First of all i would like to say NOTHING is free! everything cost you something. Wether in time, money, relationships, stress, etc… Every decision to do or not do something has a consequence and everyone must deal with the consequences of their actions. Everyone is right. Woodgas is really easy for some and very convenient, others it is a good hobby but not practical for everyday use due to fuel supply or whatever the reason. Bruce you are right it is way better than the alternatives. I have lived with only a bike and a horse and buggy. I will take the woodgas power work any day.
Last night we go into Corvallis at about 10:30 pm. It was so late because we didn’t get out of Burns until almost two in the afternoon. I went out in the morning and lit and fueled up the truck went to start it to leave and i noticed the gauge said no oil pressure. eventually I figured out the oil had turned to jelly. I believe I blew a head gasket unless someone can tell me something else that would cause it. If i blew a head gasket the leak was vey small because there was only about a pint of coolant missing from the system. So we were parked across the street from a napa. I went and bought the stuff i needed and sent grandpa to get a gallon of diesel fuel. I spent the next 5 hours trying to drain jelly out of an engine. I flushed the system with atf and diesel fuel a couple times and then used one bottle of sludge flush at the end. I got most of it out. I changed the oil and filter on the last round and it was sitting at 50 psi of oil pressure I topped of the cooling system and we drove here.
I had another repair stop along the way. We were just west of bend OR. It was crawling hills, running very weak i was closing off the air valve as much as possible but still running lean. I get out and turn on the pusher blower to find the leak and nothing comes out anywhere even when i open up the hay filter no smoke. I pull the hay out of the filter and find about 5 gallons of soot and fine char in the bottom of the hay filter basically completely clogging the pipe. I get that cleaned out and my average speed went from 40 mph down hill to 55mph up hill.
We came down a mountain in the Cascades It was a 6 percent down grade for over 11 miles and very curvy road. I waited at the bottom for them for about 7 minutes. It was the longest i have ever driven down. Not to mention it was dark so it was a lot of fun.