Steve U,
What cleaning spray and procedure do you recommend for cleaning wood-gas residue from the carburetor?
2 Likes
Just off-the-shelf spray can carburetor cleaner if the carb is still on the engine. And use a pre-tested plastic toothbrush.
There are some excellent de-carbonizes out they could damage carb gaskets; a viton tipped fuel-in needle; and maybe a plastic float. It is just too risky go beyond commercial carb spray IMHO.
Now disassembled, a different story. I’ve used toothbrush dipped SeaFoam and clear fuel kerosene. The rinse with the carb spray. Others have used lacquer thinner. Better for the Tars.
And the cold dip-m/c crap Wallace and Norman have talked about works excellent.
I’ve overnight de-carbonized, cleaned whole pistons with that stuff.
You really do not want to use anything too aggressive that will loose carbons flood a still active catalytic converter IMHO.
S.U.
5 Likes
I bet those orthodontic toothbrushes they give kids with braces would be really handy.
Has a normal head and on the other end has a narrow pipe cleaner like brush but with stiffer bristles.
1 Like
Other than possible hood clearance interference issues why couldn’t wood gas be fed through a spacer block under the carb.
2 Likes
Hood clearance not withstanding I have no problem with a second throttle for woodgas
2 Likes
If I could find a velocity stack horn for the factory carb I’d do the Mother Earth News method and have my main barrel be woodgas with the secondary barrel gasoline for power.
That would involve sealing up the Jets in the woodgas barrel though like how they did it.
I can find horns all day long for the Weber but I can’t justify doing such a permanent mod to a 300 dollar carburetor.
3 Likes
In the Shops we found we had to do a lot of manual throttle body cleaning to get good stable idles back. That minimized cleaners used and then NO post cleaning problems if care was taken with the idle motor . . . and the TP sensor.
The chemical companies Upper Intake Cleaning systems can; and do foul out too many expensive platinum and iridium sparks plugs. Not fun on any V-8’s and most intake lifter V-6’s.
I’d only sell this service just before an intended mileage spark plug service. Muck up the old plugs first.
But most oversell this as it spiff’s them directly back onto their pockets. Save the used product tops for payment.
S.U.
Ha! Ha! I “oversold” the windshield wiper blades. ALWAYS function test before turning back the vehicle.
3 Likes
I do have one other way to add the wood gas to the air cleaner, and I might go for this if I hit a dead end on the other method.
The old EGR air injection crap needs to be deleted from the cleaner pan, but it does leave 3 nice holes I could attach grommets and PVC tubes into. I’ll measure the total area of those holes compared to the hot manifold air end of the air cleaner and see which makes more sense.
2 Likes
Hello Cody.
As much as an annoyance as it is, I would do everything I could to NOT run the Woodgas through the carb. I have done a few times on wood and charcoal and every time the carb has corroded very badly. The only time I would ever do it again is if I didn’t care about the carb running on gasoline or propane again. I have done that with my Onan generator and outside of the regular cleaning intervals it works fine, but I doubt the engine would ever run on propane again.
Dads first woodgas truck was a 1980 ford Carbureted it had two gas pedals one for wood the other for gasoline. It had an inlet for the woodgas below the carb. If I ever do a carbureted vehicle that i care about the carb that is the way I would do it.
That is just my two cents worth maybe I’m dead wrong correct me if I am.
5 Likes
I’ll take a good hard look at my manifold. I have space beside the carburetor so I’ll see if i can find a way to attach a flange for a new throttle. My truck lacks A/C(the Freon broke out a long time ago and I can’t be bothered to fix the system) so all that mess is getting ripped out. If I have enough room in the intake manifold to weld in a new throat I’ll try that way.
I’m a newbie to this stuff so I’ll always defer to the more experienced. I’d rather take forever to do it right the first time than to waste money on screwups.
Would be neat to have a Model T style throttle on the steering column!
3 Likes
Eureka! Hallelujah!
The Manifold has an EGR setup build into the dead center of the manifold 90 degrees to the carburetor. Most guys when they attach a Weber just cover it with a plate.
I can use this surface to mount my woodgas butterfly and know my fuel flow will be similar to the gasoline flow off the carburetor.
This is going to be great, now I can make a bolt on part.
6 Likes
HeyCody you will need to enlarge that EGR into the manifold hole as large as you can.
Doing this on vehicle ONLY use steel cutting burrs like in a Dremel or a large collet high speed porting motor. Then shop-vac wand suck out what the aluminum chips you can. The rest will pass on thru, generally OK.
Grit stones grinding some will shed cylinder and rings killing abrasives.
OH. And one of the earlier version of the MENS pickup truck used a motorcycle twist throttle control.
Rehards
Steve Unruh
3 Likes
What Steve said if, possible pull the carb and stuff rags in the intake to block the runners from letting chips get near the valves while you open it up. Carbon burr bits make quick work of aluminum for porting it out
1 Like
Yeah I’m going to take the intake off because I have a plethora of vacuum nipples to plug off. I have a burr tool for my zyzz wand so that’ll make short work. Try to get the area similar in size to 2" diameter. If I cant get it big enough from that then I will drill it out and aluminum braze a tube in there.
I’ll be happy knowing I have a good new weber in there that wont get crudded up.
This will make the truck much more simple. The old computer in the truck will be taken out since it was for managing emissions.
3 Likes
Supposed to be going to the muffler shop on Monday. Dad’s buddy has his shop about 30 minutes away so that’ll be fun driving this screaming monster all the way over there. Good thing my tag sticker came in for this year just yesterday.
“Sorry officer I know it’s loud that’s why I’m taking it to the muffler shop”
4 Likes
Hi Cody, on my Dakota with a 318 cu. In. Engine. My woodgas intake at the auto mixer throttle body is only 1 7/8" opening for the gas to go through.
Bob
3 Likes
I know the feeling. I was working at local shop when I v8 swapped my toyota and had an early day so I went home to get the truck and bring it to the shop and build the pipes for it. Open headers down the road I go and I get a phone call from the Mac tools truck that my new toolbox is waiting at the shop for me so I put the lead in my foot and hot rodded my way into town to meet the truck driver at the shop, passing the police and fire stations perhaps a little fast and the town sheriff followed me straight into the shop parking lot not happy in the slightest 
said if it doesn’t have mufflers when it leaves the shop it will get impounded 
6 Likes
Yeah apparently the place isn’t far from my work but I still have to drive 15 miles down the interstate to get to work. All with what feels like the weakest bottom end ever.
Pulling away in 1st feels like pulling away in 2nd right now.
3 Likes
I plan to use a chinese clone flat slide carburetor as my throttle for the woodgas. I can get these for cheap and easily hook up linkage for it, and they somehow cost less than a drive by cable throttle body even from the salvage yards around me.
I’m thinking maybe a 40mm ID carburetor will be big enough.
I’m also thinking of getting one of those little Turbinators since its isolated from the gasoline system it wouldn’t hurt to try it. @bsoutherland have you tested to see if it actually gives you any gains in your MGB compared to mixing the air without the spinning action? I’m using your car as a sort of benchmark since our horsepower ratings and displacement are similar enough.
2 Likes
I used a Renault Clio throtle body on my Mercedes wich was probably less thain 40 mm so it will work fine. If it goes trugh that chinese carb then l wuldnt worry about a turbinator. The carbs venturi will do the mixing.
5 Likes