We all know that acetone really cleans out the fuel system well, without damaging anything, so would lacquer thinner be even better?
Acetone is good, so is lacquer thinner better?
- Thread starter Captain_Klink
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You don't want acetone or lacquer thinner in a fuel system.
Look at your gas cap, fill cover and the are around it. If it says gas or gasoline, only pour gasoline in your tank. If it says "pour any old concoction in here", then try lacquer thinner or acetone.
Is this even a question?
People used Acetone because it affected the surface tension of gas, similar to the way soap does to water.
I'm not sure if laquer thinner would do the same.
I'm not sure if laquer thinner would do the same.
where is courier driver when you need him?
Acetone will clean SOME stuff well.
There are stronger chemicals in gasoline already.
No harm will come from using small amounts of acetone.
The 'surface tension' thing of acetone in gas is often debunked by chemists. It can clean and maybe 'lie' to the O2 sensor.
Many over the counter gas additive products have acetone in them.
There are stronger chemicals in gasoline already.
No harm will come from using small amounts of acetone.
The 'surface tension' thing of acetone in gas is often debunked by chemists. It can clean and maybe 'lie' to the O2 sensor.
Many over the counter gas additive products have acetone in them.
Acetone is a good solvent for cleaning. Its a common additive to carb sprays and fuel system cleaners. Gumout Carb & Choke jet spray is almost 100% acetone, for example. Berrymans B12 has lots of Acetone in its cocktail as well. I don't like having Acetone anywhere near paint, thou..
Just to clear some things up. I have a degree in chemistry and a long time ago worked in the paint industry with solvents.
Acetone is what is called a ketone. It has a double bonded oxygen. Along with esters it is a good solvent for many oxygen containing materials. Oxygen tends to be grabby about electrons and pulls them away from the other atoms creating positive and negative parts of the molecule creating what is called polarity.
Lacquer thinners are a blend of ketones, esters, aromatics and maybe alcohols. Aromatics, benzine, toluene, xylene, etc. have a ring structure the electrons are free to move around it. Alcohols have oxygen too, but tend to be too polar to dissolve some things.
The basic rule is that like dissolves like. That also applies to crosslinked material such as rubber that swell rather than dissolves. Octane has no oxygen or ring structure. Thus it is a poor solvent for anything with oxygen or ring structures in it. Add acetone or other oxygen containing materials, and it will dissolve or swell more materials. Expose non polar material to the aromatics, and they will dissolve or swell them. However, the electrons in aromatics can be pulled to one end by polar materials becoming polar and dissolving or swelling them.
Many types of rubber are very non polar and will swell if exposed to gasoline or rubber. Acetone has little effect on such rubber. I used to use it to clean paint resin off gum rubber tubing. It might not even swell brake parts. You can make rubber resist gasoline and oil by adding polar materials, nitrogen, chlorine, sulphate, or silicone. Silicone isn't so polar, more just like nothing else. So you add acetone and lacquer thinner to your gasoline, exactly what happens will depend on how much, what is in the lacquer thinner, and the grades of rubber in your fuel system. Not all lacquer thinners are alike. The stuff you buy at Lowes won't work with automotive lacquers.
Acetone is what is called a ketone. It has a double bonded oxygen. Along with esters it is a good solvent for many oxygen containing materials. Oxygen tends to be grabby about electrons and pulls them away from the other atoms creating positive and negative parts of the molecule creating what is called polarity.
Lacquer thinners are a blend of ketones, esters, aromatics and maybe alcohols. Aromatics, benzine, toluene, xylene, etc. have a ring structure the electrons are free to move around it. Alcohols have oxygen too, but tend to be too polar to dissolve some things.
The basic rule is that like dissolves like. That also applies to crosslinked material such as rubber that swell rather than dissolves. Octane has no oxygen or ring structure. Thus it is a poor solvent for anything with oxygen or ring structures in it. Add acetone or other oxygen containing materials, and it will dissolve or swell more materials. Expose non polar material to the aromatics, and they will dissolve or swell them. However, the electrons in aromatics can be pulled to one end by polar materials becoming polar and dissolving or swelling them.
Many types of rubber are very non polar and will swell if exposed to gasoline or rubber. Acetone has little effect on such rubber. I used to use it to clean paint resin off gum rubber tubing. It might not even swell brake parts. You can make rubber resist gasoline and oil by adding polar materials, nitrogen, chlorine, sulphate, or silicone. Silicone isn't so polar, more just like nothing else. So you add acetone and lacquer thinner to your gasoline, exactly what happens will depend on how much, what is in the lacquer thinner, and the grades of rubber in your fuel system. Not all lacquer thinners are alike. The stuff you buy at Lowes won't work with automotive lacquers.
thanks for the nice reply. it sounds like not a good idea to put in the lacquer thinner. maybe i'll try a few ounces and see what happens with just a small dose.
Ive used acetone as an expeiment few year ago, in my 95 noeon. On the neon forums, thier was a topic about it. Learning it here on bobistheoilguy, i wanted to try it.
What i learned is, acetone is and can be very corrosive to your feul system, depending on condition of your feul hoses..it may degrade the hard rubber lines, if thier in bad condition, with continuous use. Youronly supposed to use, like no more than 4 ozs. per 10 gallons of acetone. Its supposed too smooth out rough idle.
Using 4 ozs in 10 gallons a few times, immedialty it did smooth out my idle, in fact gave my neon some pep! engine seemed to love running it like it was a sugar rush or something.
I stopped using after a few times, due to what i read, about it being used 'sparingly' and degradation too the fuel lines.
What i learned is, acetone is and can be very corrosive to your feul system, depending on condition of your feul hoses..it may degrade the hard rubber lines, if thier in bad condition, with continuous use. Youronly supposed to use, like no more than 4 ozs. per 10 gallons of acetone. Its supposed too smooth out rough idle.
Using 4 ozs in 10 gallons a few times, immedialty it did smooth out my idle, in fact gave my neon some pep! engine seemed to love running it like it was a sugar rush or something.
I stopped using after a few times, due to what i read, about it being used 'sparingly' and degradation too the fuel lines.
Toluene is another, for the record. Supposed to be a VERY excellent fuel system cleaner. Again, like 4 ozs per 10 gallons. If i remembe correctly, i learned this all from labman* kudos to labman, dude really knows his stuff! I remember labman, talking about experiments he has done in his place, using fuel pumps and differnt gases and paint thinners, and the effect it had on plastic material.
Gasoline already has acetone and toluene, but not as concentrated as dumping 4ozs in.
any truth to all this labman?
Gasoline already has acetone and toluene, but not as concentrated as dumping 4ozs in.
any truth to all this labman?
I have never posted anything about experiments on fuel pumps. I have never done any. I was just trying to give some general background. It is hard to give specifics. While the chlorine content of Neoprene gives it resistance to hydrocarbons, there are various grades of Neoprene. and many different hydrocarbons. The lower the molecular weight, the quicker it will damage rubber. Since not all lacquer thinner is alike, and different fuel systems have different types of rubber in them, nobody can say what adding lacquer thinner to your gasoline will do.
Gues it wasnt you labman sorry. i thought yuo were a guy here, who had experimented in a post here few years ago, talking about how he experimented with fuel pumps and acetone and toluene...sorry, guess your not him!
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