Mothballs / Napthalene / WD40

[SVOboy]

So, crushing up some mothballs into your tank, 5 per 1 gallon I think, might be for only carbed, but I've seen FI to, heard 2-3 mpg on a mazda protege. 99% napthalene type you need

WD40........

"Major ingredients based on the November 2003 MSDS data:

CAS 8052-41-3 Stoddard Solvent 50%
CAS 64742-65-0 Petroleum base oil 25%
CAS 64742-47-8 Naptha 15%

Butyl Carbitol may still be part of the formulation, but only as a
minor percentage."

Common element between WD40 and mothballs is naptha and napthalyene?

"Naphtha is a group of various volatile flammable liquid hydrocarbon
mixtures used chiefly as solvents.

It is obtained from petroleum refineries as the portion of the
distillate which is intermediate between the lighter gasoline and the
heavier benzene. Naphtha has a specific gravity of about 0.7.

It is also the main ingredient in some lighter fluids for wick type
lighters like Zippo lighters. Other uses include removing tar,
grease, oil and labels.

See also: naphthalene."

WD40 also said to give 2-3 mpg.

And napthalene is something refined when gas is, so it's not like sugar, should be a good thing to test the heck out.

[SVOboy]

You can also add 1 ounce of WD40 per gallon of gas to the tank to help remove the water.

I love how I post in little pieces...

[SVOboy]

Actually it seems like everyone who uses mothballs varies their amounts a whole lot, something to test for me after acetone I guess, though I wanna do tires and spark plugs and chipping sometime...

[SVOboy]

"You purchase white solid mothballs. Be careful, here it difficult to
find real Naphtaline. Supermarkets sell Paradichlorobenzene to repell
insects and that's not good for engines.

You place several balls in the air box, before or after the filter as
you can and let them sublimate. They will change directly from solid
to gaseous releasing very small amount of naphtalene gas (what you
can smell).

This gas acts as a catalysator, I mean that the reaction between
gasoline and oxygen is better and more complete when this third gas
is present.

You immediately can measure and neat decrease on CO, HC and NOx and a
better CO² showing a better reaction.

You also can feel better torque/power and in several cases will note
a better mileage by 15%. (Fifteen !)

This is also convenient for diesel engines. They also emit far less
black smoke."

[SVOboy]

"Can mothballs increase octane?

The legend of mothballs as an octane enhancer arose well before
W.W.II when naphthalene was used as the active ingredient. Today, the
majority of mothballs use para-dichlorobenzene in place of
naphthalene, so choose carefully if you wish to experiment :-). There
have been some concerns about the toxicity of para-dichlorobenzene,
and naphthalene mothballs have again become popular. In the 1920s,
typical gasoline octane ratings were 40-60, and during the 1930s and
40s, the ratings increased by approximately 20 units as alkyl leads
and improved refining processes became widespread.

Naphthalene has a blending motor octane number of 90, so the addition
of a significant amount of mothballs could increase the octane, and
they were soluble in gasoline. The amount usually required to
appreciably increase the octane also had some adverse effects. The
most obvious was due to the high melting point (80C), when the fuel
evaporated the naphthalene would precipitate out, blocking jets and
filters. With modern gasolines, naphthalene is more likely to reduce
the octane rating, and the amount required for low octane fuels will
also create operational and emissions problems."


"Water

As water-gasoline fuels have been extensively investigated,
interested potential investors may wish to refer to those papers for
some background. Mr.Gunnerman advocates hydrocarbon/water emulsion
fuels and promoted his A-55 fuel before the new A-21.

**A recent article claims a 29% gain in fuel economy, and he claims
that mixing water with naphtha can provide as much power from an IC
engine as the same flow rate of gasoline. He claims the increased
efficiency is from catalysed dissociation of A-21 into H2 in the
engine, because the combustion chamber of the test engines contain a
"non-reactive" catalyst. For his fuel to provide power increases, he
has to utilise heat energy that is normally lost.**

**A-21 is just naphtha (effectively unleaded gasoline without
oxygenates) and water (about 55%), with small amouts of winterizing
and anti-corrosive additives.**

If the magic catalyst is not present, conventional IC engines will
not perform as efficiently, and may possibly be damaged if A-21 is
used.

The only modification is a new set of spark plugs, and it is also
claimed that the fuel can replace both diesel and gasoline.

It has been claimed that test results of A-21 fuel emissions have
shown significant reductions in CO2 (50% claimed - who is surprised
when the fuel is 55% water? :-) ), CO, HCs, NOx and a 70% reduction
in diesel particulates and smoke. It's claimed that 70% of the
exhaust stream consists of water vapour. He has formed a joint
venture company with Caterpillar called Advanced Fuels. U.S. patent
#5,156,114 (Aqueous Fuel for Internal Combustion Engines and
Combustion Method) was granted to Mr.Gunnerman in 1992."


<a href=http://home.pacbell.net/sfnelson/fuel__detonation__preignition__etc_.html target=_blank>Link!</a>

[rh77]

My Dad told me how they used to put mothballs in the tank to win drag races circa 1955. Full circle, cool. Unfortunately, common-rail diesels and carb'd cars would benefit the most, instead of FI.

RH77

[SVOboy]

Quite truthe, still worth a try, I say. And if it gives me more power and no mpg then I won't complain about that either.

[JustMe]

This guy uses moth balls and WD40
http://www.georgenitta.com/mothballs/mothballs.htm

[diamondlarry]

The only thing else I would suggest when using mothballs is that they be crushed to a very fine powder and mixed in some gas before adding to the tank. I would be concerned about the whole mothballs turning into a large gooey mass as they were dissolving. This could perhaps also reduce the number of mothballs needed. I have a box of mothballs but I want to thoroughly test my Ethos before I start on anything else.

[Sludgy]

I find it hilarious that people are adding expensive chemicals to "improve fuel economy". That $2.49, 16 oz. can of WD 40 costs the same as a gallon of gasoline to gain perhaps 1% more miles to your tankfull. It would ge better to spend the same $2.49 on a gallon of gas, and get 10% more miles per tankfull!

The same thing applies to other additives like acetone or napthalene, all of which ultimately came from an oil well in Saudi Arabia.

[SVOboy]

2-3 mpg isn't exactly insignificant. And even if they came from the same place, we'd be using a little bit more of those things and a lot less gas. Plus, it's not just about being cheap with some of us, I realize this is the US (hog all the money you can for yourself land), but some things are worth money even if you don't get it back.

[diamondlarry]

find it hilarious that people are adding expensive chemicals to "improve fuel economy". That $2.49, 16 oz. can of WD 40 costs the same as a gallon of gasoline to gain perhaps 1% more miles to your tankfull. It would ge better to spend the same $2.49 on a gallon of gas, and get 10% more miles per tankfull!

Since you only use a few ounces/10 gallons and gain a few mpg it IS cost effective.

[Sludgy]

In in terms of overall energy usage, additives like actone and WD40 do not add "efficiency" to a properly tuned engine. They simply burn and add some BTUs, just as would an equivalent weight of gasoline.

2-3 MPG IS significant, as you point out. I'd love to get that much more in my F350 diesel.

I could get more miles per gallon of diesel with a propane injection system. But the amount of BTUs I used (counting both the propane and the diesel) would be the same. Diesel provides about 139,000 BTU/gallon. Propane provides 91,000 BTU/gallon. Adding propane decreases the amount of diesel I would burn, and improve the diesel "MPG", but the total energy would be the same. (And the cost would be much more, since propane costs more than diesel.)

In order to really determine whether a true improvement in energy usage has occurred with any additive, you have to add the heat of combustion of that additive to the heat contained in a the gallon of gas. For acetone:

The heat of combustion of acetone is 427.92kcal/gram-mole, or 9.3 kcal/g.
The heat of combustion of napthalene is 1231.8 kcal/g-mole, or 9.62 kcal/g.
The heat of combustion of 2,2,4 trimethylpentane ("octane" gasoline)is 1303.9/gram-mole, or 11.5 kcal/g.

So, adding a few ounces of acetone or napthalene per gallon simply adds fuel energy just like adding some octane gasoline. The trouble is, acetone and napthalene are more exepensive than octane.

[diamondlarry]

So, adding a few ounces of acetone or napthalene per gallon simply adds fuel energy just like adding some octane gasoline. The trouble is, acetone and napthalene are more exepensive than octane.
This is why it is important to keep track of the costs involved when using additives. I have seen people report that adding $.30-.50 worth of additives is saving them several dollars worth of fuel. So if using $.50 saves a gallon or two of gas it is worth it. I see what you are saying about just adding energy to the gas but additives can save money.

[lovemysan]

how did the ethos do?

I was wondering the same. Apparently not as well as getting a prius.

[JanGeo]

A friend of mine did the math on a Prius and figured that getting a hybrid for the extra money was not worth it - cheeper to just buy gas for a non-hybrid car and you can get a lot of gas for the extra $$ that the Prius will cost you.

3 oz of acetone cost me 32 cents and if I get 1 mpg more per 10 gallons then it saves me 1/4 of a gallon or 2.50/4 - 3.00/4 or about 62-70 cents. I think I get more than a mile per gallon with the acetone.

[Jim Dunlop]

The acetone/MMO mix isn't expensive given the amounts I use. Acetone is $7 for 32 oz. and the MMO is $3. I think the chief benefit is keeping the injectors clean long term.

For the record, Naphtha and Naphthalene are two different substances. Part of the confusion comes into play because Naphtha is not one chemical compound but a boiling point range in the refining process. Naphthalene is a solid.

I used to work in a QA lab at an aerosol company and tested incoming samples of both Naphtha and WD-40 base concentrate. I wouldn't put WD-40 in my gas tank. The base oil appears to have paraffins (wax) in it.

[ZugyNA]

The acetone/MMO mix isn't expensive given the amounts I use. Acetone is $7 for 32 oz. and the MMO is $3. I think the chief benefit is keeping the injectors clean long term.

You can buy a gallon of 100% acetone for around $12-13....128 oz.

[Jim Dunlop]

:eek:

WHERE?!?!?

[kickflipjr]

home depot

[gamby]

A friend of mine did the math on a Prius and figured that getting a hybrid for the extra money was not worth it - cheeper to just buy gas for a non-hybrid car and you can get a lot of gas for the extra $$ that the Prius will cost you.

3 oz of acetone cost me 32 cents and if I get 1 mpg more per 10 gallons then it saves me 1/4 of a gallon or 2.50/4 - 3.00/4 or about 62-70 cents. I think I get more than a mile per gallon with the acetone.

IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT SAVING MONEY.

Empirically, it's good to use less fuel--period. We're at war w/ the people who have all of the oil. They have jihad against us. If I couls spend a few bucks to stretch my mileage a little more, I would.

I've read that acetone is really bad for your rings, though. Save fuel, wreck engine. :(

[SVOboy]

IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT SAVING MONEY.

Empirically, it's good to use less fuel--period. We're at war w/ the people who have all of the oil. They have jihad against us. If I couls spend a few bucks to stretch my mileage a little more, I would.

I've read that acetone is really bad for your rings, though. Save fuel, wreck engine. :(
Why would it be bad for your rings? That makes as much sense as people saying that acetone will increase mileage 40%, :p

That said, who started the war and who's buying the oil. It sounds like we're guilty on both counts.

[8307c4]

WD40 also said to give 2-3 mpg.

My question is, at a cost of $15 a gallon, what am I really gaining here?

[SVOboy]

My question is, at a cost of $15 a gallon, what am I really gaining here?
Sucker points?

[gamby]

Why would it be bad for your rings? That makes as much sense as people saying that acetone will increase mileage 40%, :p

That said, who started the war and who's buying the oil. It sounds like we're guilty on both counts.

I can't say why, myself. Ive read about everything from damaged rings to damaged fuel pumps on the various enthusiast sites I regularly visit. The acetone debate is usually met w/ mockery and skepticism as well as many claims of engine damage. :confused:

I guess Mythbusters got worse mileage with it.

http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2006/05/exploding_trousers_great_gas_conspiracy.html

But that'll get discounted as "pop science" :rolleyes:


I'll stick w/ plain ol' gasoline, careful throttle inputs and 67mph on the freeway.

[theclencher]

IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT SAVING MONEY.

Empirically, it's good to use less fuel--period. We're at war w/ the people who have all of the oil. They have jihad against us. If I couls spend a few bucks to stretch my mileage a little more, I would.

I've read that acetone is really bad for your rings, though. Save fuel, wreck engine. :(

YEAH!!!

Damn Canadians and their jihads... :mad: