Many commercial vehicles have converted to CNG (compressed natural gas)and LPG (propane). CNG is similar to propane except that there are not very many places to refuel at. There are many benefits to running either of these fuels instead of regular gasoline. The cost per mileage of propane is cheaper overall than gasoline. Unfortunately the overall range will probably be lessened due to the slightly lower BTU’s or energy within the fuel. Luckily refilling propane is not a big deal and there are refueling stations all over. Also if this conversion is done on a currently carbureted vehicle, the conversion could actually increase the mileage. Regular gasoline needs to be atomized or turned into a fine mist to burn cleanly. Regular carburetors don’t do a very good job of atomizing gasoline. The propane is already in a gaseous form after it un compresses. Propane will mix and burn evenly and very efficiently in the engine. This is why emissions of HC, CO and NOX are drastically reduced.
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A tune up is a simple task that almost anyone can do. This will make your vehicle more fuel efficient. This applies for any motorized vehicle. The filters are a good place to start. Depending how often you do a tune up will affect how much of an improvement that you will see. Most mechanics suggest a tune up by 60,000 miles. The engine air filter can be your first tune up item. The air filter is located over a carburetor on older cars. The air filter is in the airbox on fuel injected motors. The fuel filter can be located anywhere between your engine and the fuel tank and should also be replaced. If the fuel filter is clogged it can make your engine run lean. Many times if your check engine light has been on it is due to the o2 sensor not working correctly. This is normally only replaced when it fails but usually will not last long anyways. Now is also a good time to have your transmission filter replaced. If the transmission filter has alot of miles on it the transmission could be slipping.
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Motorcycle engines are the leading engine technology field in a production vehicle. Obviously F1 would be the ultimate leading edge, but you can’t buy that technology off a showroom floor with a warranty either. Today’s 600 cc motorcycles are producing over 100 horsepower. They can also cover a quarter mile in less than 10 seconds, stock! This was something reserved for only 900 cc + bikes from just a few years ago! So then you have to ask how these engines are making so much power?
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A two stroke engine is not difficult to tune. As with four stroke engine you should first check your carburetors. First let the vehicle warm up and while sitting at idle slowly twist the throttle increasing the rpm’s. Come back to idle and repeat the process a little faster each time. If you are having problems with your carbs it should eventually act up. Sometimes you have to operate it and try the accelerating to put some load on the vehicle. Eventually it should become unresponsive with a slow flat “buuuwwwaaa” sound and then take off. This would be a caused by a lean condition and needs more fuel. If the vehicle stumbles, burbles and stutters when you gas the throttle it is rich and needs less fuel. Always be careful when tuning a two stroke engine to make sure it doesn’t operate in a lean condition or damage can occur to the under lubricated engine. Although this is not the best method for checking carbs, it may help you out. You can check the spark plugs by instantly stopping the motor during the experienced poor running. Remove the spark plugs. First check to see that the plugs look the same on the electrode. If one plug is completely different than the other, check for air leaks or one carburetor not working correctly.
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Many people agree with the phrase “there’s no replacement for displacement”. While technology can also accomplish this, having a larger displacement engine can produce a large gain. You may have heard of people saying, I went 60 or 30 over, on my engine’s bore. This is a machining process that is done to enlarge the engines bore to straighten worn out cylinders. While this is fun to say to your buddies it gives very little performance gain. The bore is usually kept as small as possible by your engine builder. Some engines have enough bore to hone out and could gain some power but most don’t. This is why more people are looking at stroking their engine. I would have to say that stroking engines first became popular with drag racers. This whole sport is centered on how much horsepower you can make. Many people were building big block engines then stroking them to make huge displacement engines. Companies then started realizing there was a demand and built several length crankshafts. Probably the most influential engine of all time, the chevy 350 smallblock, is a also a popular stroked engine.
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The buick skylark is an often misinterpreted car. When you have an image of musclecars the chevelle is more likely to be remembered. Many don’t realize that the buick skylark gran sport was a machine built to perform. Even back in 1965 it had a 401 “nailhead” engine that produced 325 horsepower and 445 ft/lbs of torque, a car built to go fast with class. In 1967 the skylark gs came out with a new engine and slightly different looking car called the gs 400. The new 400 ci engine produced 340 horsepower and 440 ft/lbs of torque. It also stepped up the acceleration by using a 3 speed turbo 350 transmission. It also came with a smaller 340 engine option that made 260 horsepower and 365 ft/lbs of torque which was respectable for a smaller engine.
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