Text: May 31, 2005 I am a powered paraglider pilot. I fly with an 80cc 2 cycle engine which requires an oil/gas mixture. After trying acetone in my Toyota Tacoma truck and seeing a 12% increase in mileage, I decided to try acetone in my flying machine as well. Before putting acetone in a system that has Tygon hoses and rubber in the diaphram, I soaked several of the parts in pure acetone. They swelled just slightly. I also put acetone in a small vial of fuel mix and let it sit undisturbed for several weeks. I saw no separation of the fuel/oil mix. Then I tried it in the engine itself. I used a mixture of 9cc acetone per gallon of fuel mix. This corresponds to 3oz/10 gal. The first thing I noticed was an immediate increase in idle rpm by 1000rpm! I had to reset the idle screw. I also noticed that the mixture screw had to be reset for max rpm. I had to close it a bit. I have now had a half dozen flights with acetone in the fuel. Further, the fuel has been allowed to sit in the plastic tank for 3 weeks with no apparent degradation. My paramotor typically uses about 1 gal of fuel per hour of flight. Last night I flew for 0.9 hr and used only 1/2 gal of fuel! I have also noticed a 1000rpm increase in max rpm while flying. This means more power! Usually after a flight, I have to wipe the oil off the prop. (The unburned exhaust goes thru the prop.) I have seen a dramatic decrease in oil on the prop, indicating better burning of the fuel. The spark plug is showing a good brown coloring, and I have seen no carbon buildup on the piston. Carbon buildup is typical of these engines. In short, I have found acetone to be beneficial in small 2 stroke engines too! Robin Rumbolt Knoxville, TN

See Also:

Source: