Fuel economy 'how-to' thread

[hrcollinsjr]

Bob, are you going to use any coatings besides the rocker arms. If I ever get my engine assembled I had planned to have the intake manifold coated as well as the combustion chambers. The email I received from Polydyn said the most bang for the buck was to have the crankshaft coated.

Check out this old article on old school improvements:

Old-School: $11 of Mods + New Tires = 25% Better Fuel Economy : TreeHugger

Harold

[RallyBob]

Originally Posted by hrcollinsjr Bob, are you going to use any coatings besides the rocker arms. If I ever get my engine assembled I had planned to have the intake manifold coated as well as the combustion chambers. The email I received from Polydyn said the most bang for the buck was to have the crankshaft coated.

Probably not. The rocker arm treatment is not really a coating, it's micro-REM polishing procedure. The parts end up very shiny and slippery. I might do the crankshaft with the Micro-blue treatment if I feel adventurous, and perhaps one of the Ishihara-Johnson crank scrapers might be in line too to reduce windage. We'll see what the budget will allow!

[hrcollinsjr]

Originally Posted by RallyBob ...perhaps one of the Ishihara-Johnson crank scrapers might be in line too to reduce windage. We'll see what the budget will allow!

I like the I-J crank scraper idea but don't like the method of employment. I installed a windage tray on a small block Dodge years ago and noticed a few extra hp and some mpg gains, nothing drastic but noticeable. The neat thing about items like these are that you aren't giving up anything for efficiency.

Harold

[West Coast GT]

I figure now's as good a time as any for a couple of upgrades / minor maintenance items from my punch list. They should help increase fuel mileage.

I'm installing an electric radiator fan. To support it I've ordered a 65 amp alternator, smaller lighter battery (went with 405 CCA - should be enough since we don't reach freezing around here), new battery cables.

Next I'll lean the idle mixture - I tend to run it a bit rich. I'll just have to get use to a lean mixture.

[RallyBob]

Originally Posted by hrcollinsjr I like the I-J crank scraper idea but don't like the method of employment. I installed a windage tray on a small block Dodge years ago and noticed a few extra hp and some mpg gains, nothing drastic but noticeable. The neat thing about items like these are that you aren't giving up anything for efficiency. Harold

I shot them off an email yesterday, and they replied that they have three varieties of crank scraper for the Opel. I'm going with the all-metal 'dual' scraper as opposed to the teflon version (it's a street car after all).

Hey, if it reduces just 1 hp worth of parasitic drag at 65 mph, it will have a measurable effect on the mileage!

Bob

[RallyBob]

Originally Posted by West Coast GT I figure now's as good a time as any for a couple of upgrades / minor maintenance items from my punch list. They should help increase fuel mileage. I'm installing an electric radiator fan. To support it I've ordered a 65 amp alternator, smaller lighter battery (went with 405 CCA - should be enough since we don't reach freezing around here), new battery cables. Next I'll lean the idle mixture - I tend to run it a bit rich. I'll just have to get use to a lean mixture.

A lean idle mixture won't affect mileage that much, unless all you do is idle around town! You'd do better to lean the primary idle feed jet and the primary main jet a bit.

The electric fan is a good idea...worth a few hp in drag, as well as much quieter at cruising speeds! And lighter batteries are always a good thing.

[hrcollinsjr]

Originally Posted by RallyBob Hey, if it reduces just 1 hp worth of parasitic drag at 65 mpg, it will have a measurable effect on the mileage! Bob

Sign me up, Bob!

Harold

[2 Fast 4 U]

Originally Posted by RallyBob I shot them off an email yesterday, and they replied that they have three varieties of crank scraper for the Opel. I'm going with the all-metal 'dual' scraper as opposed to the teflon version (it's a street car after all). Hey, if it reduces just 1 hp worth of parasitic drag at 65 mph, it will have a measurable effect on the mileage! Bob

what's a crank scraper, and how does it work????

[RallyBob]

Originally Posted by 2 Fast 4 U what's a crank scraper, and how does it work????

This might help out a bit:

What is a crank scraper

Opel

I ordered the two-way all metal scrank scraper today from Ishihara-Johnson. One less thing to order now.

Bob

[2 Fast 4 U]

Thats a nice thing to know, and it does help the MPG in a positive way.
Is there some special technic or can it be built by your self?