Things are 20/20 and clear as mud!

Ok, after another road trip, and I have two reports.  First, I want everybody to know that despite my age, my eyesight is still 20/15, which is better than 20/20.  My hearing, on the other hand has suffered some loss in the frequency ranges that represent gun fire and children screaming.  Ok, that report may seem misplaced, but stay with me. 

My car's mileage used to be 20/15 - 20 on the highway and 15 in town. Now, it appears to be 20/20 - 20 highway and 20 in town. I have no explanation and I am working on the highway mileage, but can't get it turned up.  Since most of my driving is in town, I guess I gained in this experiment in the way of mileage, but I am pretty sure that hearing loss was due to a spark plug firing like cannon shot from my engine block.  My good friend Mike Sanders still believes that shot was hydrogen assisted when it left the engine block.Obviously, those of you who know my children know the other cause of my hearing loss, but in the way of the hydrogen experiment, it appears I have gained 5 mpg and 15% of my hearing. 

Tags: Hearing, hybrid cars, Classic Fords, rednecks

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Blue UP!

I have exciting news to report!  I am getting over 30 MPG!!!!  Unfortunately that is the mileage of the rental car I had to get after Blue blew up!  I was driving down the road and a loud explosion unsettled me and my engine.  My beautiful Fairlane now sounded like a John Deere tractor, but didn't run nearly as smoothly. I had to pull over on the Dulles Toll Road and wait for a tow.  Don't think that it was wasted time, because lots of people stopped by. One lady pulled over and put on her flashers and I was truly touched by her concern, at first. Then, I realized she never asked me if I needed help, she only asked me directions to Vienna. If I had been a newcomer to Northern VA, I would have thought from her accent that she meant the one in Austria, but no, I knew where she wanted to go and how she should get there. I was even able to show her on my GPS, but I am not sure if this person understood my Alabama accent well enough to make it or not - there was a lot of pointing involved.

I also got to talk to a State Trooper.  He was very nice, but didn't have much in the way of help.  I did ask him where I could go to the bathroom while waiting for the tow truck and he couldn't tell me where, but he did tell me when - when he left was his best answer.  I am happy to report that I went at the right time and there were no witnesses and no arrests.

I also have to add some background information from my morning commute.  One very angry lady was not happy with me for getting right behind her in the turn lane onto the toll way and gave me some hand waves that I obviously misinterpreted.  She was so unhappy with me that she sought me out on the tollway and yelled and shouted and flipped me off for several minutes.  I did not notice her until the very end, but from all the sweat on her forehead, it appears that she had been laying into me for quite a while.  I had 3d Day turned up too loud to hear her at first, but looking back, I think she said, "You are a miserable wretched creature (a man) and I curse your number 4 spark plug to blow out of your engine on your way home!"  I am confident I know what she was saying with her middle finger, but I think she also added, "And if you think I am voting for Barrack Obama, you are a Son of a B___H!"  Obviously, she had me confused with somebody else and I was laughing so hard that I couldn't say anything before she drove off.  I was considering, "God Bless You, Sister!"  "Babies, Guns, and Jesus!" "Hillary 2012!" or "In my mind, I am giving you a big hug!"  I just couldn't get any of those quips out before she drove off.  I would have sped up and pulled in behind her, but that is sort of what started this whole drama. 

So, I think a real live witch put a curse on old Blue, but don't fear, she is back on the road and the hydrogen experiment is still on!

Tags: Cursed by a witch, Hybrid Car, Obama 08, Car Trouble, Redneck in DC

I found it

I found the problem and corrected it.  The system had lost all vacuum pressure, so I re-configured to the PCV line and have great vacuum. Ironically, my gas mileage sucked because the vacuum line didn't.  Looks like I am on pace for 23-24 mpg in the city on this tank - and I only corrected the problem in the past 30 miles or so.  We'll see.

Sound off for equipment check!

After disappointing mileage on the road trip, I went back and checked all the hoses and equipment. I had a big crack in a vacuum hose that would explain the lack of improvement in mileage.  I have replaced that hose, added the PCV enhancer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9yiKEKMIkc and changed the water and electrolyzer in the hydrogen cell. Again, the car sounds great and seems to run better. The mileage appears to be on track to improve again in city conditions with no long road trips upcoming. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc3mUwx8BAw&feature=related

I wish I could post the sound of the engine running with and without the kit so everybody could hear the difference and understand my optimism, because that road trip really deflated me.  Better yet, I wish you all could drive the car with and without the hydrogen kit hooked up.  The link above shows the mechanics of installing a kit on a honda - principles described are universal. I think that problem is fixed and we can get a better measure, but I will continue to report accurately the results and hope for the best.

 

 

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MIXED RESULTS!

OK, my expectations were really high and not met.  I did not get near 30 MPG.  The last couple of long trips I made before the conversion I got well over 20 MPG and measured out at 23 on two of them.  Both of those trips were different conditions than what I had in this experiment and the conditions seem to matter. I got gradually improving mileage on each tank of gas, but the first tank, I got less than I was getting in town.  My mileage in town is up with this conversion - by as much as 20%, which is what raised my expectations for the road trip. My best mileage on the road was -----23 MPG on my last tank. Maybe that's an improvement in those conditions, but the experiment continues.  I reduced the amount of electrolyzer and it seemed to improve the mileage at the end.  One thing that continues is the increased power and smoother running.  I think the increased power is a mixed blessing - I got into the accelearator a good deal on the first tank and I think it sucked down more gas than it used to when I got on it.  The last tank, I tried to stay more consistent in my speed (72-75mph) and stayed off the acclerator.

I am going to call for some technical assistance and see if I can find some more efficiency.  The better gas mileage in town is going to make this worth it, but I want to break 30 mpg on the road.

The Blue Rocket

Phase One is complete and I have done a test drive with the Hydrogen kit. I have a blue rocket it seems. I don't want to sound faint hearted, but I was afraid to mash the gas pedal to the floor. I can't commment on mileage, yet, but there is definitely an upgrade in the performance of the engine. The car's engine has a different sound and the gas pedal is much more responsive.  The promoters of this technology say the cars will run cleaner, but right now I can only report mine runs meaner:-)

As for the installation, it took me a long time (5 hours) and I had parts left over, but I think everything that is installed is installed correctly.  I made a basket for the glass jar out of galvanized plumber's tape and some insulation.  It is nothing pretty, but it appears to be steady and sturdy enough for road riding.  I wired the electrodes to the same breaker that my stereo is on, so if anything goes wrong, the music will go dead to clue me in:-) There is a fuse on the wire to this contraption, so there is an element of safety. For those of you who don't know, I do carry a fire extinguisher in my car, but I am thinking they probably had those on the Hindenburg and Challenger, too. 

I posted some pictures of the T valve connecter, the hydrogen cell in its designer basket, and the advanced wiring that comprised the installation for you to peruse - email me any questions you have (or if you blew your car up with one of these installed in the exact same manner, I would prefer if you call by telephone right away).  

It may seem strange to convert a 41 year old car to a hybrid, but do remember that my car represents the same era of technology that put us on the moon!   I am hoping not to be launched to the moon, but maybe to save some on fuel so I don't pay as much to drive to work as we did to drive to the moon all those years ago.

I have a long road trip coming up later in the month and will report the mileage back on the blog.

Tags: Enviromentalism, Entertainment, Ford, Classic Car, Redneck Engineering

The Conversion begins

Here we go. I am making the world's coolest hybrid - my four door1967 Ford Fairlane.  This is day one and I hope to have installation complete by day two.  Attached are the pictures of the car and kit before they become one. Just for you Obama supporters out there, I will have you know that my tire pressure is just fine, thank you, and that my starting MPG on the highway is 23mpg. Yes, 23 MPG.  I hope to get past 30 mpg with this hydrogen kit and add additional cells until I am getting well over 50 MPG.  If you want to bet against me, well, I would drive my Fairlane to the Superbowl to see the Jets beat the Packers and show off, but I will be out of the country at the time.  Don't bet against Favre and don't bet against my blue ca(v)r(e).

Tags: Enviromentalism, Entertainment, Ford, Classic Car, Redneck Engineering