One of the tests for determining the alcohol content in gasoline is to use a tall, thin glass cylinder, make a mark about 1/4 the way up. Fill to the quarter mark with water, then fill the reamainder with gas, shake , then wait a minute for the bubbles to settle. If the water level goes up, you have gas that contains alcohol- which, apparently if the % is high enough, can damage 2 cycle engines. Can you use the same process on a larger scale to remove the alky from gas to allow the gas to be used in a 2 stroke . Leaving aside the pollution of the water for the purpose of discussion. Thanks for the info Pat
That doesn't sound right to me. If you have water in your gas tank it doesn't mix with the gas, it lies around in little globules at the bottom of the tank and causes problems if the fuel pump picks it up. To get rid of it you add alcohol (gas line antifreeze) which mixes with the water and causes it to blend with the gas.
Where did you get the idea that alcohol damages 2 cycle engines?
In laboratory gasohol testing/experimentation for the State of Maine in the late '70s, we mixed up 10 percent Methanol and 10 percent Ethanol "gasohols."
We could separate alcohol and gasoline in the centrifuge, but Introducing a small amount of water into the gasoline/alcohol mixture caused the alcohol/water mix to precipitate from the gasoline and sit on the bottom - pretty much the same result as the centrifuge.
Re-mixing the centrifuge-separated mixture was accomplished with a few shakes, but the alcohol/water mixture could NOT be re-mixed into the gasoline, no matter how much it was shaken.
Accurate measurement of the precipitate indicated that it equaled the total amount of alcohol and water combined.
"Gas line antifreeze" is the correct term for methanol/ethanol/isopropyl alcohols. They mix with and separate the water from the fuel, and prevent it from freezing - much like the old alcohol cooling system anti-freezes.
And, water doesn't burn - no matter what it is mixed with. If you are lucky, it simply passes through the fuel system without any problem. If there is enough of it, the vehicle shuts down, because.....water doesn't burn, no matter what it is mixed with.
The procedure listed by the O.P. is correct in methodology and results that can be expected. These results can be pretty much duplicated in your own back yard with less than a gallon of gasoline, an accurate measuring cup or medicine dropper, and a clear peanut butter (or similar) jar.
****** DISCLAIMER: For those who fail to take responsibility for their own actions and rely on ambulance-chasing lawyers to do their own critical thinking after-the-fact....
This experiment involves the use of gasoline which is highly flammable. DO NOT SMOKE while conducting these experiments. Do not attempt this experiment in the proximity of ANY heat source.
DO NOT take the gasoline, alcohol and/or the gasoline/alcohol mixture internally.
Since I have absolutely no way of controlling or knowing how you participate in or conduct this experiment. I cannot and will not assume ANY RESPONSIBILITY for ANY results - expected or unexpected. ********
And, alcohol can damage two-cycle engines because it is a dry solvent that interferes with the lubricating capability of the two-cycle fuel/oil mixture. Also, if the gasohol happens to be a methanol blend, methanol is very corrosive to aluminum.
When running straight methanol fuel, we used to shut off the fuel supply and run the carburetor out of fuel before shutting the engine down in order to preserve the pistons in our race engines.
Failure to do so would result in corrosively-weakened pistons and, oftentimes, an unexpected, rapid, energetic disassembly of the racing engine while at full song.
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