# Woodgas Fuel Characteristics Inside an Internal Combustion Piston Engine
**URL:** http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456
**Category:** General Discussion
**Created:** [March 17, 2022, 5:44pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456 "2022-03-17T17:44:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 14
### Author:  [@Dualfuel](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Dualfuel)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2022, 1:01pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/261 "2022-04-09T13:01:15Z")
> [@ohlerron](#):
>
> The 240/300/302 fords had the same bell housing.
Now that is interesting… Do you know if the fuelie 5.0 into the nineties have the same bell housing as the 300?
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### Author:  [@Dualfuel](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Dualfuel)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2022, 1:05pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/262 "2022-04-09T13:05:27Z")
> [@tcholton717](#):
>
> I guess your Lake Superior air on your peninsula is drier. 😇 😇
Only when the lake is frozen. Right now is our driest month. I can set fire to the grass patches. The rest of the time it’s 80% or above.
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### Author:  [@SteveUnruh](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/SteveUnruh)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2022, 1:29pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/263 "2022-04-09T13:29:21Z")
Yes. The 90’s factory fuel injected 300 I-6 has the same bellhousing as the 90’s 5.0L V-8.
Careful now though . . . I am pretty sure one of the other of these during their long production lives from the 1960’s to their ending in the late 90’s did change block spacings. Ford pickup enthusiast forums are the place to search this all up.
And I do not know that crankshaft hubs were not different like the small block Chevy; and the GM LS’s both did mid-production usages.
The Man actually wood gas using a driving the Ford 300 I-6 is Ron Lemler. Here on the DOW.
> [@Forced Induction](https://forum.driveonwood.com/t/forced-induction/6081/16):
>
> Hello Alex, Wayne is right in theory boosting the intake pressure will work to increase power, but I have found out it is not that simple. [Vesa.Mikkonen@ekomobiili.fi](mailto:Vesa.Mikkonen@ekomobiili.fi) Vesa has turbocharged woodgas successfully,he also had a book with quite a lot of detailed instructions and gasifier plans, very good reading and instructions !! My attempt was not so great, my truck has an inline 6cyl 300 cid pretty heavy truck 3/4 ton, I was already getting 55-65 mph with woodgas, without a blower and was just…
Steve Unruh
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### Author:  [@Dualfuel](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Dualfuel)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2022, 1:46pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/264 "2022-04-09T13:46:39Z")
Well, I wondered because I want a better transmission for my 77
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### Author:  [@SteveUnruh](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/SteveUnruh)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2022, 1:48pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/265 "2022-04-09T13:48:32Z")
And so far as forcing a woodgas fuel making process for a better engines grade fuel, hippy-skippy right on past methanol making. The real prize is in boosting the CH4 percentages.
From a charcoal systems nearly 0% - nothing: to a poor woodgases systems of at least 1%, to the better woodgas systems 4-6% CH4.
Now this may seem like little compared to good commercially delivered "natural gas’.
Small electrical generator systems says woodgas methane blended in makes a difference in crankshaft power.
Ha! I am at the wrong location to go out and photo my small white bottle of CNG proofing fuel gas. Blended in to verify this.
S.U.
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### Author:  [@Dualfuel](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Dualfuel)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2022, 1:53pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/266 "2022-04-09T13:53:25Z")
This thing has a three-on-the-tree. Gutless start up, but simple under the hood.
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### Author:  [@trikebuilder57](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/trikebuilder57)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2022, 2:31pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/267 "2022-04-09T14:31:48Z")
240, 300 internal balance, 302 till 1981 28oz external imbalance, after that 50oz The HO 302 had a 351w cam which has a different firing order. 240,300,302,351w, and 351c same bell bolt pattern, but they made 2 157 tooth 164 tooth fly wheels, which made bell housings smaller, or larger. This was for applications into smaller cars, like fox bodies.
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### Author:  [@Dualfuel](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Dualfuel)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2022, 2:53pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/268 "2022-04-09T14:53:49Z")
This good detailed info. Primarily I want to replace the three speed transmission, with a four speed with granny low.
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### Author:  [@trikebuilder57](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/trikebuilder57)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2022, 3:13pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/269 "2022-04-09T15:13:11Z")
Should be no problem, if you can use the same bell, if not, like most makes, make sure you have the correct throughout bearing.
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### Author:  [@tcholton717](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/tcholton717)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2022, 4:32pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/270 "2022-04-09T16:32:54Z")
I’m still going to mess around with the methanol SteveU. Not that I can’t make methane but it’s hard to get it from under the bed sheets and into some kind of container. My Cocker Spaniel doesn’t crap enough for me to make a methane digester. I have made another small still. I just need to get a meat thermometer or some other way to monitor the temp. Anyway it’s a wood based product so DOW.
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### Author:  [@Tone](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Tone)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2022, 6:38pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/271 "2022-04-09T18:38:06Z")
Greetings Steve, whenever someone mentions methane in wood gas I raise my ears, as you state it when gasifying charcoal is almost non-existent unless water vapor is added and the hot area is super insulated. We can see how much insulation means after the publication of our friend Giorgio in another topic, so the goal is to maintain a high temperature by supplying as little air as possible. The gasification of wood is no different, except that the oxygen bound in the wood is also hydrogen, in short all the necessary elements for the formation of a strong gas with a high content of methane, ie super insulation, direct preheating of fresh air with the resulting gas as close as possible to the outlet. , heating the wood storage and assisting in pyrolysis and drying with the residual heat of the emitted gas and, most importantly, push the overheated pyrolysis gases into the burning zone with charcoal. Steve, if my theory holds, a gasifier working like this would produce over 10% methane, I would very much like to make measurements of the content of individual gases on my gasifier. 🔥
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### Author:  [@ohlerron](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/ohlerron)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2022, 6:54pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/272 "2022-04-09T18:54:50Z")
I needed a flex plate for my 240 when I mated it to a C-4 trans from a Fairmont for my end loader. I went to a wrecking yard and they had one the right size but they said it was for a 302. I didn’t know the difference between the 240 or 302 flex plates and apparently they didn’t either. I needed one right then as we depended on the loader. The 302 flex plate worked but the motor always had a shake as it idled. It wasn’t until many years later that I found out that the chunk of steel welded to the flex plate was the cause of the shake. Unfortunately I could not access the flex plate to remove the offending balance weight for a number of more
years.
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### Author:  [@trikebuilder57](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/trikebuilder57)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2022, 8:14pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/273 "2022-04-09T20:14:07Z")
Tom, run it through a thumper, temp. not as important. 👀
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### Author:  [@ForbiddenTuna](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/ForbiddenTuna)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2022, 8:34pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/274 "2022-04-09T20:34:51Z")
Thermometer is nice and all but I go by cadence. Pencil lead thin stream is what you want. Since you’re making fuel don’t worry about making cuts. That poison at the start is methanol and some other nasties. Buy an alcoholometer to tell how much water is still left.
Methanol does distill at a lower temperature though, from 120-155 degrees.
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### Author:  [@Dualfuel](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Dualfuel)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2022, 9:06pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/275 "2022-04-09T21:06:11Z")
> [@tcholton717](#):
>
> I have made another small still.
Is this a wood alcohol still? Maple yields 20 gallons methanol, 20 gallons acetone per ton.
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### Author:  [@Dualfuel](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Dualfuel)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2022, 11:21pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/276 "2022-04-09T23:21:57Z")
@Tone @KristijanL , everyone,
So the reaction between hydrogen and carbon to make methane is exothermic.
I never hear about methane being made this way.
Thoughts?
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### Author:  [@Wayne](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Wayne)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2022, 11:31pm UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/277 "2022-04-09T23:31:19Z")
> [@Dualfuel](#):
>
> to make methane is exothermic.
Sometime to make methane can be anti romantic 😃
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTpDL84z12A)
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### Author:  [@Dualfuel](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Dualfuel)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2022, 12:10am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/278 "2022-04-10T00:10:37Z")
Oh my goodness. I have not seen that before.
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### Author:  [@tcholton717](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/tcholton717)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2022, 1:17am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/279 "2022-04-10T01:17:13Z")
The still is just a SS pressure Cooker with a few copper fittings and tubing coming out the top. I’ll take a picture of it. It was simple to build. Basically it would distill any feed stock but I’ll be doing planer shavings and saw mill saw dust or at least that’s the plan until I find out differently. I don’t know what a thumper is Al. From what I’ve read optimum temp is around 170F, but it seems to me that anything below the boiling point of the water should work. Simple thing to fit a thermometer in it though. I just have to put on my big boy pants and go to town for supplies. I went out two weeks ago for a Harbor Freight sale but I have issues with motion sickness and by the time i got to the store I was so nauseous I could not go in. Before that I haven’t left my place since Feb 12. I guess you can see why I’ve never put much effort into a wood burner. I am going to build a ute this spring for running around the property and testing out some of the theories I have.
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### Author:  [@Dualfuel](http://forum.driveonwood.com/u/Dualfuel)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2022, 1:54am UTC](http://forum.driveonwood.com/t/woodgas-fuel-characteristics-inside-an-internal-combustion-piston-engine/6456/280 "2022-04-10T01:54:16Z")
Ok Tom,
I have some idea now. Basically, you have a retort. The interesting thing about this is the water will come over first.
So it’s a pot still. The copper tubing is a condenser or worm. The thumper keg, or barrel is attached at the end of the worm to separate the water from the alcohol (ethanol). This is how straight run stills are plumbed to make them behave like distillation columns.
You know you can buy bubble cap distillation columns on AliExpress? I laughed so had when I saw that.
US $138.00 | copper bubble Distillation column with 4 sections for distiller Glass column
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Remember you can push a lot of the alcohol into the worm@ 160f but to get it out of the worm you need to go a lot hotter.
I would run all the wood through the pot. Save each run separately, then take your best runs and put them through together.
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