Alcohol fuel system

Can standard aluminim AN fittings and steel braded rubber lines be used in a alcohol fuel system, or should some other type of lines and fittings be used?
Any special procedure to maintain the fuel system between races. Have heard about oxidation and corrosion giving some racers trouble.
I am new to alcohol racing.

 

All the major brands of braided hose and fittings can be used, it is not a good idea, however, to mix them. Make sure the hoses are rinsed out thoroughly after installing the hose ends. The tank and lines should be drained after every weekend to keep the alcohol from sitting against the aluminum. It will eventually eat away at the anodizing, causing a powdery substance to accumulate, and eventually, the fitting will fail due to corrosion.

 

can't WD-40 have the undesired effect of corroding the rubber inside the lines?

 

Mike give them the low down on wd-40.....hows thing been going? also the Davenport program been working great..thanks for the short cut..Dave

 

On the Top Fuel car and on our 1956 Modified/Outlaw I quit using the WD-40 as it turns gummy/sticky after a while.

I now use: http://www.gunk.com/item_details.asp

I have also heard good things about: http://www.marvelmysteryoil.com/main.taf?p=1

Perhaps I should get some and give it a try.

EDB

 

Personal opinion here: Oh Yes you can!!!!
It's got next to no lubricating qualities! It does gum up!
I use it for all my mandrel tube bending because it's wet and cheap! You ought to see the struggle I have getting the stuff off the machine.
Try to find "Silkolene", LPS 1, or Marvel. Be careful with too much Marvel though as if it gets back in the tank via return lines, you may have "fuel check" problems after a run.
Drain tank every night to a capped container as methanol is very "hydrous". Putting tape on the vent is too risky (if you're old and forgetful like me).

 

Gotta go with Bob on this one. WD bad. I find it only useful for machining aluminum and as a wipe down cleaner for the hat and polished stuff.

Here is a worse case scenario that applies.
I use methanol in the fuel flow bench. I got on a kick about trying different fluids a couple of years ago. One of them was WD. It was too slimey (and pricey) to work with in a 30 gallon capacity but the real problem came a day later. The turbines in the flow sensors locked up. It took three more days of continuous 8 hours running solvent through them to bring them back to life. I'm back to methanol.

For lube I like the Marvel if fuel check is not an issue. Some of the silicone sprays don't seem too bad either but haven't come to a real conclusion on that yet.

Dave Koehler

 

I have also always used WD40. But I did have a fuel check problem once because of it getting into the fuel in the drain pan as we drained the system. What can I use instead of WD40 when I have to pass fuel check?
Dave Germain

 

In one of the post a fellow said it was good cutting fluid for aluminumtry using tranny fluid...it'works great

 

Kinsler Fuel Injection did extensive work on corrosion in fuel systems. VP's M2 lube was the very best by far at stopping corrosion in alcohol systems. When fuel check is not a problem, we would leave the alcohol in the tank until next race, knowing we would burn it up on the engine warm up and had no problems at all. In NHRA, we've run straight alky and had to "blow" the entire system dry like others to stop corrosion. If you put the VP M2 in a spray bottle, you can treat barrel valves, pumps, poppets, etc. after a race and stop corrosion, then just let it rinse through when you warm up the car at the next event. There's not enough of it to effect fuel check and everybody's happy.

 

What do you guys think of just using a bit of upper cylinder lube instead of M2 chased with a shot of air?

EDB

 

In days past (on short term layup), we would run the engine on gas long enough to get the alky out of the system.

 

At the end of a weekend, I like to start the motor on alcohol, throw the fuel shut off and hand feed the motor with a squirt bottle on gas for a short time to get some gas in the cylinders. I don't pull the heads every week and don't like the alcohol sitting in the cylinders..

 

marvel mystery oil

My dad has been using Marvel oil forever on our fuel system. It lubes the pump, and keeps the alky from corroding the system. WD40 has been known to cause some gumming as stated before, and the Marvel will not. Hey, if my dad has used it for ALL his racing career of almost 50!! years, who am I to argue?