Fuel tank and system water remover additive...

[Javi_C]

I live in Costa Rica, where is hot and humid year round, a tropical weather every day. There has been a word out from ever since, that we have bad fuels that can even contain a little water. I would not doubt this as the monopoly refiner company, are quite burocratic as other goverment owned services companies. Anyway, I was researching the internet and I saw this water remover product called iso-HEET, for year round every tank fill up (according to manufacturer). I have a Toyota Corolla 1999 Japanese Domestic Model, has 13 years and over 135,600 miles on the clock. I bought a gallon of 99% Isopropyl alcohol industrial grade and will like to add it to every tank full with the listed iso-HEET treat x gallon dose. Opinions and sugestions, before I may do something stupet ! Please!

 

[EricF]

don't use it all the time.. pure alcohol will cause rust in the fuel lines and will eat away at the rubber from the fuel lines to the injector seals.
Redline's water remover is the best stuff.

 

[chubbs1]

Try StarTron first. All my boating buddies swear by it. You should be able to get it. It is more expensive but it is safe and a little goes a long way.

 

[Javi_C]

Thanks a lot EricF and chubbs1 for the quick replies on the topic, highly apreciate your comments and opinions on the matter. So EricF, before I got interested in a water remover fuel additive, I was highly researching for a complete fuel system cleaner and gas treatment, and I found Red Line's SI-1 Complete Fuel System Cleaner. It had great reviews, so I purchased (3) 15oz bottles. This will suposely clean my fuel system and intake valves, prevent rust in tank and fuel lines and increase fuel efficiency. Now I have not use it yet because I just got it from the USA. I wanted to combine the mentioned benefits of Redline SI-1 with the water absorbing properties of 99% Isopropyl alcohol, which is the main, 99% ingredient as per their MSDS, in iso-HEET ( a widely sold water remover additive). So EricF I had seen the Redline's water remover before, but in their MSDS it did not specify if it was methanol based or isopropyl alcohol based, which are the two most used or that I have read about, main ingredients in water removal additives. From what I have read it seems like methanol is stronger in eating away the rubber from the fuel lines and injector seals and supposely isopropyl alcohol the other ingredient used in these products, does not seem to have a bad effect on the fuel system, in terms of corrosion. So chubbs1, I checked out the StarTron Tank cleaner MSDS, so the main ingredient (95 % w/v) is the solvent Naptha, which is an aliphatic petroleum destilate. That will be a great option for my little experiment here, but unfortunaly bringing stuff from the USA for me has been a little dificult and expensive, especially for tha kind of subtances with hazzardous handling. Now 99% Isopropyl Alcohol is also a petroleum destilate, which comes from the combination of water and propene (a hidrocarbon produced from fossil fuels—petroleum, natural gas, and, to a much lesser extent, coal). So based on this, I thought of the use of 99% Isopropyl alcohol to use as StarTron Gas Tank Cleaner (of course different formula but similar mechanism of action) and Red Line SI-1 Complete Fuel System Cleaner (since this product I was able to get it shipped to Costa Rica without special handling issues), to provide a possible small quantity water prescence in fuel tank and system removal and a good complete fuel system cleaner for a more efficient fuel combustion and clean fuel lines and intake valves. Any further comments or opinions highly apreciated

 

[Javi_C]

Just to be clear, the main reason for me to decide on using 99% Industrial/Chemical House Grade--Isopropyl Alcohol, is because I can get it localy without having to import it and for a good price for the gallon and also because I saw that this is the main ingredient on two mainstream water removal additive, Splash Super PX 99 and iso-HEET by GOLDEAGLE, so I figured it would not be that bad.

 

[Shaman]

I think if you go light on it, and don't use it every tank, you should be fine. I use kerosene during the winter, and usually pour in about 100ml per 20L tank. Kerosene doesn't grow stuff, but water does, and I don't want problems with my heater.

 

[doitmyself]

Javi C,

According to the almighty internet, the fuel in Costa Rica is already 7 to 10% ethanol. Is this is correct???

Are you trying to remove water or address phase separation?

I will wait for your response, but study the site in my link to get their opinion of adding alcohol to ethanol gasoline. The site is a bit on the hysteria provoking edge regarding ethanol fuel, but there is some bits of useful information there. Poke around the site, as it is difficult to find all the hidden articles.

http://www.fuel-testers.com/is_gas_additive_safe_with_e10_list.html

http://www.fuel-testers.com/remove_water_gas.html

 

[boxcartommie22]

red line si-1 is a great product and i use red line water remover and antifreeze it is an oil based product..i use an ounce with 2oz of si-1 with every gas up...great to counter effects of ehthanol.

 

[ltslimjim]

^I'd like to see pictures of your spark plugs the next time you pull them.

 

[Javi_C]

Hello doitmyself,

Thanks a lot for the reply. So here in Costa Rica there is no such thing as gasohol or E10 fuel. So all we have in the gas stations is Diesel, Plus 91 which is like regular 92 Octane gasoline and Super which like the ''premium'' but not really jajajajaj and that one is 95 octane rating. So for sure there is no blended gasoline here. Now what I trying to address here is the bad quality of the fuel, not the octane rating, and by quality I mean a fuel that has absolutely or pretty much no trace of water in it. There are a lot of problems here with clogged fuel lines, rusted tanks and fuel lines, due to the moisture acumulation in the tank from bad gasoline.

 

[Javi_C]

Officially I went live with it today. I poured 450 ml or 15.221 fluid ounces of 99% Isopropyl Alcohol, to an 1.32 gallon left of gas on my 13.20 gallon capacity tank. Then I pour about 1/4 of a gallon of gas in the tank, move the back part by the trunk of the car strongly so it mixed good, then pour 12 oz of a Red Line SI-1 Complete Fuel System Cleaner and thenk fill up the tank to max with SUPER (Premium 95 Octane non blended with ethanol gas). I will keep a close reccord on the Miles per Gallon eficciency, and compared them with the previuos reccord before this additives. I checked the spark plugs before and took a picture, after two tanks of doing this, I will take a spark plug out and take another picture post this test and compared any change. Also I will keep a good ear on the engine how it sounds or if there is anything weird sounding after this. I will keep you posted

 

[j_mac]

Javi,
I think you are 100% correct to use 99% isopropyl alcohol as a gas tank "dryer." Like you said, Iso-Heet is the SAME THING (isopropyl alcohol.) Just use the cheap industrial stuff you can find in Costa Rica. I think you are right that Methanol or Methyl Alcohol is harder on the rubber and plastic fuel system parts. The regular "Heet" in the red bottle is Methanol I think. Isopropyl is better to use.
If you have water in the tank (from high humidity and condensation) or however it is getting in there, it will lay in the bottom of the tank with the gasoline floating on top. Where it touches metal it can cause corrosion. By using the alcohol, the gasoline/alcohol mix is able to absorb the water like a magnet and burn it up in the engine. Result is a dry gas tank.

 

[Javi_C]

Thanks a lot for the reply j_mac. I purchased a gallon of industrial, chemical house made, >99% Isopropyl alcohol. According to the certificate of analysis, that I received from the local Chemical house in Costa Rica that imports it, bottles it and distributes the product. It is made in Canada by Metratrade Limited, a company located in Toronto, Ontario. The price for the gallon here in Costa Rica was $25.50 US dollars. So there are 128 fl oz in a gallon. Each 12 fl oz bottle of isoHEET cost $8.30 in amazon.com. I get a bottle of 12 fl oz of my 25.50 dollar gallon of IPA for $2.39. So, so far I am happy with my little experiment. It's been more than 60 miles of the tank I filled up with gas, Red Line SI-1 and IPA dose and everything seems fine so far. I will keep you posted after a few more tanks, about the spark plugs and about an UOA of my 20w50 Castrol Magnatec MOTOR OIL.

 

[Javi_C]

***Edited previous post***

Thanks a lot for the reply j_mac. I purchased a gallon of industrial, chemical house made, >99% Isopropyl alcohol. According to the certificate of analysis, that I received from the local Chemical house in Costa Rica that imports it, bottles it and distributes the product, it is made in Canada by Metratrade Limited, a company located in Toronto, Ontario. The price for the gallon here in Costa Rica was $25.50 US dollars. So there are 128 fl oz in a gallon. Each 12 fl oz bottle of isoHEET cost $8.30 in amazon.com. I get a bottle of 12 fl oz of my 25.50 dollar gallon of IPA for $2.39. So far I am happy with my little experiment. It's been more than 60 miles of the tank I filled up with gas, Red Line SI-1 and IPA dose and everything seems fine so far. I will keep you all posted after more tanks, about the spark plugs and about an UOA of my 20w50 Castrol Magnatec MOTOR OIL and about mpg.

 

[j_mac]

What is the problem with the engine? Spark plugs? Engine deposits? Is it pinging (noise under heavy engine load.)

 

[Javi_C]

Nope, none at all what so ever. My Toyota Corolla 1999 Japanese Version with 4AFE engine and chasis code AE111, 136,000 miles on the clock and 13 years of use, runs just like when it got out of the Toyota Dealer in 1998, or I would say better. It is just that I plan on keeping this car, I really like it, I mean I know I don't drive a Mercedes, but I mean this car and I we go a long way, it has saved me many times and it has never let me down and so I want to do stuff to keep it in optimun conditions for the long run.

 

[ahoier]

From my reading, it appears he is afraid of the gas quality of Costa Rica coroding his fuel lines and fuel tank,clogging his fuel filter(s), etc....so he's taking precaution with the IPA.....

Honestly, I wouldn't run this full time, something like STP Gas Treatment (with the Kerosene) would raise the flash point of the tank and "burn off" the water......may also want to keep the tank always over 1/2 full.....it'll help with the moisture/humidity....

 

[Javi_C]

Thanks a lot for the reply ahoier. Yes that is correct I am doing this ''to prevent corroding fuel lines and fuel tank, clogging fuel filter(s), etc....so I am taking precaution with the IPA.....''. Also that is a great way to prevent this, like you said, always keeping the tank over 1/2 full. Thanks a lot for the advice !

 

[Vstrom]

Originally Posted By: Javi_C
The price for the gallon here in Costa Rica was $25.50 US dollars. So there are 128 fl oz in a gallon. Each 12 fl oz bottle of isoHEET cost $8.30 in amazon.com. I get a bottle of 12 fl oz of my 25.50 dollar gallon of IPA for $2.39.



Add a little pale oil and you've created the legendary SeaFoam ripoff for little cost

 

[Javi_C]

Jajajajajaj, good stuff Vstrom !!! Yeah I think I was able to find something good, that will actually give me positive results and won't kill my pocket !!!