Tom Collins' Gasifier

Well a new day and a new problem. I laid the top of the air cleaner on my flat metal weld bench and low and behold, it wasn’t laying flat. It would rock a little bit. I placed it back on the bottom half and although it appeared to fit correctly, when I pinched the lip between the top and bottom, it would pick up the other side. Making a long story short ( not something I do well) after a lot of playing (?) I got it to lay flat. Put in an “o” ring that I had, put it on the truck, and was able to stall the engine by putting my hand over the horn. Never been able to completely stall the engine before so I wonder how long this has been a problem. I wonder, you guys who have had back fires and stomped your air cleaner back into shape, how did you get away with it.TomC

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Well as a famous guy says often on youtube; “run’n on wood! run’n good” After a long several weeks I went back out on the road. SWEM !!!

Now onto my speedometer. I have been looking up on you tube and found there is a gizmo in a GM that you can adjust the speedo for different size tires or changing rear ends and anything else that would affect your speedo. Just got to figure out how to test everything.I put in a new dash that has a tach and the speedo is doing the same thing so it is under the truck somewhereTomC

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Hey Tom, can’t help you with your speedo but you said something that caught my interest when you were lookin for leaks on you system! I’ve used different kinds of spray flammables to find leaks in intakes etc but never propane, good idea, is that what finally told you had a leaky air cleaner cover?

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No Herb; I have a 3 ft long piece of 1 1/2 dia. plastic tube. I put my ear tight against the tube and move the other end around. Kind of hard to look away from the engine and point the tube around. The propane works best with leaks around the base of the tb like cracked vacuum fittings or bad gaskets. When I’m in panic mode, I’ll do everything. Like I said, I placed a plastic bag over the tb and immediately killed the engine and popped a hole in the plastic. That proved I had plenty of vacuum and that the leak had to be above that . The only answer was the air cleaner. I caught the warped lid as I was brazing some pin holes. I always said “I would rather be lucky than good.” TomC

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This morning I would like to thank this group. I just finished a fairly large rebuild. I put a bag of wood in and drove it to the airport and back — about 6 miles. Pulled into tho yard feeling it was running ok, but there were a couple of small leaks. Next day I started it up just to take a ride to town. Before I got to town, it ran out of wood – about a total of 11 miles on an 18 pound bag. Not good. I put in another bag and stopped after 10 miles because I didn’t want to run it down to the nozzles. Sure enough, it was close to out so I put in another bag. On this bag, she started running much better and gaining speed going up hills etc. From your discussions, I concluded even with my bastard design, I have to build up a " char bed" like you have talked about. The last time I had runs like this where it was eating wood, I pulled into the yard and tore the hopper all a part and put a full 55 gal. drum on for a hopper. Thanks to the discussions, this time I am gutting it out and letting the char build. I was SWEM ing all the way home on the 3rd bagTomC

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My views on rebuilding this type of device can go either way…but will it ever be capable of you running in OD? You must ask yourself this. It sounds as if it is a little to small for this heavy of a truck. Now the WK design will work this truck very well 12" X 18" tube, I would even use the new design on top of that, a little more work but that is all in the learning process! BBB Build Baby Build!
Mack

P.S. Did you say Crivitz, WI. ???LMAO

Mack I have concluded that with the differential I have, I will never get into OD,even a WK count’t get in to OD

OD is mean for 'cruising after you get up to speed With the lower power that wood gas puts out it just can’t happen.I do have a 3.73rear end waiting at the local junk yard. I don’t want to take the truck apart befor winter. I’m confidant that diff. will alow me to use all gears.Ahh Yes I Did say Crivitz, Wi. Did I miss a joke some where?

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Not a joke, it’s a beautiful place! So beautiful I moved here about 11 years ago from LA. Small world! A wood gasser in my neighborhood. especially this remote place. I live over by Lake Noquebay.

Formally Ellis Junction then renamed to Crivitz which is German for Bend in the Road.

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Wow I was surprised you even knew of Crivitz let alone you live here also. We’ll have to get together some time. I live at W10345 County W, about 7 miles west of town. I moved here from LA about 20+ years ago.

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that’s funny guys your next door neighbors and didn’t know it . that’s one thing I don’t like with the new site looking up new members in a area used to be easy. now its dumb luck I happened to run in to someone that had a lot of questioned months later he saw my truck out and he let me know he has the book. I hope he is a doer.

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Man, I pass by your place just about everyday when I go out to my brothers property.
And you came from LA also what a coincidence!
I was born and raise in Kenosha, went to LA for my Job when I was 29, spent 20 years there. After I became retired I told my wife it was time for me to come home. I have 2 children from a previous marriage. And now 4 Grandsons But I didn’t want to move back to Kenosha, so my brother told me he has a hunting cabin in a beautiful location and said I could use it to check things out. My Son lives here too. Well we checked it out and decided Crivitz it will be. And here we are 11 years later.

Yeah I look forward to meeting you in person and seeing your rig.

TomC, You are the lucky one now, with another gasifier fan just down the road. I just found County road W and got a view down your driveway from the road on Google maps. Very nice.
Pepe

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I looked you up in the phone book. Only one Gilliam and it was on GG by the lake. I drove out there with my truck, but it turned out to be a different Gilliam. Stop in anytime you are passing. I’m usually home.

Pepe Thank you for the compliment. Long story, but my wife has a friend who is in her 80’s. She sold her house and moved into an apartment. She misses doing her yard work so much that she calls us once or twice a week and asked if she can come out and help take care of the yard. With my wife and her working on the yard, I get more time to play.TomC

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Wow didn’t know there was another Gilliam out here. If you were on GG you were close. Sunday we have family thing going and Monday and Tuesday Doctors in GB. If I am up and moving perhaps i can come on Wednesday? If that’s alright with you.

I need some electrical help. I can not get my speedometer to work. Now and then it will bounce around and maybe for a short time give me what appears to be a good reading. But mostly, nothing. I switched instrument panels and neither speedo worked. I have been checking the sending unit and have found a questionable wiring. So my question is ---- if I tap into the wiring going from the sending unit to either the intermediate gizmo that corrects for differentials or to the instrument panel, “what do I use; a volt meter or amp meter. or even possibly a tach?” TomC

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Hey Tom, it could be a hall effect speed sensor, what year is your truck? Al

Al; It is a '94 Chev. I believe it is a Hall effect. It has a magnetic pick up on the tail shaft of the trany. That I think (?) produces an electric charge with each passing of the magnet. If I put the rear end on jack stands and run the truck in gear, to check my wiring along the way, do I use a “test light”, a “volt meter” and “amp meter” or what. As I am writing, I am thinking a test light would maybe flicker at low speed but with more speed would glow. Just trying to see if the wires are in tack from A to B Maybe a test light right at the pick up would test that also TomC

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found this may help you, http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Tech/Testing-2-and-3-wire-speed-sensors.html

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Thank you Al. That says I use a volt meter.TomC

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