Alternative Fuel Systems

Operating the steam injection system

      Ideally the water flow needs to be greater at higher throttle settings. But since this is a vacuum operated system the opposite is going to happen. The flow rate will be maximum when the throttle is closed, especially when coasting but also at idle. We actually don't need any water at idle, unless we have made other drastic adjustments to the engine, either very lean running or with too much ignition advance. So we have the problem of having to compromise on flow rate. Excessive water is first indicated by rough idle. Very rough indeed. Too little water will not provide the required benefits at higher speeds.

We have developed a simple electronic device that cuts the water at idle. This allows us to increase the flow rate more suited to highway speeds without any idle problems.  It can be made from commonly available electronic components plus some parts available from any wrecking yard. Total cost under $25 in parts. See photo, it's small enough to fit inside a 35 mm film canister.

     See our products page for more info on the Electronic Water Injection Controller.

* New vapor System Info *
* The vapor system controller plans are included FREE with the mixture controller plans and the water controller plans.*
See our new vapor system page here.

     When first starting up it will take several minutes for the exhaust manifold to heat up sufficiently. In that time cold water is still entering the system so after a few minutes a large volume of water will begin to boil. This causes rough idle for a short while. This is another reason to install the electronic controller. The circuit includes a delay to prevent water entering for a few minutes at startup.

      Apart from refilling the water reservoir the steam injection system is designed to be maintenance free and fully automatic. After adjusting the flow rate initially, no other input is required from the driver. This is an important feature for any vehicle that will be driven by other members of the family. If you are going to install other devices that can potentially harm your engine, you should make sure your water injection is operating reliably first.

     The so called SuperCarb process is an interesting alternative fuel subject and is an evolution of cold and hot vapor systems. Historically the process wasn't fully understood, and systems would sometimes work incredibly well, but only for a short while. We now understand why.