For the racers using Alcohol to fuel your race car, especially with a carb. My AMX is crackling and popping a little bit while making a pass. It doesn't appear to be effecting the et of the car. But you can defiantly hear it. Most of my alcohol is stored in the metal drum and sealed. It's also not on the floor. I keep 20 gallons in 5 gallon fuel jugs in the trailer. Some of it has been in the trailer for a couple of months. I know alcohol is hydroscopic. Is it possible that the alcohol that I store in the trailer has become contaminated with water? Have any of you guys ever experienced you alcohol being contaminated with water? Can you test for that? If so how?
Possible Fuel Contamination
- Thread starter tvt59
- Start date
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Are you sure it’s ethanol or is it methanol? Read the label. I believe methanol is not hydroscopic.
I had a friend running alcohol, he also stored it in his enclosed trailer. We pumped some if it out into some clear containers and there was water in it. We finally figured out that the barrel condensated because of temperature fluctuations so consequently there was water in his fuel.
It is methanol. And I thought it was hydroscopic.
Did he run any for the contaminated fuel
I’ve had alcohol in my trailer all winter long in 5 gallon race jugs with zero issues in Pa. I do not like metal drums at all and have never gotten or stored alcohol in one. Plastic only
Pardon me, my bad, methanol is very hydroscopic.
Newbomb Turk
Well-Known Member
It’s fat. That’s what alcohol does when it’s fat.
Take some fuel out of it.
Take some fuel out of it.
Thanks Mr. Turk. I've been running alcohol this year. But this is my first year. I put the APD carb on it and I haven't touched it , not even the idle speed screws. I'll try that. It's really hard to get any temp in it.
Newbomb Turk
Well-Known Member
That’s a sign it’s fat everywhere. One thing I learned the hard way (as in BTDT) is keeping track of what heat range of plug you are running.
If you are fat like that you can keep screwing in hotter plugs and it will love it. Love it to death.
And that death is called “back siding” the piston. The plug is so hot that the one side of the piston sticks in the bore.
I had seen it before but not on my junk. And I heard lots of myths about why it happened.
The truth is too hot a plug does it. And it will do it in one run.
After that I picked a plug heat range that fit my compression ratio and left it alone.
If it looked cold I took fuel out of it until it had heat in it.
Also, I learned (the hard way) that you can do the same with timing.
When they are fat you can keep jacking timing at it and it will love it. Right to death.
So whatever timing it needed for gas is where I set it and I had a plus 2 degree limit. If it needed more than 2 more degrees of timing I take fuel out of it.
That’s just a couple of reasons why I went back to gasoline. I upgraded the cooling system and made more power and went quicker and faster.
Newbomb Turk
Well-Known Member
Crap. I’ll go fix it.
Newbomb Turk
Well-Known Member
I bought this earlier this year but haven’t played with it yet. And yes every APD I’ve owned seems to go
Out the door a hair rich I’m thinking for their protection.
Out the door a hair rich I’m thinking for their protection.
I need to get me one of those.
I got mine on Amazon
Bobzilla
Well-Known Member
Does alcohol fuel still show up on the porcelain like gasoline fuels do, so we can "read it?" I have never run alcohol so I have no idea.
I’m more of a O2 or EGT type of guy. When I switched from pump gas to alcohol I recalibrated my O2’s to read it but soon switched to checking exhaust temps and degrees raised during a pass. I’ve been a hair rich but very consistent so I left my fingers off of it. If I was worried about a new best I would have leaned it out
Bobzilla
Well-Known Member
Do you run eight individual egt probes, one in each side, or just one?
I’m capable of reading a couple but only read one.
Checking for water.
Will certainly Miss you, Your Humor and your Knowledge Good Sir.
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