Alcohol Fuel Powers this Experimental Truck
You can convert a truck to run on pure homemade alcohol within a few hours!
September/October 1979
The Mother Earth News editors
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Run your vehicle on renewable fuel!
STAFF PHOTOS
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There's certainly nothing special about a 10-year-old pickup truck, but when that same vehicle can drive — indefinitely — without ever having to stop at a gasoline station to fill up . . . well, then the highway veteran becomes something worth writing home about!
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No, MOTHER hasn't developed a perpetual motion engine . . . but her researchers have succeeded in adjusting the above-mentioned vehicle's powerplant so that it runs on pure homemade alcohol. The "conversion" wasn't at all difficult, either. In fact, it can be done (in less than two hours!) on just about any vehicle manufactured today ... and with tools you'd find in most anyone's workshop.
ALCOHOL BASICS
There's no reason for alcohol not to be used as motor fuel. Some of the earliest "horseless carriages" ran on it exclusively, and even in modern times, aircraft and racing cars have taken advantage of the fuel's several benefits:
[1] Alcohol burns clean.
[2] The distilled fuel also acts as a cleaning agent within the engine.
[3] An alcohol-burning engine tends to operate at slightly cooler temperatures than does its gasoline-powered counterpart.
Even aside from these mechanical benefits, there are other less obvious advantages to ethanol fuel . . . one of the most important being the fact that it's not dangerously volatile, as is gasoline. Other positive points include the fact that a 200-proof "juice" isn't necessary (MOTHER's pickup runs fine using 180to 190-proof ethanol, and can be operated on fuel with a proof of as low as 160) . . . and, of course, the fact that—after obtaining the appropriate government per mats—a vehicle's owner can manufacture his or her own alcohol at home.
GETTIN' DOWN TO NUTS AND BOLTS
Begin your conversion by gathering up all the tools and hardware you'll need to complete the job. In most cases a screwdriver, a pair of needlenose pliers, a putty knife, a set of assorted end wrenches, a vise-grip tool, and a power drill—with bits ranging in size from .0638" (No. 82) to .0890" (No. 43)—are all you'll need. To make your task easier, though, you might want to refer to a Motor, Chilton, or Glenn auto repair manual for exploded illustrations to guide you through the necessary carburetor disassembly. (Another alternative would be to purchase a carb rebuilding kit for your particular make and model . . . which will not only provide a working diagram, but will also supply you with gaskets and other parts that may get damaged during the stripdown process.) Finally, on most all carburetors manufactured, there is a removable main metering jet . . . you'll probably want to purchase several of these from your automobile dealer (at a cost of less than $1.00 apiece) so you'll be able to easily convert your car back to gasoline fuel if the need arises.
With these preliminary steps taken care of, remove the carburetor air filter housing—and all its hoses, tubes, and paraphernalia—from the engine. Next, disconnect the throttle linkage from the carburetor, and-if your vehicle is so equipped-any choke linkage rods that aren't self-contained on the carb body. (Older vehicles might use a manual choke . . . if this is true of your car or truck, remove the control cable and tie it out of the way.) Now unscrew the fuel line from the carburetor inlet fitting and remove any other hoses that fasten to the "pot" . . . including vacuum and other air control lines. (If you're not quite sure that you can remember exactly where all these hoses belong after you've taken them off, it'd be smart to label them and their fit tings first.
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