Methanol in a nitro engine?

[banchee]

Hey guys, I've been thinking about an alternative to the nitro r/c fuel. The twenty five bucks a gallon is really puttin a hurtin on my wallet. I have an old traxxas .15 Pro motor, and I decided to use that as a test mule. I broke it down, cleaned her up, and threw it back together. I can't get it to start though. I used to fly airplanes too, and I have one old airplane motor left, which I have already disassembled once, put it back together, and it ran good as new. That traxxas engine is probly 7 years old, and I am confident in my motor building and tuning skills, I've been in the hobby for quite a few years. Anywho, I think I'll fire up that airplane engine on nitro, and try to slowly add gasoline. The engine has no use anymore, so if it all goes to hell, no big deal. I've got a Savage X, and I have the K4.6 and the F4.6, both great engines, and I have no desire to mess with those. I rebuilt the F4.6 and keep it for a spare.
I have seen diesel conversions for some r/c engines, but to run the diesel a higher compression head has to be made, and a different type of glow plug. The only diesel conversions I have seen have been for airplane engines though, and I don't have the equipment to make a new head. So I started to look for a way to make my own fuel, which I've heard of people doing. I found a little info on running just a mix of methanol and oil. I've heard of just 2-3.00 bucks a gallon for methanol, which definetely beats 25. I know that without the nitromethane, performance will take a hit, but how much, I don't exactly know.

If any of you that take the time to read this bunch of rambling and crap have any opinion or insight on this, let me know. And if I have any luck with anything, I'll post my results on here somewhere.

[gassrx.com]

see what the mix of nitro is in the methonol i think its only 20% go get some alchol at the race shop and by the nitro straight and mix it alky here is 2.30 a gallon. nitro is high but it dont take alot. i think it was 25 agalon straight

[banchee]

Yeah, the % nitro I run is 20. I've been buying Traxxas Top Fuel. The nitro is the expensive part. Do you think the alcohol would be better than methanol? If so, do you have any reason? I'm open to suggestion, and any insight is welcome. Where to buy? (besides local race track)

[gassrx.com]

it might be drier put a serch in google for you area.

[banchee]

Well, I got 5 gallons of methanol from a local gas supplier. I mixed it up with some 2 stroke oil. I chose this instead of common castor oils because I know what I bought worked. I ride a Banshee too, and I use Quicksilver two stroke oil. Well, that was a bad idea. The oil won't mix with the methanol entirely. It just seems to seperate. The oil will settle to the bottom of the jug after I shake the crap out of it, and even while I'm shaking it, the oil never really mixes. The oil will seperate into small balls in the methanol. Despite this, I tried running my Savage with the K4.6 in it on the somewhat mixed methanol. By the way, the mix I was goin for was 20% oil. The engine ran, but like crap. Wouldn't idle hardly, could barely get it over something like 5-6000 rpm, just above idle. So the success was limited. Anybody out there got any ideas?

[Paulie B]

http://members.aol.com/FHSoil/FHSbrochure.html

The 62RM oil is what I use in my alcohol motor. It does not separate.

[mgty3whlr]

Well...first of all, your r/c/ car and airplanes run on a mix of methanol and between 5-25% nitromethane. if you are trying to cut corners to make the hobby cost efficient you are gonna have to just give the hobby up!
These motors are designed to run on a small amount of nitro to make the power needed to propel the car or airplane.
Unfortunately, there are no corners to cut to save you money!
If the fuel is to expensive for you, then I think that you need to find another hobby that is cheaper for you.
Why don't you try an electric r/c car? A whole lot cheaper to run!

[banchee]

All right. I tried some castor oil from Wal-Mart. Its the pharmaceutical kind, but its still castor oil. I mixed some of that up with the methanol in about a 10 % mix. Big difference. It actually ran well, with little loss of power from the lack of nitromethane, which is to be expected. Its all trial and error from here on out to get the ideal oil mixture and my needle valves set for that ideal mixture. The small loss of power, and I do mean small, is worth having only to pay around three bucks total per gallon of fuel. Thats methanol and oil included. Paulie B, where do you find that 62RM oil? What exactly is it? Who makes it?ect.....
Thanks for the responses fellas.

[Paulie B]

Originally Posted by banchee

All right. I tried some castor oil from Wal-Mart. Its the pharmaceutical kind, but its still castor oil. I mixed some of that up with the methanol in about a 10 % mix. Big difference. It actually ran well, with little loss of power from the lack of nitromethane, which is to be expected. Its all trial and error from here on out to get the ideal oil mixture and my needle valves set for that ideal mixture. The small loss of power, and I do mean small, is worth having only to pay around three bucks total per gallon of fuel. Thats methanol and oil included. Paulie B, where do you find that 62RM oil? What exactly is it? Who makes it?ect.....
Thanks for the responses fellas.

Info and prices are found on the link givin. It's made by FHS and it's a synthetic oil.

[mgty3whlr]

Originally Posted by banchee

All right. I tried some castor oil from Wal-Mart. Its the pharmaceutical kind, but its still castor oil. I mixed some of that up with the methanol in about a 10 % mix. Big difference. It actually ran well, with little loss of power from the lack of nitromethane, which is to be expected. Its all trial and error from here on out to get the ideal oil mixture and my needle valves set for that ideal mixture. The small loss of power, and I do mean small, is worth having only to pay around three bucks total per gallon of fuel. Thats methanol and oil included. Paulie B, where do you find that 62RM oil? What exactly is it? Who makes it?ect.....
Thanks for the responses fellas.

You are killing me!! If you are trying to save a dime, why don't you hit the kitchen cabinet and use some vegetable oil and the use some rubbing alcohol from the bathroom closet?