toulene

[Frederic Breitwieser]

I save most messages I get of any value, so with the comments on Toulene,
I'll pass this along from the Grand National/Turbo T-TYpe list.

Hope it helps, and its really long :)





>RANDY BURG wrote:
>
>> 
>> Toulene has been taken off the shelves in California by the EPA so we don't
>> hurt ourselves. It was available at paint stores as a cleaner such as
Acetone
>> and maybe available in other normal states. Older racers used to add moth
>> balls to the gas to raise octane but I don't know the chemical
ingredient of
>> moth balls. Anybody?
>
>Mothballs used to be made mostly of Naptha ... BUT the mothball thing is
>largely a myth. (Carl Ijames or Rich Inacker I'm sure can get into the actual
>chemistry of all this).  Back in the fifties when pump gasoline was pretty
low
>octane (on the whole), it might have added 1-2 POINTS (as in 80 to 80.2-3),
>but for modern gasoline formulations it would be much more likely that it
>would do little or nothing, clog up the fuel filter, etc.
>
>In short, Rich Lassitter published a "Home Brew Octane Booster" article in
the
>Xtra a few years ago and it is in our traffic archives.  I posted it to the
>list (with full credit to Rich and the Xtra) long ago... went out, used the
>search engine and came up with this... THIS IS LONG FOLKS!
>
>Date: 16 Mar 1993 09:15:12 U
>Subject: Octane Boosters
>From: KEN MOSHER
>
>SUBJECT: Octane Boosters
>Ron correctly points out that raising octane by "points" is a 0.1 of a full
>octane. Here's something I gathered from manufacturer's literature and from
>the article written by Rich Lassitter in the GS Xtra taht I've posted before.
>
>SUBJECT: Gasoline and octane ratings
>
>First, some data about the Sunoco CAM2 fuels from their literature:
>
>SUNOCO "Standard"
>=================
>Color......................Purple
>Research Octane............115
>Motor Octane...............107
>R+M/2 .....................111
>Specific Gravity...........0.725
>Reid Vapor Pressure....... 8#
>
>-- Distallation temp, degrees F --
>Initial............90
>10%...............160
>50%...............220
>Final.............360
>
>SUNOCO "GT Unleaded"
>===================
>Color......................Natural
>Research Octane............105
>Motor Octane................95
>R+M/2 .....................100
>Specific Gravity...........0.760
>Reid Vapor Pressure....... 8#
>
>-- Distallation temp, degrees F --
>Initial............90
>10%...............150
>50%...............210
>Final.............230
>
>SUNOCO "Supreme"
>===================
>Color......................Blue
>Research Octane...........116
>Motor Octane..............109
>R+M/2 ....................112
>Specific Gravity..........0.715
>Reid Vapor Pressure...... 8#
>
>-- Distallation temp, degrees F --
>Initial............90
>10%...............155
>50%...............215
>Final.............260
>
>SUNOCO "Maximal"
>====================
>Color......................Red
>Research Octane............118
>Motor Octane...............115
>R+M/2 .....................117
>Specific Gravity...........0.700
>Reid Vapor Pressure....... 6#
>
>-- Distallation temp, degrees F --
>Initial............100
>10%................150
>50%................220
>Final..............240
>
>And from Rich Lassitter's article in the GS Xtra ... how to mix your own
brew:
>
>Formula #1 - Toulene
>=============================
>R+M/2.........114
>Cost...........$2.50/gal
>
>Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
>--------------------------------
>10%...........94.2 Octane
>20%...........96.4 Octane
>30%...........98.6 Octane
>
>Notes: Common ingredient in Octane Boosters in a can. 12-16 ounces will only
>raise octane 2-3 *points*, i.e. from 92 to 92.3. Often costs $3-5 for 12-16
>ounces, when it can be purchased for less than $3/gal at chemical supply
houses
>or paint stores.
>
>Formula #2 - Xylene
>=============================
>R+M/2.........117
>Cost...........$2.75/gal
>
>Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
>--------------------------------
>10%...........94.5 Octane
>20%...........97.0 Octane
>30%...........99.5 Octane
>
>Notes: Similar to Toulene. 12-16 ounces will only raise octane 2-3 *points*,
>i.e. from 92 to 92.3. Usually mixed with Toulene and advertised as *race
>formula*.
>
>Formula #3 - Methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether (MTBE)
>=============================
>R+M/2.........118
>Cost...........$3.50/gal
>
>Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
>--------------------------------
>10%...........94.6 Octane
>20%...........97.2 Octane
>30%...........99.8 Octane
>
>Notes: Oxygenate. Very common in octane booster products. Has lower BTU
>content than toulene or xylene, but oxygenate effect makes the gasoline burn
>better and produce more energy.
>
>Formula #4 - Methanol or Ethanol
>=============================
>R+M/2.........101
>Cost...........$0.60 - $1.75/gal
>
>Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
>--------------------------------
>10%...........94.3 Octane (Methanol)
>10%...........94.7 Octane (Ethanol)
>20%...........Not Recommended
>
>Notes: Methanol is wood alcohol. Ethanol is grain alcohol and found in
Gasohol
>in 10% ratios. Both alcohols are mildly corrosive and will eat gas tank
>linings, rubber and aluminum if used in excessive ratios. Main ingredient in
>"Gas Dryers", combines with water.
>
>Formula #5 - Isopropyl Alcohol and Tertiary Butyl Alcohol
>=============================
>R+M/2.........101
>Cost...........$0.60-$1.50/gal
>
>Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
>--------------------------------
>10%...........94.5 Octane
>20%...........Not Recommended
>30%...........Not Recommended
>
>Notes: Similar to Methanol/Ethanol. Isopropyl Alcohol is simply rubbing
>alcohol.
>
>How to make your own octane booster (this is the basic formula of one of the
>popular octane booster products). To make eight 16 ounce bottles (128 oz = 1
>gal):
>
>100 oz of toulene for octane boost
>25 oz of mineral spirits (cleaning agent)
>3 oz of transmission fluid (lubricating agent)
>
>This product is advertised as "octane booster with cleaning agent *and*
>lubricating agent!". Diesel fuel or kerosene can be substituted for mineral
>spirits and light turbine oil can be substituted for transmission fluid.
Color
>can be added with petroleum dyes.
>
>-- 
>===============================================================
>Ken Mosher Omaha, Nebraska  Co-moderator: Gn/TType Mailing list
>mailto:kenmosher at nfinity.com
>http://nfinity.com/~kenmosher
>Buick GN:  11.21 @ 121.4 MPH thru the exhaust
>
Frederic Breitwieser
Bridgeport, CT 06606

Homebrew Automotive Website:
http://www.xephic.dynip.com/

1993 Supercharged Lincoln Continental
1989 HMMWV
2000 Buick-Powered Mid-Engined Sports Car