Running Chainsaws on Ethanol, by Brian in Wyoming

One of my hobbies is muscle cars and I have friends that are drag racing fanatics so I am around engines that run on ethanol weekly. Here is what I have learned, If an engine is carbureted and runs on gasoline then it can be converted to run on ethanol (corn liquor). First off a little info on ethanol, it is any distilled spirit in its pure form. Everclear is ethanol, its just expensive due to the alcohol tax the government imposes. Now the ethanol you buy has been denatured so as to make it poisonous to drink and therefore can not be taxed as spirits. Ethanol like gas burns readily under a flame but not with as much energy as gasoline. It burns clean and very dry with almost no reside after it is burned. It also loves to mix with water so making sure you store your ethanol in a sealed container is super important otherwise you will have to re-distill the spirit to remove the water. So here is the deal, you can not just pour ethanol into your gas tank and make it work but it is not that hard for a person with basic mechanical knowledge. First you need to figure out what parts of your fuel system is not ethanol friendly. This is usually the hoses as the ethanol will eat it in short order, I recommend soaking all parts of the fuel system in ethanol for a week to see if anything is affected. Once you know that your fuel system will handle it you can move onto the carburetor. Ethanol contains about 30-40% less stored power then gasoline per unit [of volume]. This is why flex fuel cars get fewer miles per gallon on E85 than pure petrol. This means that you will need to add that much additional fuel to make ethanol reach the correct air/fuel ratio that internal combustion engines love. On a car this means that you need to up the jet size to add more fuel. I usually run a 38-42% increase in my engines but your mileage may vary based on elevation and engine. So cars are easy since it is just a simple jet change but other things are a little more difficult like say chainsaws or small motorcycles. These will usually only have a small amount of jets available to compensate for elevation changes and not nearly enough change for the ethanol conversion, so you will have to improvise. You can buy a couple standard jets for the particular carb you are working on, then measure the opening in your current carb and add the 38% to the hole size and drill the jet out with the proper size drill. Once this is done you can reassemble the carb. Now based on the burning characteristics of ethanol you will need to advance your engines timing to the range of [spark plug ignition] 20 [degrees] before top dead center (BTDC) to 45 [degrees] BTDC, again you will have to experiment with this because I have found that it varies widely based on what that particular engine likes. This is easy on a engine like a cars which is made to be adjusted but can be a huge pain on a smaller engine that has its timing set without adjustment. This is where you will have to investigate your personal engine and see how the timing is set. All engines have a “trigger” that tells it when to spark, to advance that you just have to trick the trigger into firing earlier by modifying the mounts or moving the spark trigger. On a single cylinder engine this is easy since there is only one “trigger” and that is usually based off the crankshaft, but again that varies by engine. That is it, test the fuel system, bigger jets, and advance the timing and now your engine will run on 100% pure ethanol.

Now as I said earlier ethanol does not contain as much stored energy as gasoline so doing the above modifications will result in an engine that will run on pure ethanol it will also run with a noticeable drop in power. So to make up for that you can exploit the fact that ethanol can withstand much higher compression ratios then gasoline without suffering detonation (pinging). Ethanol does not have an “octane” rating since it is not petroleum based but for comparison here I will use that style rating. Most gasoline has a 87 octane rating and ethanol has a “147” octane rating. So what does that mean? It means that you can run a higher compression ratio in your engine to make up for the loss of power. Now I must forewarn you that once you up the compression ratio you are no longer going to be able to run gasoline ever again in that engine. In the drag racing cars we have found that ethanol loves around an 17:1 compression ratio where commercial “pump” gas is around 9.5:1 ratio. Now that is really stout and requires really strong engine parts so I keep my chainsaw and roto-tiller at about 13.5:1 so I don’t break a crankshaft. You will be able to increase the compression ratio by either adding a higher compression ratio piston or by milling the heads down to provide a smaller combustion chamber thus increasing the compression ratio. Once you do this you will find that the engine actually has a lot more power then it did on gasoline.

Now for the downside of ethanol, like I said before it burns very clean with little residue, this also means it has very little lubrication properties for your pistons and valves. In a two stroke engine this is not a problem since you are mixing oil into the fuel anyway so I don’t worry about it at all, Actually I think two stroke engines are the best conversions. On a four stroke engine you will have to add some sort of lubricating additive. We use a little bit of Marvel’s Mystery Oil in the ethanol for the drag cars, but again there are tons of other products out there, Or you can do like me and just run pure ethanol in my roto-tiller since it is not a continuous use kind of machine and I figure the tines will wear out long before the valves.

It is also a little more finicky about storing then standard gasoline because it will absorb water right out of the air, but it also from what I understand has a pretty much indefinite storage life if it is kept sealed unlike petroleum.

We just buy our ethanol locally. You can find it anywhere that sells commercial fuels and kerosene but prices vary widely based on stores so shop around. But the best part is anyone can make their own ethanol right at home. Now I am not all that knowledgeable about this part as I am not a bootlegger (yet) But making ethanol is basically making moonshine. Now I must warn you that making illegal hooch is against the law and the ATF [Bureau’s agents] will be at your door and I assure you that they have absolutely no sense of humor. So if you decide to do this make sure to get the proper permits to do this. From what I understand this is quite simple and is nothing like dealing with the firearms division of the ATF, just explain that you are using it as motor fuel and not spirits.

Once you have your still you can make ethanol out of anything that ferments, i.e. sugar, fruits, grass, hay, grain, corn, potatoes, berries, I think that anything with sugar content will provide the highest yield based on weight and that is why brazil uses sugar cane to produce theirs. Think about all the organic waste you have around you, un-ripened fruit on the tree, garden plants after harvest, grass clippings and soon you see what kind of renewable resource this, and it would be even more important in the event or TEOTWAWKI. Think about how much easier life would be with a roto-tiller, a chainsaw and a four wheeler that you can make fuel for indefinitely, when no one else around you has gasoline.

It is nice to be able to buy your ethanol now and get used to using it and storing it and work out all the kinks that you will run into before you are depending on it for your life. So I am of the opinion that you should do this now to figure out everything so the transition is seamless if something happens. Plus running ethanol is cheaper then gasoline, around a buck a gallon.

There is also a ton of information out there on converting engines, so do your research and learn all you can before jumping into it, remember I have friends that run ethanol so when I have problems I take it to their house. You might not be so lucky in your area.

So you do not need to buy a special engine to run on ethanol, you can just convert any engine with a carb. I have ran my roto-tiller for three years now on ethanol every spring, my chainsaw quite a bit for work monthly, and for the past five years I have ridden a two stroke motorcycle that runs on ethanol without much more of a problem than gasoline. The best part is that with a still you can produce your own fuel at your retreat with almost anything as your mash base. Also one more perk of this is that making ethanol is actually making drinking alcohol so that is another barter item that will be of great value after TEOTWAWKI, to an alcoholic spirits will be more valuable then gold.

JWR Adds: Some special precautions must be observed when making and operating an ethanol still, storing its product, and using it as either fuel or liquor:

1.) Use only uncontaminated ethanol-producing sugars. Otherwise–with wood, for example–you’ll run the risk of making methanol, which is toxic for consumption and causes blindness.

2.) Copper flashing to prevent lead contamination from any soldered pipe joints in the still

3.) General boiler safety (including pressure relief valves) to prevent boiler explosions

4.) In the United States, BATFE licensing is required if any ethanol produced that will be sold for sipping. And presumably the portion sold for use as fuel must first be denatured.

5.) Tightly capped containers for your finished product, since ethanol is highly hygroscopic–it rapidly absorbs moisture from the air.

6.) Most gasoline engine fuels tanks and fuel systems are not suited to alcohol. This one reason that I recommend buying “Flex Fuel” (E85 compatible) vehicles, whenever possible.

7.) Alcohol burns with an almost invisible flame, so any leak in a fuel system can cause a particularly dangerous vehicular fire.

(See this distillation safety guide as well as this piece from Backwoods Home magazine for further details.)

Letter Re: Advice on Police Department Trade-In Guns

Hi Jim,
I saw the posting about police trade-in guns and thought I could weigh in both as a cop and as a law enforcement firearms instructor and armorer.

Cop trade in guns can be a real steal if a buyer understands a few things. First, a majority of trade-in guns are low mileage, high wear guns. What that means is that the guns will often see anywhere from minimal to extensive holster wear. However, in this day and age, a majority of cops are not routine shooters and therefore, rarely shoot their assigned duty pistols. If a buyer has the ability to look through whatever collection of trade-in guns a dealer may have, it behooves them to do so to find the low wear low mileage gem. Second, most cop guns are expected to be serviced and internal parts inspected at least yearly. Some of these guns may have new internals not replaced by the manufacturer if an agency upgraded with the same manufacturer (Such as older Sig 239s for newer ones). Many “previously owned” guns like SIGs “certified pre-owned” (CPO) have refurbished internal parts. Third, because the guns are used, their prices are much better than [buying] new. As an example, a current vendor is selling Generation 2 Glocks 22s and 23s for 1?2 to 2/3rds of the usual new gun price.

As always with trade-in guns, caveat emptor. But they can be a real steal! When my trusty Generation 2 Glock 22 duty pistol is retired and traded, I already have a deal set-up with the distributor to buy it back for sentimental reasons. Best Regards, – MP in Seattle (10 Cent Challenge subscriber)

Odds ‘n Sods:

Frequent content contributor SJC suggested this article by Michael Panzner: The Time to Panic is When Those in Charge Say “Don’t Panic”. JWR’s comment:The bank run that Mr. Panzner mentioned (at Northern Rock–a mortgage lender in England) could very well spread to other banks primarily associated with mortgage lending, and then in a worst case, if a fevered bank run ensues, all banks. Here in the States, the public’s trust in the FDIC and FSLIC insurance will probably slow any bank runs, but the end result may be long delays before deposits can all be paid out, and even lengthier delays while the Treasury cranks up the printing presses to print up the requisite cash. (With a fractional reserve banking system, only a small fraction of the total deposits exist in the form of printed cash money.) Yes, Uncle Sugar can eventually make good on their bank insurance promises, but they will have to print mountains of $100 bills to do so. In a worst case situation you might only get a cashier’s check, and then have no place to cash it. Following any widespread bank runs, once people have lots of cash in hand they will understandably want to convert some of it into tangibles. Thus, big bank runs will be highly inflationary at the consumer level. Fundamental market laws are inescapable.

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From SHTF Daily: World’s banks hit for $30 billion in credit crunch

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Found at The Economist web site: Still hanging on–How far, and how fast, will the dollar fall? The article begins: “For several years, the darkest scenarios for the world economy have involved a dollar crash. The script was simple. America’s dependence on foreign capital was a dangerous vulnerability. At some point foreign investors would refuse to pile up ever more dollar assets. If investors were spooked, say by a crisis in American financial markets, they might ditch dollars fast. The greenback would plunge. A tumbling currency would prevent the Fed from cutting interest rates, deepening and spreading the economic pain.” Gee, this sounds a lot like a novel that I once read wrote.

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Steve in Iraq forwarded us this link Former Fed Boss Says Euro Could Replace U.S. Dollar As Favored Reserve Currency. Meanwhile “Mr. Magoo” Greenspan was also quoted by The Daily Telegraph, as stating that Britain is in some ways more vulnerable U.S. real estate market. Specifically, Greenspan said; “Britain is more exposed than we are – in the sense that you have a good deal more adjustable-rate mortgages.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Let me now reassure you, your money is safe with us and if you want some, or all of it back, then you are perfectly entitled to it. Whilst you may have to wait a little longer than usual to receive it, you will get it." – Adam Applegarth, Chief Officer, Northern Rock Bank, (The fifth largest mortgage lender in England), September 14, 2007

Note from JWR:

The bidding is already up to $350 in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction, for a scarce pre-1899 antique Finnish M39 Mosin Nagant rifle (7.62x54R) from my personal collection. This rifle was rebarreled by Valmet during WWII, and is in excellent condition. It comes with a replica bayonet, original sling, and original muzzle cap. Since the receiver for this rifle was made in 1898, it can be mailed directly to the winning bidder’s doorstep, with no FFL paperwork! The auction ends on October 15th. Just e-mail us your bid.

One Important Implication of the Weaker U.S. Dollar

The US Dollar recently posted new lows against most currencies. Most notably it now takes $1.39 to a buy a Euro, $2 to buy a British Pound and the Canadian Dollar is at 97.16–nearing parity with the US Dollar! This weakness in the once-almighty dollar may help boost US exports, but overall the weak dollar is bad news for Americans. Most importantly for those interested in preparedness, it is making some key imported items prohibitively expensive. This includes optics from Germany, water filters from England, and spare gun parts from Austria and elsewhere.

Since the Federal Reserve has opted for a slightly less painful way out of the current credit crisis–by lowering interest rates–I expect the slide in the dollar to continue. So I most strongly recommend that if you have been delaying buying any critical preparedness items that are imported, quit dawdling. Most notably, buy spare parts and accessories for all of your imported gear.For example, if you own a British Berkefeld water filter, now is the time that you should stock up on spare filter elements. If you own any imported guns–Steyr AUGs, FN-FALs, HKs, Glocks, SIGs, Berettas, Galils, and so forth–lay in your supplies of extra magazines and spare parts, now. And if you want to buy a Kahles, IOR, Schmidt & Bender, or other brand of imported scope, you had better buy it soon, because within a couple of years it will probably be unaffordable!

Letter Re: Comments on Polar Pure and Hawaii as a Retreat Locale

Aloha Jim & Memsahib,
Per your advice in an earlier blog posting, I rushed in an order for 16 bottles of Polar Pure water purification crystals from the folks at Ready Made Resources. I placed the order on August 26th and received my shipment on September 14th. The entire shipment of 16 bottles (enough for our family of three for quite a while plus something extra for barter and/or charity) arrived via Uncle Sam’s snail mail in what I thought was a surprisingly short time. (I had been expecting something like 6 to 8 weeks from Tennessee to the islands.) The shipment was sturdily packed, the documentation was clear and accurate ad the price was quite reasonable – approximately $205, including shipping. That tells me these folks care about their customers; and they’ll definitely be seeing more of this customer in the future. Again, thanks for the head’s up on the Polar Pure. Though we’ve been pretty lucky this hurricane season in the Pacific, we’re technically not out of the woods until December 1st. I’ve lived through two hurricanes and a number of tropical storms during my nearly forty years here, not to mention the occasional odd water main breaks (some of the mains on Oahu are 50 + years old and fracture on a regular basis) and the odd winter flood, or sewage spill which can result in water outages lasting for hours – sometimes days. With a good supply of water purification crystals along with our backpack water filters and stored bottled water, we should be in reasonably good short-term shape on that score. I’m still working on possible solutions to our long-tern storage problem – we live in a three bedroom, two bath townhouse. However, it’s ground floor with a yard, so food grade plastic barrels for catchments are a possibility. Next up is a replenishing run to the Big Box store(s) to restock our canned goods shelves. We make it a point to store what we eat and eat what we store. That way there are no last minute surprises with family or neighbors being confronted with unfamiliar foods they may not like, or might, say, be allergic to.

As an aside, I read your earlier evaluation of Hawaii as a retreat/relocation area and, much as I hate to say it, I have to agree with you. If things should get severely Schumeresque, this is not the place you want to be caught. Beside all the items covered in your evaluation, there is the day-to-day cost-of-living to just carry on a normal life, here (about 35-40% more, on average than on the mainland). For example, I just picked up a hundred rounds of mil surplus .223 [Remington] 55 grain ammo for my AR, in Honolulu, and it ran me just about $43.50, including tax. Since private individuals without an FFL are forbidden by law from shipping ammo to Hawaii you are pretty much at the mercy of the local dealers and what they see fit to charge. There only two or three firearms dealers, per se, here on Oahu .

If you are coming to Hawaii and you’re single, it would be best to have a really good paying job lined up in advance; if you’re married and not already financially comfortable, you will both be working…guaranteed! Even with my military contractor’s salary, my wife’s pay plus cost-of-living allowance (she’s Civil Service), and my son’s post-high school entry into the work force, we ain’t exactly “livin’ large”. A two bedroom townhouse can easily set you back $300,000 or more; median price for a three bedroom two bath single family home is over $625,000, depending which island you settle upon. And, if you’re hoping to find any sort of decent sized land suitable for a survival retreat/farm, you’d best be well-heeled, indeed. It’s just one of the reasons the Admiral and I (my wife is ex-Navy and my son says she can be as tough as Bull Halsey when she wants to, hence ”the Admiral”) are planning a move to the mainland mountain-west after retirement.

I really enjoy the blog, Jim. It’s a regular part of my daily regimen; and, I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned in the year or so I’ve been frequenting the site. It’s been well worth my 10 Cent Challenge subscription. Keep up the good work. – Gandalf, in Hawaii

Odds ‘n Sods:

Goldman’s “Global Alpha” Hedge Fund reportedly suffers a 22.7% Loss in One Month  

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Alphie sent us this link: Ron Paul gets a rare chance to spotlight his views–GOP maverick: yes on gold standard, no on empire-building

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Reader “StealthNeighbor” suggested this article from Stratfor: The Biofuel Backlash

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RBS flagged this one: FEMA hijacks Midwest broadcast signals with mistaken presidential alert

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Always be the best, my boy, the bravest,
and hold your head up high above the others.
Never disgrace the generation of your fathers.
– Hippolochus, to Glaucus, in Homer’s Iliad VI, (Fagle’s translation, p.202)

Note from JWR:

Congrats to John T. in California, the high bidder in the auction for the Hydro Photon UV Light SteriPen Water Sterilization System with solar charger and pre-filter. It was kindly donated by Safecastle, one of our most loyal advertisers.

Today we begin a new SurvivalBlog benefit auction, for a scarce pre-1899 antique Finnish M39 Mosin Nagant rifle from my personal collection. This rifle was rebarreled by Valmet during WWII, and is in excellent condition. It comes with a replica bayonet, original sling, and original muzzle cap. Since the receiver for this rifle was made in 1898, it can be mailed directly to the winning bidder’s doorstep, with no FFL paperwork! The bidding starts at $200. The auction ends on October 15th.. Just e-mail us your bid.

Letter Re: Surviving Major Changes in the Political Landscape

Jim,
I’m a believer in being prepared for the worst. However, how do I (we) survive 4+ years of an extreme left wing political take over of our system? Right now it looks like Hillary or Obama will win the Presidential elections in ’08. With either of those two in and a left wing house and senate, I have to believe that we’re doomed. You have to know that firearms will probably be banned similar to Canada, Australia, and Great Britain. Are you going to give up your means of defense? When times get tough and food gets scarce, the government will ban “hoarding” and place stiff penalties on the same.
I view the coming elections with dread. I don’t like having a target on my white male, conservative, Christian back. But, that’s how it will be.
Sorry for such a gloomy note. Regards, Tom E.

JWR Replies: You have good reason for your gloominess. Quite frankly, I share it.

One of the great things that I have always loved about the United States is that if a state’s laws (taxes, gun laws, homeschooling laws, or whatever) get too oppressive, you can always “vote with your feet” and move to another state that has preserved more individual liberty. This is exactly what I did when I left California in 1990. I am a fourth-generation member of a pioneer California family that had arrived via covered wagon in the 1850s. But my wife and I decided that the political battle in California was lost. It is impossible to fight a demographic tidal shift. When the liberal do-gooders and their legions of welfare recipients that make up their voting bloc begin to out number the decent, hard-working conservative “bedrock culture”, there comes a day that you realize that no matter how many well-reasoned letters your write to the newspapers and the state capitol, the battle is lost. So I packed up my family and didn’t look back. From what I’ve heard, this process continued and is ongoing. Some of the best and brightest are wisely still bailing out of California in considerable numbers. OBTW, the latest outrage I heard was that the City of San Francisco has instituted socialist universal health care for every resident of the city, all to be funded magically by tax dollars. Papa Fidel would be proud of his understudies. The Liberal Nanny Staters that rule California have totally lost touch with reality.

But you have raised an issue that involves the Federal government. There is no escaping Federal law, short of leaving the country altogether, which I generally do not advocate. Let’s face it, America is called “The Land of the Free” for good reason. Nearly all of the alternatives are not very appealing. yes, the prospect of a liberal Democrat president working with a liberal Democrat-controlled house and Senate is a nightmare for those of us that love our liberty. I expect that the First, second, Fourth, and Tenth Amendments will get tarnished if not outright trashed in the event of four to eight years of “enlightened” Nanny State government. All that we can hope and pray for is that there will be legislative gridlock in congress, with little erosion of our liberty during those years. And hopefully that will only last four years, a and the political pendulum will swing back the other direction. Pray hard.

I can’t recommend any specific survival strategies or tactics, other than keeping a low profile, and scrupulously obeying all of the new laws and directives that will surely issue forth from the bowels of Washington, D.C. if the Democrats take control. You’ve probably noticed that the prices of many commodities have dramatically increased in the past year. Large diameter PVC pipe may very well be the next commodity to rise in price, due to scarcity.

Again, pray hard for God’s guidance, providence and protection.

Letter Re: Counting the Potential EMP Attack Casualties

Dear Jim:
Your site is excellent. It is on my list of daily reading. Your book is also excellent. I’ve also taken the 10 Cent Challenge.

Under scenarios you mention minimal deaths in an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack. You posit the EMP would disable flight controls. Published information indicates that 3,624 domestic commercial flights were airborne during the attacks on 9/11/01. If that number is relatively accurate and it is multiplied by 267 (average) passengers per plane (not including flight crews) you get 967,608.

If a number of these aircraft are in/near terminal control areas (cities), wouldn’t their ensuing impacts add to the death toll?

Newark Airport sits next to the New Jersey Turnpike and when the wind is out of the north the approach takes flights over the 12 lanes of a very busy highway. Any aircraft losing control and landing/crashing short of the runway would create a massive disaster. There are also rail yards and refineries nearby.

Using a base number of 967,608 and adding ground losses appear to produce a significant number of casualties in your scenario. Are these observations realistic? – JH

JWR Replies: When I referred to “minimal” casualties with high altitude EMP-tailored bombs, I meant that in comparison to ground bursts in cities, which could cause many millions of deaths.

Regarding your 967,608 figure, that would only be accurate if there were multiple devices detonated simultaneously at very high altitude and there were overlapping coast to coast “footprints” of EMP. The potential line-of-sight range of EMP–and coincident “coupling” through linear metal objects–has been previously discussed in SurvivalBlog.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"If pointing an empty gun at your opponent makes him duck, you may live for an extra two seconds-and who knows? You may find another gun, the bad guy may give up, or the Ammo Fairy may drop you a magazine." – Clint Smith, director of Thunder Ranch

Note from JWR:

The high bid is now at $300 in the last day of bidding in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction for a new-in-the-box Hydro Photon UV Light SteriPen Water Sterilization System with solar charger and pre-filter, kindly donated by Safecastle, one of our most loyal advertisers. This very popular water sterilizer product package normally sells for $225, plus postage. See the details on the SteriPen and solar charger here. As a bonus for this auction, I’m also including three autographed books: Rawles on Retreats and Relocation, SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog – Volume 1 and my novel: “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”. (Together, these books have a retail value of $82, and hence the full auction lot has a combined value of $307.) The auction ends at midnight EST, tonight. Just e-mail us your bid.