how i did it (Fuel heater)

[goodysgotacuda]

You wouldn't catch me using copper line in a high vibration place like the underhood of a vehicle. Copper doesn't like vibration for extended period. When it breaks, you'll have one nice high pressure engine bath of fuel.

Use steel.

[GasSavers_BEEF]

once you get it running like a champ and use it daily then use the trip odo or just keep the mileage in a book, fill it til it clicks, run for a while, fill it again till it clicks. divide miles driven by gallons used to fill it back up.

I don't quite go to the extremes as to go to the same pump and use the same gas station but I do get mileage numbers. I think the variables are lessened by the fact that I usually go 400-500 miles between fillups.

I have a buddy that has a chevette (1982) and he works with engines a lot. he said that if I wanted to do it that he would help me. I may do it eventually, time is one thing I don't seem to have right now.

[ShadowWorks]

I have been thinking about making a fuel heater but by wrapping a copper hose around the fuel rail and having hot coolant passing through it, a 90 degree Celsius jacket if you like, is this similar to what you have Christopher?

[chope]

wouldnt use copper in high vibration areas....i guess we need to consult with the building engineers and come up with a better way to plumb these multi million dollar buildings we do...as long as you insulate the coil and not let the copper touch other metals it will by far outlast the vehicle.

[chope]

yes that is similar in fact im about a box with a coil in it that connect to the radiator hose so the hot coolant actually passes over the coil..but as long as the coil is insulated around the radiator hose it will get plenty hot

[chope]

if i build the box i will use stainless steel
and i drive the jeep to work everyday.
ill have it running like it should and i promise i will do proper tests

[turbotrana]

Thanks for your results. Hot fuel definately does help in many ways. I have tuned my car for very lean mixtures and the lean mixtures definately burn better once the engine has a bit of heat soak. So my next step is to put a fuel heater in the radiator hose but I am going to get a stainless steel tube the same diameter as the top hose and get some coil inside the tube with the ends somehow connected onto fuel line. There is a New Zealand product called ECOtube which does fuel heating also.

I have done another mod which helps with running lean burn heaps and thats just running higher voltage to the coil with a 18volt voltage booster. You gotta be carefull as some ignition setups may not like it but if you reaserch on the net its becoming a to-do mod. Cd ignitions like MSD 6A are known not for lighting lean mixtures the best, but from my experience this high voltage inductive works pretty good in my particular setups

[markweatherill]

On a car with a fuel return, wouldn't it be easier to block or restrict the return line and use the existing 'heat soak' mentioned above? That would transfer the same amount of heat to the fuel in the rail, wouldn't it?

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by chope

wouldnt use copper in high vibration areas....i guess we need to consult with the building engineers and come up with a better way to plumb these multi million dollar buildings we do...as long as you insulate the coil and not let the copper touch other metals it will by far outlast the vehicle.

There's far more vibration in an engine bay than any building...and straight/elbowed soldered copper plumbing pipes are structurally very different than a little coiled tube with threaded or flared ends.

Anyway, even so, I would be reasonably confident with copper. Steel is usually stiffer/harder and fatigues worse than copper.

I just did a quick check on google but couldn't find a table of fatigue rate values for steels and copper.

[chope]

you ever been in a mechnical room? there is far more vibration on a recirc pump than a coil on a radiator hose because the hose and the insulation act as dampers and like ive said before this device is nothing new to me ive seen the same coil put on three different vehicles in five years<
also open up your ac unit and look at the big coil that vibrates like crazy also if you have copper water lines in your house, every time you turn your water on and off there is a huge shock througout your water system unless you have air chambers which still only work a few months,then you have to drain your system which nobody does...please i work with copper everyday in higher vibration areas than a radiator hose