Comments on: Smokey Yunick’s Hot Vapor Fiero; 51 mpg and 0-60 in less than 6 Seconds! See and hear it run in our exclusive VIDEO!

By: Richard

Richard — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:38:55 +0000

Gene, If anyone takes you up on your offer let us know. We would like to cover the build and results on the site!

By: Gene Climer

Gene Climer — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:24:31 +0000

Hey SteveO,
If you can pony up the cash, I can get it built. I want to build a GM Quad 4 motor to double the HP and double the mileage. Probably wouldn’t make it all the way there on the first attempt, but even 50% more HP, and 50% better mileage would be a blazing success. Any takers?
Gene Climer
Beaverton, Oregon
climer97007@yahoo.com

By: SteveO

SteveO — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 05:05:00 +0000

Why hasn’t anyone, with all of the focus on fuel-efficient vehicles, manufactured these systems? Is it because modifying stock systems would cause then to fail smog checks? Is it because it only makes sense for mass production to incorporate it into new vehicles at the time they are built?

By: Al

Al — Fri, 21 May 2010 19:51:33 +0000

Wow, I have this issue of Hot Rod somewhere, and remember reading about this when I was a kid. I often wondered why it never made it into production cars. I am just glad that there still is interest out there, and the car still exists.

By: busamike

busamike — Fri, 21 May 2010 19:05:09 +0000

Technology is a magazine from MIT. Here is an article dated March 8, 2010. http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/24701/ I remember the original Smokey article. I have wondered for years why we’ve not heard any more. The method in the March 8th article may be different but, both appear to be superheating the fuel. Its about time someone picks this back up.

By: JasonS

JasonS — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 23:17:28 +0000

You hit the nail right on the head Andy!!! Politics is what is keeping this concept from every internal combustion engine. I read about this concept a few years ago and since then I have been working on making my 1986 Fiero 2M6 SE into a much more efficient vehicle. I took some of Smokey’s concepts and have implemented them into my project. I don’t want to give details at this time because I don’t have complete data. But I do know for a fact that I get quite a bit higher MPG than when this project 1st started. And at $2.78 per gallon, it is a nice treat to not fill up so often.

By: Andy Zabrodsky

Andy Zabrodsky — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 01:21:01 +0000

The Hot Vapor Cycle is Light-Years ahead of what the Auto Business is doing these days, and that was 20 years ago. Please take it from a motorhead like me, I am suprised that there isn’t any of these on the Drag Strips. If gas goes to 6 bucks a gallon, we will be seeing this come back and go production. Something put the kabash on this incredible design. You would only have to see it once to understand what I am saying, so keep reading, I saw it, there were no engineering problems, just making it in production format so any Tom, Dick or Harry could bolt it on, was the only problems at that time. Polotics is why this baby was put to rest! Andy Z, I was there!

By: Andy Zabrodsky

Andy Zabrodsky — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:36:28 +0000

Hello it’s Andy Z again. Illustrator, Draftsman, and Logo Designer, for MotorTech Inc . This engine really worked great. My job at Motortech was to convert Smokey’s Hot Vapor Cycle, hand-made proto-type pieces, into production parts, then illustrate it and make official engineering drawings. We were going to put this into production as a bolt on application for small american engines. These engines were so efficient, it barely needed a radiator, the Turbo was really a check valve, since the motor ran above our atomosphere’s pressure. These motors made power and saved fuel. Mr. Yunick and Druzinski were thinking outside of the box. Smokey was light years ahead of us.

Smokey dusted a top shelf Porsche in his Dodge Omni?
The Porsche owner claimed to say, (after Mr. Yunick left him in the smoke), “I just paid $60,000 to have one of the fastest cars on the street, what do you got in that Omni?” Smokey replied as he opened the hood. “Just your basic 2.2L Dodge 4 cylinder.”

If anyone has any questions regarding Smokey Yunick or Frank Druzinski about the Hot Vapor Cycle, please feel free to:

Call Andy Z. at (610) 715 – 4626 or email me at
deach22@ymail.com

Yes, I am still in the automotive business, back here, in south eastern Pennsylvania.

Mr. Bill Krick, please drop me a line at your conveneince.

By: Gene Climer

Gene Climer — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:17:53 +0000

Engines run at other ratios. It is not as cast in concrete as you make it sound. If you measure any engine, you will see variation from lean to rich. That is what a choke does on a carb, it makes it run rich. Smokey setup his engine to run a little bit on the rich side from all of my reading of his books. I think this actually helps to minimize the chance of detonation some. The mystery, if there is one, is in the method used to get that heat where it needs to be without metal fatigue and reliability issues in the fabrication and life of such materials.

By: Gene Climer

Gene Climer — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:30:45 +0000

Smokey did not use a lean mixture. He actually kept it a little bit on the rich side!

By: anonymous

anonymous — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:55:12 +0000

I don’t know why everybody seems to think this is some mystery. This is not a “very lean” mixture. There is a stoichiometric ratio of air and fuel that is CHEMICALLY REQUIRED in the oxidization reaction between gasoline and oxygen. 14.7:1. It is not able to be violated. Everything has a vaporization point. Gasoline has around a 90% vaporization point above 300 degrees F. This system raises the temperature well beyond that to ensure vaporization of all the distillates found in pump gasoline. In the manifold, after the turbocharger, the gasoline in the STOICHIOMETRIC mixture is heated to a vaporous state. The air/fuel mixture in the manifold DOES NOT CHANGE, however it’s pressure and temperature does.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:35:16 +0000

I remember reading the original article when I was young man. Over the years I developed into nothing more than a backyard builder. With my limited knowledge I have one question. How do the cylinders hold up over time burning what should be a very lean mixture? Thank you

By: Richard

Richard — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:01:24 +0000

Gene, I know Tony started a new job and has been extremely busy but I have not communicated with him lately. I do know that the Smokey Fiero has been donated to the Don Gartlits Museum in Florida. I hope to visit there soon and will report on its new home.

By: Gene Climer

Gene Climer — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:45:56 +0000

If Transonic is not using battery energy to heat the fuel, this approach might make some sense. However, if they are simply trading one kind of energy for another, not so much.
Richard, any word from Tony Allers? He does not seem to reply to my emails or phone calls.
Gene

By: Stephen

Stephen — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:25:14 +0000

Modern day version:

http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/24701/?a=f#afteradbody

“Transonic Combustion, a startup based in Camarillo, CA, has developed a fuel-injection system it says can improve the efficiency of gasoline engines by more than 50 percent. A test vehicle equipped with the technology gets 64 miles per gallon in highway driving, which is far better than more costly gas-electric hybrids, such as the Prius, which gets 48 miles per gallon on the highway. “

By: Richard

Richard — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:34:10 +0000

I am not sure, I will try to talk to Tony and find out. As way of an update the Fiero is now in residence at the Don Garlits Museum in Florida. I will give an update after I have been there sometime in March. Check back for the update.

By: Gene Climer

Gene Climer — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:27:04 +0000

Has Tony Allers made any progress in his 454 Smokey motor? I have not checked up in awhile. Has anyone else here made any progress in modifying their own engine? Thanks, Gene Climer, Smokey Yunick Fan

By: Doug-O

Doug-O — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:20:37 +0000

Al Bore, the fuel supply will come in through the injector that is in the picture. The fuel lines 2 of them can be routed around the exhaust or in it coiled up. I’m getting about 425470 degrees and up outside the exhaust manifold.-inside would be overkill, I can wrap my lines running to the injector in thermal tape, that kind of tape?lol.

Anyways, I have spent some time and money on this of my own, if you know anyone who is willing to help out let me know it’s more than welcome. Im short a $1500-$2000 on a standalone management system for the car I’m dealing with, they make these systems work for any car, it will allow me to test and define what I believe is going to change the way people look at DIRECT INJECTION, in an aftermarket sense, and also it’s not readily available for cheap.
Right now I don’t see any companies trying to make this a full time business, to the aftermarket. Manufacturers are all going this way.

To get this running on something like water would be nice, but it’s not the goal for now. I know through dyno testing, and emission testing I will be able to show numbers, improvements for sure. I’m a one man business right now. So it’s gonna take awhile, I got a life to live. esults and progress will be shown on my yahoo groups page. Thanks:)

The only way something like this will make it to market where people who need this can get it

By: Al Bore

Al Bore — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:38:09 +0000

In regard to concerns of fire because of the heated vapor autoigniting, here is the solution that smokey already knew!
The Intake is pressurised by the “Homoginiser” ( TURBO ) to raise the flash point of the hot vapor way above what it is at atmospheric pressure. Remember that this engine is not Naturally Aspirated.
The principle of the Pressure Cooker applies here: You raise the Boiling Point of a Liquid by pressurising it!
That way you can get it to absorb more heat raising its temperature above the normal boiling point.

By: Al Bore

Al Bore — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:18:34 +0000

Hey Doug-O, where is the fitting for the Fuel Supply? Or does it just make its own Fuel from the Yellow Tape? Verrrrryyyyy Interestinggggggg!!!!

By: Doug O

Doug O — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:34:18 +0000

Check out this spark injector I put together which I plan to keep Smokey alive while running my fuel after the injector and then into the top of the sparkplug. Were going for fuel injected vehicles instead of carbs. Playing with timing and getting fire at the right time, since the fuel will be a vapor entering the cylinder. I can also let hot exhaust gas enter through the plug to mix instantly with incoming fuel.

By: Doug O

Doug O — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:13:18 +0000

Me again, Al Bore, I gave up dealing with the intake kind of. I think I may be the lucky guy who took all the ideas were looking at today, especially this from Yunick, and can put it to use on any new vehicle. Ill let you all know how it turns out. There is hope after all I believe. The invention was always here, they been made before, we just have to find them again .

By: Al Bore

Al Bore — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:43:44 +0000

Smokey was the master of common sense and looking at what others WONT SEE! Smokey has seen about every kind of fuel delivery system there is and he simply and elegantly used his gift of observation to whip the problems that he overcame. Smokeys Hot Vapor Engine is an adaptation of the system used on PROPANE Fuel engines where the unvaporized liquid propane is vaporized with the engines hot cooling system . Smokey increased the Thermal Efficency of the Gasoline engine by utilizing the wasted heat from the exaust and coolant to EXPAND, Vaporize and Homoginize the air fuel Mixture. the articles that I have read show that the increased heat utilization allowed a radiator of a much smaller area than original. The turbo also pressurizes the mixture and prevents it from backing out of the intake as the engine reaches operating temperture . An article in Pop Mechanics back in the eighties also showed photos of some trick heads that Smokey Crafted with extremely angled Intake valves to promote some kind of swirl in the Combustion Chamber possibly leading to NO Pre-ignition. The Big Car Co.s have spent billions to curcumvent other inventors patents and thats why Smokeys Patents have not been used because his patents are unable to be defeated to be utilized. and after all the last thing that Big Oil and Car co’s want is a car that does not wear out as fast is less complicated and uses less fuel products. Vene, Vidi, Vici.

By: Lane

Lane — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:38:19 +0000

My thoughts as to who Smokey made this work go mainly to the cam and ignition.

Since the homogenous air/fuel mixture should burn rapidly, especially as it is already close to the flashpoint, I would expect that significantly less ignition advance it needed than in the stock engine.

I’m very curious about the cam timing, particularly the intake closing. My supposition of the moment is that Smokey might have used something along the lines of the Miller cycle but delaying the intake closing enough to effectively lower the compression ratio without lowering the expansion ratio. I’m also wondering about the exhaust timing.

I vaguely recall reading that Smokey planned to eventually do a 3 cylinder 2-stroke version of this concept and am curious just how well this concept translates to 2-stroke piston and 4-stroke Wankel engines in applications where engine weight is particularly sensitive.

By: Will

Will — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 23:32:54 +0000

I remember reading about this back when I 1st started working on cars for a living. I always wondered what happened to this. Figured it got swept under the rug. I find it hard to believe that this was a fraud.