Improving fuel economy

[peteSki]

I've just installed a device called a Hiclone into my SUV after a number of people recommended it to improve fuel efficiency and/or power. I have yet to drive the vehicle enough to see a difference but time will tell.

This led me to think about using one on my 97 Ski Nautique with GT-40 engine. I soon realized that the air intake is different than a car... where exactly is the GT-40 air intake? Why is there no air filter as on a car?

Cheers

Pete

[Onthewater]

RE: Improving fuel economy

there is no room and the air on "land" or roads is more dirty than running across water.
I believe the air intake is right on top the engine, the throttle body. Take off the plastic shroud and take a look.

[Quinner]

RE: Improving fuel economy

I believe there is only a spark arrestor which is there to prevent any backfires or flames from coming out of the motor and entering the motor compartment, with the closed compartment of a boat a flame could create a big problem, reason why you should run blower 2 minutes before starting engine. No air filter required because normally you do not operate your boat where you would have road dirt, dust or foreign particles entering the air intake.

[Onthewater]

RE: Improving fuel economy

what quinner said

[peteSki]

Makes sense about the air being 'cleaner' than for a car.

They are just now introducing ethanol blended gas here in Australia, anybody use this in their GT-40? What are the issues with using this type of fuel?

Pete

[Onthewater]

how much, 10% or less?

[peteSki]

In fact, 10% exactly.

[Onthewater]

shouldn't be a problem, here in the US most areas have had that for the last 10-20 years.

disclaimer, check your manual, it does mention something about possible deterioration of the fuel system to to the ethanol but like I said, here it has been used for a while no with no major problems.

[peteSki]

Good to know. At this point I don't know what kind of cost savings this type of fuel will offer here, so I'll wait and see. In the meantime I'm adding an LPG fuel system to my SUV. The government pays you a $2000 grant for installing the natural gas system, it'll still cost me about $500 on top of the grant, but it should make regular driving and towing much more affordable especially if gas prices keep going up the way they have lately.

Cheers,

Pete

[Hollywood]

Those "cyclone" things you put in your intake system are a waste of money. Abun probably has one in his Durango.

[ag4ever]

If there was a miracle device that could increase feul economy, the auto manufacturers would have installed it already. They are under immense pressure by the government to increase their cafe numbers. The rules are evn changing to include the big SUVs we like to drive in those numbers, so our 3/4 and 1 ton trucks will start having the mileage numbers posted soon.

The only way to increase mileage is to increase the efficiency of the engine by less parisitic loss thru the accessories, friction; thru less drivetrain losses; thru more efficient combustion with more of the fuel burned; and by a lighter weight vehicle so there is less work needed to get moving. Adding magnets to the fuel line will not condition the fuel, adding a restriction in the air flow will not "spin" the air creating better fuel mixing. These items do only one thing, they seperate a fool and their money. Hate to put it that harsh, but 99% of these gismos only decrease efficiency, and the other 1% do nothing.

[peteSki]

If there was a miracle device that could increase feul economy, the auto manufacturers would have installed it already. They are under immense pressure by the government to increase their cafe numbers. The rules are evn changing to include the big SUVs we like to drive in those numbers, so our 3/4 and 1 ton trucks will start having the mileage numbers posted soon.

The only way to increase mileage is to increase the efficiency of the engine by less parisitic loss thru the accessories, friction; thru less drivetrain losses; thru more efficient combustion with more of the fuel burned; and by a lighter weight vehicle so there is less work needed to get moving. Adding magnets to the fuel line will not condition the fuel, adding a restriction in the air flow will not "spin" the air creating better fuel mixing. These items do only one thing, they seperate a fool and their money. Hate to put it that harsh, but 99% of these gismos only decrease efficiency, and the other 1% do nothing.

Thanks for your thoughts on this.. I am not expecting miracle results from the Hiclone. Frankly if it makes any noticeable improvement I would be happy. If not, well then I'm back where I started and not out any money as I got it for nothing. I drive a small SUV, a Jeep Cherokee Classic with a 4.0L inline 6 cylinder engine. I currently get 440 Kms to one 70 litre tank of fuel for city driving. I'll see how it goes over the next few weeks and if there is a noticeable change I'll post.

Pete

[Quinner]

Pete,

I am curious what gas costs down under.

In Chicago gas currently is about $3.00 per gallon which I believe would equate to about $0.79 per liter.

CQ

[peteSki]

You are correct, as a weekly max we pay approx $1.40Aud per litre, which works out to be $5.29 per gallon in Aussie dollars. At current exchange rates that's about $4 USD per gallon. The only positive thing I can say about this is that this price is for the cheapest fuel, which for Australia has an octane rating of 91. According to the owners manual of my 97 Ski, she needs at least 89 octane, so by buying the 'cheap' stuff here I am getting fuel that is great for the boat. You can of course buy higher octane levels, upt o 95 I think which is about 20 cents more per litre.

What octane level do you get at $3USD per gallon? Around 87?

Pete

[east tx skier]

Pete, while the flame arrestor isn't an air filter, it will collect a lot of dirt over time. Cleaning it periodically will help your engine breathe better. Owning an older brand, and with it, an older 351, I don't know if your flame arrestor is the same metal type I have on mine, but be it metal or paper, it can be cleaned. If it's metal, get some spray carb cleaner and spray it (away from anything flamable or painted) from the inside out. Let it dry completely before reinstalling it. I do it about once a year and am always surprised hoe much gunk builds up in there over time.