I also want to try a more traditional style downdraft for charcoal, the Svedlund system. I have a big chunk of what used to be a gear in a truck differential so I will weld that to the tip of a pipe. I wish I knew the ID of the nozzle on those systems, the book we have in the library doesn’t specify.
EDIT: I misspoke when I wrote Svedlund I meant the Gragas system.
Got the Weber in there. I haven’t removed the manifold I just have all the vacuum mess capped off. It is like a whole new truck. Didnt take me long to tune it in, once I get a wide band AFR I can really dial it in and be fuel efficient on the gasoline side of things.
Some guys claim they still get about 25 mpg highway with the Weber.
Sometimes things just fall literally into your life. While cleaning the lot at work I found what appaears to be a wheel for a dumpster. This will make a fine char grinder that’s for sure.
Call it Divine Providence.
I’ve been mulling over how/where I want to put the woodgas throttle. I was originally going to use a Model T style throttle lever mounted somewhere on the steering column but I lack space for that and it would get in the way of my wiper lever as well as complicate shifting smoothness.
I’m thinking of using a motorcycle or bicycle brake lever mounted to my shift knob since I will be doing mostly town driving anyways, not like I will need to hold an RPM for long periods like how Model Ts were intended for. A neat concept but won’t be useful in the little Mazda. Maybe if I had a classic car laying around and I didn’t have a ton of traffic lights to deal with, or if it was an automatic transmission.
Went to the scrap yard because I finally got a half day. Got two locking rings and this HUGE fire extinguisher tank, already nice and empty and pretty rust free on the inside.
Not sure if I want to save it to make a cyclone or what. I think it would make a good cyclone for my inevitable wood gasifier for the Sierra.
Finally got the fast idle cam tuned in on the Weber. Tap the accelerator, it pumps a shot of gas and sets the fast idle on the 1st cam, crank it and it starts at about 2000 RPM. Let that sit for maybe 5 seconds and tap the accelerator again and it goes down to 1000 RPM until choke opens up entirely to the 800 RPM normal warmed up idle.
Got the breather hooked back up to the carburetor as well. Been a really humid day so had some smoke or fog coming out of the tailpipe. Not sure if it’s a mix of oil and moisture from the breather and humid air or what. Right now I’m doing a cleaning run of oil with Marvel Mystery and 10w40 as per spring oil weight suggestion. Wasn’t smoking the other day though.
Found where I’m routing the choke lever to adjust air at, I’ll probably use this spot to route all three of my cables like the throttle, shutoff, and air adjustment.
Going to take a look at the EGR setup on here tomorrow. When I had the carburetor off it looked like the EGR port wasn’t straight through the intake like there was a baffle or something? Not sure.
EGR port is smaller than I thought. Going to have to take off the intake manifold and bore it out to 30mm. Went for a ride in the country and the smoking went away. Engine has had some oil seeping issues since I bought it, I think it’s high time for a rebuild and replace all the gaskets and seals.
I think for my double flute reactor I’m going to finish the filtration and plumb it into my Sierra for testing. If it’ll even support the V6 in it that is.
From what I’ve been reading up on the Mako reactors they had only three 8mm ID nozzles and it supported from a 2L to a 3L. With my six 3/8" flute holes I should be able to support the 4.3L V6.
One of my long time friends is moving to texas and selling his '98 Buick Century. Hopefully I can buy that and see how flexible this reactor is.
Before I attempt to add the double flute to the Sierra I am going to make a hopper extension, hopefully a bolt on equivalent.
The gas runs so cool after the cyclone that I’m going to just run sump pump hose to the filter and then to the engine. Really the only heat is the moisture coming off with the gas. Filter will be a 55 gallon plastic drum, with a void in the very bottom for moisture collection, followed by hay and then open cell foam or maybe just a towel filter. Either way will be washable.
The air intake hose on the Sierra fits 3" plumbing rubber connections, so I’ll plumb in a 3x2x3 Tee for gas in at a 2" sump hose if they make it that big. Classic homemade butterfly for air adjustment, lucky for me I have all those steel discs from using the hole saw so I have my blades right there.
Hey CodyT,
You used the word, “classic”.
Here is one many first time wood/char gas engine fuelers run into:
the original Positive Crankcase Ventilation system.
Larger engines this happens on the air into the crankcase hose (make-up air) in the air cleaner housing/air tube on the EFI’s.
This has to be discounted that routed outside the system engine bay hanging so you will not be reverse drawing crankcase air throwing your mixtures off. Blocking off the now opened up hole of course.
You are changing the system characteristics by draw sucking the gasifier.
Small engines usually just have the one hose engine crankcase to air cleaner box. Externally route this.
I stuff a nippled coarse fiber filter on these hose to keep the dusts and bugs out of the crankcases.
And hey, dude. And you just broke the oldest 1960’s EPA emissions systems tampering laws!
Welcome to woodgasing. Chargasing.
Scofflaws; all we be.
S.U.
Yeah the PCV on the 4.3 is on the drivers side valve cover. Runs into the intake. So I should just disconnect and add a filter on valve cover side?
Almost got the shutoff wiring done. Fuel pump fuse, Inj A and Inj B. Plumbing will have to wait til next week when I can buy the adapters.
I made sure to heat shrink in any place it could accidentally connect back together. The lid of the fuse box was harder to put back in so hopefully it won’t pop out when I’m going down the road.
If its possible to use a steel container for the filter and flexi stainless steel piping i would try keep an eye out for both , i’m not a lover of plastic fittings on downstream so close to the gasifier its self maybe when your engine is running on chargas it will be ok but until you do its a gamble , we have seen plastic drum filters sucked in and collapse .
just my 2 cents worth Dave
I’ve always heard that the flex piping is prone to leakage. I don’t really have that many steel containers, but I could do a series of PVC tube filters, at least those are stronger walled than 55 gallon plastic drums.
For cyclone to filter I could just do a downward conduit pipe. It’s just really odd how ambient the gas out of the cyclone feels.
Cody,
I’ve only found 1.25 and 1.5 inch sump pump hose sizes. Gary Gilmore used two parallel 1.25 hoses from the filter to the engine on his Ranger, I believe.
The flexi pipe used for exhaust’s does not leak , maybe they were using the flexi pipe that is used to carry electrical wire i think that is just wound in a coil and comes apart when pulled hard .
You must do what ever is best for your set up , we all have materials that are easier to come by than others , it don’t make it the best , just the best for us at the time , it may even work out that the sump hose works great on your build , remember you are the first to try this new design out so really your the ground breaker here .
Dave
I’ll think of something. I will try to use as much PVC as possible en route to the engine itself but I know it’ll have to make some crazy turns so I’ll definitely need sump hose the closer I get to the engine. Luckily there’s a huge gap between the serpentine belt and the radiator since it uses electric fans. Run it up the passenger side and between that area.
In the mean time I’m making an attempt at a Gilmore style crusher out of that dumpster wheel. Just need to find some pipe to sleeve the center down to a 3/4" keyed shaft.
If I had some heavy grate or expanded sheet metal I’d just as soon do the stomp method. Kinda want to see what adding a blade to a paint mixer would do and chop it up in my holding barrel.
I think I’m just going to start sizing my wood for charcoal. I’m at a dead end with grinding and it’s getting to the point I want to pay someone to make a unit for me sans motor.
Cody in all honesty unless your wood is massive don’t worry about spending time cutting it to size , even just shoveling the charcoal out of the retort will make it smaller .
Keep a look out for a old garden mulcher /shredder the ones with the hammers that swing round , i have one i use and run it with a 12/24 volt motor through a 1 inch grill , it makes a lovely job less dust at slower speeds too , you can normally find them on second hand garden tool sites or ebay the likes
Whenever l hear “flex exhaust pipe” l get a few nasty flashbacks… This things burned a big unnessesery hole in my wallet and a lot of frustration. Impossible to fit to seal 100%. They fail from vibration over time. They rust like crazy… Even the industrial stainless one that set me down about 30 $ a foot was useless!!! They are all designed to be layed down and let be still, not to move atound all the time like on a vehicle.
Im with Dave on the plastic after the cyclone. Save your self some frustration and re doing and rethink about this. It is possible you get a bridge in the gasifier, or even just if you run out of fuel and the gasifier will become a heater. In such a case, power goes down and instinctively an unexperienced operator will try and push the pedal more, making things even worse… I have sucked in some barrels before 
I don’t know if this will help with your charcoal grinding, but this and the following posts #25-29 show my approach.
