Mr. Wayne; I don’t rule anything out until I get it running again. So, yes it is possibly moisture got to a piston and causing the knock. But I only found about a table spoon or so of water in the line. Years back when I actually stuck the valves, the vally had a cup of gooy water laying in it. I’m sure hoping that isn’t what I have because, it is almost impossible to clean out — I still have that engine and last I knew it ran but I lost confidence in it and bought this truck to start all over. TomC
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I was hoping you would step in here, Steve. The “bottle feeding” propane sounds good, but the acetylene scares me a little. I know when I turn the torch on too high and strike it, there can be a rather loud explosion. An intake full of acetylene and then a spark could shorten my eye lashes-- to say nothing about my mustache.
After these test, I will have to pull the injectors and the cover that holds them in to see if I can find the pressure regulator. It seems odd that I have good gas coming to the TBI but the injectors aren’t spraying anything. I KNOW!!! Why don’t I run it on woodgas and forget about the gasoline??? Oh wait! That is how this whole thing got started. Hmmmm!
.TomC
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Hi Tom c did you check for spark on the plug ends, may have fouled the plugs. Good luck finding the week link.
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Do not use acetylene.
Years ago I was working with a driller, 10 degrees, truck would not start.
Put the acetylene into the carburetor and and BOOM.
Engine pan was more rounded and dip stick never found.
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Michael; That is exactly what I said to Steve. I doubt if I will go the acetylene route. I have a squirt gun oil can that I would fill with gasoline and squirt gas into the TBI before using acetylene. My first preference will be, the propane torch I use to light the gasifier. Spray some propane into the TBI while some one cranks it. With the start fluid, I had to spray a good quantity into the TBI, then run around and jump into the truck and try to start it. May have over done the fluid. TomC
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Almost “OT”, but I seem to remember reading that Henry Ford’s wife dribbled fuel onto a ball of cotton that was supported above the intake manifold to act as the carburetor of Ford’s first engine.
Pete Stanaitis
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I have often soaked a rag in gasoline, stuffed it into the carb or throttle body. Once the engine starts remove the rag. An old sock seems to be about the best type of rag to use. I grew up having to start old, worn out out engines in cold weather, like -35F. It always works.
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Ha! Ha! Yes acetylene is very dense/active. But can and has been used as a motor fuel. Look at many of the “Doctors car” WWII European pictures. The roof and back bumper mounted gas bottles. With the tiny small to the engine supply lines. Thia was not compressed woodgas. It was bottle acetylene.
I only recommend this as an engine-will-run verification fuel.
Now my NO-NO, Never is to use bottle fed, or pump-can squirted-in Gasoline. I’ve personally know two different fellows in my life had to live out as having crispy-crittered themselves from gasoline splash/flash burns. Both lost part faces and hands and arms. One lost his whole shop to boot.
And I’ve been eyebrows and whiskers arm hairs singed back from the old carburetor days with evil, evil engine heat vaporizing gasoline.
Grinding sparks and statics set off burnt in-shops doing in-tank EFI fuel pumps replacements. Hurts. Scary. Self-saved by my own personal kept hands-on HALON extinguisher.
Gasoline is not the quiet safe servant most laudee-daw assume. A ravaging raving Beast we whip into kinda-sorta submission. And keep harnessed for results. Never to be trusted.
S.U.
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Yes, R.W. (spell check insists on spelling your name wrong ) we used that in Calf. Even though it was warm, some times the diesels needed a little help starting on a ‘‘cool’’ morning.
And yes Steve, I have lived long enough to have learned how fast things can get out of control. By now I’m sure you have heard how I burned my shop up a year ago. So I am trying to be more cautious when dealing with fire… Thanks for the reminder. TomC
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CERAMIC WOOL !!!
To all those who have used “ceramic wool” for a fire tube Please give us a report on how it is working for you. I think Dustin Moore was one of the first, and I don’t think we have heard from him in a long time. Don Mannes did one and I am sure he has enough miles on it to give us an opinion. And Kevin recently reported he had one although, I don’t remember seeing any photos of his.
I am at the point where I must do a rebuild and I am leaning towards a WK style, but I don’t like the weight. Help me out here. TomC
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Hi Tom C i dont know how much help i can give on ceramic blanket other than i had one on my 85 s10 that i ran on about 20 road trips about 50 miles each and from all the trips i had no sticking throtal plates, not on carb or air control plates. On another note the wood i was useing had been setting about a year under tarp so it was nice and dry. Well at lease i would say it was 30 % maximum moisture. but i had no stalling ishus unless it was pluged at the grate. I had electricle problems with that truck and had an easyer truck too drive so i pulled the motor and trans and droped that 85 at the salvage scrap yard. I had tryed heated hopper and cyclones, and small hay filters just behind the head lights that were just too small, I would recomend trying your luck with ceramic blanket Except, Or if you use the blanket stiffeners,Not that it needs it for strenth, I think the main reason for the stiffeners is too minumize the dust particle floating around the hole area, its just a dusty poison dust, if have all set for the blanket tubes welded in and ready too use. slid the blanket over the tubes and push the tubes through, think i used a knife slice the location of each air tub as i located the blanket through the air tubes up agaist the firetube, dusty job just getting that done. so thats why all are useing the stiffeners, you can thin it out some the have it soak in a bit farther, though it mostly sets on the the outer surface of the blanket the have a hard surface so as too not be dealing with constant dust a lot like esbestes. You sure dont want your ash door under the truck with that type of dust floating in the ash. Seems too hold the heat in the area good though without burning through the fire tube as dustan moore was haveing trouble with. WORKED GOOD BUT THE DUST IS A RISK TO ONES HEALTH, I NEVER PUT THE HARD SURFACE CEMENT OR BLANKET STIFFENERS SO CAINT HELP THERE.
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I got that gasifyer out back that i havent checked the blanket since used, if i pull it apart i will post what the blanket looks like harden up from the heat, or like my wood heating stove it mostly lightened up from the heat but still seems too hold up enough too stay insulative, but seems too have sheded a lot of its dencity. This tells me the blanket should be thick coated with the coatings too KEEP THE DUST DOWN. hope this is enlightening too all that use ceramic. Works good but too use properly with coatings is a little more expence and time, Its What it is.
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Tom, my Ranger has about 4000 miles on the ceramic fire tube, no problems. It is 2’’ thick with 10 stainless nozzles. I coated it with home made water glass.
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Al,
Big thank you for this.
Rindert
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Al, could you share what type of ceramic fabric you used? I personally used 6# density material made by unitherm, coated with kiln wash rather than waterglass just because I had some offered by a friend. I have a feeling your waterglass will be more resilient. Can’t really make a direct comparison though…my use is in a stationary gasifier for a generator.
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Tom, when I worked in a truck garage we would make a remote starter button. Some wire, alligator clips and a good button switch. The alligator clips get hooked to the starter solenoid. See link below for store bought version.
https://www.autozone.com/test-scan-and-specialty-tools/remote-starter-switch
Happy cranking !
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Jeff; My wife says I’m cranky enough!. Thanks for the reminder. I had one in my tool box before the fire. I thought I was done working on cars so I haven’t replace a lot of my tools. Now it seems every day the situation arises where I need a particular tool. Once a car freak, always a car freak. TomC
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Hi al good afternoon. i thought about useing waterglass though the temp rateing looked lower than the core temps, and at the time i was trying too make water glass out of desicant beeds, with poor results on makeing waterglass, now i have the powered waterglass i have not tryed too make solution yet, so if you think the stuff if keeping most of the blanket dust free, think i will try it on my next burn tube gasifier build.Thanks for posting your blanket dust solution.
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This is where I bought mine, I would have bought their ridgidizer, but they won’t ship it in freezing weather. Ceramic Fiber Blanket
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Hey Al, you got a lot better deal than I did. I have heard about 'water glass" but I will have to do some internet work to study it.
Thanks to you and Kevin for replying . I didn’t know you had used “wool”. Still hoping to hear from Don and Dustin . TomC
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