I feel like if someone keeps a consistency with where they measure then they have their own benchmark. Personally I would like to have the probe at least a little in the path of the gas.
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When driving on wood gas I have noticed at about the end of my hopper load. Just minutes from before I see the hopper temperature starting to raise quickly on the gage, I detect better performance in the running of my truck’s engine. More power.
I have stopped at this point and looked into the hopper to see why. I have found one time my wood was bridging, and other times I was almost out of wood. The less moisture coming out of the hopper.
At this point I would say my gasifier was at optimum performance in making wood gases to burn on. It might run like this for a few miles depending on what kind of wood I am using, and also how dry the wood was when I put it into my hopper. Lastly how much did I put into my hopper. The temperature outside, dry condition or rainy wet conditions.
Lots of variables here. Like in most DOW driving.
What ever our temperature is on your vehicle or stand alone gasifier unit. Listen, feel, and watch for temperature changes. It tells you a lot of what is going on.
Now this is what I have found on my DOW experiences with my truck. Yours can be different and that is good and alright too.
Bob
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See now that makes me wonder if you can tell by feel of the truck alone, how quickly other would pickup on this same condition with a loud muffler like mine. I can hear exactly what you are describing, a strange increase in power when I know the hopper is getting down there. Then depending on conditions 5-8 miles later, a loss of power signalled in the exhaust note and recognized by @KristijanL as the now lack of hydrogen production in the gas. All before hopper temps begin to rise signalling the wood has actually run out
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My new probe goes about 1.5 “into the gas, the old probe was about 3” in the gas, if I pulled it out 0.5 "I dropped about 50 degrees c.
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Yes Jan, temperature probes are very sensitive on placement. It seems hopper temperatures vary a lot on different members vehicles and gasifier gensets here on the DOW site. It even changes when they are running with the ambient temperatures outside. Winter vs. Summer.
So probes placed in different spots on the gasifier will give different readings like the hopper. There just does not seem to be a standard for this. Just basic temperatures to monitor in different ranges on different gasifiers.
All I can say use your senses and look for quick changes on the gages that seem to be abnormal with your normal driving conditions. This is for everyone that DOW.
Bob
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Wow, had a pretty exciting experience this morning.
I drove the car into the garage again after shoveling snow, and was going to set up the idle, I put in what I thought was p, and got out of the car, when I got out off the car it went a little backwards, but thought it was uneven, up with the hood and adjusted the idle.
The car went backwards at great speed, just got in and braked the car before the door of the car would hit the wall of the garage, me and automatic gearboxes are not friends.
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Some of life’s lessons are learned the hard way.
I used to do lots of work on airports, many acres of relatively flat pavement.
So I hopped out of the car after turning off the engine and putting it in PARK (I thought) and walked away. After getting several hundred yards away I looked back and noticed the car was rolling away very slowly! YIKES.
so took off running, car slowly picking up speed and heading for a very expensive runway sign. Have you ever ran as hard as you can until you begin to slow but still have to continue?
I finally jumped in and stopped about 50’ from the sign. The only sign in 1000’ ft and the car would have hit it at about 4 MPH.
I always wondered if the folks in the control tower were taking bets on who would win that race
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Haha. Easy to visualise. One to remember. At least you do, for the rest of your life. Like a cartoon!
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Being from a very hilly area, I have always used P position and the “emergency brake” or what I call the “Hill Brake”. I think in the S10 it’s a pedal on the furthest left and it will ratchet down.
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There is Human error, oh yeah.
Done that myself in the past working too long, too hard. Recently opening the gate, getting back in, and seeing I was saved by habitual parking brake setting. Old age, diminished attention span. Hard to admit this.
Then there is mechanical wear in the shifting linkage; broken rocking motor/transmissions mounts. Scar on one hand from back in 1987 from reaching in catching, ripping out four of eight spark plug wires from an employee’s rig racing backwards he was chasing. Did not save the closed shop door but did save from bursting through, out into traffic. The engine fan got my hand.
Then couple of decades later smashed my own toolbox from another Ford, engine rocking self-shifting P-to-R. I was inside the rig and no way was I gonna’ allow it to race backwards across the shop. Yanked it down into anything going forward. Horn honking. Brakes stomping. Crunch. Kept the bent-up ouch’ied box as a reminder. To me. To all.
I know of two fellows in shops killed by Fords. Solo working and squeezed down.
Just take the attitude that all machinery are wild barely tamed Beasts. Always looking to catch you inattentive.
All dogs bite. All machinery the same. Turning from a mellow cow to Raging Bull in a heartbeat.
Steve Unruh
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It seems we all have those stories. My brothers 78 f250, faulty starter solenoid coupled with flooded and junk motor mounts, starting from under the hood jumping the solenoid truck fires up and lurches forward crushing his legs pinning him between the now tire smoking big block and a small car behind him. Lucky to only hyperextend his knees when he reached up and in a attempt to remove coil wire ended up ripping distributor cap off and getting shocked to hell by the hi power msd ignition. Same brother had 73 Ford Maverick I claimed after it was beyond repair from cancerouse rust, no fan shroud and steel fan blade. Shop teacher in high school harped on no long hair, no jewelry, no loose clothing. 17 and dumb at home by myself I learned why, cost me a beloved John Deere sweatshirt shredded to tatters when I reached up to run the throttle manually. I took things a little more serious since that day
I do much the same. See my mistakes and remember not to do it again!
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Not the same story but the one with the coil wire made me laugh. I was riding down the freeway on my magneto fired Harley sportster and it started missing. Not thinking I reached down to see if a plug wire had come off. Good thing we were rolling about 70 MPH and centrifugal force was in play to keep us upright because I was getting pokes that could have loosened up my fillings. DC. Doesn’t want you to let go.
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I have tested a bubble can for about 3 weeks, but see no major difference in what the intake manifold looks like, should apparently counteract tar on valves.
The first image is before the bubble can.
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Have you tried to burn the soot yet? Very easy cleaning.
However, I find the downstream side of the throttle plate needs some manual cleaning anyway.
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No, I have plastic pipes for the nozzles inside the suction pipe, I do not know if they would like it.
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Hm… plastic protruding into the manifold?
In that case maybe best to avoid a glow fire 
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Have you tried a product called Seafoam? They make a spray version with a long straw. You place the straw inside the intake hose before the throttle body, turn on the engine and begin spraying until the can is empty. It’s best to do this with an already hot engine. When the can is empty shut off the engine and let it soak for 15 to 30 mins then restart.
Here’s a video from them demonstrating it.
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We used to clean valves by just pouring a little stream of water in the carb. It steam cleaned the valves.
Project Farm did some real interesting video’s about Sea Foam.
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No. I have never tried that, maybe something before the next inspection.
The Swedish gas riders say that the bubble can should keep the intake quite clean, thought to try it, but maybe have a little too small hoses, I have asked one who has a s10a, to see what he has.
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