Read something the other day about adding 1 to 4 ounces of pure acetone to your full tank of gasoline to increase fuel mileage. Has anyone tried this? Claims to break the surface tension of the fuel and allows better atomization. I have seen info that a lot of fuel system or injector cleaners contain acetone. Insight anyone?

 

I would say theres no truth to it but you never know.Since we're in the subject of acetone, I have heard that a 50/50 mix of acetone and transmission fluid is supposed to make a great penetrating oil(PB Blaster, Wd-40, Ect.)but a lot better.Anyone ever tried this?

 

worked with a guy that put a little trans fluid in his tank he was a master tech and said that the detergents in the fluid helped clean the injectors. you could also pour a half quart to a quart of trans fluid in the oil to clean out the sludge

 

I dont know about that, but I have heard of pouring Kerosine in to remove sludge build up, old school trick my step-dad told me about

 

I've heard the same about tranny fluid and gas my cousin does it and it seems to work.

 

I think you hit the nail right on the head with the comment about acetone in injector cleaner. Acetone is a solvent, it works pretty good to take the fingernail polish off of a fingernail, and even the paint on your fuel door when you spill a little concentrated acetone while adding to the gas tank. I suspect that acetone will help clean out the fuel system, including the injectors, and improve mileage that way. Acetone should increase the octane number slightly, but I don't think 1 to 4 oz. in 16 gallons of gas will get a 1/4 of a point increase.

My belief is that some of these "miracle" additives, including the stuff you can buy at the local auto parts stores, give a slight benefit in cars that have been neglected, clogged injectors, carbon build up in the cylinders, etc... or even a well running vehicle that is on the ragged edge of needing to move up an octane rating of fuel. But I doubt that every gasoline vehicle on the planet will see the reported benefits of adding acetone.

My guess is that the fuel injector cleaner companies have tested different mixtures of chemicals to take the benefits of each to make a product that works, is relatively safe from both a chemical exposure (to humans) standpoint, flammability, and corrosiveness to your engine.

If acetone was so great by itself, you would think some company would exploit that by bottling it with some type of non-reactive filler (to throw off the people that read the labels) and sell the crap out of it because it would work and word of mouth advertising would keep people coming back.

i project I'm working on for the military requires chemical resistance to JP-8 fuel (aviation fuel, but they use it widespread from running in HUMVEE's to diesel generators). While researching this, I've found articles dated back to WWII that talked about using acetone, ethanol, and different esters in AV gas to boost planes performance. Acetone does something, but I don't think that it will be so simple as adding a couple of oz to a tank of gas for most people.....

 

I'm going to say its not going to work much it at all. 1-4 ounces is a tiny amount when compared to the volume of gasoline in our tanks and isn't going to clean anything. It you really wanted to clean your injectors pull them off and clean then in some fuel injector cleaner by hand. In addition to that, Acetone attacks plastics and rubber and will dissolve them. While 1-4 ounces is very dilute it will still attack your rubberized fuel lines especially if it gets in them and you let it sit for a while.

 

you can use seafoam in your tank. i just used a 16 oz. can when i changed the oil to clean and lubricate stuff. alot people on here use it and i think its better then handling straight acetone.

 

I've heard the same thing. Either trans fluid or gear oil, and acetone is supposed to be 10x better than PB plaster, break away, and other penetrating oils. I haven't tried it yet though.

 

I use seafoam in everything.