A COLD WEATHER STARTING SYSTEM
Building a system to increase the volatility of alcohol for an alcohol fueled engine.
Here's the latest in alcohol-powered vehicle
technology . . .
RELATED CONTENT
Lumber and metal clamps secure garbage out of animal's reach and keeps the home and yard looking ni...
Making an indoor log holder from rebar....
Bob Jackson made a newspaper holder from PVC pipe; Jessica Cramer recycles pantyhose to tie table l...
It’s a bookcase, seed-starting plant grow-light shelf and houseplant display case, all in one attra...
After the warmth of holiday gatherings and festivities, planning for spring comforts us in the cold...
In our last issue, we described the process of converting a
gasoline-burning automotive engine to operate on
home-brewed ethyl alcohol (see MOTHER NO. 59, page 78), and
we also specified the particulars of rigging up a dual-fuel
system that would allow the vehicle to run on either
alcohol or gasoline with only a minimum of "switchover"
tinkering.
Now-with winter upon us-it's time to go one step further
with that conversion . . . and describe how to construct a
fool proof-and inexpensive-cold weather starting system.
BACK TO BASICS
As you know, alcohol fuel is desirable from a safety
standpoint, since it is not dangerously volatile, as is
gasoline. This advantage, however, can become a' minor
problem during the winter season (when the temperature is
below 45°F) because the carbureted ethanol fuel has a
tendency to remain in liquid form as it passes
through the engine's intake manifold . . . rather than turn
into a mist-like vapor as it should.
So, faced with this knotty problem, MOTHER's researchers
came up with a low-cost, easy answer . . . they merely
inject a fine stream of gasoline-taken from the auxiliary,
fuel supply-directly down the carburetor throat. The minute
spray is adequate to start the engine and keep it running
till it's warm enough to utilize pure alcohol fuel.
DOIN' IT
Start off by purchasing (or better yet; scrounging) all the
plumbing hardware called for in the accompanying illustra
tion. Then gather up an assortment of end wrenches, a
screwdriver, a power drill with a 7/16" bit, a soldering
iron, a small tubing cutter, and some Teflon thread tape.
When you have everything together, remove the air cleaner
lid from its housing and determine the best place to
position your "squirt" nozzle. Remember that you want the
sprayer to shoot directly down into the throat of the
carburetor, and that the movable choke plate should not
interfere with the injector pipette.
Now drill a 7/16" hole in the air cleaner cover at the spot
you've chosen (see Photo 1). Next, cut a short length of
1/4" copper tubing, then fasten the needle valve to the
elbow as in our illustration.
Finally, insert your copper tube into the opposite end of
the elbow and attach the entire assembly to the sir filter
cap (Photo 2).
