Emergency Gasoline Substitutes: The Test Results
This head-to-head test of 1 emergency gasoline substitutes options has the measured results for each. See how they ranked and watch the full test video.
charcoal lighter fluid
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Products are listed in the order they finished.
All measurements (8 more)+
Safety data sheet
- 1charcoal lighter fluid
supplier trade secret ingredients, no CAS number provided, flash point of 102 degrees F
Small engine carbon buildup test (ran about 1 hour, see-through cylinder head engine)
- 1charcoal lighter fluid
heavy carbon build-up on the spark plug and cylinder head, especially around the exhaust valve and a lot on the intake valve, described as definitely more build-up than some other alternative fuels previously tested on this channel, from just one tankful
Compression test before and after (per chapter markers)
- 1charcoal lighter fluid110 PSI
/ 7.58 Bar, no change after the test run
Exhaust characteristics (per chapter markers)
- 1charcoal lighter fluid
no visible exhaust smoke, exhaust smelled like charcoal lighter fluid, decent throttle response with some smoke
See-through rotary engine flame color test (premixed with 2-stroke oil, engine borrowed from the Warped Perception YouTube channel)
- 1charcoal lighter fluidaround2,500 RPM
lots of orange flame at medium RPM, mostly blue flame at low RPM, compared against a recent gasoline test on the same engine per the chapter markers
Predator 212 engine test, governor removed, Tillotson mechanically injected carburetor
- 1charcoal lighter fluid
no pinging noted, top speed of 29 MPH per the chapter markers; had to richen a too-lean mixture during setup
Fuel-injected generator cold start test (ambient about 80 degrees F)
- 1charcoal lighter fluid
started successfully from a cold start and ran very well on charcoal lighter fluid
Fuel-injected generator load test
- 1charcoal lighter fluid
applying around a 4,000 watt load, there was a lot of pinging/knocking; pinging went away when the load was reduced
How it was tested
- carbon build-up after roughly 1 hour of running in a see-through cylinder head engine
- compression test before and after
- flame color under load in a see-through rotary engine
- top speed and pinging/knocking on a Predator 212 engine with governor removed
- cold start capability in a fuel-injected generator
- knocking/pinging under an applied electrical load in a fuel-injected generator
“Now, under significant load, there was a lot of knocking sound, so obviously that'll cause damage over time, which is a good reason to avoid using charcoal lighter fluid in an engine unless it's an emergency”
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