Okay general theory is you can;t use aluminum components in the fuel system if you're running Methanol. The I look around at cars that run methanol and see aluminum fuel cells, low end Holley dead head aluminum regulators and aluminum fuel lines. What has been your experience with aluminum vs Alcohol?

I run top lube and do not worry about it. But I do think it is a good idea to change out all of the hoses and fittings once in a while.

I have noticed the same thing. Seems nearly every dragster has an aluminium fuel cell.

While the fuel is flowing it is a non issue.
It does tend to wash away weak anodizing over time but I have seen the same thing with high end race gasoline. Why? Dunno. A lot of weird chemicals I suppose.

If the fuel is left to sit for a time in the heat water happens and then the two create mystery sand and corrosion.

It is a good move to drain the fuel after the weekend and blow the lines out followed up by some marvel mystery oil squirted in.

During the winter inspect the fittings and replace when you see the edges starting to erode.

Top lube where allowed helps.

It can get a bit spendy but if weight is not an issue you can get stainless hose ends and stainless fittings. Offshore boats I believe are required to do so.

I have an aluminum fuel cell in my dragaster.what I do is at the end of every race weekend I drain the tank,spray it with wd40 then fill just the lower portion of the tank with marvel mystery oil....then as dave said I use compressed air and blow wd40 through the nozzles and hat...I also try and turn the fuel pump over and fill it with wd40.

also clean the fuel filter before every race weekend...takes 5 minutes

mystery sand as Dave phrased it will appear in rubber lines also,so not just aluminum. Simple solution is little maintenance on car. I will never understand why some folks think working on race car is a bad thing. Hell its money saving therapy for me.
If car is going to sit for cpl weeks or more clean fuel system out and lube everything.Heck if nothing else it will give you a chance to check fittings and hoses and give you good peace of mind.

Something that some folks overlook is the car sitting in the trailer.
That is an EZ bake oven.
Humidity occurs.
Alcohol attracts.
Mystery sand happens.

I’ve been running Alcohol for 20 years and heard all the stories from the car sitting weeks or months at a time. I’ve never drained my tank, lines, or carb in 20 years and never had an issue with anything from tank, pump, lines. Yes I’ve seen the sand in carbs and all I’ve seen has been from guys who use the powdered lube. I use 1/2 bottle of power plus lube to 55 gallons and only see a white film on the inside of the bowls and blocks. I do maintenance on things I know will or can give an issue but until I have an issue with the alcohol I see no need in the extra money or time to drain, clean, oil the system every week. Never seen an issue in my dragster with aluminum tank when I had it. When I started running alcohol I had a filter issue with it stopping up. I removed the filter and still to this day don’t run one. 99% if anything your filter catches will shoot straight through a 150 N&S so why run it. I may have an issue next week but until I do I’ll keep doing what I’ve been doing for years

I've seen 'mystery sand' and such when a carb has been drained and allowed to sit, but I've never had an issue when things stay full.

My dragster cell has had alcohol in it since it was built in 2006.

Well i've ran an aluminum tank forever on my doorcar. Never had an issue. I never drain the system, and the car sits all winter with alky in it. Every couple of years go thru the carb and keep going. Depending on what company you sue for fittings and hose you will have to change them out, may be 3 years and may be 10 years. Much like Hodge I use to never run a filter. Would usually have to change a needle/seat out once a year. Started running a filter to just keep from that. I used a whole bottle of power plus lube per drum. Only thing I do after the car sits all winter is blow the bleeds out and pump the alky back out of the take just to shake it up good and put it back in. I have noticed the top lube will separate when it sits all winter.

quote:

Originally posted by C Hodge:
I’ve been running Alcohol for 20 years and heard all the stories from the car sitting weeks or months at a time. I’ve never drained my tank, lines, or carb in 20 years and never had an issue with anything from tank, pump, lines. Yes I’ve seen the sand in carbs and all I’ve seen has been from guys who use the powdered lube. I use 1/2 bottle of power plus lube to 55 gallons and only see a white film on the inside of the bowls and blocks. I do maintenance on things I know will or can give an issue but until I have an issue with the alcohol I see no need in the extra money or time to drain, clean, oil the system every week. Never seen an issue in my dragster with aluminum tank when I had it. I may have an issue next week but until I do I’ll keep doing what I’ve been doing for years

X2

Three cars on alcohol here. One aluminum and two plastic cells. I do nothing to them besides draining the carbs over the winter and filling them with WD-40.

Even with gas carbs you need to do regular maintenance on them.

I've seen quite a few aluminum fuel cells need repairs from splitting at the welds. Had to have my 24 year old cell repaired last year when a seam cracked and started leaking.

Aluminum tank in my dragster, mine rotted out in 8 years. Basically there's very little left once the corrosion starts it looks like the aluminum is sandblasted and will eventually crack or break and or eat through the aluminum. I never drain tank on purpose, always left full, always run M2 additive, have tried power plus with similar residue and white stuff in various places.

My system is mechanical injection so i have fittings everywhere. If there's a scratch on a fitting during assembly with time, methanol will attack the bare aluminum and eat away at the fitting. This is the white stuff that accumulates around the system.

Many moons ago i ran a non-anodized aluminum tank on a alcohol carbureted car with a deadhead holley regulator and electric pumps. I swapped to return style regulator and immediately plugged up the fuel filter due to all the white stuff floating around in the fuel tank.

Current fuel tank is anodized and i try to inspect the fittings in the system when i have the opportunity to rebuild a line or two and i replace them when i see signs of corrosion. The question is not if methanol will corrode aluminum its how long will the bare aluminum last in the service because chemistry says it will corrode. I live in south louisiana with lots of humidity and hot summers so not sure if it makes things worse or not but it happens to every system i've ever run.

Just curious.
For those in the "I never" camp have you ever tested your methanol over time with a hydrometer?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dave Koehler,

I use Power Plus, my kid likes Uplon - both seem to work okay. I think you have to experiment a bit to find the amount of lube oil that works given weather, storage etc.

I will say that twice I have seen major gel issues with methanol and Royal Purple. Don't know why but vacuum pump, oil catch tank and valve covers were loaded with the stuff each time. It was however a pretty purple color.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Koehler:
Just curious.
For those in the "I never" camp have you ever tested your methanol over time with a hydrometer?

Nope. I run injection and before winter or if car is out of commission for a while I fog WD40 into the motor while cranking and spray it in the pump & barrel valve and I do drain the tank and I pour my jugs back into the sealed drum. I also always make sure my jugs are sealed well including the little vent caps, but that just seems like common sense to me and I would do that if I ran gas as well, but I don’t do that between races during the season.

Never tested it. End of season I pull in garage and let it idle until the tank is empty. Alcohol in the bowls will be gone first warm up. If the car was off week to week maybe a reason to check but haven’t ran into that

What about just draining the tank, filling it with gas and running it for a few seconds to get it throughout the system?