This is the gold of DOW drivers that they want to stockpile.
After a good grate shake (raked out a couple lumps of ash) and the hopper filled with tennis ball sized chunks, we went for a 100 mile ride yesterday. Same story Constantly checking the rail vacuum not to exceed 40 inches and with the air mix pretty much closed. Hybrided now and then to keep up with traffic. Voted for the Mazda this morning going to work.
Made a complete cleanout on the Volvo this evening and BINGO. I found the plug in a hard to get to 180° on the cooler. I remember installing it - a piece of 2" ss from the mill. It had some dried out pulp stuck inside and being hard to get to I thought it would probably loosen up and end up in the hayfilter bottom. But getting wet and with the initial tar making and some soot, it grew into a super plug over time.
The garden hose was not enough. Not even using hot water. However, bombarding it with heavy artillery - a flexible sewer brush - did the trick.
WOW! I almost forgot what a rocket this Volvo is. No top speed test because it’s pitch black and raining, but maintaining 60 mph pulling only 8-10 inches with a quarter throttle and the air valve half open again is a big relief.
Oh, and that’s with ZERO gasoline - I mounted a switch for the injectors the other day.
SWEM again
Congratulations on finding the plug and congrats on having a rocket Volvo again.
Wow, without your experience you would never found it!
I am wondering if that plug is why the mill cut that 180 degree section out.
Several times I have seen 8” sanitary sewer pipes closed up with a black nasty hard stuff down to a 2” hole. Combination of grease and sand and years of service
Fantastic JO on finding the problem. With the injectors switch installed you are now Volvo DOW 100%. Watch out for the guys that like to hand out speeding tickets.
Bob
Excelent news JO! I must admit lm a bit envyous… You built a truly great machine.
Well JO I think you prove again well that for woodgasing favor an engine set up for torque versus high RPM horsepower. Your Volvo versus your other.
S.U.
I need to get a sedan with a generous trunk lid like that. The Buick has a very narrow lid for such a deep trunk.
Too bad Volvos are seen as expensive cars here in the US.
Not a older one Cody, a few hundred dollars if you can find one,
The 92-95 are just hard to find where I live. Buying parts might be a different story though.
Bob
Thanks guys!
Haha! Could be.
I’m trying to come up with a way to deliberately cause a hopper puff while driving and disappear in the smoke
Yes, the Volvo has Max tourqe at 2500 on gasoline, which is good. But it actually likes reving on woodgas. I belive it has to with the relativly high compression ratio and that this deep charbed gasifier can really deliver. The low temp leaving the gasifier still amazes me.
Hi guys. Just stepped in in time to go on a drive in this new VOW. Another GREAT build JO. I think you have just made the Imbert obsolete. You have shown that a WK design can be built without all the detailed ‘‘pre-heat’’. We have known for sometime that the WK has more power and especially more speed than any of the Imbert or other designs. People don’t have to purchase a particular vehicle to get more speed. My last build was very similar to your VOW. It pushed my little V6 in a full size truck down the road much more like it was running petro. One thing about the WK design is, the dimensions are NOT so critical. I purchased the ‘‘slide show’’ of the WK design. In the presentation he didn’t give what was a criitical dimension on an Imbert ---- the nozzle (twyer) diameter. First time I met him, I asked what the diameter was. He looked at his hand and stuck up one finger and said, ‘‘about that big’’. WHAT??? In an Imbert nothing is ‘‘about’’.
Now for those who think, in order to duplicate you performance they must buy a Volvo which are not very available in the US, I suggest they buy a boat. The Volvo-Penta power systems were very popular here. TomC
Good to hear from you Tom. I had been following your 4.3 build for a while, I’ve got a 2011 Sierra 4.3 that I’ve wanted to DOW with for quite some time.
Yeah JO really has shown that the key elements of a WK is what really makes it shine.
I’m only jealous of how much can be exposed in the boot of his Volvo. If I ever repair my Jaguar maybe I can get a mini WK put in that gargantuan boot.
Wow! Glad to hear from you Tom. I was worried you misplaced your keyboard, or maybe lawnmowing season kept you full time busy.
I wish I was able to give you a ride in my Sunday car. You would have to strap in tight and hold on to your hat
Is it worth while to DOW. Well, it depends. Dino fuel past $8 a gallon.
JO, does the government impose some sort of tax for using alternative fuels? Do you have to pay some per mile amount for driving on wood?
Bryan…sssch…don’t give them ideas
Tires and $150 a year in vehicle insurance is all I pay
Ha. That’s why I asked here and not on YouTube. We are constantly battling those extra taxes in Illinois. Nothing gets more people interested in using alternative fuels like alternative fuel taxes.
Bryan
Wow I am not hitting the like button on this for a gallon, AND $150.00 A YEAR for insurance! I would have to cancel my insurance coverage on my Dakota to be less then your coverage. But $8.00 a gallon! That is almost three times. What we pay. I am surprised that there are not a lot more people running on alternative fuels in your country. Ofcourse in Sweden your government is pushing to go all electric by 2025 on importing cars. Right. Or was that Denmark I read about.
You notice I said alternative fuels and not …ssssch… whispering… wood gas.
Bob
So, I get curious…what’s a typical old vehicle insurance cost in the US? I realise it may differ a lot, but…a 30 yo vehicle can’t be that expensive for the companies to compensate for. Insurance cost on wife’s 2007 car is about 4 times my old Volvo or Mazda.
I haven’t followed the electric vehicle discussion much. I may have heard something like no new cars sold but electric by 2030. I will probably never buy a brand new car and I already drive CO2-negative.