Acetone to increase mileage

http://pesn.com/2005/03/17/6900069_Acetone/

Anyone try adding acetone to their gas as described in the article?

Here is a direct quote I found from someone I know who has a 2001 Taco:

Yes I am still using it. 4oz per ten gallons of gasoline. Traveling, I have noticed that some gas stations produce better MPG with it than others, but overall I get three to four miles per gallon improvement and more power in my 2001 Toyota Tacoma. I have found absolutely zero negative results with it.

dont know how well i would trust that. I would have to see it to believe it.

dont know how well i would trust that. I would have to see it to believe it.

I don't doubt the increase in mileage. What some opponents argue is that they will say that acetone will cause damage to your components. However, we are talking about a very small amount of acetone dilluted down to where it may not harm plastics or rubber.

Here are comments from a couple of others who have tried it:

I've also been useing it for quite awhile now. I have found that by adding 3-4 oz. per 10 gallons gas, ( I add 3 oz in my truck but my wifes van requires 4 oz per 10 gallons before she really notices a difference) I can get 100 miles or more out of a tank of gas. I'm running a 1992 chevy 1500 p/up with a 6 cyl. engine. Where I use to be able to drive for 435 on a tank I now am driveing app. 550 miles before refueling.
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I've been using the acetone mix at 4 ounces per 10 gallons of gas and it's averaging out to an extra 4 miles to the gallon. Results after 90 days of use.
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This definately seems very interesting. If there is data out there that proves this does not work or that it causes harm to your engine, please share it with us. If you know of someone who has written an article as to why this does not work, please share it with us.

i would say that its ok just that you dont spill any on the car. the gas lines in the car are made to handle this kind of thing. i think it will even clean the engine. i think im going to try it. just remember to not let your car sit for an extended period of time in the sun. because acetone will decrese the surface tension of the gas that means that it will evaporate more quickly than gas already does.

Here's one of the original articles on this subject:
http://www.lubedev.com/smartgas/additive.htm

All acetone has water in it, even the 100% acetone, it is just a matter of how much. If there is 0.05% water, then the acetone will solubilize it and there is no problem. If there is 5% water, the acetone will not be able to dissolve it and you can't use it in gasoline.

Batches of acetone are totally unpredictable, as far as water content goes (acetone sucks water from the air), so:

1. Buy a large container and use only acetone from that container. A gallon of reagent-grade acetone would be best (from Aldrich Chemical Co.) in a glass bottle as provided. Anything less than that is suspect for water content. If you don't want to pay alot for the acetone from Aldrich, search for unscented 100% acetone and only use it. The scent may cause a problem with your sensors - which you don't need.

I would test it by adding quite a bit to some hydrocarbon (hexane, gasoline, whatever) maybe 10:1 (hexane:acetone) and make sure it forms a colorless clear solution. If the mixture becomes hazy, then don't use it. Throw it away or return it or give it to your girlfriend. It has too much water in it.

2. Never pour acetone back into the container. Once it has been poured out, throw it away or use it immediately.

3. Test the acetone in the container periodically (once a year) as I suggested above, or some other test like that.

4. Don't buy acetone in a plastic container. Acetone will absorb water through the plastic and be wetter than that in a metal or glass container. Also, the acetone will leach some impurities from the plastic container and they are not what you want in your gas. Play it safe. You don't know how long it's been since the acetone was bottled. It may have been kept on the shelf for years, being opened by other customers to smell it or something.

5. Make absolutely sure that you keep the container tightly closed, or transfer the acetone into a really good container (glass is better than metal or plastic) with a good seal and keep it well closed always. If you accidentally leave it open or loosely covered overnight or you don't know how long, test it again before you use it.

BTW, I have not yet seen any data to support the surface-tension theory. Don't bank on it. Acetone has about the same surface tension as gasoline, so I'll have to see the data before I believe surface tension change is the cause of any effect on gas mileage.

I would only try the adding of acetone with gas from service stations that have historically given out the most consistent and best MPG for your vehicle. If you don't know what service stations they are yet, then I would investigate that first before jumping in and adding acetone to your gas.

BTW, the 2001 Taco owner I first quoted in the first post said he has been adding the acetone for approximately 5000 miles of driving. I haven't asked him yet what his storage and handling procedures are with the acetone.

Anyway, I bought a trial quart of acetone from Home Depot and I am going to try it in my truck starting today. The can I bought is handy in that it has a small plastic snap spout - easy pouring. I will try 6oz/tankful, maybe 8 oz/tank if I only see a small effect. I will post back. My truck is very consistent at 16 mpg since I've owned it - 2000 4Runner 3.4L automatic. I have also tested mileage from various brands and none that I tried (Shell, Amoco/BP, Chevron) seem to give any better mileage than the others.

I found a gadget at Advance Auto Parts which is a syringe with graduations up to 2 oz for metering 2-stroke oil. I also bought a small funnel for the tank. What I did was take the plunger out of the syringe and fill the syringe from the can, keeping one finger over the opening to keep the acetone from falling out the bottom. Then I placed the syringe over the funnel and released my finger and the acetone all went in the tank. Acetone evaporates so fast, the syringe (and my finger) were dry before I put it back in the truck.

If this has an effect, I will be tempted to try MEK, which is very similar to acetone in chemical structure.

im also gonna try it after i fill up. I think im gonna go with 6oz and then go from there.

better MPG..or worse engine components..

hmm

No guarantee of either one.

I was listening to an overnight show on the radio and that guy suggested 2 1/2 oz. per 10 gallons

Brian R.,

Since it's been nearly 2 weeks from when you started, have you noticed any improvements in mpg? What are your findings?

I'm going to start with my wife's RAV4. Once I get some data, I'll post the results.

I don't drive that much, so the jury's still out.

What about emissions? Certain things will jack your catalytic converter. Do you know what components it breaks down to?

Acetone will burn just like gasoline hydrocarbons, into water and carbon dioxide. It will burn very clean.

Brian,

I think the most difficult part of the whole issue with the acetone is having it readily available when not using it. Does one carry the original acetone container in their vehicle and then use a syringe to withdraw it from and add to the gas tank? I know where I can buy a glass syringe which would not be damaged by the harmful chemicals. I thought about filling up glass test tubes (say 4 oz. for each one) ahead of time from the original acetone container to carry in my vehicle as another way to have it readily available for adding at the gas pump. Course, then one has to wonder what type of test tube stopper would work on acetone. The test tubes would also have to be carried upright while riding in the back of your vehicle as well. It would seem a little easier to handle adding the acetone after you fill up and go home by keeping everything at the house . However, having acetone readily available to add while you are on the run appears to be more difficult.

BTW, do you have any updated info. on it increasing your mileage? I just read from another experimenter who claims he has seen his mileage go up around 4 mpg.

I bought a quart from Home Depot and keep in my truck along with the syringe to measure it and the funnel. Keeping it in other containers is ok if they have screw caps.

Test tubes are easily broken and the stoppers would have to be white (silicone), not black rubber.

Plastic syringes are ok. The one I have for motorcycle 2-stroke oil doesn't seem to be affected by the acetone. I think it's polyethylene.

Adding the acetone just before putting the gas in the tank is preferable to adding it afterward.

As far as increasing my mileage, I have just been transferred to another worksite and don't know what is normal for my truck driving to and from that site. I am on the expressway alot more than I used to be, so I have to do alot more testing before I am convinced, one way or the other. Tentatively, I don't see much difference. It is possible that the differences people are seeing are due to cleaning of the fuel system by the acetone and it is having an effect because of this. This would account for the differences in results between similar vehicles. If the acetone produced it's effect by affecting the burning of gasoline, it is hard to understand how the same engine would get different results.