Alcohol powered engines

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BGarofalo

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With the talk of all the alcohol tractors in the other thread i was curious to see just how the tractors setup to run on alcohol. Im sure others are curious as well.

I've never gotten the chance to look under the hood of an alcohol tractor to see just how they do it. I know injection pumps can be set to run with differant fluids. Is that what they do? How do they setup the heads? What about spark plugs? Enlighten me...

Anybody have any pics?

PS: I put this in the sledpulling forum because I have yet to see an alcohol fueled diesel in any other realm.
 
from the ones I have seen they are set up like a gas vehicle. distributor where the injection pump was, fuel injectors in the intake runner for each cylinder and modified the head to put the spark plugs in the injector holes.

Jay
 
I would imagine a magneto, some plugs, and either a carb or mech alky injection setup.

I've worked on some gas 8.3 Cummins engines
 
straitcountry said:
from the ones I have seen they are set up like a gas vehicle. distributor where the injection pump was, fuel injectors in the intake runner for each cylinder and modified the head to put the spark plugs in the injector holes.

Jay
Click to expand...

you could just get a gas head for the 5.9
 
Study these:

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19741_101858916509085_100000549318460_50293_6760432_n.jpg


19741_101858919842418_100000549318460_50294_6745027_n.jpg


(courtesy of Keating machine)

It has been done on a 5.9 with a NG head, and with a custom head. 2000-3000hp IIRC.
 
Forrest Nearing said:
you could just get a gas head for the 5.9
Click to expand...

I have seen tons of Natural Gas 5.9's in the past but back then (worked for a trucking company that brought all the Cummins Recon engines up into Canada from North and South Carolina). Anyway,I didn't pay much attention to them back then but they did have spark plugs and the distributer was where the injection pump is (if my memory is correct). I could deffinatly see a alky 5.9 running with a bolt on style intake plenumn that has the injectors shooting right into the intake ports.

I would deffinatly like to hear details on engine setup such as pistons, compression ratio and cam setup....I think this could be one heck of a crazy setup!

RyanB
 
Ok, that makes sense. That tractor is beautiful. Now are Deere motors always opposite with intake/exhaust or did they just set the head up that way? So basically they are converting it over to a gas engine style and just using a diesel short block because its stronger... maybe?

I did a quick search on cummins.com and I looked at a picture of the natural gas 5.9 It has six spark plugs on top. Where did they mount a distributor system on the nat. gas 5.9?
 
found some JD alky pics to get an idea of what goes on.

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What fuel do these engines run and what is the flashpoint? Why cant a diesel injection system be utilized? Besides the lubricity issues?
 
inline6359 said:
What fuel do these engines run and what is the flashpoint? Why cant a diesel injection system be utilized? Besides the lubricity issues?
Click to expand...

Because the alcohol burns at cooler temperatures, and allows for more power with the same displacement...like 1000hp more in some cases.

At least that the way I've always understood it...I have a couple friends with diesel pullers, and only one friend of mine does alky, but it's a gasser.

Chris
 
I'm pretty sure it is.

I have looked into doing an alky 5.9, if I ever do a tube chassis it will have one.

Mostly your using the diesel block for its strength, the problem is the head. Your going to spend big money to get a 5.9 head to flow what is needed for an alky setup. Aluminum rods, custom pistons 8.5:1 compression(?), billet cam, ect.
 
Aluminum rods at that power level? That doesn't even seem possible.
 
I know most of the big boys in the tractors are running tripples in the biggest classes allowing alky. Just curious to what the smaller tractors would be running as far as chargers go....

RyanB
 
there is a 5.9 running in a case IH in the 6200 llss class in ky. llss are limited to a 3.0 turbo alky at 370 and diesel at 470. Im pretty sure he won murfreesboro and gordyville this year on it. His name is jerry sipes.
 
I know a guy here in Iowa that is collecting the parts to switch his 5.9 over to alcohol so he can pull in the 2wd class. He has the NG head, and has built an intake for 3 2 barell carbs. The pistons are on the way, and he's working on some ignition system. If he'll let me I'll try to take some pics. I hope he gets it going just because it'll be different and should run pretty hard.
 
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