Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (March 2005, week 4)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Wed, 23 Mar 2005 15:16:23 -0500
Reply-To:     Greg Potts <Greg@POTTSFAMILY.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Greg Potts <Greg@POTTSFAMILY.CA>
Subject:      Re: Alcohol, Baby ! (Was Octane)
Comments: To: Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@YAHOO.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <20050323194119.65486.qmail@web51807.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

Hi Robert,

Your statements are true... but are not accurately presented.

Alcohol will only run cooler if/when the timing and carburetion are adjusted to run on alcohol. If you take a gasoline engine and fill it with alcohol without adjusting the air/fuel mix and/or timing then you will run hotter and get reduced gas milage.

In addition: The same water-cooled engines that can run without a fan on alcohol could just as easily run without a fan on gasoline under the same conditions. This was a common trick to get a quick HP increase on 1960's cars that were run on the highway or dragstrip. At highway speed the fan isn't helping to cool your vehicle so why waste the HP required to turn it?

I'm not against alcohol as a fuel, I just don't like seeing critical details left out.

Happy trails,

Greg Potts Toronto, Ontario, Canada

1973/74/79 Westfakia Conversion **Bob the Tomato** LY3H 1977 Sunroof Automatic L63H/L90D 1988 Vanagon GL 8-passenger Automatic http://www.pottsfamily.ca/westfakia http://www.busesofthecorn.com

On 23-Mar-05, at 2:41 PM, Robert Keezer wrote:

> Alcohol burns cleaner and cooler. Having alcohol in > your fuel actually helps run the engine cooler, which > an air-cooled needs. Water-cooleds like it too. > > Some water-cooled engines can do without a fan running > on straight alcohol.


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.