Alternative Fuels for 2-Strokes

[Harutz]

Is anyone aware of any alternative fuels compatible with 2-Stroke engines?
I've seen an attempt to run one on home-produced methane, but mixing oil with the fuel vapors was unsuccessful. It follows that home-produced hydrogen (woodgas and such) or other gaseous fuels would have the same problems.

I've read that alcohol is problematic in 2-strokes because if doesn't mix well with the lube oil either.
Does anybody have experience or knowledge about running alcohol or vegetable oil/ biodiesel in 2-stroke engines?

 

[Skyliner70cc]

To run biodiesel or straight veggie oil or WVO (waste veggie oil), you would need an engine that was designed to run on diesel. A diesel 2 stroke requires a 20 to 22:1 compression ratio, valves, glow plug, and an injection system (probably older style indirect injection).

Your best bet for alternative fuels would be 100% methanol which would require minor changes such as jetting and using carbs compatible with it. W/ methanol you could increase compression ratio for more power without worrying about detonation.

 

[Harutz]

Methanol distills at a very specific range of temperatures though, so creating a product of any purity would be very difficult at home. Even mixed alcohol is a bit of a cumbersome process...

 

[Skyliner70cc]

sorry, i didn't realize the op wanted to make their own fuel too.

 

[keatonx]

You can run it with vegetable oil as the lube oil. Less smoke, smell, pollution, carbon build up, sooooo much more... I did this for a sci fair project and won the sci fair.

 

[Harutz]

Cool, thanks for the tip.
Did you test it in ratios other than that for normal lube oil?

 

[spad4me]

Ace Hardware will sell gallons of the alcohol fuel for around 12 dollars a gallon no shipping no surcharge.
Tower hobbies will sell four gallons with 30 percent degummed oil for 53 dollars plus lots of shipping and lots of surcharges.
Or contact your local hobby shop .
My local hobby shops , and almost everything else except wallmart, closed years ago because of the Bush economic policy's.
The Chinese use 30 weight motor oil and incredibly cheap gasoline in Happy time engines.

 

[happycheapskate]

I got here from a google search for Vegetable Oil Two Stroke.

If you have an old/cheap engine, I can see doing it.
I've seen youtube videos of people running junk-find mowers on 87 octane gas and WVO or fryer fat (filtered) as fuel mix.

I ran my HT on 30wt walmart oil and 87. It ran fine, smoked just a little at 4oz/gallon. If the bike sits a while with gas in it, the oil might settle and plug the fuel filter, and the engine seemed harder starting/longer warm up time running than with 50:1 pro-mix (all ratio compatible). I've heard of people using used motor oil and filtering it well to be sure of no metal contaminants. Maybe the used oil will mix or burn easier than fresh oil.

Ace Hardware will sell gallons of the alcohol fuel for around 12 dollars a gallon no shipping no surcharge.
Tower hobbies will sell four gallons with 30 percent degummed oil for 53 dollars plus lots of shipping and lots of surcharges.
Or contact your local hobby shop .
My local hobby shops , and almost everything else except wallmart, closed years ago because of the Bush economic policy's.
The Chinese use 30 weight motor oil and incredibly cheap gasoline in Happy time engines.

 

[570rm47]

Methanol

In New Zealand you can own a fractional column that has bio-fuel/Alt-Fuel application among other uses

Sorry was unable to post original message (think i need more time up)
I wish to use waste as fuel as i already have the column etc. And limited success

 

[HeadSmess]

In New Zealand you can own a fractional column that has bio-fuel/Alt-Fuel application among other uses
View attachment 50535
Sorry was unable to post original message (think i need more time up)
I wish to use waste as fuel as i already have the column etc. And limited success

looks suspiciously like that japanese guys fractionator.

just like back to the future! stuffs it full of whatever plastic he can find, heats it up and out comes fuel

the concept is simple, but its still economically unviable. is still cheaper to dig it out of the ground than recycle all those millions of tonnes of plastic bags bottles and wrappers lying in heaps everywhere, messing the place up, creating more filth for future generations too clean up and wonder what was wrong with this generation..

all hydrocarbons. crack em down to basics, stick em back into octanes, cetanes, heptanes... add a bit of hydrogen here, remove some carbon there as necessary.

then you can say your fuel is fully synthetic as well as your oil


good for the 3rd world, good for the home hobbyist. no good for fat cat managerial types on 4mil a year with a 20mil mortgage and 3 children at the most exclusive of private schools.


as a smoker, i was happy to finally hear a report saying "studies have concluded that air pollution is the leading cause of lung cancer". they still wont remove the 80% government excise on these $18 packs of ciggies but.

1. id rather be locked in a sealed room with a pack of cigarettes smouldering away, than be in a sealed room with $18 worth of petrol or diesel smouldering away.

2. on a moto, you pull over or overtake when you come up behind a diesel lugging up a hill. that stuff is TOXIC. if these do gooder greenies had anything better to do than stop us backburning in winter, they would impose some regulation that diesel injectors must be serviced before every rego renewal... im sick of following lil daihatsu trucks where the rear end is obscured in black soot.

3. its really sorta nice following a biodiesel up a hill diesels where intended for running on peanut oil and or crude oil. greenies again. cant use crude, too much sulfur. cant use peanuts, some people are allergic.



dont get me started on the byproducts of unleaded fuel when the exhaust is cold and the cat hasnt started working yet... we all know that smell.