Hidro
Member
Something I didnt see in this thread is the addition of alcohol in the gasoline. 10% here now, 15% on the horizion. Alcohol, water, gasoline...It is a real headache even with Racors.
If I were to engage in the technical aspects of this discussion on either side it would be equivelent of Goofy sitting in on a strategy meeting of Amazon.com's board of directors. I would contribute nothing of value and be perceived as an even bigger goof than I already am.
....erhaps you can ask them if trailing a wind turbine behind the 787 or windmilling an engine to turn the generator will contribute to increased efficiency and reduced fuel burn.
What if you went one step further and used a single engine vessel with the electric drive system in series with the main diesel engine then both would operate more efficiently. Right?
The only direct observation I can bring to this is I was on a Lauda Air 777 production test flight in the late 90s when Lauda was considered one of the world's best airlines. Niki himself was flying the plane as part of his 777 checkout, which is why we were on board.
One of the items on the the test checklist was the rat. The rat is a ram air turbine, aka "ptopeller-on-a-stick" which drops out of a compartment in the fuselage in the vicinity of a wheel well.
5 gallon bucket 3/4 filled with 95% gasoline (pure or ethanol included) and 5% Toluene. Let set for 24 hrs mininum. Pick up carb and turn in mixture many times as well as holding above and letting fluids flow out then again refill by turning over and over inside mixture.
Mixture turns tan/brown color with dissolved gunk and varnish. Place carb back on motor and pour colored mixture into a car or truck tank that already has bout ½ or more fill. Disolved gunk/varnish have no effect when diluted and toluene will simply help keep fuel system clean. Drive, errrr boat on! Use good quality rubber gloves while working in the gas/toluene mixture.
I was a gravure printer by trade. Tolusol was the thinner for our inks...we used hundreds of gallons a day. I had access to unlimited quantities. I tried it as an octane enhancer in my old truck, cleaning agent, stove fuel and other things, ultimately abandoning most efforts. One thing I learned is that toluene will swell most rubber compounds. I'm not saying that 5% will cause problems, but because some is good, doesn't mean more is better. If you have a rubber component to your needle/seat, keep that in mind.
As far as rubber gloves - it's a good idea, and today breathing filters are used for press cleanups. In my day, we had the stuff running down our arms and soaking our shirts, not to mention the highs we got in confined spaces...but I'm pushing 70 and still kicking.
Finally, if you've gone to the trouble of taking the carb off your motor, you might as well disassemble it for cleaning?