Placing the Angle Fittings On the Cap

The image on the right is the inside of the cap for the wide mouth jar. Specifically, you're looking at a double vacuum set up where I used lock-washers to hold the angled fittings in place. As you'll see in the video below they're not always easy to put in place, but I found them to be more practical and frankly easier to use than the 1/4 inch nuts as indicated in the book.

UPDATE NOTE: 7:42 PM EDT Aug 10, 2008 - A new friend of mine in Fort Worth just called to tell me that the 1/4 inch lock washer slid right off the elbow! Between us we figured out that the elbow he was using was an irrigation variety purchased from Home Depot. The elbows that I'm using are automotive vacuum fittings and can be found at PepBoys, NAPA and Auto Zone. It's a pretty darned important distinction. Thanks Chris! - j

The video should give you a pretty good idea of how to put the angled fittings into the cap. I've had the question asked quite a few times concerning how this is done, and I finally got it through my head that there was a need for a video. The photo is actually something that I took a couple of weeks ago and has been lost in my computer until now.

It has lately occurred to me that what I take for granted is not necessarily obvious - so I ask in advance for you to be patient. If I've neglected to point out something important just drop me a note or give me a call and I'll see what I can do to fix it properly

NOTE: The O-Ring mentioned in the video is now available.

Very soon I'm going to be making further modifications to my car in the quest for better mileage. Someone early on told me that I should be getting 70MPG on the highway, and I just figured that he was exaggerating - that he was all hot about selling the technology and had become what I call a cheerleader (if you know what I mean), however as you know I'm now getting very close to 40 MPG on the highway - and it was only scant weeks ago that I thought that was impossible. Hey I haven't tried the PVC Enhancer; the Fuel Heater or any gas additives. I've been running with my AC on. I'm not all that careful with my starts and stops, and I sometimes wait for my wife or my kid with the motor running and the AC on at the same time! Get it? I have room to grow and new things to explore. However the AC stays on. I like to be cool:-)

My current w4g set up is as follows:

Two (Single Vacuum Line Style) Electrolyzers connected in series

• No line to the Air intake
• No Vacuum Line Check Valves - (with four feet of vacuum line going to the manifold)
  
• 1 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda in each
• Each Tower has 1/4 inch notching - (accepting longer wire for more surface area)
  
• Positive Side wire - 60 inches - quadruple twisted 316 L
• Negative side wire - 60 inches - double twisted 316L

MAP Enhancer

• Pots set at approximately 10 on a scale that runs to 60

Oxygen Sensor

• Formerly had a spacer on it which gave some benefit when no other enhancements were in place
  
• IMPORTANT: Has now been disconnected from the system. - It was found to be in conflict with the MAP Enhancer.
  

Later,

j

Same Day New Post - Gas Shenanigans

Hey I found the best gas price in town! Uh well no I didn't 'cause once I was in the station I discovered that there was a dollar surcharge because I dared to use my Debit Card to pay. But hey I figured I was already in the place and I wanted to get gas and I know already that I would never go back to a place that would play games like that. I didn't need that much gas anyway... I filled up and paid and because I'm always curious to see how much I'm putting in the tank I couldn't help but notice that the amount of gallons on the receipt was more than the amount shown on the pump. This receipt is a bit hard to read but it does show 3.434 gallons when what I actually got was 3.195 gallons. It's not much but I noticed and when I asked the attendant/owner what was going on he told me that the extra dollar was represented as fuel! Can this be legal? Anyway it's the only reason that I bothered to put this receipt up for viewing since it only partially representing a w4g result. I went about 35 miles using nothing but the Oxygen Spacer after which I installed the new stuff and disconnected the Oxygen Sensor from the system altogether. So 23.09 MPG is the result but that really tells nothing at all, so let's not focus on it... okay? I'll be back in a few days to spill the beans.

Life is Indeed Strange

As you know I've been going through every possible craziness as I move along in my quest for mileage. At this point I have a pretty clear understanding that my MAP Enhancer on the Highway setting somehow had a dead short. I also want to make this clear. I sent off a note to Mr. Minton, the man I purchased my Enhancer from and within an hour or so he called me on the phone. Again he demonstrates his integrity, and is sending a replacement. He will also pull the device I've been using apart so that he can find out what went wrong. As far as I can tell this could have happened to anyone. Nevertheless it's happened to me, and in the interests of telling everything - I feel obligated to tell this as well. To put this in perspective I recently sold 100 of the towers to one of my customers in North Carolina. I received a call from her and she told me that 34 of the towers would not go together without splitting. I immediately sent out replacements. She told me that it seemed as though some of the tower pieces were thicker than others and I wondered aloud how that could possibly be. Well as it turns out she was right! and for the very first time ever I was wrong:-) Can you believe it? - Seriously though, as it happens, when very large shipments of sheet Plexiglas come in they can be ever so slightly different in thickness, and that is exactly what happened - the towers that she received were partially made from one run of the sheets, and the rest from another. The point it is that weird things happen, and all we can do is make sure that no one suffers from those occurrences. I took care of the problem for her and Vernon is taking care of the problem for me. When we come together as people of honor there is no fault, no blame - only solutions.

Now about that receipt you're looking at above - I got 23.37 MPG without the Electrolyzer or the MAP Enhancer working! The only thing I had going for me was the Oxygen Sensor Spacer. The gain I've been getting for the last several fill-ups apparently is from that device alone. What a surprise that turns out to be - especially since, as I mentioned in an earlier post, the next move I intend to make once I install the new MAP Enhancer - is to remove the sensor from the system altogether - to allow the Enhancer to control the amount of gas being used. I still intend to do that and let the results fall where they may. We shall see. We shall see.

Now that I've Achieved Consistancy I Also Have a New Problem

As much as I'd like to deliver good news all of the time it's jut not possible...
I have another issue that came up for me this afternoon and I'm trying to figure it out, and see how it all relates. Here's the scenario: Georgina and I have driven into Manhattan to deliver some things to a friend who happens to be a shut-in recovering from an operation. It's hot and muggy. The AC is on. So anyway I get on the FDR Drive and switch the MAP Enhancer over from "City" to "Highway" at which point the AC dies as do the cooling fans behind the radiator (which I do not know until I get to where we're going and the car begins to overheat sitting at a traffic light. My wife goes in and delivers the packages and I try to figure out what's going on. I let the car cool off and add some distilled water (which I happen to have in the trunk at all times). I see that the fuse to the AC has blown and I happen to have a replacement which I put in. Then I see that the Electrolyzer does not come on when I turn the key in the ignition. I check it's fuse and it is not blown. At the moment it's looking like the AC relay may be dead, but I cannot figure out the cause. Is it all unrelated stuff, or have I done something really wrong? At the moment I simply do not know. The most recent adjustments that I've made to the system are these: I added another half teaspoon of Baking Soda to the water bring my content up to 2 teaspoons; the new Electrolyzer tower is notched every quarter inch and the windings have increased accordingly; I removed the check valve from the vacuum line going to the manifold, and I plugged the other vacuum line with a bolt so that it no longer connects to the air filter housing. That's it - the only thing electrical in all of that - is the Baking Soda. Seems like I'm grasping at straws. Is it possible that even though the original MAP Sensor has been replaced with a new one - could the new one be equally goofed but in a different way? Dunno. I'm going to copy/paste all of the above onto the w4g forum and see if anyone of the mucky-mucks can figure out what's up. Once I have an answer I will post back here.

On another subject I want to pass along something that was kindly passed to me by a friend of mine - Henry in Taiwan (hello Henry:-), I think that nearly everyone will find it very interesting. It on the subject of Oxygen Sensors... copy/paste begins Henry,
There are a few things you can do with the O2 sensors once you've put in the DEMSE. Remember, only mess with the O2 sensor(s) before the catalytic converter, not the one(s) after.

1. Leave the O2 sensors alone. This will probably not work. Usually, when faced with an 'enhanced' signal from the MAP sensor, the ECU will apparently ignore it and only look at the O2 sensor input.

2. Try one of the O2 sensor enhancers -
a) foil wrapping - I have not seen this work for many people.
b) O2 extenders/oxyisolators - I also have not seen this work for many.
c) EFIE - you can adjust the O2 sensor output. This is rather pricey, but works.

3. Disconnect the O2 sensors before the catalytic converter. This is what Ozzie does. Make sure you wrap the disconnected plugs so they don't get damaged. This is the way to go, if you're going to have a MAP sensor enhancer. The ECU will not be able to look at the O2 sensor signal, because there isn't one - it is forced to take the ECU signal. Your Check Engine light will go on, but you'll be prepared for it. Just ignore it.

Happy Mileage!
JJ Ferretti
Tech Support copy/paste ends

Now I gotta say - I have the spacer on my sensor and I cannot really tell if it's doing anything or not - but I am opting for the Number three solution. If it's good enough for Ozzie - it's good enough for me.

I just put the new MAP Enhancer in.

The wait is over and I've got the new Enhancer in place. I asked for and received the following instruction on how to set up the City side of the Enhancer: When connecting the Enhancer be sure the dials are set to "0". Once you have it installed, turn the lower switch to "Enhanced" and the upper switch to "City". Then slowly turn the "City" dial until your engine starts to sputter, then turn the dial back 1/4 turn. I expect that this will come in handy for anyone going down this path.

ADDED NEXT DAY: I also asked for and received the following information on how to set the Highway side of the Enhancer: The Highway setting is for speeds above 40 mph. Match the HWY Dial to your City setting. After reaching a speed of 40 mph, switch to your dial to HWY and lean it out until your comfortable with your setting. Be careful and do this slowly. You don't want your engine to die at that speed. Also remember, when you want to pass or go up a steep incline, switch your lower switch to Factory so you will have all the power you need. Good info for all.

As I said in the last post I waited to fill up until I got the new gadget, so here are the results - as you can see I didn't do as badly as I'd expected since this works out to 22.9 MPG - (lets call it 23 why don't we) which is nearly couple of miles-per beyond my norm. This was obtained with the Oxygen Sensor Spacer installed as well as the HHO Generator. I suppose if I'd done the battery trick I would have done even better. It just occurred to me, (as I wrote that last line) that I didn't do it when I did the install - so I promise to go out and do it in a little while so that everything starts from an even base.

Wish me luck since my luck will also be yours...

Waiting waiting waiting

Today I waited all day long to receive my replacement MAP Enhancer. The Post Office taunts me with their insane tracking method which lets me know that it has arrived in the local station. Yet, I still do not have it! (See me thrumming my fingers on the desk.) Tomorrow is the day. (One can only hope.) Once I have it installed I'll put gas in my half full tank and report the results of having the Electrolyzer and the Oxygen Sensor Spacer in place. My hopes are not high. I did not bother to reset the computer with the disconnect the battery trick. Figured to do that when I put in the new Enhancer. On the other hand, one of my clients gave me new trick (you know who you are but I've forgotten - please write in as a comment to identify yourself - and I'll inform the readers of your ability to provide awesome information). Instead of pulling the the negative cable and leaving it off for 20 to 30 minutes - pull both cables off and touch them together. Reportedly it will do the same reset without the wait. Now, that's great... Thanks to that guy from all of us...

About That Oxygen Sensor Spacer

Yesterday I made a valiant effort to install the thing and only managed to scrape my knuckles badly enough that they still hurt. It turns out that (at least for my car) you need a special wrench to pull the sensor out. My friend (and mechanic), Louie lent me the tool but the results were as stated above. Today I went back over to his shop and asked him to do the task for me - which he did in quick order and refused to accept payment. It took him all of 10 minutes. Experience and having the correct tool - counts.

So as you know I'd already put in the MAP Enhancer. So as a consequence of my failed attempt at installation - I'd already driven 29.4 miles - when the spacer was actually installed. So - I did drive around a bit with that piece of the puzzle missing, but also felt that I was getting a true gain that would show up with the spacer in or not. What happened next was unexpected but it was something that I noticed immediately upon driving out of Louie's shop: my MAP Enhancer needed to be readjusted to a leaner mixture. There was no doubt that something different was going on. It was unmistakable.

My next posting will contain my newest mileage stats, and for the first time they will reflect some highway driving. We intend to take the kayaks out for a spin tomorrow and will need to get to some interesting location - right? At least something more pristine than the East River.

Worst Mileage Ever

That's right this works out to 17.7 MPG. I got 4 miles less per gallon than my car gets all on its own! The reasons are clear and they all come back to me: As I posted earlier I could see that the car was not doing as well as it should - but did I disconnect the negative terminal from the battery for half an hour to let the computer reset again? Nope - I didn't want to deal with having to reset the radio stations and the clock. OMG did that lazy attitude come back to bite me in the behind - especially when I just paid more per gallon than ever. Also, I was waiting for the overwhelming heat to go away so that I could install the MAP Sensor Enhancer, so I didn't go in to fill the tank until that was done - meaning that I paid more and and at the same time had to buy more. Sure I knew the cost of gas was going up - because these days it's always going up. All in all - painful.

On the other hand, I did get the Enhancer installed yesterday. Just to be on the safe side of getting things in order, while I did the installation I did disconnect the battery. There was some mention in the instructions that I got of disconnecting the upstream Oxygen sensor - but I couldn't figure out how to do that other than pulling the electrical line off - which amounts to the same thing. Reason: I want to put the spacer on and I'm waiting until I talk to my mechanic to see if he can tell me how to do that without wrecking it. (I'll report later on that.)

What I did do was get the MAP Enhancer online and working! As you might surmise - I am fairly well proud of myself. Choosing the correct wire seemed a real problem but once I got it - I got it. I can tell that it's doing what it's supposed to do by a very simple test. First I followed the directions for tuning it and found that spot for my car that works best. Then, while the car was sitting at an idle I flicked the setting from Enhanced to Factory. There is a very noticeable difference in the engine. It is unmistakable. I did it right. I expect that that difference will show up the next time I fill up ( and I won't be waiting so long until I do that - because I'm dying to see the results). It's all I can do to keep myself from just going out and driving around, but I'm really not all that willing to demonstrate how stupid I can be:-)

Another thing that I did while I was installing the Enhancer is that I took another look at the "T" connection for the vacuum lines connected to the Electrolyzer - I noticed that one of them appeared to be loose. It was - which certainly may be responsible for the terrible mileage. I just don't know. Still, I took a close look and realized that the Universal T is designed in a way that each end narrows further and further so that it can accept all sizes of lines. What this means is that for my car I had lines that didn't need to be as small at the ends as these were - so I cut them off with wire cutter and reamed them clean with an Exact-o blade. What this should mean is that I will get more vacuum pulling the HHO into the manifold.

I'm realizing more and more that each little thing is important. As always I'm learning at each step and with any luck you will be able to avoid the pitfalls through my missteps.

I'm getting to it...

The fact is that even though I have the equipment I don't have a place in the shade to work in and sad but true the heat is too much to deal with. Out in it for ten minutes and literally felt nauseous! Generally I love the heat, but this is beyond anything. They say that it'll cool down later tonight, so tomorrow looks like the install day. Looked in the package and realized that I'd only ordered 1 Oxygen Sensor Spacer even though I knew I needed 2! Rats. I have the other one on order. I will install the one I have along with putting in the MAP Enhancer. Once I have those on the car I'll go put gas in it and I can tell that I've been wasting gas on this run. Hopefully my mistakes and falters will help the rest of you to avoid those things... Maybe not. Anyway, I'll report again as soon as I get things in order.