Grooving Heads To Save Fuel Catching On Fast

Grooving Heads To Save Fuel Catching On Fast ENERGY Fuel-Saving Devices As gasoline hovers near $4 a gallon everyone paying at the pump is looking for ways to economize In the past few years FARM SHOW readers have written us describing how a simple process of grooving heads can cut fuel use by 20 to 40 percent FARM SHOW reader Frank Akins of Leavenworth Kan wrote that a friend of his had grooved cylinder heads on his Dodge 360 cu in race car engine Vol 32 No 1 He experienced greater mid-range torque and better fuel efficiency John Schrock a repairman from Jamestown Penn and his uncle Robert grooved pistons on an Imperial Diesel and saw 25 to 30 percent fuel savings Robert also ground a 3/32-in deep by 1/16-in wide groove in heads on a small diesel engine and says I figure I gained 50 percent more power
    Fred Balk a retired millwright in Michigan contacted us recently and said he has used the grooving process on three Cub Cadet KT17 engines I put the heads in a Bridgeport milling machine at a 2 degree angle I use a 1/16-in ball nose end mill and put a shallow groove at the squish area and deeper toward the center
    Balk says the first heads that he grooved were on a Cub Cadet 782 that was very difficult to start especially in cold weather After I did the grooving we couldn t believe how well it started It turns over once and pops to life Balk has since done two more KT17 engines with the same results and will be grooving an Onan engine this summer
     This process has been around quite a few years Balk says In fact there s a patented process claimed by an Indian engineer Somender-Singh www somender-singh com I ve heard of people in the drag racing and high performance car business that have done it with good success Balk adds
    Somender-Singh claims that additional nitrogen being squeezed through the grooves disperses the combustible oxygen molecules more efficiently into the fuel That efficiency leads to increased torque increased low-end power and overall fuel savings with lower emissions Engines burn cleaner at lower operating temperatures and the capacity for a more efficient engine without the dreaded Mr Knock or Miss Ping
    Somender-Singh writes that this simple but radical design change to squish areas and configurations enhances progressive turbulence in the charge close to the skin of the combustion chamber and further directs the added turbulence toward the igniter followed by multiple flame front propagation
    That s a complex technical explanation for a laymen s benefit that shows more power and fuel savings of up to 42 5 percent Balk agrees with that assessment and says if more people are interested in having it done I ll have to change it from a hobby into a part time business
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Fred Balk 3119 North Custer Rd Monroe Mich 48162 ph 734 243-6364; fredbalk@chartermi net

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