acetone in diesel for improved combustion

[feraldisco]

Researched a range of info on this and found that everyone who has actually tried acetone in diesel has had a positive experience with it. The only negative comments were based on perception rather than actual experience. Have given it a go myself for last month on 200tdi Disco - 100ml acetone in 80l of diesel. Has reduced smoke (even on start-up) and engine runs better. Mates Disco with 400K k on the clock has stopped spewing out excessive smoke - yes, I realise he probably should have replaced the injectors, and acetone is probably just covering up other sins but... There is some logical science to this and diesohol (addition of ethanol) is already well-recognised, but many think acetone is better and it's certainly cost-effective given the small amounts required...

[p38arover]

There was a thread on either Aust 4WD Monthtly forum or the Overlander forum where several were doing some testing. I think (I didn't follow it too closely) that there was little benefit seen by the testers.

Ron

[rick130]

I'd rather run a recognised diesel additive like Redline's 85 Plus or RL2 that I know is safe and has been tested over millions of km.
Increased lubricity (important for pump and injectors) and slightly better combustion, without engine/injector/pump damage.

Diesel's lubricity has been dramatically reduced with the introduction of 50ppm sulphur fuel, how much more is it going to be affected with a pure solvent like acetone ?

[feraldisco]

you'd be surprised if you found out what is in most commercial additives - very simple and cheap compounds like acetone, napthalene and xylene that they charge a fortune for - why not go directly to the pure compound at much lower cost. The advantage of acetone c.f. other compounds is the extremely low concentration (and therefore low cost) required to have a noticeable effect.

[Redback]

Just a couple of sites with info on acetone.

http://pesn.com/2005/03/17/6900069_Acetone/
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.phpt...53&page=7&pp=15 (http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.phpt=51453&page=7&pp=15)
http://www.lubedev.com/articles/additive.htm
http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Ace...t_your_own_risk (http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Acetone_as_a_Fuel_Additive#Experiment_at _your_own_risk)

Baz.

[rick130]

the lubricant that is used in Redlines stuff is an ashless two stroke lube (synthetic ester), so you could mix something decent like Motul 800 2T or Agip Racing 2T into your acetone to really cover your arse. Can't remember what they use as their detergent and 'combustion enhancer'.

I've often thought of just using it neat in small doses, say 1-2 oz/70 litres just to extend pump and injector life.

[rick130]

Knew I'd find one of the cetane boost chemicals in Redlines 85 Plus if I looked hard enough.
This was part of an answer to a question of mine on another board about twelve months ago...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>One of the ingredients in the 85+ is 2-ethyl,hexyl,nitrate(2EHN). This is a thermo unstable chemical, that breaks down giving the appearance of an increased ctane number because it ignites quicker than the diesel fuel.
[/b][/quote]

[RoverOne]

http://pesn.com/2005/03/17/6900069_Acetone/
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.phpt...53&page=7&pp=15 (http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.phpt=51453&page=7&pp=15)
http://www.lubedev.com/articles/additive.htm
http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Ace...t_your_own_risk (http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Acetone_as_a_Fuel_Additive#Experiment_at _your_own_risk)

Thanks for this info Baz, very interesting reading even though I didn't follow all of it, worth a try though.

Bryce