Starting fluid

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Starting fluid is a volatile, flammable liquid which is used to aid the starting of internal combustion engines, especially during cold weather or in engines that are difficult to start using conventional starting procedures. It is typically available in an aerosol spray can, and may sometimes be used for starting direct injected diesel engines or lean burn spark engines running on alcohol fuel. Some modern starting fluid products contain mostly volatile hydrocarbons such as heptane (the main component of natural gasoline), with a small portion of diethyl ether, and carbon dioxide (as a propellant). [1] [2] Some formulations contain butane or propane as both propellant and starting fuel. Historically, diethyl ether, with a small amount of oil, a trace amount of a stabilizer and a hydrocarbon propellant has been used to help start internal combustion engines because of its low 160 °C (320 °F) autoignition temperature. [3]

Contents

Diethyl ether is distinct from petroleum ether (a crude oil distillate consisting mostly of pentane and other alkanes) which has also been used for starting engines.[ citation needed ]

Usage

Four stroke engines

Starting fluid is sprayed into the engine intake near the air filter, or into the carburetor bore or a spark plug hole of an engine to get added fuel to the combustion cylinder quickly. Using starting fluid to get the engine running faster avoids wear to starters and fatigue to one's arm with pull start engines, especially on rarely used machines. Other uses include cold weather starting, vehicles that run out of fuel and thus require extra time to restore fuel pressure, and sometimes with flooded engines. Mechanics sometimes use it to diagnose starting problems by determining whether the spark and ignition system of the vehicle is functioning; if the spark is adequate but the fuel delivery system is not, the engine will run until the starting fluid vapors are consumed. It is used more often with carbureted engines than with fuel injection systems. Caution is required when using starting fluid with diesel engines that have preheat systems in the intake or glow-plugs installed, as the starting fluid may pre-ignite, leading to engine damage. [4] [5]

Two stroke engines

Starting fluid is not recommended for regular use with some two-stroke engines because it does not possess lubricating qualities by itself. Lubrication for two-stroke engines is achieved using oil that is either mixed into the fuel by the user or injected automatically into the fuel supply; engines requiring premixed fuel that are run solely on starting fluid do not receive an adequate supply of lubrication to their crankcase and cylinder(s). Engines that haven't been run recently are especially vulnerable to damage from oil starvation; starting fluid, a strong solvent, tends to strip residual oil off of cranks and cylinder walls, further reducing lubrication during the period of fuel starvation. WD-40 was previously recommended for use on two stroke engines because it has lubricating qualities, [6] but the formulation with non-flammable CO2 as propellant instead of propane no longer has the same combustible nature, making it useless as starting fluid on any type of engine.

Abuse

Diethyl ether has a long history as a medical anesthetic; when starting fluid was mostly ether, a similar effect could be obtained using it. Use at the present time directly as an inhalant includes the effect of the petroleum solvents, which are more toxic as inhalants than diethyl ether. [7] [8]

Sometimes referred to as "passing the shirt," the starting fluid is sprayed on a piece of cloth and held up to one's face for inhalation. This trend has gradually picked up since the turn of the century, as phrases such as "etherized" and "ethervision" have gained popularity. The effects of inhalation vary, but have been known to include lightheadedness, loss of coordination, paranoia, and sometimes hallucinations.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inhalant</span> Chemical, often household, breathed in to cause intoxication

Inhalants are a broad range of household and industrial chemicals whose volatile vapors or pressurized gases can be concentrated and breathed in via the nose or mouth to produce intoxication, in a manner not intended by the manufacturer. They are inhaled at room temperature through volatilization or from a pressurized container, and do not include drugs that are sniffed after burning or heating. For example, amyl nitrite (poppers), nitrous oxide and toluene – a solvent widely used in contact cement, permanent markers, and certain types of glue – are considered inhalants, but smoking tobacco, cannabis, and crack cocaine are not, even though these drugs are inhaled as smoke or vapor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Propane</span> Hydrocarbon compound

Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula C3H8. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel in domestic and industrial applications and in low-emissions public transportation. Discovered in 1857 by the French chemist Marcellin Berthelot, it became commercially available in the US by 1911. Propane is one of a group of liquefied petroleum gases. The others include propylene, butane, butylene, butadiene, isobutylene, and mixtures thereof. Propane has lower volumetric energy density, but higher gravimetric energy density and burns more cleanly than gasoline and coal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two-stroke engine</span> Internal combustion engine type

A two-strokeengine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of the crankshaft. A four-stroke engine requires four strokes of the piston to complete a power cycle during two crankshaft revolutions. In a two-stroke engine, the end of the combustion stroke and the beginning of the compression stroke happen simultaneously, with the intake and exhaust functions occurring at the same time.

Nitromethane, sometimes shortened to simply "nitro", is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH
3NO
2. It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent. As an intermediate in organic synthesis, it is used widely in the manufacture of pesticides, explosives, fibers, and coatings. Nitromethane is used as a fuel additive in various motorsports and hobbies, e.g. Top Fuel drag racing and miniature internal combustion engines in radio control, control line and free flight model aircraft.

A propellant is a mass that is expelled or expanded in such a way as to create a thrust or another motive force in accordance with Newton's third law of motion, and "propel" a vehicle, projectile, or fluid payload. In vehicles, the engine that expels the propellant is called a reaction engine. Although technically a propellant is the reaction mass used to create thrust, the term "propellant" is often used to describe a substance which contains both the reaction mass and the fuel that holds the energy used to accelerate the reaction mass. For example, the term "propellant" is often used in chemical rocket design to describe a combined fuel/propellant, although the propellants should not be confused with the fuel that is used by an engine to produce the energy that expels the propellant. Even though the byproducts of substances used as fuel are also often used as a reaction mass to create the thrust, such as with a chemical rocket engine, propellant and fuel are two distinct concepts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liquefied petroleum gas</span> Fuel for heating, cooking and vehicles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">RP-1</span> Highly refined form of kerosene used as rocket fuel

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Dimethyl ether (DME; also known as methoxymethane) is the organic compound with the formula CH3OCH3, (sometimes ambiguously simplified to C2H6O as it is an isomer of ethanol). The simplest ether, it is a colorless gas that is a useful precursor to other organic compounds and an aerosol propellant that is currently being demonstrated for use in a variety of fuel applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diethyl ether</span> Organic chemical compound

Diethyl ether, or simply ether, is an organic compound in the ether class with the formula C4H10O or (C2H5)2O, sometimes abbreviated as Et2O. It is a colourless, highly volatile, sweet-smelling, extremely flammable liquid. It is commonly used as a solvent in laboratories and as a starting fluid for some engines. It was formerly used as a general anesthetic, until non-flammable drugs were developed, such as halothane. It has been used as a recreational drug to cause intoxication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liquid fuel</span> Liquids that can be used to create energy

Liquid fuels are combustible or energy-generating molecules that can be harnessed to create mechanical energy, usually producing kinetic energy; they also must take the shape of their container. It is the fumes of liquid fuels that are flammable instead of the fluid. Most liquid fuels in widespread use are derived from fossil fuels; however, there are several types, such as hydrogen fuel, ethanol, and biodiesel, which are also categorized as a liquid fuel. Many liquid fuels play a primary role in transportation and the economy.

Indirect injection in an internal combustion engine is fuel injection where fuel is not directly injected into the combustion chamber.

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hot-bulb engine Internal combustion engine

The hot-bulb engine is a type of internal combustion engine in which fuel ignites by coming in contact with a red-hot metal surface inside a bulb, followed by the introduction of air (oxygen) compressed into the hot-bulb chamber by the rising piston. There is some ignition when the fuel is introduced, but it quickly uses up the available oxygen in the bulb. Vigorous ignition takes place only when sufficient oxygen is supplied to the hot-bulb chamber on the compression stroke of the engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Model engine</span>

A model engine is a small internal combustion engine typically used to power a radio-controlled aircraft, radio-controlled car, radio-controlled boat, free flight, control line aircraft, or ground-running tether car model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbureted compression ignition model engine</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butane</span> Organic compound

Butane or n-butane is an alkane with the formula C4H10. Butane is a highly flammable, colorless, easily liquefied gas that quickly vaporizes at room temperature and pressure. The name butane comes from the root but- (from butyric acid, named after the Greek word for butter) and the suffix -ane. It was discovered in crude petroleum in 1864 by Edmund Ronalds, who was the first to describe its properties, and commercialized by Walter O. Snelling in early 1910s.

Internal combustion engines come in a wide variety of types, but have certain family resemblances, and thus share many common types of components.

Four-stroking is a condition of two-stroke engines where combustion occurs every four strokes or more, rather than every two. Though normal in some instances at idle, extremely high engine speeds, and when letting off the throttle, such firing is uneven, noisy and may, in cases of malfunction, damage the engine if allowed to continue unabated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internal combustion engine</span> Engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber

An internal combustion engine is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high-pressure gases produced by combustion applies direct force to some component of the engine. The force is typically applied to pistons, turbine blades, a rotor, or a nozzle. This force moves the component over a distance, transforming chemical energy into kinetic energy which is used to propel, move or power whatever the engine is attached to.

References

  1. ↑ "CRC JUMP START Starting Fluid" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2013-12-17.
  2. ↑ "NAPA Premium Starting Fluid".
  3. ↑ "Ethyl Ether MSDS". J.T. Baker. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
  4. ↑ "The immediate engine damage that can result from ether starting fluid use". The Truck Stop. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "How to Start a Diesel Truck". WikiHow. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  6. ↑ Di Justo, Patrick (20 April 2009). "What's Inside WD-40? Superlube's Secret Sauce". Wired . Archived from the original on 19 January 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  7. ↑ "Inhalants, inhalant abuse, effects of inhalants at SAMHSA's NCADI". Archived from the original on 2008-12-08. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
  8. ↑ "medem.com". www.medem.com.
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