Originally Posted by GeorgeWiseman
Sigh... Here's where there's a fundamental misunderstanding between traditional thinking and the truth; which I try to point out on my blog; and many other places as well.
I understand that you think if the volume of fuel going into the engine is reduced, that the mixture is 'leaner'. I was taught that too. And if you are using 'traditional' liquid fuel technology it IS TRUE!
However, I've since learned it's just another lie we are taught. It seems obvious on the face of it, but it's only because we mechanics aren't taught the truth... And unfortunately it's my experience that most mechanics aren't interested in learning the truth.
That's why I was so excited to find this website, so I could actually share my thoughts with people who already know the truth or are open minded enough to learn it. I'm sorry to see that ecomodders don't seem to already have knowledge of the lies/truth about what actually happens during internal combustion. Maybe that's why I'm here now...
This truth can make a HUGE difference to your fuel economy, and there are quite a few things you can do that are not expensive or difficult.
The truth is that it does NOT matter how much liquid fuel you put into the engine, (except as I explain about quenching the afterburn in the 'LIE' blog).
I once made a mistake, hooking up a HyCO 2A backwards and was sucking fuel directly into the intake manifold of a 350 GM engine. It was a little hard starting, didn't idle well and smoked a bit but I was in a hurry to get to town so I just left. The truck drove pretty normally. But as I drove I saw I wasn't going to make it to town, the fuel gauge was dropping like a rock. I was 'burning' about 5 gallons to the mile. I stopped, checked it out, saw my mistake, corrected it and continued driving (that truck doubled it's mileage with the HyCO 2A once we fixed the leaky rod wells in the Quadrajet).
My point (and the truth is) is that it's the percentage of fuel that turns to vapor, and mixed with air, before the spark plug fires that is the actual (and only) air:fuel ratio that powers your engine.
Anything you can do to increase the percentage of the fuel that turns to vapor before the spark plug fires, will allow you to reduce the total volume of fuel without losing power or performance. In fact, as you go more and more to vapor, performance increases.
We once installed a HyCO 2A into 1950s International pickup that a fellow had put a corvette drivetrain under. The amount of power was scary, my foot hurt from having to hold it so carefully all the time and the owner really enjoyed beating 'muscle cars' away from stoplights.
Yes I know there are exhaust heat issues and I assure you I address them totally. Done correctly, converting to pre-vaporized fuel will reduce your exhaust temperatures (saving your valves and reducing NOx), at the same time as increasing engine life for several different reasons (like no carbon buildup and liquid gasoline NOT washing the oil off the cylinder walls).
As I've stated before, pre-vaporizing the fuel can get extreme mileage gains, with performance increases and pollution drops to almost nothing. You burn your fuel in the engine instead of in the exhaust.
So, getting back to the 'lean burn' comment above. The truth is, if you increase the percentage of fuel that is vapor before the spark plug fires, you can reduce the total volume of fuel without having a 'lean burn'. Your actual air:fuel ratio will still be the same because it is ONLY the vapor fuel that matters. Liquid fuel cannot burn!
Believe me guys, it took me years to understand this. I don't expect you to get it in one day. But if you give me a chance, I CAN help you prove it to yourselves.
BTW, this is KNOWN by the vehicle manufacturers, every so often I acquire 'proof' information; which I hope to post someday. Pre-vaporizing the fuel is how Pogue, Ogle and hundreds of other people did it. It's why updraft carburetors are more efficient than downdraft. It's why engine manufacturers put heat plates under carbs and hot spots in the intake manifolds. It's a recurring theme (suppressed for over 100 years) of most of the 10,000 fuel saving patents in the patent office.
It works, it's been proven thousands of times. I've helped hundreds of my customers do it. You need to stop thinking if it works and start thinking how to apply it to your ecomodder project. Thats what I'd like to help you with.
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