For the past 30 years we have had
Consumer's Reports testing gas devices every few years,
and the EPA volunteering to test devices any year, but only if they are submitted by others. EPA has tested over 100 devices, and I think only 6 have worked, of which 2 are aerodynamic improvement devices.

Luckily, in the past 5 years both
Popular Science magazine and Mythbusters TV have started testing devices.

See my other post where I 'day dream' that at the end of the SAE Super MPG contest, MPG devices would be tested by the college teams on the day after the contest ends as a 'Public Service'. When you do a good test of MPG device on a vehicle already getting near 1000 MPG, any gain or loss SHOULD show up.

Another person did point out that SAE might hesitate to do this because of so-called SLAP lawsuits. A SLAP (strategic lawsuit against protesters) is where a company 'punishes' a protester or whistle blower by filing a groundless lawsuit that the protester has to spend money to defend himself against to avoid a 'default judgement'.

Notice the Consumers Reports had to defend itself against Suzuki this way.
I am certain Popular Science and Mythbusters have insurance and on retainer lawyers against this.

 

the reason the auto companys dont put hho into production is because its not idiot proof yet. its not as easy as going to the gas station and filling your tank up. and the ****ty you tube hydrogen cells someone mentioned is not a joke. we have one sitting in my garage thats our experimental model. we mainly use this one for shooting our potato gun, and blowing crap up. all hho is is water and baking soda, coke, vinegar, etc anything with acid. heck just plain water puts out hydrogen but not much. and the way to fool the 02 sensor is by putting less voltage to it insted of the 12v it usually gets. we just got some parts in for the cell thats going in my truck ill post picks as soon as its up

 

Ah, the return of the mythical 100 MPG carburetor. These devices work like the magnets you clamp on your fuel line that "aligns" the fuel molecules. Or the stamped piece of sheetmetal that you stick in the intake to make the air "swirl" for more power. That is to say, not at all. They sound good to the layman hungry for cheap, easy answers, but the actual physics and science involved make these devices all but impossible as described.

There's no hard information on that website at all--it's every bit as useless as the YouTube testamonials. All this site has are pictures of guys with their cars and some text from "John W." about how his mileage miraculously went up. Well, there's a picture of the guy--it must be true, right? Duh. Look at the doofus with a Mercedes diesel who said he went from 20 MPG to 26--that's probably because his car ran like crap and he finally did something to make it run only a little worse than stock instead of a lot worse than stock (a Mercedes diesel like that should have no problem pulling down 30+ MPG without hokus-pokus miracle devices).

Hydrogen, as the smallest molecule, leaks through just about everything: plastic, metal castings, rubber, some glass, etc. It'll go through holes too small for any other substance to fit through. How, exactly, are these hydrogen generators keeping it from leaking out as it passes through the incredibly porous intake tract of an automobile (rubber joints sealed with hose clamps, paper/cork/rubber/composite gaskets, imperfect aluminum castings, etc.)? Even if it's sucked in under vacuum, there's just no way the valves and rings can possibly seal well enough to contain it under compression--by the time the plugs fire, all the hydrogen is long gone, pushed out through every pinhole and gap too small for air and gas to fit through.

Hydrogen cars don't burn hydrogen, they use it to make electricity using a fuel cell and are powered by electric motors. Just because hydrogen explodes doesn't mean that it can be used instead of gasoline in a regular internal combustion engine. There are cars that have hydrogen-burning internal combustion engines (BMW has a 7-Series sedan running on hydrogen), but it sure isn't a car they plucked off the assembly line and filled with hydrogen and started tooling around Germany in it.

Adding to the physics problems of such a system, remember that it takes more juice to crack the hydrogen from the water than your alternator can make. If there's any power being added by the hydrogen (and there's not), the alternator will consume it--and more--just generating the electricty to make the hydrogen. It is physically impossible to have a net energy gain from a process like this. If it worked as advertised, you'd have the beginnings of a perpetual motion machine. Not possible.

If anyone is getting any miracle mileage gains from a hydrogen generator like this, it's because they're monkeying with the engine controls to lean out the fuel mixture, just as HankL said. If I wanted help with my fuel costs, I'd invest in head gasket manufacturers for when all the yokels who buy magic fuel saving devices start bolting these on their cars.

Why is it always some dude in a garage inventing these things instead of scientists and automakers with billions in R&D money? And if they work and cost so little, whey aren't they being installed right now, today, on every single car (and don't give me that BS about the oil companies trying to suppress the technology)? C'mon guys, even if you don't know anything about physics, at least follow the common sense trail when thinking critically about these things.

I wonder how long until the Nigerians start selling these?

 

Excellent points Matt. I've mentioned a few of the same things on previous threads dealing with this, but you went even further in depth on even more facts and wrote it very well.

 

Yaaaaayyyy!! Matt gets a Gold Star today.

 

speaking for myself i never said anything about 100 miles per gallon. i personally know a guy that gets around 8 more mpg in his suv (expedition). no bullsht. not telling anyone to believe it. and the only toying with the engine is lowering the voltage on the pre -cat 02 sensor.
and anyone that has negative thoughts about hydrogen tried or experimented with this stuff for themselves? if not than you cant say it doesn't work/does work
just my 2 cents

 

The physics just aren't there. Read the research. If it worked, why aren't the big automakers doing more with it? Why aren't they pushing it at all?

Dog sh*t tastes terrible. Have I tried it? No. But I know it tastes terrible.

He probably gets those extra MPG out of his SUV because he leaned it out. And how many tests did he do to determine he got a steady 8 MPG increase?

 

That is the exact argument a dealer of these so called "Wonder Units" makes. "You haven't tried it, so you can't comment." And then when somebody does try it and it fails and calls the seller out on the scam that it is, it's "You didn't hook it up right, call tech support," just to keep his seller rating in the positive on Ebay. So long as the seller can keep misinformation out there, he can sell his snake oil.

You don't have to set your wiener on fire to know it's not a good idea.

There is no way, given the size of the system, the surface area of the electrolysis plate, or the power provided by the alternator that you're ever going to produce enough hydrogen to burn and make your engine more fuel efficient.

 

Yep. I've messed with cars long enough to be able to say straight out that it's pure bull****. It's always, "I know this guy who's best friend down the street has an uncle who put cat turds in his gas tank and now he gets 50mpg".

 

im not saying this **** is a miracle, just from what ive seen i know it works.

you guys should experiment with it and try it out. and hey if it doesnt work for the cars use it in the potato gun, we use it in ours and let me tell you works ten times better than starting fluid or hairspray. ill get a few vids of the gun in action and post em up for you