The show Myth Busters did a special on fuel milage and they tested Acetone. It turned out the car got less milage on Acetone. Unfortunately, they didn't research the amount and I think they used too much. IMO the myth still continues because the Acetone users say don't use too much or your milage will go down, lol. The fact is that did happen, so if that is true then maybe if you use the right amount it will actually go up. The fact is that it effected milage, allbeit negatively, but it still effected it. Man I wished they would have done some more research on amount before the test and put this myth rest either way. According to them the myth is busted, they say acetone doesn't give better gas milage.
Acetone & Myth Busters
- Thread starter Shelby
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I tried it. 3 oz in 10 gallons gas. Zip. Nada.
What amazes me is people who insist they get something incredible like a 6 mpg increase. Nothing you put in your tank or anywhere else could possibly do that. I still don't know what to think in general terms, but for me and my car it doesn't work.
What amazes me is people who insist they get something incredible like a 6 mpg increase. Nothing you put in your tank or anywhere else could possibly do that. I still don't know what to think in general terms, but for me and my car it doesn't work.
My dads PU truck would get a few more mpg more,simply because the injectors are really dirty.The truck originally got 17 mpg and now with 40k and 8 years its at 14 mpg.The cleaning effect would IMO probably restore some of the lost mileage but so would a few bottles of Redline or Techron.After the efficiency was restored continued use would not continue to improve the mpg beyond original.
Just to add my .02. About 3 months ago after reading about acetone I decided to give it a try. I made a 2 gallon, 50-50 mix of acetone and toluene. I put it in 5 different family vehicles that I take care of. I used a 6oz per 10 gallon dose. After 3-4 weeks non of the cars showed any increase in MPG. However, All vehicles had a improvement in starting and overall performance. This is after a years use of FP60 and LC20 and various injector cleaners before that, not Redline or Techron. The kicker was with my 01 Ram 1500 with a 5.9. I have had a remote starter on the truck for 5 years. Whenever the temp got into the 40s or below, it would not start on the first try with the remote, it started on the second try always. Now, it starts on the first time always with the temp as low as the low 20s. The only other change was a switch to GC from M1 5w-30. I`m not sure as difference of the thickness of the two oils at 20f but I don`t believe it is that great. I will continue to use my acetone-toluene mix in the future.
Mythbusters are just doing stuff half a$$ lately and for the effect. They basically blow it up or over exaggerate it cause they did not properly do the testing.
I wasn't happy with their testing of acetone.
I wasn't happy with their testing of acetone.
LAGA, acetone may be helping with the low temperature volatility of the fuel to help with cold starting.
When I had a 6 cyl with triple S.U. carbies and no choke (nor no accelerator pump) ether or acetone were the best at getting ignition.
When I had a 6 cyl with triple S.U. carbies and no choke (nor no accelerator pump) ether or acetone were the best at getting ignition.
I don`t know what is going on. I have filled up twice since the last treatment, one time with 21 gallons and the other with 22 gallons, in a 26 gallon tank. So if any of the mix is left it has to be in minute amounts. I checked the viscosity of the two oils and GC is slightly thicker than M1 at almost all temps. With all other things being equal, why does it start easier? My theory is it did a better job of cleaning the fuel system than anything else I used. The temp right now is 28F, and the truck just started right up on the first try after sitting for 19 hours outside. In the 5+ years of having the remote starter it NEVER did that.
you have me sooooo tempted to try it now. my poor car is always some sort of lab rat.
I use a 50/50 mix of acetone and toluene on all three of the vehicles I own. Fuel economy goes up approximately 2 mpg for all of them but the most noticeable difference is in the performance. They run smoother and have more power. It is especially noticeable in my F150 with the 4.6 litre V8. I've been using it for two years now and even if I didn't get better gas mileage I would still use it since my engines run better with it.
Does the toluene really do anything? Gasoline already has toluene in it. I don't know about every brand, but I checked the Chevron MSDS for their gasoline and it says 1-17% toluene. Even if it's only 1%, adding another few ounces shouldn't make a difference. Don't mean this to be abrasive, I'm really curious if you've tried it with and without toluene.
I have not tried just the acetone alone. I have been getting the cheapest gas I can and adding FP60. Most of the time it is Citco gas from a car wash that has a very high volume of customers. It is next to the shop I work at and I have been getting gas there about 7 years now. I have no idea about the toluene content of there gas. I do burn premium in my truck since it has a performance chip and other mods.
We would need a chemist to tell us for sure if it could increase the cold weather volitility of gas. I personally have seen no effect at all by using it.
And I totally don't buy into the cleaning effects. Gas already has a large amount of toluene as mentioned above. Toluene is a stronger solvent than acetone, acetone is a relatively mild solvent. And if having up to 15% or so of toluene in your tank isn't cleaning....~3ozs of acetone will do nothing.
At 15% toluene in a 10 gallon tank you have then 1.5 GALLONS of toluene. Thats 192ozs of a semi strong solvent. If measuring cleaning ability, one could only figure
192oz(stronger solvent) > 3oz(weak solvent)
3oz of toluene would likely clean better than 3oz of acetone. So of course 192oz will EASILY make 3oz insignificant.
So, if acetone is helping anyone in mileage, its certainly not based on its cleaning ability.
And I totally don't buy into the cleaning effects. Gas already has a large amount of toluene as mentioned above. Toluene is a stronger solvent than acetone, acetone is a relatively mild solvent. And if having up to 15% or so of toluene in your tank isn't cleaning....~3ozs of acetone will do nothing.
At 15% toluene in a 10 gallon tank you have then 1.5 GALLONS of toluene. Thats 192ozs of a semi strong solvent. If measuring cleaning ability, one could only figure
192oz(stronger solvent) > 3oz(weak solvent)
3oz of toluene would likely clean better than 3oz of acetone. So of course 192oz will EASILY make 3oz insignificant.
So, if acetone is helping anyone in mileage, its certainly not based on its cleaning ability.
My only direct personal experience with both was cleaning varnish and dirt off of transmission parts, and testing how badly each affected a front pump seal.
Cleaning the varnish the acetone did a good job but tended to work better if I let it soak in it for a few minutes before scrubing it. The toluene allowed me to wipe it right off easier.
I let the front pump seals sit in 2 old scotch glasses and were the same type of seal and the same amount of solvent in each. The one soaked with acetone was just fine when I remove it a little over 24 hours later. No noticable affect on the pliability. The toluene however made the seal material go from rather stiff to almost a "gummy" feel. Even after drying off it still felt this way.
One thing is I honestly can't remember what the seal material was, don't think it was Viton(since I don't think Viton is affected by either fluid).
Cleaning the varnish the acetone did a good job but tended to work better if I let it soak in it for a few minutes before scrubing it. The toluene allowed me to wipe it right off easier.
I let the front pump seals sit in 2 old scotch glasses and were the same type of seal and the same amount of solvent in each. The one soaked with acetone was just fine when I remove it a little over 24 hours later. No noticable affect on the pliability. The toluene however made the seal material go from rather stiff to almost a "gummy" feel. Even after drying off it still felt this way.
One thing is I honestly can't remember what the seal material was, don't think it was Viton(since I don't think Viton is affected by either fluid).
Were you using "straight" hardware store acetone? I poured some in a neutra bottle only to have it get squishy soft. I also measured some out in a plastic measuring cup, which promptly began dissolving hunks into the fluid. I know toluene is fairly harsh but I believe fuel system plastic/rubber is in no danger (especially since the stuff is in gasoline).
Yeah I was using the same brand of each "Klean Strip".
Heh, your fun with bottles sounds like my fun with those cheap plastic dixie cups. Forgetting they are made of Type 6 plastics, placed some small parts to soak briefly in them only to come back 5 minutes later to see there was no acetone left, it ate its way through it nearly instantly.
Heh, your fun with bottles sounds like my fun with those cheap plastic dixie cups. Forgetting they are made of Type 6 plastics, placed some small parts to soak briefly in them only to come back 5 minutes later to see there was no acetone left, it ate its way through it nearly instantly.
I got mine from Menards. "Sunnyside" is the brand I think they were both $10.99 per gallon . I also got a 2 1/2 gallon plastic gas can for a couple of bucks and poured both cans in the gas can. There has been at least 1 quart in the plastic gas can for a couple months now and it has shown zero effects.
I use the toluene to help mix any ucl's into the acetone mix. I don't feel a difference with or without the toluene but I do feel the difference if I don't use the acetone. I put over 40000 miles on the three vehicle using and not using I and my wife and I can tell a difference in performance and at the gas pump. My current mix of fuel additive that I've been using my truck is 3 oz acetone, 3 oz toluene, 4 oz of MMO for every ten gallons. For my Saturn 2 oz acetone, 2 oz toluene, 4 oz MMO for every ten gallons. Same for the Honda. You've gotta test very carefully until you get the best fuel economy. Just putting in a few ounces one time and not getting anything doesn't work. Start with one ounce and work up until a maximum of three ounces for ten gallons until you get the best economy.
Some of the mythbuster testing methods suck.
Vehicle state of tune is something to consider. I'd wager that some acetone might throw off the 02 sensor. If that is the case, if you get a MPG improvement with acetone, try a new o2 sensor, especially if it is 5+years or 100k+ miles old.
If the vehicle starts easier, then maybe there is an issue with your ignition systems. Clean and gap, or replace the plugs. Measure the resistance of the ignition wires and/or replace them. Check underhood wiring, like grounds and power connections, and the wiring harness for corrosions.
Cold start issues can also be caused by faulty sensors. Make sure that coolant, head, block, or air temp sensors are working.
I'd also wager that it'll do some cleaning. So, even if you don't see the MPG improvement, a bottle of pure acetone is cheaper then some FI cleaners out there.
And, as always, dose is important. 1oz per 10 gallons is a good starting point. Try not to exceed 5oz per 10 gallons. 1 oz per gallon could be a good FI cleaning shock dose.
I ended up with better and smoother running vehicles. They are a little old, tired, and can flood. The engines tend to run rich and seem to benefit the most from a mild dose of acetone along with other fuel additives.
Vehicle state of tune is something to consider. I'd wager that some acetone might throw off the 02 sensor. If that is the case, if you get a MPG improvement with acetone, try a new o2 sensor, especially if it is 5+years or 100k+ miles old.
If the vehicle starts easier, then maybe there is an issue with your ignition systems. Clean and gap, or replace the plugs. Measure the resistance of the ignition wires and/or replace them. Check underhood wiring, like grounds and power connections, and the wiring harness for corrosions.
Cold start issues can also be caused by faulty sensors. Make sure that coolant, head, block, or air temp sensors are working.
I'd also wager that it'll do some cleaning. So, even if you don't see the MPG improvement, a bottle of pure acetone is cheaper then some FI cleaners out there.
And, as always, dose is important. 1oz per 10 gallons is a good starting point. Try not to exceed 5oz per 10 gallons. 1 oz per gallon could be a good FI cleaning shock dose.
I ended up with better and smoother running vehicles. They are a little old, tired, and can flood. The engines tend to run rich and seem to benefit the most from a mild dose of acetone along with other fuel additives.
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