E85 testing methods?

[dlaude]

I received my ethanol tester kit today (as an engineer I'm embarrassed to have purchased a test tube with a sticker on it for $20! Well 15+5 shipping, but I digress) and I was just curious as to how you guys were getting the fuel into that little tube. I was thinking bringing a gas container, putting some in there, and using a syringe to transfer from the container to the tube. Anywho, I figured I'd ask the people who have been doing it for much longer than me to see all the better-than-my ideas out there! Thanks.

 

[bb97gt]

I keep a glass snaple bottle in my car, pump a few cents worth into there then it is easy to place in the test tube. I feel you on the price of the tester, probably should have just made one!

 

[dlaude]

Yeah that's better than my idea was, so thanks! haha. Here's another stupid question (you're welcome for making you guys feel so smart! haha) - what do you do with the now watered down ethanol? I'm not sure of the environmental laws about just dumping it...

 

[LTHL VNM]

the pump drips gas when you take it out of the gas tank and sometimes it overflows out of the tank when people aren't watching it and it doesn't click off.....discretely pout it on the ground. or take it home with you and dispose of it out of public sight.

 

[dlaude]

the pump drips gas when you take it out of the gas tank and sometimes it overflows out of the tank when people aren't watching it and it doesn't click off.....discretely pout it on the ground. or take it home with you and dispose of it out of public sight.

haha, thanks for the tips.

 

[stkjock]

I use a 1/2 pint water bottle to pump some fuel into then pour into the tube.

fill the tester at home b4 I go fill up or at the station if i know they have water available

 

[oldmodman]

Want to help out all us cheapskates?

Post a pic of the test tube lying on an easy to read ruler and we will all make our own.

I have a bunch of graduated cylinders. Maybe I'll just experiment.

 

[dlaude]

Yeah I have a water bottle in my trunk with my gatorade bottle that I fill up a little with the E75 (now, for me at least) and a little funnel, cause I have shaky hands haha. I put that stuff under the edge of the trunk carpet, so it doesn't roll around. When I'm fooling around with the stuff at the pump I feel like Walter White and Jesse Pinkman (kudos if you get the reference, but it's the main characters in Breaking Bad haha).

I'll try to snap some pics and do some measurements for you, but it kinda seems like a ratio thing. Take any graduated cylinder/test tube, fill it 15% with water, and the rest with the ethanol, and whatever % it's at is the rating of the ethanol.

 

[Turbo98]

I used to use a cheap rain gauge I got at the local hardware store. It was cheap. With the test tube method, you can get within a few percentage points. When Ethanol and water are mixed, it doesn't add up to the sum of the volume of both. So if you add 5ml of each, when mixed, it reduces to like 9ml or something.

Anyway, I now have this. Not the cheapest method but I like it:
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzZhZBo2--8"]YouTube - E85 Sensor Display[/nomedia]

 

[GodStang]

Want to help out all us cheapskates?

Post a pic of the test tube lying on an easy to read ruler and we will all make our own.

I have a bunch of graduated cylinders. Maybe I'll just experiment.

I will do that this weekend.

 

[dlaude]

Want to help out all us cheapskates?

Post a pic of the test tube lying on an easy to read ruler and we will all make our own.

I have a bunch of graduated cylinders. Maybe I'll just experiment.

Ah dang yeah I totally forgot about this, sorry.