Mothballs in gas tank to increase octane level?

chuck machinist

Well-known Member
I have heard that if you put mothballs in the gas tank,you can raise the Octane level. My question here is how many moths do you need to catch,for a 21 gallon tank,and how do you remove his balls ,so you can return him to nature so he can grow another set?
Just wondering. Chuck
 
That’s an important question.

I’ve heard that moths are hung like dragon flies and breed like horse flies so I don’t think it would take too many to raise the octane considerably.

If you find out could you let us know?
 
Back in the day (1950's) If you had it in for somebody you put a hand full of mothballs in their gas tank and it would burn the valves. But it would make it run better until the valves burnt out.
 
Its kind of like taking crab claws, you only take one so they can remain funcional until the second grows back.
 
Had I have known; I colul have sent you 5gal. buckets of millers/moths. they migraate into our sap buckets and we have to filter them out with screens in of the fills of our gathering tanks.
Probally could have shipped you a couple hundred pounds of the critters.
When they become prevelent in the buckets, we start filling comercial barrels of syrup because the octain level is too high for humaan consumption, HeHe.
Chuck, be careful out there; Skeeter Season is soon coming, and they have brass -----.
Loren
 
What more evidence do we need of how long and difficult this winter has been. OK guys...take a deep breath and a swallow of something alcoholic, and spring is just around some corner somewhere.
 
Back in the day of serious diesel trucking moth balls where part of the cab equipment along with a pair of visegripes,old timers swore the mothballs helped,the vice gripes pinched off the fuel return line to give that littie bit extra.
 
(quoted from post at 04:46:53 04/20/14) I have heard that if you put mothballs in the gas tank,you can raise the Octane level. My question here is how many moths do you need to catch,for a 21 gallon tank,and how do you remove his balls ,so you can return him to nature so he can grow another set?
Just wondering. Chuck

1) Moth balls do dissolve in gasoline however in cold weather they want to go back to moth balls. That will give you a problem with carb jets etc.

2) Moth balls are primarly naphthalene which has an octane number of around 90. So yes, back in the 1920's when gasoline had a octane of 40 or whatever an octane increase was possible.

3) Today gasoline is available at 93 octane, therefore adding moth balls to this gasoline would result in an octane decrease.

4) Note - using a gasoline with a higher octane than the engine requires, will not increase performance. In a similar manner; using a Trojan bigger than required, will not increase performance.
 
Larry:

We'd either sugar the gas tank; or stuff a tennis ball up the exhaust pipe - the back-pressure would kill the engine.
 
Chuck:

You need to do it BEFORE you put the gas in the tank so you can strain out the moths after their balls dissolve. LOL!
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top