I started this thread because I post engine videos and SteveU does as well and they get lost in other threads and lead to a lot of thread drift.
4 Likes
Was this an April foolâs?
2 Likes
Yes, but with value in my mind. If you had a CNC plasma table like MattR then you could cut some intake flanges and weld up something a little less radical and fab your own plenum and runners. If you look for videos that do dyno pulls testing various intake manifolds, tunnel rams always add some low end torque but significant HP at upper RPM ranges. This is not as pronounced with MPFI or SPFI because there is no cooling of the fuel as it is injected so near the port, but with Carbs or even a TBFI like the Holley sniper the gas temp can drop significantly first in the intake plenum and then down the tubes where the gas also has more time to vaporize. Other than cooling the WG Iâm not sure that there is any other benefit to a tunnel ram for wood gas.
3 Likes
What did I get from this video? Well first off, I like carbs. As he says, they are way simpler than most people know. I understand them. They are female. As long as you donât go at them ham fisted , you can caress some real performance out of them. Injection systems are male. All pumped up and ready to jab jab spray bursts of fuel. Ok. Aside from the unnecessary double entendres we get back to another basic dichotomy in my personal universe. Carbs are analog. FI is digital. It is dependent on AI to function at all. Kill the brain the body dies. Or the brain lives but itâs minions die. High pressure pump, relays. Failure equals instant death by starvation. Doesnât really matter. On the current trajectory the government is again going to save us from the horrors of internal combustion.
But if that takes a while to improvise then the next thing that occurred to me from the video was how sensible it was to build your wood gas vehicle or any other type of fueled vehicle, on a pre-emission control platform. Any vehicle with a pre-1974 title can be pretty much altered anyway you want without be subject to most restrictions.
3 Likes
Sure Tom H. I like carburetors too still on all of my small man portable engines. Even though some of these are now available fuel Injected.
Not all gasoline fuel injection system are electronic brain dependent. The Robert Bosch CIS, Continuus Injection Spray systems are mechanical-electrical.
Look here for section 2; K-Jetronic for the broad overview:
A fellow just needs system understanding. A 100 psi pressure gauge set. And a Volt-Ohm meter and some long test leads. You diagnose, sort out by symptoms, not trouble codes.
All of these including the R.Bosch books show as still available by Amazon.
While most slept and partied thru the late 60âs and all of the 1970âs, I was learning these systems.
Here Washington State we are now finally after ~25 years; uncorked and able to do-want-we-wish on engines now on all thru 1995 vehicles. Beneath all of the wiring harness, sensors and such lies some great engines. Many of these engines can be dumbed back down. The electronic controlled overdrive transmissions retrofitted back to mechanical; or self-shifting âautomaticâ fully hydraulic types.
S.U.
5 Likes
What compelled your state to make that change Steve. Seems odd since Washington is normally considered a more restriction oriented state. Being of a criminal nature I have never replaced a catalytic converter. I just cut the outer shell off them and wrap it around a section of exhaust pipe. We donât have emissions tests up here so itâs undetectable. I have now donned a thick coat of extra skin and am ready to be flamed by all the environmentalists here.
5 Likes
You should see my state.
North Carolina, some counties test emissions for the first 15 or so years, others donât itâs just Safety.
After 30 years no inspection at all just pay the tag price and keep insurance on it.
Diesels and I think Motorcycles are always exempt from Emissions testing.
They did not actually change TomH.
Thier long term plans, matured.
No more non-compliance for CO pollution could be justified in the four big urban centers by the Federal GovâMint. We air quality had improved.
No more demanded Big-Brother bi-annual actual physical emission systems inspection could be demanded.
All of the 1996 and later vehicles were OBDII self-testing and self-monitoring by the change in 2020.
You cannot sell, or legally transfer a lite up âCheck Engineâ light vehicle.
And the next step highway/freeway pinging radio monitoring is already in place. All of those mostly post 2010 produced (earlier for On Star vehicles) with cell phone/WiFi interconnectivity.
Coming soon. Your car, your pickup, will emission squeal on you radio prompted, and youâll be mailed a fine, and get-into-compliance ticket.
Here Washington State we have now 4-5 roads toll areas. You pre-pay for the window RFID tag. To be able to just drive pass through.
Youâll be photoâd IDâed, and mailed a ticket now for no-pay.
Ha! My wife has had 5-6 of these mis-IDing someone else license plate as herâs. Thier license V, being misread as her licence, U.
Just like the interstate roads truckers mostly are not physically weigh scaled out here anymore.
Done by radio transponders. Driving past in the outside lane.
So Big-Bad-Brother only seems to have gone away.
Nope. He shrank down and is now in your vehicles computer. And in your pocket 24/7/365.
And they all figure folks still driving pre-1996 vehicles as archaicâs. Grumpy, old, toothless and stupid. Not enough of them (us) to be a significant concern. They and their cars will just die off.
Hey. Back where you are it has been to kill off all of the past 5-7-10 year old vehicles with salt. Not the Ecoâs TomH.
The Unions.
The greediest of the manufacturers.
Steve unruh
4 Likes
Now you are just trying to scare me.
I like salt. It makes vehicles affordable to people who can actually repair them. Well, all except in his efforts to save me Big Brother neglected to mandate stainless steel brake lines. I have had failures at inopportune times and somehow that dual master cylinder has never been up to the task. Iâd rather have good factory brake lines than wrap around air bags.
5 Likes
Hereâs a fun video. Road kill boost caboose. Apparently you can get road kill episodes for free. click the bouncy thing in the top left for audio.
1 Like
Dyno proof. Higher octane does not increase power.
3 Likes
High Octane just lets you increase the power in your engine.
Octane is the limiter
2 Likes
Dammit I love that show. And he brings up a thing that people never want to talk about. A Dyno cell is NOT under hood performance comparable! Different scenarios entirely and each. There are Dyno guys, and gear heads. Canât go to a car show or meet up and people donât argue the Dyno information when it applys not to there car they drive 
3 Likes
The main thing I like about the testing on this show is that they have A/F sensors on every exhaust tube before the collector. I guess Iâm a dyno guy. As you say, the real measure is at the rear wheels as far as useable power goes but doesnât really tell you where that power is gained or lost. Your one O2 sensor before the cat can only tell you that at least one or a couple cylinders is running rich or lean. Not enough information.
2 Likes
Just another attempt by a dinosaur to justify his belief that carbs will always have a place on IC engines. The first one of you guys that can sit down at his kitchen table and rebuild a FI system gets the coveted extra long arms that tie in the back jacket award.
3 Likes
Tom have you watch Uncle Tonyâs garage playlist on carburetors? I think you will much enjoy it 
2 Likes
ALLSO If engine compression is over 10-1/2 too one, you need higher octain fuels. or your motor will seft destruct, spark nock.
1 Like
Not to ruffle any feathers but I like my manual transmissions 
10 Likes
That made me laugh out loud Marcus.
Uncle Tony is one of my favorites. Not a lot of bull shit involved. You wouldnât believe how much time I spend watching car shows on TV and builds on Youtube. If I didnât I could probably actually do something. However if anyone were to put a wood gassed engine on an engine dyno we would really learn something. I may be an automotive luddite as far as actual usage goes but in understanding the ins and out of engine performance electronic data is everything.
4 Likes
Suppose that a gasifier was designed around the dimensions whose root is the number 9. Would it be a quantum machine able to use wood to achieve hypersonic speeds and if so would you have the reflexes necessary to steer it?
What? No electrons? Imagine that?
Pay no attention. The internet has finally driven me insane.
7 Likes