Will a "Gas Vapor" Container Improve MPGs and Fuel Efficiency? Let's find out! 

You can tell this guy's a professional. He's JB welding with his nice pants on.

Next time, you should make a flashback arrestor, basically a check valve to prevent catching your vapor source on fire. It is a necessity for multi-cylinder engines on vapor. Great video man!

This may be an old video, but I figured I’d say I appreciate your efforts. I knew you’d make it run, but I was really surprised at how easily it started and smoothly it ran. You save me many pops in the shop. Don’t ever stop what your doing, it’s gold!

If a carburetor is performing properly it should be pretty well vaporized anyway. Burning vapor from an external vaporizer or fuel from the carburetor should give the same performance because to run properly you need the stoichiometric ratios of fuel. But being able to do it from a bottle and suction tube is incredible and a really great experiment.

Imagine being this dudes neighbour and wondering why he mows his lawn 365 days a year

Even though this video is 3 years old you tube is still recommending it to people like myself. I can't believe this worked. Amazing video. Love how you take the time to set up everything so it's equal.

Todd, you are a BEAST my friend! I'm over here watching your older videos just like they came out a few days ago. And thankfully, they are still very much relevant!

Haven’t read all the comments on your video, but I recall reading that Tom Ogle heated the high octane gasoline for the Galaxie. Also, the vacuum was so great, it was caving in his metal gas tank. He instead engineered his own 2 gallon gas tank that was capable of the heat and the vacuum. Thank you for taking the time/resources to scratch the itch a lot of us DIYers have regarding energy efficiency.

Replying to comments after 3 years takes a lot of dedication!

If you look closely you can see reflection of oil company guy with a gun pointing at him.

It was done over 30 years ago at Ariz State Univ and was taken by the big P and lock away! The 2 biggest problems were ice on the carb and the motor over heating due to no evaporation of the gas to cool the engine. Air was drawn thru the pool of gas that had a fine screen it to breakdown the air flow to tiny bubbles to grab the vapor particles so it would only pull the vapor in to the engine block. A brass screen had to be added to stop any backfires from setting off the gas pool. It worked great until big P said stop and took it. Ariz State Univ also did a garbage to gas converter that was also taken by big P. The icing on the carb from evaporation was solved by wrapping a few coils from the cooling system around the carb with copper tubing. So I know it ca work!

Interesting and creative concept for getting the vapor into the engine, if I had a guess though I'd say the system was still pulling some of the fuel up and not complete vapor. The most famous attempt at a vapor engine I've heard of is Smokey's Hot-Vapor Engine where he used the exhaust pipes to superheat the fuel to vaporize it. I would attempt to replicate heating the fuel into a vapor and somehow feeding only that vapor into the engine. Loved the video

You sir, are a national treasure. The things I've learned here are multiples of all of the channels that try so hard to teach people things. We all seem to learn so much more when we just ask questions together. God Bless you and those you care about for your efforts.

The cloudiness of the fuel after running is due to water vapour in the air entering the fuel vessel

For the curiosity, the need to know, and ingenuity. Excellent !

I love your channel. As I recall, Ford's first car simply dripped fuel onto a heated plate where it was drawn into the engine as it evaporated. It wasn't safe but it worked. That was a pretty good test, using a crude fuel vapor system vs a worn/crude carb. Comparing that to a FI engine w/ a more exact fuel/air ratio is another matter. A mix of the two technologies was done by Transonic Combustion. They'd heat/compress gas before injecting it under high pressure and the "supercritical fluid" would allow the compression stroke to fire the mix. They claimed 64 MPG in their test car, but MPG in testing is tricky. None of the auto makers took them up on their tech. (On a set no-stop run @ 40MPH, I can see a 70% increase in MPG in my current car.)

Your level of creativity is insane. The things you come up with to do your tests are insane. I've been watching your videos for a couple years now and you never cease to amaze me with your knowledge.

My body: „You REALLY should go to sleep now!!!“ My eyes to my brain: ENGINES RUNNING ON VAPORS My brain to my fingers:“Welllllllllll, let‘s give it a try......“

You ARE THE F---'N MAN!!!! Much Love from Rochester NY. So appreciate every single comparison that you've done. You are exceptionally unbiased, honest and and straight to the FACTS...Please keep up the amazing work, we so enjoy all of your videos!!!!!

I have done a lot of experimenting with this. 1 you to run the vapor up through were the main jet use to be to be able to add air, you're running way to rich. 2 put in a one way valve to stop the bubbler catching fire. 3 as the gas is used up you need to heat the bubbler, 0 at the start ,90c at the end . you can run 25% water with a little soap but have to run heat sooner. When you get the mixture right the exhaust temp and fuel burn will plummet . Downside, driveablity is poor, it really only works well bellow 1/3 throttle, and you're always driving with a "bomb" in the vehicle. Maybe if you used an Arduino to control it, it would work. The irony... this was done on a 78 Ford Pinto so it did catch fire... twice

You probably have the best mowed lawn in the neighborhood.

Sweet! A gasoline bong...

Genial! Muchas gracias, por tu tiempo y dedicación para hacer estos videos tan educativos y admiro mucho tu profesionalismo para dar tu opinión sin ser grosero o despectivo con los demás de nueva cuenta mil gracias y saludos desde México

Great video Wynns Turbo Cleaner. For veritable van Turbo charger, DPF, EGR CARBON BUILD UP CLEANER. I used it on my VW T5 VAN. IT WORDED VERY WELL.

Gas mileage test: tequila vs vodka

Project farm The best channel on RU-vid

Looks very interesting, I'll test it. As improvements, the pipes in the jar can be made bent so the air is forced to go centrifugal, so the movement of the gasoline can be more controlled and directed to create a vortex. for sure will improve the time. Another set-up can be made with bigger holes to increase the airflow( as setup can use 3-4 diameter and test which is the best as increasing the time)

I love this guy,s test,s! He makes YOU feel like you graduated from ITT! This is a very humble and talented MAN !

LMAO He gets it running.. and next shot is the tank taped to the mower mowing the grass. I just spit up my drink laughing so hard.

Did you check see if the RPMs were the same with the vapors as they were with the gas I believe that would be the only real way to know one was as efficient as the other

Thank you for sharing! I really enjoyed the entire thing and educated myself with your work! 👍🏼

Great video. Without knowing the idle speed of each set up it's hard to draw a conclusion about efficiency. Loved the video and subbed 👍

The cloudiness of the fuel could be due to water, from the atmosphere, having mixed in.

You're answering all of my big questions that I've casually wondered about for years.

I learn so much from this guy. Anytime I want to know what’s best I look up project farm.

Project Farm, number 1 usefull channel on RU-vid.Well done 👍

I remember reading a story in the local newspaper back in 1975 or 76 about a local man who had accidentally discovered a way to run his lawnmower on fumes like you did . He apparently did not use the vented jar like you but he said the vapor inlet line to the intake would actually ice and freeze up so he later used a refrigerator coil to supply the vapor to the engine to prevent icing up . He had according to the article converted a full sized car to run on his invention but had to add an accelerator pump system to get the engine up to freeway speed and drove the car across the country on a promotional tour to publicize it and showed his fuel mileage increases . There was a follow up story in the paper a short time later saying the fellow had been receiving death threats (he assumed were from oil companies ) as well as offers to purchase his research and not disclose any info about his discoveries. He supposedly finally accepted an offer for $200,000 to stop working on his fuel vapor concept .

Thank you very much for testing this theory. I have questioned this concept since I was a teenager and you have helped me understand the dynamics with this test. You have great videos with well thought out preparation and execution. Your ingenuity and practical mechanical abilities are truly exceptional and a pleasure to watch. Keep up the great work!

Well that worked awesome. think I may try to do this with my old lawn tractor .

ive seen stuff about this experiment a while ago, i find it so cool and interesting.

Next Episode: How I avoided being Epstien'd by BP.

congratulations you inadvertently made your own carburetor.

Amazing my friend, the way fuel prices are going up this is much needed. Thanks and God bless

Captivating subject on every one of your postings. Thank you

What surprise me is that you always find the way to prove it. very clever, thumbs up as always👍👍

Very interesting, RPM should have been taken into consideration, I think .

My Dad, Uncles, and Grandpa all have talked of a International truck that my Grandpa had back in the 60's he bought new. Thing got over 50 miles to the gallon. 2 or 3 months after he bought it word had made it far enough up that International Representatives along with the Sheriffs Department one day pulled in and informed my grandpa that International had made a error and was there to fix it. They removed the carb replaced it and just like that the old international got about 5 mpg. An when international was contacted by my Grandpa. He was told international had never build not only the carb they never produced a truck with that vin number.

You're one of a handful of channels that I always make sure to check regularly for new videos to watch but I rarely comment. This video is far from being my favourite of yours but I thought I'd give your algorithm a little boost while it's in my head 🤣

Project farm, i agree with a comment I read below about regulating air flow into the container to achieve an a/f ratio. However a simple voltage meter and an O2 sensor threaded into the muffler reading voltage 0-1v DC would show this balance. I would love to see this in future video.

Old Diesel tech here. Retired x3, still learning! Thank you for your efforts. Curious as to head temp, emissions ect. I think you're on the right track. Enjoyed the video.

Really enjoy watching your testing vidios.

I have done something similar on a chevy geo sprint a few years ago. I used much less vapor than you did here. Testing at 60 mph the car went from 38 mpg to over 70 mpg every time I checked it. I went to the same gas pump every time and set on the slowest setting and when it kicked off I did my calculations from there. I'm quite sure there is another 20-30 mpg more to be had if I had some funding and a couple engineers to work with me....

i suspect the color change was at least partially from the ethanol in gas absorbing water from the air

thats a good way to survive without a carb in emergencys

As always informational/educational. I was looking for interaction from others and was not disappointed! The mention of: stoichiometric ratios of fuel. That will be interesting/educational with carburetors, certainly fodder, food for thought. I began to think foil which the mechanics of a carburetor is opposed to vacuum. Educational; therefore, rewarding. Thanks for the video.

Heat the fuel to optimal vaporizer temps. Very cool to see this method work. Thanks.

Carburetor basically vaporizes the fuel before it goes into the engine anyway.

If you heat wood up to 211* F it will produce gas that can be piped directly into the top of a carburetor and run an engine. Germans proved it worked when they ran their cars on wood gas during a gas shortage. Could be a good video Idea.

Love your tests! Keep ‘em coming!

Awesome video, thanks for sharing!

Just before the 8 minute mark I love how every lawnmower vibrates just right to make the wheels turn when not touching the ground.

I actually saw this happen many years ago with a Ford PU with a 351 engine. It was converted to run on Duel fuel, Propane or Gasoline, the customer came in with a very rough idling engine on Propane. We turned off the propane and it started idling smoothly, the system used a shut off solenoid to stop gasoline flow. We checked it by taking the Gas line going into the carburetor off and there was no fuel flow into the Carb. We then to double check removed the Propane vapour hose going into the Propane mixer, the engine still ran, a good mystery to solve. We then thought of what could be any other fuel source and pulled the PCV valve from the valve cover, the engine quit. Pulling the oil dipstick revealed a very overfull crankcase. The diaphragm had burst in the mechanical fuel pump ran from the camshaft so gasoline was pumping into the crankcase and evaporating. New fuel pump and an oil change and the Mystery was solved.

I did that on a 4 cylinder motor. Removed the cab. Installed a 2'' ball valve and a 1'' ball valve past the 2'' for air adjustment. I put gas ,old oil,water in the tub. ran the vapors with a 2'' hose. Had a 1'' hose to feed air in to bubble the mix. It ate it all. Ran great.

I am impressed because you demonstrate that it is a saving but not the 3-400 thank you

I have always wanted to see someone who was unbiased test the Flex Seal/Flex tape because you see it on TV with all the neat stuff that can do and then if you go to like carnivals and stuff they have people setup that demonstrate it but they're usually somebody with that company so they will make it work to their advantage somehow I would like to see someone like you test it and every way that you can think of possible and I would also like to add that I thoroughly love your videos and I've lost every one of them and you're awesome please keep doing what you do

Reuse that yellowish fuel with the high oxygen content and see if that performs better or worse than pure gasoline

I'm just glad your still here and didn't some how randomly dissappear!

Very informative thank you for your service.

Becoming a fan of this channel. I love the experiments you do. So practical and relatable. And you still comment on all of your videos. This is insane. You got yourself a new sub.

Red Green would be proud you used duct tape.

Thanks for your informatry video..Experiment is superb...

Hi Todd, I absolutely love your videos! Have you ever considered trying to get an engine running on wood gas using a gasifier? I have seen a few people pull it off on RU-vid in the past, and would love to see how you would go about doing it! If I recall correctly, the U.S. Government released documentation on how to make a gasifier and run an engine on wood gas in an emergency situation. Definitely worth looking in to if you have the time!

Greetings from Sweden! I have watched almost every single one of your videos. They are amazing. And so are you putting all this effort in to them! Thank you for making them!

Great video! Very neat visual of how the expansion chamber works. BTW, all combustion is a correctly proportioned mixture of fuel (vapor) and air (O2), liquids never burn.

That's interesting, being a mechanic I wasn't sure it was going to work as well. But very surprised!

I had to laugh when I saw this. 30+ years ago I did extensive testing of vapor fuel using a large generator… slow running (1800) with a fixed load. I used a heating system to vaporize the fuel as it exited my vaporizer (fed by a pump). The reason for this was to vaporize ALL the gas, not just the lighter components as you did. With full control of mixture, and timing, I could see zero significant difference. This makes sense, because LIQUID DOESN’T BURN. It must be vaporized to burn. Carburetors meter the fuel into the air stream where most of it becomes vapor before entering the cylinder, where the heat of combustion vaporizes the rest….. Gas engines do run on vapor. I also ran a Ford V8 on diesel vapor, waste oil vapor, vaporized plastic, vaporized rubber, and vaporized wood. The latter was used during WW2 in Europe to power cars, trucks, and buses when gas became scarce. Called “gasogens”. Diesel engines also run on vapor. The fine droplets are vaporized by the very high temps from high compression. Miracle carbs like the famous Pogue never yielded the claimed results….. just a scam. I can and will say that to anybody because I played with it extensively, pursuing every lead. BOGUS!!

Gasoline only contains so much energy, no matter how you extract it. All engines run on gas vapors, they don't burn liquid gas, as the gas is atomized upon entering the combustion chamber. This increases surface area to increase vaporization. Liquid gas is very hard to ignite, gas vapor is highly flammable, and very dangerous.

It'd be great to see the results you get if you were to recycle the exhaust through a cooling coil and then into your fuel container replacing the air intake air with the exhaust. You may be surprised by the efficiency increase.

Thank you for the Great 👍 work you are doing ! It's very nolagable and great to watch . Keep up the good work !

Maybe you should look up the term 'carburetor' it is going to blow your mind!

5:38 even with his face out of frame you can feel how surprised he is

EXCELLENT EXPERIMENT. . THANKS FOR DOING THAT

I jjust gotta start watching channel more often.. This video was really was woozzer!

What concerns me is the condition of this dude's lawn and his crazy mowing pattern. 😜

Did you not know that vapour carburetors were one of the standard ways to fuel a petrol engine before the venturi type carburetor was invented?

This does work I did it on my 94 Chevy C1500 with a 4.3 Vortec TBI throttle injection I even made a RU-vid video about it not much detail but it was successful you have to have a fully sealed system other than where the air comes in I use the brake booster splitter t- pipe I used a stainless steel fine mesh as an aspirator with a small aftermarket air filter on the vapor bottle I used a pickle jar which was glass I haven't perfected it to a tea but it does work hydrogen cells work as well with some fine-tuning and studying you will get it I only received a few more miles on fumes than I would have gas normally good luck to you guys

Thanks a lot...it's a great experience...keep going

It might turn yellow due to additives in the fuel that don't like to evaporate, so they are left behind.

I've been watching a lot of these are appreciate the effort you've put into them. About this one, what the majority don't understand is gasoline as a liquid is not even flammable. The carb venturi or the injection system atomizes the gas to where there will be enough vapor by the time the spark plug goes off. I experimented quite a bit in my youth with that knowledge. One of them was to use exhaust pipe (made a 'S' shape and welded plates to mount) to mount my carb 2 feet away from the engine to give the gas more time to evaporate. That alone increased the average mileage in that 72 Plymouth from 17 to 24 mpg. But I had a problem with a certain outside temp and humidity, it would cause ice crystals to form so I had to try and heat the tube. It helped, but I finally gave up since I needed a machine shop to make things I really needed to continue. The problem you had with your mower setup is a fixed amount of air traveling thru the liquid. Ideally you need a separate way to vaporize the gas and have a way to control the vapor/air mixture before you get to the throttle. If a fuel injection type system could inject the proper amount of vapor instead of raw gas, it could be the best mileage possible. The problem is heating gas to vaporize would be dangerous, so impractical at this stage. But this is the reason economy figures have been rising. Carbs have the be the most inefficient method possible as they are just dumping raw gas into the intake. Again, thanks for all the time you spend making the wonderful videos!

You should try this again . I myself have seen this work . My dad got some plans / ideas from a buddy and we did it on a courier in 1978 . Your efficiency test would have been drastically different had you heated hat fuel canister ! The sweet spot is 80-90 degrees . You should know vapors come with heat ! My dad's buddy claimed 200+ miles on a Folgers tin as long as you keep it in the sweet spot !

The mower sounds great 👍

at the least, if you were on a desert island and found an outboard with no carb on it, youd have a way to make it work! great video

One thing for sure, I have learned to service my own lawnmower by watching PF, thank you!

Freaking incredible you are! Your lawn mowers really get put to the test. The set-up is very similar to a propane conversion.

you should try the pond fogger method,i commented 3 yrs ago on this vid and failed to mention that the emulsified fuel i ended up with "fogged" well and burnt in the engine,also,petrol that was so old it would not burn by a lit match "fogged" and ran in the engine also,a briggs and stratton lawn mower engine,i never did try the economy of either method,apparently heating the vapour via water jacket or exhaust makes a huge difference. Garden pond foggers need to have the water level inhibitor jury rigged to work in petrol. Petrol mixed with diesel should fog by ultrasonic fogger to run a diesel engine. I'm going to rig something up (make my own ultrasonic drivers) to fit to my 1500 triumph spitfire(carbs non injection,yet). Great vids and info as always.

Your valve on the hose is not adjusting the air/fuel ratio into the carburetor. It’s only controlling the air flow. The air/fuel ratio is purely based on the amount of fuel able to evaporate in the container while you’re sucking the air through it. If you want to start researching improved fuel economy, you have to start adjusting the air/fuel ratio to perfect the engines efficiency. The engine was getting so much vapor it wouldn’t run until you closed the valve most of the way. Add a second valve taking air from the atmosphere into the same line. Then you can adjust ratios by manipulating the 2 valves.

Very interesting. I was very skeptical as well. I'm glad I have the answer now so thanks!

Absolutely love the starter!

I was getting excited to see how the internals looked in terms of carbon. Maybe a comparison could be done with liquid fuel. I’ve also been thinking maybe you can run a mower on corn flour dust? Love your work. If I was still teaching Science I’d be using your videos to critique your scientific method.

This is really the only channel of which I watch every video. Your tests are measurable and objective. Another great video, keep up the good work!