General alcohol injection question

[Anonymous_User]

I am probably pushing my stock T2 I/C running over 20 psi. I was looking at my pile of T2 IC's and considering welding a few together, but then I alcohol injection came to mind.

Many have said that 250 hp is about it for a stock IC. Can I exceed this by injecting?

There are some nice kits out there, but what's the low buck DIY setup consist of?

I figure on a single nozzle spraying just before the throttle body would be easiest. Probably run a solenoid off of a hobbs switch. Use the low washer fluid light as a low alcohol light. Can I use an old stock fuel pump some how? Would I just dead head the pump or would I need to build in a regulator and return?

[csxtra]

The biggest issue with the stock T2 Intercooler at higher boost levels is that it just doesn't flow enough air (i.e. the pressure drop gets ridiculous at the higher boost levels). It also doesn't heat soaks quickly at the higher boost levels, because there is so much heat for it to remove.

Adding Alky injection will help on the cooling issues, but not the flow issues.

For example, on my CSX, I was at roughly 260whp with my 2.2 setup (based on 1/4 mile times and trap speeds) at 18psi. If I raised my boost to 20-21 psi, I didn't go any faster, and my IC got hotter. So I built a 2.5, with hybrid turbo, etc, but still used the stock I/C.

The car went slower than before...:confused:

As soon as I went to a double-core (2 stock cores in parallel) Intercooler, I gained 40-60 whp (dyno plots and and 1/4 mile confirmed it). And, a double-stock-core Intercooler cools VERY well...my charge temps DROPPED during a 1/4 mile pass (even before I started running Alky).

To take it even further, I was having problems getting more than 26psi of boost out of my car last summer, no matter what I did with the wastegate can. I replaced my dual-stock-core IC with a spearco knockoff (lots of short tubes), and with NO OTHER CHANGES, I was running over 29PSI of boost (5v on 3-bar MAP). However, this new cooler doesn't cool anywhere near as well as the dual-core did (charge temps rise slightly over a 1/4 mile pass - even while spraying alky).

To bring this rant back to your question...you'd be better off getting a better Intercooler in there first THEN spray the alky.

And gasoline fuel pumps will not handle alky...it has been tried over and over again, the alky is too corrosive to the internals...the pump locks up. You need a pump that is alky safe...all of the alky kit vendors use the Shur-flo pump...but even it needs a "secret" mod that allows it to be reliable long-term with straight methanol. This is one area that it is not a good idea to "go cheap" on...because if you tune for the alky being there and it goes away because you cut corners...its rebuild time.

Aside from the pump, though, your proposed design is correct. All the basic alky kits are is a tank, pump, nozzle, hose, and some form of switch/controller to send power to the pump. If the tank is lower than the nozzle, no solenoid is required. The pump deadheads into the nozzle. Having a low alky light is mandatory...great thinking on using the low washer fluid light...that's what I'm doing.

There is good info on alky kits at:
http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/alcohol-nitrous-propane-tech/

These guys have been running alky for years...they know the ins and outs.

Sorry for the long post, hope this helped.

Warren

[Anonymous_User]

VERY VERY GOOD ANSWER.

THANK YOU.

Well, I guess I'm gonna go look at those intercoolers some more....

[Aries_Turbo]

whats the "secret" mod warren? Im going to be running windshield washer fluid (cheap, easy) which is part methanol so Im curious.

Brian

[Tony Hanna]

I agree completely with what Warren said about gasoline fuel pumps. I witnessed this in person when the EFI pump I used for the homemade alky system in the old Daytona locked up while the car was sitting.

I am a little curious about how well a pump from a flex fuel would do.

[csxtra]

Brian,

I'm not sure...last time I checked, the kit manufacturers were not letting this info out because it was a differentiator between the kits, and it prevented people from just buying the ShurFlo pumps from Northern Tool and building a DIY kit.

As I understand it, as long as you're running a blend (not straight methanol), you're ok with the ShurFlo pump right out of the box.

My pump doesn't have AlkyControl's mod done to it yet...we'll see if I need to send it back to have the mod done this year...

Warren


whats the "secret" mod warren? Im going to be running windshield washer fluid (cheap, easy) which is part methanol so Im curious.

Brian