water injection questions

[Michael D. Porter]

Ryan Harrell wrote:
> 
> I was reading my friend's Car Craft from 1980 and noticed an article
> involving water injection to reduce detonation.  My question is: What
> happened to this wonderful idea?  I saw an ad toward the back of the
> magazine in which Edelbrock that was selling their Vari-Injection
> system. However, such a system is not in their catalog anymore, nor can
> I find any mention of water injection in my current magazines.

Others may certainly have their theories about the demise of water 
injection, but my favorite story concerning same is one my father has 
told off and on for 40 years.  When we lived in Houston, in the early 
`50s, we had a neighbor who had a new Buick, and worked at Ellington AFB; 
his thinking went thus:  if water injection is useful for jet engines, 
why wouldn't it be useful for automobile engines?  Roughly the same 
principles, right?  He rigged up a separate tank and pump for water 
injection into the manifold of this new Buick.  And raved about the 
performance improvements.  Until his wife took the car out, left the 
switch on (he'd wired it to battery, not ignition), and the engine filled 
up with water overnight.  Came out the next morning, turned it over, and 
bent most every rod in the engine.

It could be things like that which have queered people on water 
injection, although I'll be the first to admit, while laughing at stories 
such as the above, there's some sense to the principle, and new 
technology and a little common sense would make it both reliable and 
workable.  But the same principles which apply to turbine engines apply 
to piston engines... fluorides in tap water can do amazing damage to 
titanium alloys in jet engines, and can probably be nearly as corrosive 
to aluminum pistons over longer periods of time.  Too much injected water 
can probably extinguish flame fronts and kill performance.  Water/alcohol 
mixtures can probably be even more corrosive.  My guess is, in answer to 
your question, that water and water/alcohol injection came to be more 
trouble than it was worth.  
Cheers.