Something to think about. Plans for a still is mentioned in another thread--. Internal combustion engines will run of of combustable fuels, gasses etc. Several different kinds are available and some can actually be made by the average person. Gas from charcoal, in a pressurized container-will run an engine. Coal dust will do the same. Carbide produces gas that'll burn. Of course, some of these mentioned will require a little thought and also some knowledge to produce. Hydrogen is also another source but probably out of reach of the average "joe" to produce but willstill power an engine. I think of these stated above, Nick had the right idea. A still would be easier to build [STAY OUTTA THE "FUEL"] and a whole lot easier to use. We used to run older vehicles on alchol and they didn't run too bad. We always added "top oil" to the gasoline tank to help lubricate the top of the engine--valves! Alchol is a dry burning fuel and valves will burn or warp very easily if this isn't done. We also disabled the rotators on those very same valves. Valves will wear out quickly if this isn't done. The same with burning L.P. gas as a motor fuel. Set the plugs a little closer, used a hotter plug and advanced the timing just a tad. I don't know about these newer, computered engines but imagine they'd be harder to "convert" to burn an alternate fuel. EPA has a bunch to say about motor fuels now. Auto manufacturers will listen to EPA or Gov't agencys' more than they will listen to the publlic. Just some thoughts and rambllings from the old hootster. I don't know it all and don't pretend to but---I've met and talked to bunches of people in my years of wanderin this old earth. I've also worked, expermented and actually done some of these things. I learned from my MANY mistakes. I'll be glad to share what I know or have found out from others--that is if anybody's interested. Be good to each other! Jesus LOVES to see His own in harmony and not discord! hoot. Matt. 24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), January 02, 2001

Answers

Maybe steam engines will make a comeback. Never can tell. I read in our local paper that NASA is using 150 year old engineering on the space station by utilizing Stirling heat convection engines for some systems.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), January 02, 2001.

Tee hee...bet if I started using alcohol in my old truck I'd have a problem with people siphoning off my 'fuel'. I sure do wish I was handy with motors. One of the downsides of being female I suppose. Seems like boys are encouraged to tinker with the things. My Papa forgot I was a girl half the time so I learned a bit about working on a ranch(the other half of the time Granny was nagging him about me staying home and doing housework:o). Wish I had someone here close that was good with technical stuff that I could trade off carpentry, fence building or some such with. Guess I need to go to the library and study up on this kind of thing.

-- Amanda in Mo (aseley@townsqr.com), January 02, 2001.

Wish I could harness my husband's "natural gas" I'd never run out.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), January 02, 2001.

Dee, the methane is a good fuel source, the trouble is devising a "collector" that fits the producers of said gas, tee-hee!!!

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), January 03, 2001.

Hoot: Re your query about computerized engines running on Ethanol. From what I understand at least some of the computers automatically compensate for the ethanol. In fact I know a guy who put ethanol in the gas tank with the gasoline in an 80's something Chevy Cavalier. The ethanol, being heavier than the gasoline, would be at the bottom of the tank. The car ran fine and the puter compensated when the ethanol ran out and it began to run on gasoline. These days engines have a higher compression ratio than the old engines and will run better on ethanol. The higher compression ratio benefits from a higher octane in the fuel and thats why they sometimes use ethanol as an octane booster. Ethanol doesn't burn as hot as gasoline and contains fewer BTUs per gallon so you'd burn more of it than gasoline.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), January 04, 2001.

I read somewhere that most new vehicles produced are capable of using a fuel called T85 with no adjustments necessary. I understand that T85 is a mixture of 85% alchohol and 15% gasoline. I believe that it is some EPA thing that the manufacturers are being forced to do. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be too many sources for this fuel. I wonder if a person could mix up some of this stuff themselves if they had the alchol to do it.

Wayne

-- Wayne (plefor@hotpop.com), January 05, 2001.

FYI, In March of 1980 I attended conference of the American Section of the International Solar Energy Society. The theme of the conference was Energy in Agriculture. I left with plans to build a still to produce fuel alcohol. I even obtained a federal permit to carry out these plans legally. A State Permit is also required. But these Plans were soon tabeled. I left for Japan, then Europe and much time in Red China - a total of five years visiting and studying energy produced by alternative methods and sources. I still have printed information concerning much of these. There are several solar systems in operation which I installed. I just finished installing a Geo Thermal heating system last week.

At the conference mentioned above I was most impressed with an after dinner speech made by a large robust man of color from north Ala. He had a medium size farming operation with a large still to produce fuel alcohol. He was serving on the Presidents commission on alternative fuels. He, also, had received a $50,000 grant to build this still. In a protest in front of the White house, he pulled his John Deere tractor up and demonstrated that it would run on vodka. He stated, while in a meeting with the heads of the big three auto makers, they said that their vehicles would tear up if run on alcohol. His answer - my 1968 Chevy has 190,000 miles running on it, when is it supposed to tear up? He showed how the oil producers and the automobile makers are raping the public by conspiring against the production of alternative fuels. He also reported on how much better the corn was for feed after the distilling process. The best I remember, corn is about 10% protein and after distilling it is about 30% protein. The only thing in which the farmer can ?have his cake and eat it too?. Interesting, The goverment was paying him to do what they arrested his father for doing. There is a book about the sucess of this man?s operation. Maybe I can find it and offer more data.

Sorry for being so long winded.

Charles

-- charles gentry (cbgentry@mlec.com), January 08, 2001.