approach to testing all these Chemicals/Ideas!!!!!!
Thanks again!
As usual, great video & I learned something......alcohol burning engines usually have a supply line that is twice the diameter of a gas line, owing to the fact that it requires(so I was led to believe) more alcohol by volume than gasoline to produce the same power. You test seemed not to support that contention. Thanks for your time & trouble......I know you aren't becoming rich making these videos, & the videos are at once , interesting, informative, well thought out, & the effort expended in attempting to eliminate to the degree possible the sources of error that would skew the data & hence the results are without peer. Your viewers owe you a debt of gratitude. Thank you again. Cheers! Brian
Great point on the supply line. Thank you
I say mill the heads down as far as operationally possible to get as high of a compression as possible and run some 110 in it, if you can even get the compression high enough to require that much octane.
Thank you for this recommendation!
Kevin Ball just putting a 3&1/2HP head on a 5HP engine will bring up the compression a lot
I saw a video of a guy milling a v8 cylinder head using sandpaper on a sheet of glass. The glass surface was flat making home milling possible. If you're going to try it that is how I would achieve a flat sealing surface on the final sanding.
Barry Fields
Ok that makes sense. I worked 9 years as a mechanic in the heavy duty industry and I've messed around with mowers and minibikes a descent amount when I was younger but never realized the bolt patterns would match up between the two. Ok so that removes some mystery for me. I'm curious what kind of compression ratio can be had with different heads and milling. Then maybe notch the magneto holes a bit so as to add 5 degrees of advance as well. I'm familiar with small engines decently enough but I've never attempted to build one up. I was just trying to think of cheap methods Mr. Project Farm could do. Thanks for the input.
The problem with the flat head configuration is that when you mill off of the head it lowers the clearance area over the valves until the valves hit the head. It has been a long time since I built go-kart engines but you really couldn't get really high compression (say 12:1) out of a stock head no matter how you modified it.
I'm interested in seeing an engine run on very fine sawdust. I love the way you go about these crazy ideas, don't change a thing!
Thank you for this recommendation!
I am simply amazed with your dedication.
Thank you!
HHO, synth gas, biofuels? All very interesting too see. Thank you Project Farm outstanding.
Thank you for this video idea!
*Wife Calls Ambulance*
There's something wrong, my husband is using a lawn mower and is actually mowing the lawn. 😊
LOL! Thanks for commenting!
Omg now yhat is real humor!
Thats not the case her wife actually gives him these ideas and she told him to start a youtube channel so shoe could actually get him to mow the lawn
Always end up here when problem solving and I get a great solution!! Keep it going PF
Thanks, will do!
I would never give you a thumb down, great video as always!!!
Thanks so much!
Always a great show! Informative and you cover all The basis! Thank you!
Thank you!
Use Whiskey or Moonshine
Thank you for this recommendation!
First,the Whisky or Moonshine must be separated from the Alcohol.
It’s been done it’s called E85 ethanol
As long as it's been distilled to an 80% alcohol content by volume, it may work.
Stolichnaya makes a 180 proof but is only available in Russia. Sure I am that this will work very well.
I love watching you test different fuels or lubricants in your lawnmowers. cheers on another great video. If you haven't tried it yet, consider testing fingernail polish remover or acetone as an emergency fuel.
Thanks for the video idea.
Always wanted to do that. Thank you so much for making that so cool. Definitely good information!!
Thank you
can you test a small engine running on E85?
Yes, I will definitely test E-85. Thank you for this recommendation!
IIRC 50/50 E10/E85 gives you most of the benefits(Cooler running, higher octane), with a lambda closer to that of E10 Gasoline/Petrol.
Adrian Gonzalez I've asked him to do that as well as try methanol and aviation fuel.
I ran my riding mower on E-85. Ran like crap.
All They Found Was A Boot Even though it ran like crap, it probably cleaned your engine!* I have run 50/50 E85 & E10 (that CRAP is all they sell in OHIO) just for a fill up and ran it down to "E" on MANY non flex fuel cars. It will run like shit during the 50/50 fill, but will run a lot better on the next fill!
Btw, running alcohol CONSTANTLY is BAD for engines! If you live in a state that sells ethanol free gas, SPEND THE EXTRA MONEY FOR IT!
* Then again it might not have that much effect on a regular valve setup, but it damn sure will clean injectors!
I love your videos by the way they are very informative and easy to watch
Cleaned up the inside of the chamber and piston crown nicely!
Thanks for sharing.
Love your videos man. Truly educational and a blast to watch
Thank you!
I was one of that requested rubbing alcohol. Thank you for doing this challenge. Maybe Lighter Fluid next time.
Thank you for suggesting this test and thanks for recommending Lighter Fluid!
You always earn a thumbs up from me! As always i enjoy your videos.
I think if you were to richin the mixture of alky it would run smoother, just my opinion
Thank you very much for the thumbs up! I agree that a richer mix would smooth out the engine. Thanks again!
Really enjoy your videos so keep up the great work. And yes, you earned my thumbs up and I'm one of your subscriber as well.
Blessings
Thank you very much! Blessings.
Great video, that answers an age old question I’ve also wondered about burning alcohol to clean a combustion chamber too. High dollar cars require premium fuel with higher octane because it burns cooler than lower octane. This is the same principal in certain ways.
Thank you very much for the positive comment!
Back when we had to do e-check. I used rubbing alcohol to past the emissions test. Added a bottle the tank with 93 octane gas.
J. Dalton we did something different in ohio
Maybe the water in it helps ?
You can remove the water with salt, get close to 99 percent alcohol. Salt dissolves in water not alcohol so it will pull the water out and sink to the bottom, you can then syphon the pure alcohol off the top.
Doom2pro gonna have to try that.
You can get the water out better with benzene.
Try RC nitro fuel... could be interesting
Thank you for this recommendation!
yes
+1 for nitromethane!
I was just about to comment this. I'm very interested to see how a lawnmower would run on nitro fuel
i did comment this like a second ago and didn't realize someone already did it lol
RUclips is showing me all your old videos since I only recently subscribed. I love these. What about 70% isopropyl?
Thanks again for making these. I find them fascinating and educational.
Great suggestion!
I test additives on cars but your amazing
You make some amazing and verry informative videos thank you so much i love watching these and learning what works vetter then others thank u sir
Thank you very much!
I've used Sea foam for a few years now and I still think it smells like a mix of isopropyl alcohol and lighter fluid. I'd be very interested to see if they're mixable and if lighter fluid will do anything for an engine. Love the videos, keep em coming :)
Thank you very much for the positive comment.
Always great videos your the only person to do straight up comparing no opinions just facts keep it up brother
Thanks, will do!
great videos man, really enjoy them!!
Thank you very much!
ATF as an oil cleaner or combustion cleaner since it apparently has detergents?
Thank you for this recommendation!
I'm sure he's already done this.
Used to work in a garage back when everything was carb'd, we would clean and unstick valves with ATF.
Really enjoy your videos , try running pure kerosene in a gasoline engine
Thank you very much for the positive comment and thank you for this recommendation!
gideon fournier You can run a gas engine on white kerosene if it's hot. If it's cold, it won't start because kero doesn't vaporize as well.
Kerosene is diesel is it not?
Kerosene is not diesel, you may know it as paraffin, or coal oil, or lamp oil.
But diesel will run on kerosene
@3:24 you can see the small Intake valve got a really good cleaning and @3:17 the whole chamber got a decent cleaning. Thank you for the videos sir.
You're welcome!
@@ProjectFarm I imagine if your run the motor with just 91 alcohol 🍸 for say 15 to 30 days, it would have a much more improvement in its ability to remove more of the carbon buildup.
no....you are always detailed the in approach! good job
Thank you!
They sell a 99%, it's still pretty cheap. I wonder if it'd be smoother that way.
Thank you for this recommendation!
It will run smoothly, I tested in my car. Sooo much powah! Well I need to mix in water next time for engine cleaning.
@@foonan8 , really it turned my Camry into a race car.
@@gsp49 haha haha great! But do not use too much cause I don't know what will happen after it.
Edit : I used it 99% just once and I will mix water in next time.
@@foonan8 can't tell if you're being serious or not
Very neat! I didn't figure the engine would warm up to operating temperature.
I think it would have ran cooler if the engine wasn't running lean. Thanks for commenting!
could you run a generator with this?
Your videos are perfect for if we run out of gas on the side of the road at night or if there’s just no more gas one day.
Thank you!
You earned a thumbs up on this one! Who am I kidding you always earn a thumbs up
Thank you very much for the positive comment!
I seen a nos comment. Nitrous just ups the oxygen levels sky high and allows you to burn more gas. This is why a nitrous kit also comes with a gas solenoid. I wouldn't bother with such a test. It's the same concept as a supercharger, but it's not forced. More air/more air.
Thanks for explaining this!
This was great! I’ve always wondered about this. I wonder if it’d run smoother if you richened the mixture because I think alcohol runs closer to 3-1 a/f ratio as opposed to gasoline running 14.7-1..
Thank you!
Love the videos. Keep up the great work.
Thank you!
Cool idea! Seems it cleaned it up some too.
Thanks for a great video. Im picking up an old car tomorrow that has sit around with the same fuel for at least 18 months and was thinking of putting this stuff in the tank to dry up any condensation which would have been created. Do you think that would be a good idea? Also will it clean the pistons like yours did from adding to petrol?
Cheers from Australia.
It might need a higher alcohol concentration (97% or above) to run smoother, since your fuel is still about 1/10 water with 91%
Thank you for this recommendation!
Great video, as always! 💜
Thank you!
Loved this and all your videos...Never stop!!!
Thank you so much!!
Acetone or MEK might work better.
Also adding anhydrous Bath salts (Magnesium Sulfate) to the 91% isopropanol will dry it out to almost 100%.
Thank you!
I think you should try running the engine on methylated spirits. It's more commonly known as denatured alcohol in the USA I think. But I would like to see the results 👍👍
Thank you for this recommendation!
mharris1270 "Metho" is very common in Australia, I use it in camping stove. Un-methylated spirits seems very hard to obtain. Metho leaves a lot of deposit unfortunately, but it is cheap and can be bought in hardware stores, department stores with an automotive section and most supermarkets.
Andrew Martin
E85 is close enough.
You are awesome man! Thanks for all the really cool videos
Thank you!
I knew a guy that ran his 3 wheeler on acetone. Gas on the way to work and would fill it with acetone from our drums for the trip home. Love your videos. You must do a lot of background work as well.
Thank you for the feedback
Difference between normal spark plug and iridium spark plug combustion, and there performance difference too
Thank you for the video idea!
Project Farm please please do this
It would also be good to do a video on why an e3 spark plug gets more power...I suspect its cause of the extra electrodes on the spark plug which actually increases compression and not the B.S marketing crap about a multi spark, spark plug cause electricity only takes the shortest path to ground. Let's debunk their hype and get to the truth....I think it should be easy to measure the decreased volume of a combustion chamber with the e3 plug installed.
Please do this!
@@ProjectFarm have a question please answer it.
Can we run a patrol bike engine with the 50% mixture of patrol and ipa without having any issues
If you have already done it I must have missed the video. But it would be neat to see a before and after of running e85 through one of these engines and a clear cylinder head burn also. Just a thought
Yes, I will definitely test E-85 in a future video. Thank you for this recommendation!
Did you adjust the carburetor for this test? Fuel injectors should be of higher capacity for E-85, and I'd think a similar adjustment would be needed for isopropyl.
Love the videos, keep up the good and fun work.
Thank you!
That was really interesting. Engine seemed to clean up a bit especially the intake valve.
Thanks for commenting!
My favorite drink is Red Bull with Isopropanol
LOL! Thanks for commenting.
Project Farm Hehe i use it almost everyday, it's used in my work as a network technican for cleaning fibercables. Thanks for reply!
And now Jerry is blind.
RIP Jerry's eyesight.
my favorit drink is isopropanol with red bull.... red bull is just 4 the color of course
turbo a lawnmower
Thank you for this recommendation!
Great video! Thanks, Todd!
You are welcome!
As always, fantastic video. Thanks!
Thanks for the positive comment.
Run a motor on pure sea foam. Like if you wana see.
Thank you for this recommendation!
Seafoam isnt combustable. So,it wouldn't run.
He will have the cleanest motor ever
try it and also on a diesel engine
A diesel will run on pure seafoam they recamend it to purge clean the injectors.
Love your work! I've watched a lot of your videos. But I'm wondering ( as a mechanic myself) you must go through a lot of headgaskets as many times as you pull the heads on these small engines?
It's an experimental engine. just reuse the old one until it blows. Haha 🤣
I knew this would work. My cousin did this 30 years ago to finish the yard before my aunt got home lol. It worked too.
Thanks for commenting!
Great video, thanks!
Run an engine on a oxygen/acetylene gas mixture!!!!
Lighter fluid next.
Thank you for this recommendation!
Aka Light Naphtha / Coleman Fuel / White Gas
I totally did not expect that to work.
Thanks for commenting!
Really appreciate and enjoy your videos thank you for your work
Thank you very much for the positive comment!
At 79 cents for a 32 oz. Bottle at the grocery store... It's way cheaper than Seafoam & Berrymans...
Great point.
@@ProjectFarm but it will eat up,all the rubber seals and gasket,in the fuel system!1
Great video! Any thoughts about doing one of running an engine on acetone?
Yes, I plan to test acetone in the near future. Thanks for this recommendation!
Project Farm great! I'll look forward to it!
love this video, just straight to the action no 5 min waffle
Thanks so much!
You did awesome as always.
Thank You!
Run engine on just two stroke mix gas and oil. No four stroke oil
Thank you for this recommendation!
I am pretty sure 2 strokes have a method of lubricating the crankshaft/bottom end with the fuel and oil mixture they run on. If you ran a 4 stroke like this on two stoke oil it would lubricate the top of the piston but with no lube in the crank case it would burn up the bearings pretty quick.
Craig Arnold
Lol use a engine with bad blow by
I used to steal my dads gas from the weed eater for my go-kart a long time ago. It will run fine on 2 stroke gas/oil.
Yeah it will run fine with oil in the crank case, but if you drain the oil and then try to run it I doubt you would make it very far.
Can you try everclear?
Thank you for this recommendation!
I just put some in my motorcycle, it’s running! Lol
really cool test, I'm actually surprised at how well it did.
Thank you very much!
This was well worth watching and thank you for sharing this. Now I know that if I ever need to use Isopropyl rubbing alcohol in an engine instead of gasoline, it is possible. Since the engine ran funny I know that I would only do it if it was really necessary because I had nothing else and no other option. Thanks for showing this. I appreciate it.
Thank you!