On Mon, 14 Aug 2006 11:46:33 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

Stormin Mormon wrote:
Traces of kero won't hurt a gasoline engine. Half or a third kero
might not start the mower.

Years ago, they used to use kerosene and gasoline for remote location
pump houses. Start the engine on gas, and then switch over to kero.
Because kero stores longer without going stale.



And I remember that during WWII one of the DIY magazines like Pop
Science ran an article on how to adapt your car to start on gasoline and
then switch it over to kero or even #2 fuel oil which was easier to come
by during the war than rationed gasoline was.

IIRC they had you wrap a couple of feet of copper tubing loosely around
the exhaust manifold and ran the alternate fuel through it before it got
to the carb to make it easier to vaporize.

You had to switch back to gasoline for a short while before shutting
down, so the carb bowl was filled with gasoline for the next start.

Sounds very high tech, and I'm not kidding.

You prolly would have a hell of a time trying to do that with one of
today's computerized fuel injected cars, but back then when all you

You couldn't do it yourself, but they could make the computer handle
the switchover and the switch back. Would make it pretty easy.

Of course, this war isn't like WWII. No one is asking anyone to cut
back on gasoline use. High prices may discourage some, but we were
told to buy things, to spend money. This is supposed to be a painless
war on the home front. Well, home is not a front, except for those
with family members in the war.

needed to make a car engine run was "fire and gas" and you could play
with thinkgs like ignition timing just by rotating the distributor,
stuff was a lot easier to tinker with. Hell, I swear my 2004 Lincoln
throws on its "Check Engine" light if I fart with the windows closed.

Jeff