Acetone Woes?

[AndrewKing]

HI,

I added acetone to my 1989 D250 yesterday... . Added 1 oz per 10 gallons... . My truck typically smokes at idle (not sure why... . I may try turning down the fuel screw..... Not sure what the previous owner did with the truck modification wise... he said nothing but he only owned it for 6 months).



I typically tow a 18' tandem landscape trailer with lawn equipment (total towed weight approx 3300 lbs). On my usual route to Richmond and back (Mostly highway... . some city)... I typically averaged 14. 3 MPG at 60 MPH with the AC on low.



On my first trip with Acetone in the tank, I at first noticed a marked decrease in the exhaust smoke at idle when at a stop light... . I was hopeful that either the acetone cleaned up whatever was causing my truck to smoke or it was truly actually acting as a catalyst and causing he diesel to burn more completely. Anyways, the smoke free idling lasted most of the day... . The trip to Richmond was uneventful..... When we got to Richmond traffic

stopped on the Highway (big accident closed 64 for a long time)... . I idled seemingly forever and was disgusted because I knew my mileage test was now messed up)..... Anyways... After much idling and slow creeping on the highway I decided to try my luck by getting off at an exit and trying to get to my destination via regular streets (of course it was now rush hour so more slow driving but at least moving faster than the highway).



As luck would have it, I realized I was now lost and to make matters worse the truck was idling roughly and was pouring out LOTS of smoke at idle and part throttle (smoke color was hard to describe but to did lay down a smoke screen... . Hard to describe the color other than kinda dark with what I thought were wisps of white or gray)... . I pulled over and decided to let the truck sit a bit while I checked the fluids (oil) and for any leaks... . I found nothing out of the ordinary so I decided to restart and push on... . At first there was alot of smoke out the exhaust again but it cleared up within 1/4 mile... . and never came back (well at least so far... . 120 miles)... . The truck has gone back to smoking its normal smoke at idle as of the end of my trip... . 170 total miles traveled BUT with alot of slow city driving and stop and go on the highway... .

Despite all the slow going and stops... . when I filled up I was pleased to come up with 13. 9 MPG ..... I can't help but think the Acetone would have increased my mileage had the trip conditions been similar... .



I will service the Richmond properties in 2 weeks and will try the test again... . Hopefully this time no accidents to ruin the regular driving conditions... . I have to admit tho that I am a little scared because of the stint of roughness I experienced and the large amounts of smoke that happened for awhile... . Anybody have any ideas what the smoke and roughness was about?

(Maybe just the acetone cleaning stuff out?... . I think I may change the fuel filter just in case... . Just curious but could a clogged fuel filter cause smoke at idle?



Any other people have positive or negative experiences using acetone... . How many ounces per gallon do you use?



Andrew



PS - I started and drove the truck a little this morning and it seems to have a miss / stumble when accelerating from a stop..... Could this have been cause by the acetone messing something up?... . Never had any of these problems until I used the acetone yesterday... . still haven't changed the fuel filter tho but I did fill it up yesterday night so and did not add any extra acetone so the acetone should be pretty well diluted... . Is it possible that acetone is a solvent and since usld has less lubrication properties someting got messed up from lack of lube... . I hope not.

 

[dpuckett]

Isnt acetone a drying agent of some sort? I realize it is a cleaner/ detergent, but lubricity must be kept in mind. I'll let someone else chime in with more opinions on acetone.



I have noticed that in slow stop and go driving, my MPGs wont suffer like they will in a gasser. Your air: fuel ratio is around 80-100:1 at idle, much leaner than the 14:1 of a gas engine. I would think it would be real close. Now, the in-town with lots of stop and go would make a difference, as the frequent acceleration will use more fuel than a steady pace.



Daniel

 

[RWWinslow]

Acetone is a solvent - it is in the ketone family of chemicals. It will readily mix with water and due to its volatility it will serve as a drying agent. Wikipedia has the following to say about acetone as a fuel additive:

Use as an automotive fuel additive

Some automotive enthusiasts add acetone at around 1 part in 500 to their fuel, following claims of dramatic improvement in fuel economy and engine life[2]. This practice is controversial as there are counterclaims that acetone has no measurable effect or may in fact reduce engine life by adversely affecting fuel system parts[3][4][5]. Debates on this subject and claims of Big Oil cover-up intensified when the practice was addressed on the popular american TV show Mythbusters in 2006, and shown to have negative effect in the televised fuel economy test. ​

Prior to the introduction of ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel) I used acetone as an additive at the rate you are discussing. I was driving the same 265 mile route two times a week so I could evaluate fuel mileage changes. I saw a 3-5% improvement in fuel mileage and noted less smoke and less acrid diesel exhaust smell. I discontinued use when the ULSD was introduced due to the unknowns surrounding the lubricity effects of acetone and its potential interaction with the lubricity additive. As an oh by the way, the 3-5% mileage improvement barely covered the increased cost of adding the acetone.



With our engines, so many factors influence mileage, performance, emissions, etc. Some examples. . . . . the ULSD fuel has a slightly lower fuel viscosity which will affect the spray cone pattern, droplet size, and droplet size distribution. Depending upon the injectors installed and the injector shim this will have either a positive or negative affect on fuel mileage, performance, smoke / particulate emissions, and NOX. The ULSD also has a slightly different modulus of elasticity (i. e. think of this as fuel compressibility) which will affect injection timing (some very good SAE research on this subject) which affects mileage, power, smoke, NOX, and performance (this may also explain why some engines do very well on bio diesel blends and some do not).



In summary, the truth on acetone may never be quantifiable and will probably vary between different fuels and engines.



Call if you have questions. . . .

 

[JLEONARD]

As a boater who does lots of fiberglass repairs I use acetone a lot to clean up resin both polyester and epoxyas well as "etch" their surfaces to insure a good bond. I have also used it to clean many surfaces.

What acetone does to these surfaces shows me I should never put actone in the fuel tank. Acetone eats thru cured fiberglass resin, destroys the surface of anything pvc, most things rubber, eats thru rubber gloves quickly, etc.

Yes I know some use it mixed in their fuel and that's fine, but you won't catch me doing it. I think I'll have enough trouble with today's diesel eating the rubber, I don't need to put an ally in the tank to accelerate the matter.

That's not to mention it's cleaning capabilities and the thought of that going thru the pump and cylinders.



So youse guys can use it if you want to... that's your call. I won't.

Jay

 

[sdstriper]

Acetone is one of the fastest drying solvents I have used. I used it to removed adhesives, clean plastic parts before glueing or welding.



The only solvent with a faster flash point I am aware of is lacquer thinner!



I would not add acetone to the fuel tank (plastic), I would worry about the fuel lines also. And not to mention the VE, it get's it's lubrication from the fuel. ULSD is the new supposed "dry" fuel, with that in mind I have been adding more fuel additive (garage blend,secret recipe #1) for good measure and cheap insurance, but I am paranoid...



Look at it this way. If the fuel system survives this tank consider it cleaned out!

 

[JFaughn]

No acetone for me , clean with bio-diesel , about 25% .

 

[RWWinslow]

Acetone, in the fuel additive concentrations discussed, will not soften or dissolve any of the rubber, plastic or viton components in the fuel system. It may affect lubricity and it may clean up any varnish or sludge products. Its effects on the combustion process per my earlier post is not currently quantifiable.



At 100% concentrations, it is very effective on resin based products (fiberglass, etc. ) as a degreaser, solvent and stripper. It is used to remove fingernail polish and fake fingernails. I have used it for 30 years in this type of work.



Incorrectly formulated / processed bio-diesel and bio-diesel blends have eaten through truck fleets' galvanized steel and rubber fuel lines in a very short period of time. . . . . in other words all fuel additives / blending agents (bio-diesel, acetone, alcohol based additives, etc. ) carry risks as well as benefits.



The key to diesel fuel additive performance and diesel fuel blend performance is rigorous, engineered, field and laboratory testing. Some of that testing is being completed on bio-diesel and bio-diesel blends, it has not been completed on acetone.



Bottom line - user beware and stay informed. . . . . this is a great forum for getting information out and discussed.