Straightened this thread out again. Let’s keep the discussion focused on the Simple Fire.
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Gary, Did you ever do the step by step video for a build up of a gasifier for truck? I saw the truck video of the gasifier running the truck but not see a step by step on how to build one from you. If you did what is the topic name so I can watch it.
Thanks, Keep on Gasifiing. Bob
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Well I had this purpose set aside extra $75.usd free up . . .
And Harbor Freight had a double, double price reducing stacking sale . . .
So I bought a brand new all steel painting pressure pot to make up out of new materials a replacement Gilmore-Inspired to use on my woodsplitter and the Wife’s Honda 2000 inverter-generator.
I have used thrift-shop, and yards sales used found painting pressure pots for this previously. They have always varied in sizing, and tops construction. Look for the larger 3.5-4 gallon ones with stamped metal lids. Can’t really weld to the cast metal lid ones.
Ha! And I invariable have ended up gifting them away to those wanting simple and with low mechanical skills.
All of these have nice stay-cool attached 4-5 swing up wing-nutted C-form lid clamps. Already lid grooved to accept easily a fiberglass stove rope seal.
You can keep the system super simple no-weld using GaryG’s Simplifier examples.
Or, down through the lid holes cut and braze or weld threading bosses inspired by his original Gillmore/Kahle knock ups.
Use his filtration examples in metal lidded cans or converted propane tanks forms
These thick metal painting pressurizing pots can take the rough temperature abuse of charcoal gasifing for a long time. They do not warp or burn out.
Now with a standardized readily duplicate-able base reactor system I can explore either multiple swap-out, swap-in keep it running pre-charcoal charged “cells”.
Or: with all of the air inlet and gas-out guts lid mounted just swapping out the lower cans once fuel expended. Seal up the swapped-out lower cans, air tight with an unmodified lid-top.
In either case the still heats shedding base can/char-ash mass can then be carried into the greenhouse, or the unoccupied shops building to warm them and charcoal-use efficiency harvest.
You see fellows once you set aside the myopically only stabilized fixed mid-cycle “best-gas” efficiency maniacing and go with full cycle thinking; the efficiency chasing will become easy and simple.
Let no heat-watts escape un-used, unharvested! (me)
“Stop heating the crows!” Maxgasman
Regards
Steve unruh
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OMG!!! Steve a charcoal unit? You know this of course but for others do a water drip from the start so you give those tiny engines a helping hand. I could only ever get my inverter generator to run consistently with the drip… I love the idea of swap out reactors. Looking forward to seeing it.Cheers, David
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Gosh Steve, your posting here got me to look back at the original one seven years ago!!! A lot of tinkering and thought has happened in that time. I no longer use gasoline to “kick start” the engine to get it running on chargas. Once the gas is rich enough to flare, it will run the engine. Usually on the first pull. However, last Wednesday I got home from work and wanted to split some wood so fired up the gasifier and started the engine. It fired up then died after a few chugs. Gave it a shot of ether and away it went, only to die again when given chargas. The gas flared well so that was not the problem so what gives? For the next half hour I kept hoping to get it running using ether then chargas. FRUSTRATING, This is not how it works! I was VERY tempted to put gasoline in the tank just to get the darn thing to run, but before that could happen, the starter rope broke, I quit!
Sometimes you have to walk away which gives me time to reflect. Coming back to the logsplitter several days later, I tried it again. Good flare and the engine fired on the first pull, BUT it lacked power. When the engine labored splitting the wood, it usually picks up quickly when the valve handle is released. This time it just labored when the load was removed ??? What is the problem??? This is the same engine shown at the beginning of this post. I’ve run this for over five years using chargas and have split at least four cords per year. I know what this engine can do but some thing is wrong. As anyone who runs chargas/woodgas knows, there is a lot of operator education needed to run these units, With that, I’ll throw this one out to the the forum and see what you guys think is the problem?
Gary in PA
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Good morning Gary and thanks for posting.
When I build a new gasifier / truck I take them to the same spot on a nearby road and give each a 0-60 mph test and video . Anytime later if I feel the truck or gasifier is not up to par I will go to that location and test.
I like to keep the gasoline burning ability so that I can test the motor’s power on gasoline . If I have plenty of power on gasoline then I know any weak performance is gasifier or plumping related .
On one of my earlier trucks ( 460 ford ) back in about 2004 got to where it was running weak on wood gas but would flare good . Start and run good just weak on power. I gave it a test on gasoline and discovered it was also weak running 100 % gasoline . Yep, it was a HEAVY build up of carbon in the intake manifold.
Now days I don’t allow the intakes to build up . 
You might try removing the spark plug and running compressed air into the cylinder to make sure the airway from throttle to combustion cylinder is open and free.
SWEM Wayne
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Now that I have an AFR gauge on my MG, I made a discovery that the mixture goes lean when I put a flame arrestor on my nozzle inlet. I replaced the bronze wool in the arrestor with a coarser copper scouring pad and still got a reduction in available gas. So, beside air leaks, restrictions anywhere in the system can definitely affect the energy available even if the flare looks good.
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I hope i’m not trying to teach granny how to suck eggs but … , i have had a few engines since playing with charcoal that for no reason what so ever did not run with the same power or start and run the same way as they did from the last time it was shut down ! , its back to basics and the easiest simplest way is to fire that engine up on dino and see how it runs on that before i start messing stripping down carbs or valve’s / heads ect , on a few occasions i had bad valves causing a lack of compression and a build up of sooty crap in the throat of the carb mostly due to engine sat there doing nothing all summer , or the engine stopped with a valve in the open position allowing moisture into the bore and sticking the piston rings .
as you always say my two cents worth .
Dave
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I would put the air on the exhaust hose you have going back to the gasifier. Make sure the air intake valve is open, and anywhere else a rodent, wasps or water could potentially build up.
If you try on dino, I would just add marvel mystery oil to the gas, and run a tank through. It should remove the carbon build up, and then retest with chargas. If you are that opposed to using dino fluid, you can do an IV system to run it though while running on woodgas. I think the IV system is funny, I suspect a turkey baster and squirt it into an air inlet might be easier and faster.
The guy doing an IV system starts at 4:00 in this video.
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GaryG try changing out the spark plug with a new one. Sounds as if this engine sits a bunch.
Surface coating on the spark plugs seem to change from sitting with air moisture. Then bleeds off some of the spark energy.
I am having the very best results with the true original Splitfire brand of spark plugs on my small four strokes for lean, and alternative fuels mixes. The open center spark fire core seems to help.
They are now offering up versions for 2-stokes. M-a-y-b-e. Chinese cheap engines, o.k. My expensive Stihls . . . probably not.
Warning. Do not use alternative spark plugs on the new post ~2003-05 fully feed back electronic ignition vehicles.
Many, many of these do use measured spark plug energy required as a control feed back for the EGR, the individual COP ignition timing and even the variable cam timings, transmission shifting points! Stay with OEM installed brand/model of spark plugs if you do not want to have weird driveabilty, and false check-engine-light problems.
S.U.
Oh, yeah. Should not be your problem with a hydraulic power pumping system . . . but on mechanical direct drivng small engine systems like lawn mowers I’ve had sheared flywheel key timing weirdness created from abrupt stall-hit-stops. Cracked flywheels causing hard cold starting - runs powers OK once fully warmed up. Or, no re-starting on hot engine shut off’s. Have to let completely cool down to re-start.
Who could think something so simple could weird out so, eh?
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Hi all, Great ideas for troubleshooting char/wood gas engine problems. Wayne’s advice for developing a known starting test regime is great. I am now shutting down the engine with some spray oil to mitigate issues I’ve had with sticking throttle valves, but will get some Mystery Oil as Sean has suggested. Brian and Dave, I too have run into the issue of the valve being held open with a speck of ash but this is easily figured out when there is no compression, which was not the case with this incident. But, your observations are spot on for troubleshooting problems. And Bruce, the issue with chargas restrictions was something that we always need to be aware of. Mice and even ice have given me fits in the past, but in this instance, I blew through the hose and a shower of sparks were emitted from the nozzle and hardly any resistance was found. (please note I did not inhale as the tube full of CO would have knocked me for a loop)
Steve, you hit the nail on the head. I finally removed the spark plug and saw it had a powder white coating which is nothing unusual. This was wire brushed off and the gap measured .045. Moving it back to .024 fixed the problem. I spent the next hour and half splitting the rest of the wood with no problem. GO FIGURE, .020 of an inch between success and failure!
Gary in PA
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Now how do we combine the troubleshooting tips from posts 85-91 here with troubleshooting tips in posts 20-28 on Gasifier the hive?
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I’m thinking we could start a basic gasifier troubleshooting topic, There may already be one! Chris is probably a little busy right now… 
The “What Not to Do” topic is close!
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When hooking up the egr, if you put a pipe tee between the engine and muffler, will the standard small engine mufler produce enough back pressure to force exhaust out the tee to the gasifier? It looks like this is what was done on the gravely (post 51) but cant see clearly. On the log splitter (post 1) a fitting was added straight to tge end of the muffler.
Is it better to put the gate valve at the gasifier, or before the muffler?
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Andy, I have always assumed that the suction of the gasifier inlet and the general pressure of the engine exhaust work together so that a 90 degree “T” anywhere in the exhaust pipe and a gate valve placed anywhere will work. There are probably some geometries that work better (EGR “T” pointed upstream creating more pressure) or not at all (EGR “T” pointed downstream creating a vacuum).
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Hi guys, My current system doesn’t use ERG because the nozzle is water cooled, BUT to answer your question, there is enough back pressure from the engine exhaust to force some exhaust gas to the gasifier inlet. Bear in mind that the gasifier inlet is sucking air also. so as the engine is pushing exhaust out, the gasifier is sucking air in. It also does not take much exhaust gas to cool the nozzle. You actually have to be careful to not add too much exhaust thereby decreasing the amount of CO produced. The hotter the oxidation zone, the better chargas you make. As you cool the oxidation zone down, the quality of chargas goes down.
Gary in PA
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