Fuel efficiency test method

[JeremiahBT]

I haven't completed my hho system yet, but I thought of a possible way to test if an hho system is contributing to better economy. The vehicle must be equipped with a tachometer.

1. With engine warmed up to normal operating temp, mark engine rpms at idle.

2. Turn on hho system with oxyhydrogen gas line disconnected from the engine intake. Rpms should drop.

3. Reconnect gas line. Rpms should increase to greater than those in step one.

Step two can theoretically be omitted, but I recommend it out of an ignorance of ICEs. If the engine simply draws more fuel in response to an increased load on the alternator, thus keeping the idle rpms constant, then the experiment has no relevance. Step two will determine if this is the case.

Has anyone tried this?

[H2OPWR]

I haven't completed my hho system yet, but I thought of a possible way to test if an hho system is contributing to better economy. The vehicle must be equipped with a tachometer.

1. With engine warmed up to normal operating temp, mark engine rpms at idle.

2. Turn on hho system with oxyhydrogen gas line disconnected from the engine intake. Rpms should drop.

3. Reconnect gas line. Rpms should increase to greater than those in step one.

Step two can theoretically be omitted, but I recommend it out of an ignorance of ICEs. If the engine simply draws more fuel in response to an increased load on the alternator, thus keeping the idle rpms constant, then the experiment has no relevance. Step two will determine if this is the case.

Has anyone tried this?

I have very much experience with this. On a newer vehicle with a modern ECU this type of test will not work. Just because the idle increases does not in any way mean that the HHO is helping you burn less fuel. In fact the opposite is usually true.

When you add HHO (assuming you are adding enough) the O2's sense a lean burn condition. The ECU will then add more fuel to compinsate and bring the engine back to normal. Then the ECU will decide based on a stored table that it needs more air to compinsate for the extra fuel. Since most newer cars are drive by wire it will then open the throttle and let more air in. The affect will be a higher idle than you want and more fuel being used at idle. I had to lower the amount of HHO from 5 LPM to 2 LPM just to get my truck idling normally again.

The only way you will get an accurate measurement at idle will be to add something like a scanguage and monitor GPH usage at idle. But patience is a must. You must allow the ECU time to accept the HHO. It has the ability to relearn up to a certain preprogrammed tolerence to accept a slightly leaner burn assuming all other sensors tell the ECU that the vehicle is ok and in no danger.

The ONLY real way to know if you are making any gains is the old tried and true method of filling up and deviding the miles driven by the fuel used. Even that can be misleading because most people will change their driving habits as soon as they install a device and get gains there and attribute it to the HHO device.

If you want real answers do not trick yourself. Hold off on installing a device and drive several tanks as careful as you can. DRIVE FOR ECONOMY. This will establish a baseline. Then install the device and do the same for several tanks. Only then you know the real results.

I installed a scanguage and was as careful as I could be for 5000 miles before I installed my device in my truck. This technology is too important to feed faulty data to everyone. There are enough people doing that now.

Larry

[DodgeViper]

How about driving the same stretch of highway, filling the tank from the same station along that highway, using a GPS to record the mileage and the cruise control to maintain the speed. You want to make sure that your tire pressure is the same on all days of testing. You will develop a good baseline of your mileage gains or losses.

You CAN NOT use the onboard computer for the mileage. I think you would have to toss out any in town driving due to traffic, red lights, speed, etc. Also you want to do all testing on a day where wind is not a problem.

[cmac0351]

I was wondering, if you ran your generator, but didn't send the hho into the engine, just vented it somewhere else, your mpg's would go down because of the extra work the alternator has to do right?

Because of the ECU thing, would mpg's go down even more when the hho hose is hooked up and the ecu starts richening the mix?