What do you guys think about the size of nozzels (7/16? There is no sign of tar. If it was making tar wouldn’t it collect on hay filter wall? Mine are bone dry, even rusted in a very short time, changed hay ,cleaned walls up, oiled them with 90 w, new hay and I was back in business. Have not done anything with timing, it seems to me that the computer is taking care of it, is that possible? When I came home from the sandblaster with all the parts except the aluminum and SS parts it weighed 380 lbs. Mike I would be glad to meet up, I’m retired so anytime works 5157786466. Thanks for info!
Good Morning Herb,
“What do you guys think about the size of nozzles”
My nozzles are a little bigger , 8 @ about ⅝ inch but I don’t know if that makes any difference?
I will do some testing of the post gasification vacuum readings ( cooling rails ) with motor at a given rpm pulling through the nozzles vs same rpms with fuel hopper lid open to see if I have a friction loss at the nozzles.
If the caddy has a distributor that is easy to access it might surprise you advancing the time.
I forgot to comment on the tar.
The first signs of tar will be a rough idle , smoky looking gas and your throttle will feel a little stiff after it has set for an hour or so.
Hi Herb, My number is 608-623-3000. The 91 (OBD1) computer should adjust things pretty good but I don’t know if that Caddy has coil packs or a distributor. If it has coil packs then leave it stock as you can’t easily change things anyway. If it has a distributor then it might pay to rig up an advance control. My 93 Chevy really benefits from advancing the distributor. The throttle body on my 98 S-10 is a little sticky at times. This is from the occasional times my lid popped up and didn’t seat right and the unit ran like a FEMA. No stuck valves yet. I hate it when that happens !! I’ll try to call today … Mike
Hi Herb, Nice talking with you on the phone today. Here are the pics of my advance stuff on my 93 chevy. Maybe it will give you some ideas.
http://www.intergate.com/~mlarosa/images/woodgas/93-distributor-lever.jpg
http://www.intergate.com/~mlarosa/images/woodgas/timing-control.jpg
Good luck on your end … SSDD on my end … Mike
Mike, thanks for the call. As we discussed it is a distributor car so I will be starting to get something going on that, thanks for the pics and possible ways to get it done, I need all the help I can get, ha. Running one on woodgas is completely new to me but I sure like it. Someone said a while back that woodgasing is the most addictive hobby there is, My wife the “woodgas widow” agrees with that statement. Herb
1 Like
Herb, What we used to do was set the distributor advanced to just the point where it would kick back on the starter on gasoline. This is risky business but it was usually the sweet spot for woodgas. Here is a picture of my distributor on my 66 chevy so you can see the angular difference for an 8 cylinder.
http://www.intergate.com/~mlarosa/images/woodgas/timing-settings.jpg
Mike
Hey Mikie ,
I talked to your answering machine last week and also last night while waiting for the wife spending my money at Walmart , but no Mikie.
Hi Wayne, I got your messages. Sue and I were up by Bruce Jackson’s place all weekend. We left Friday morning and got back Monday night. We spent one night in his guest trailer. Talk about mosquitos !! Lake Superior was fine. On the way home we stopped at Lake Michigan. They fenced off one our favorite parks there because someone had dumped a body there. The whole coast was full of dead fish and the algae went out about 50 feet. We didn’t stick a toe in that muck. For those that don’t know Bruce he goes by buddasdad on youtube. There are a few videos of the first woodgas get together in the US on there plus his tractor videos. kb8ooe (Mike A/O) on youtube also posted some videos from that get together as well as the one at his place in Akron, MI the next year. We stopped at Tom Collins place on the way up and I checked out his latest truck. He continues to work on things when he can. It looks good. Mike
Got started taking parts off and now down to distributor, looks like your conduit and hose clamp idea will work just fine coming off that 2 & 1/2 in round place on distributor then cable or something from there to cockpit, I’m anxious to see how much that helps, That may explain the 38 mph going up hill problem right? The rotation of distributor (CC) advances timing right, even on mind? Thanks, Herb
Herb, Listen to your exhaust ! When the timing is not advanced enough you will hear wasted gas in the exhaust. When you get it advanced to the right point the exhaust will quiet down some as it will all be burning in the cylinders and delivering power. I usually just leave the distributor screw just a bit loose but I think Wayne usually puts a slightly longer screw in and bottoms it out but puts a brake spring on it. You’ve gone this far so just keep on diggin !! That’s the fun … There’s no turning back … Mike
PS, take the cap off the distributor and have the wife or a friend crank the engine around once so you know which way the rotor spins so you KNOW … It’s a caddy … I remember when caddys had this pot metal crap in the valve train under the valve covers and it would crack and disaster would occur. I had to rescue my uncle once up in Yonkers, NY … Mike … And he’s trading in his chevy for a cadilacacacacac you should have know by now … Billy Joel I think … My uncle traded flags with the Russians when “we” made it across to them in WW2 … When he showed me the flag and related pictures I just cried … He waited until he was in his 90’s many years ago to get his cigar box out and show me that red flag … I think he’s in Legion Magazine somewhere in 1945 or so … Been dead many years now …
Mike, thanks for the advice, I’m well into it now, goin good. I can’t wait to take it out for another ride. That’s very interesting to me “Wasted gas in the exhaust” if timing isn’t advanced enough. Would you write more about that process?
Hey Mike ,
The drive up to Bruce’s place should have been a nice trip. Hope all went well with the truck.
It is pouring rain here today but I am about to fire up and run some errands as it is to wet and muddy to do much else.
It’s best if you don’t have a cat converter and also if you have a crappy muffler so you can hear things well. Quite a difference in sound between gasoline and woodgas. I have to run to the dentist. More later … M
Wayne, With the new rupture I just used gasoline. It does get 30 mpg or so. I’m in rough shape right now plus the shingles and Lyme disease … Locally I burn wood for the most part. M
Hey Wayne, did you get a chance to do that comparison as to nozzle size? There is a big difference between yours 8 ea 5/8 and mine 5 ea 7/16, surely that would make a difference. Yeah, Mike about the second test run I came back, grabbed the saws-all and cut the exhaust off so I could hear it run. I’ld think I had the clean air about right and then it would stumble and die and then the other way to far, I CAN HEAR IT NOW!!! O well it’s all fun! Latter, Herb
Good Morning Herb,
I haven’t had a chance to do the comparison . Lot of storms down here and I need to have the truck under an engine load going down the road and wife opening and closing the hopper lid so I can compare any difference in vacuum pull at a given throttle and rpm. ( just joking)
I may be able to set the throttle with truck parked and open and close the lid, but with no load the motor the vacuum reading should be very low even if I run the rpms up to 2-3000 rpm.
You may be able to do some experimenting by having the gasifier up to operating temperature with a good deep char bed. Open the hopper lid and and accelerate the vehicle for about a mile . ( with extended driving the fire will spread up through hopper but a short test would be OK)
I am feeding the fresh air to the burn tube with a 2 inch pipe ( 3,14 sq inch area) The nozzle sq inch area is 2.45 . ( 8 @ ⅝ )
It looks like your 5 @ 7/16 would be an area of .75 sq in.
Personally I think your gasifier is not able to breath.
The gasifier I am building now will have a 2 ½ inch pipe feeding the fire tube ( 4.9 sq in) and 12 nozzles @ ⅝ in ( 3.68 sq in area )
If we come to the conclusion your gasifier may be too restricted at the nozzles I may be able to give some advice to solve the problem working through the hopper lid without disassemble.
Herb, have you got a vac gauge on the hopper? I would expect to see excessive hopper vacuum readings if you had a lot of restriction at the nozzles. This also happens when you forget and leave the air inlet closed.
Hello Herb,
I had to run into town and pick son up from at football practice so while the truck was warmed up we gave it a quick test.
With no load on the motor and running 2000 rpm we were pulling less than 5 inches of water at the cooling rails as we open and closed the hopper lid… I could only see about ½ inch movement on the vacuum gauge on the cooling rails and not enough to register on the fuel hopper gauge.
This shows very little restriction but still doesn’t prove the restriction is at the nozzles but somewhere between the nozzles and the beginning of the air intake .
You may want to do a similar test running your motor about 3000 rpm to compensate for the 8L vs the 4.9L.
Minutes before while on the road running highway speeds the reading at the rails were 15-25 and the hopper 4-6 inch range .
Also something showed up in the video I need to touch on. If the fuel /air ratio gauge goes crazy . All the lights in the gauge comes on or jumping back and forth something is wrong and probably making tar. If this happens I would make sure afterwards the vehicle is idling real smooth or maybe run a little gasoline before shutdown.
I think on the video when we first open the fuel hopper lid the gasifier pulled in all the gases ,steam , smoke ,water and any nasties that were above the nozzles but cleared up quickly .
Sorry about the reflection in the window.
