Hi Gary, great video. On the tractor the air intake faces upward. It has a layer of refractive cement and nothing else. With over 20 hours on it I’ve come to believe that it should have burned out.by now. My only guess is a slag volcanoe as you mentioned is building up replenishing the “nozzle”. What do you think?
Best regards, David Baillir
1 Like
I just tap the grate with a small hammer before the next start up.
I have a long narrow cold chisel I tap through the slag with.
1 Like
Jeff Do you have the nozzle in the bottom or from the side. Are you running a grate=== kind of confusedTomC I didn’t know anyone used a grate with charcoalTomC
Tom, it’s a grate at the bottom.
Good showing Gary, welcome to the world of “hybrid driving” Gasoline is handy on those pesky hills.
1 Like
Great job Gary! Thanks for the video.
You might want to check for air leaks, if the fire is staying alive all night long it’s probably getting air from somewhere.
1 Like
Gary, I agree with Chris…must be an air leak keeping your charcoal burning all night. Maybe at the very bottom air inlet? How are you closing off the grate? On another topic, I just saw this series of slides showing how to build a cone kiln from a sheet of steel. Might be useful if you need lots of charcoal. Perhaps someone is making a “slash” pile to dispose of tree trimmings and you could help them get rid of the stuff? https://plus.google.com/photos/112929397141178613286/albums/6145581844469906801
Hello Gary.
Thanks for posting the video !!
You will soon need a lemon to carry with you 
1 Like
Hey Wayne, make that soap instead of a lemon! I was looking forward to driving to work on charcoal this morning! Filled the hopper, turned on the fan and found the unit was still burning from three days ago (yes, there is a small air leak but it does not affect performance) Got in the truck and could not get it to start on gasoline???. This has never happened before so was a little BUGGED and wondering what happened. It fired a few times initially but then nothing, The Schrader valve shot some gasoline when depressed so the fuel pump should be working. Checked the on/off switch for the fuel pump and it is working. Still no luck. Took my other truck to work. When I got back home, I shot ether into the air intake and NOTHING. Did not have time to pull a plug and check for spark but that is next. Frustrating! Needed the soap to wash my mouth out with but would have preferred a lemon!!!
Gary in PA running on dino fuel (for now)
2 Likes
Hello Gary .
Probable something very minor and you will find the problem very quick
Gary if you end up having fire I wouldn’t rule out the pump it’s self I had a similar problem on my dakota I had some fuel there at the line. Later i found that the pump would run one time and not another it also would start on ether some times and not others I replaced pump and no more problems since, great to hear about your charco truck good luck
Hey all, it has been almost two weeks since my Ford Ranger got parked. Would not start on gasoline! Tried ether, tried a timing light on the plug wires and got intermitent flashes. Disconnected the on/off switch for the fuel pump. Nothing!!! Well, I had wife tow the Ranger to my local mechanic’s garage about one mile away, While being towed, I turned on the key and popped the clutch while in 4th gear, After about 30 seconds, it started up!!! Go figure. The mechanic checked it out and found nothing wrong, Drove it home on gasoline. Next day, started on gasoline and then switched to charcoal and drove to work with no problem, About a mile before getting to work, I switched to gasoline to get the computer (or so I think) get readjusted. After work, started on gasoline, went about a mile and switched over to charcoal gas and drove home with no problem, The truck sat over the weekend and it refused to start this morning, Frustrating!!! A shot of ether did nothing, some firing of the cylinders but that diminished as I continued to crank. Here is the plan, 1. Check fuel pressure in the fuel rail, 2. check the spark. 3. Get an anaylzer for the OBDII computer to read and set codes,
For what it is worth, my tuyere design seems to be working well. I’ll do a complete tear down maybe later this week to hopefully confirm that, There is also another design floating around my head. Dang is this stuff a curse??? Stay tuned
Gary in PA
2 Likes
Good luck with the bug finder,i had a few of them myself,a scanner may help,if its in the emission systom,i had a geo that would run good till hot then had too pull over. wait 2 minnuts ,drive a awhile then stall, check all the computor grounds, ECT. bad grounds are code setters,and cause havoc with computor systoms, possibly loose ignition switch,or key,if you have one of the chip keys. Next time it wont start have some one turn the key off and then on again,put your ear on the gas tank fill tube and you should hear the pump, some fuel pumps wont run if the engine oil pressure sending unit is faulty.it should run when the key is turned off then back on for a short time before the timer shuts it back off untill the motor starts.
I’m guessing fuel pressure. On a Dakota, the rails have an old style “an” connector that is the same as old A/C service gauges. That makes it easy to check pressure.
That sure helps when the fuel rail has the attachment,The old throttle body chevys, you had too make a tee in too check.first step is hearing it run, then psi checking.
Hi carl ,your fuel pressure never opens the regulator, it runs so low psi when hybrid’ing.maybe. I mean whats your psi when hybrid’ing
I see about 5 psi at my lowest setting. (1.7 VDC) Normal for these Dakotas is about 45psi. No regulator on a 95, and no return line that I know of. The regulator may be in the tank.
2 Likes
Thanks carl,you must have thought that tank would never go empty,drizzling fuel to dakota,on the big 800 mile drive.SWEM OR was that 1600 round trip.
1 Like
your timing isnt advanced when cranking on gasoline is it?
1 Like