Crower 6 stroke Engine

**Epidemic** · September 24th, 2012, 03:57 PM

Ok now you see something like this and you have to ask why aren't they already on the market.

Add two strokes to an engine with a cam shaft, an additional injector pump and poof double your economy.

Double economy
Eliminate your cooling system
Cool off exhaust valves.

con
you have to carry equal volume of water But that does not seem like a huge penalty put in dual tank 5 gallons gas 5 gallons water and you still can go 300 miles.

**The Real Bingo** · September 24th, 2012, 05:18 PM

It's been around for a while. Only thing I can think of as being a problem is the water freezing during cold months. I doubt you'd want to mix in antifreeze to water going into the combustion chamber.

**pickel** · September 24th, 2012, 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by Epidemic

Ok now you see something like this and you have to ask why aren't they already on the market.

Add two strokes to an engine with a cam shaft, an additional injector pump and poof double your economy.

Double economy
Eliminate your cooling system
Cool off exhaust valves.

con
you have to carry equal volume of water But that does not seem like a huge penalty put in dual tank 5 gallons gas 5 gallons water and you still can go 300 miles.

Originally Posted by The Real Bingo

It's been around for a while. Only thing I can think of as being a problem is the water freezing during cold months. I doubt you'd want to mix in antifreeze to water going into the combustion chamber.

When Global Warming ends our Winter season , this will be the Perfect engine. How many BTU's ( and H2O ) will it take to run the Air Conditioner.

**Epidemic** · September 24th, 2012, 05:54 PM

Well as for water maybe one could just put a small water heater. I mean how many watts would it take to keep 5 gallons of water liquid in a small insulated tank at 0 degrees

Distilled water costs 99 cents a gallon for potable water today in gallon jugs. Sold in bulk it would be cheaper. And cheaper still if it was not for consumption.

Hell you could probably have a small solar still produce it for near free.

**Bizkitkid2001** · September 24th, 2012, 05:57 PM

He says it is a 40% improvement in fuel economy, not double (100%).

He also mentions the hurdles that need to be overcome to make the engine work in every day use. You need to use distilled water, water is heavier than gasoline and requires a separate tank and water lines (which reduces the weight saving benefits of having no cooling system), and as mentioned already there is the problem of the water freezing during the winter.

It is a great idea and I hope he gets the funding to keep building new engines and improving the design. It would be great to see how much fuel economy improvement he will achieve with the diesel variant he is building.

**The Real Bingo** · September 24th, 2012, 06:31 PM

Or we can just wait for big oil to buy the patent and bury it so it never sees the light of day.

**tony_j15** · September 24th, 2012, 06:34 PM

They'll buy it after the "mysterious accident" at his shop that leaves him disfigured and in desperate need of money for medical bills.

**Epidemic** · September 24th, 2012, 11:24 PM

Yeah there are so many example of back yard mechanics on the cusp of a reasonable idea who are severely injured In mysterious accidents.

This solution is so simple and elegant there is no way to hide it.

Any motor and cam guy could reproduce it now that the idea is out.

**no1_vern** · September 25th, 2012, 07:37 AM

Six-stroke engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In a six-stroke engine prototyped in the U.S. by Bruce Crower, water is injected into the cylinder after the exhaust stroke, and is instantly turned to steam, which expands and forces the piston down for an additional power stroke. Thus, waste heat that in most engines requires an air or water cooling system to discharge is captured and put to use driving the piston.[8] Crower estimated that his design would reduce fuel consumption by 40% by generating the same power output at a lower RPM. The weight associated with a cooling system could be eliminated, but that would be balanced by a need for a water tank in addition to the normal fuel tank.

The Crower six-stroke engine was an experimental design that attracted media attention in 2006 because of an interview given by 75 year old American inventor has applied for a patent on his design. ([1]) That patent application was subsequently abandoned.[9] Leonard Dyer invented the first six-stroke internal combustion water injection engine in 1915, which is very similar to Crower's design. A dozen more similar patents have been issued since.

I would go for an M4+2 engine if they are ever able to make a FUNCTIONAL(instead of theoretical) model with proven economy.

**Epidemic** · September 25th, 2012, 09:19 AM

the beauty of the crower engine was is the simplicity. It can be implemented with out re-inventing the engine. Implementation would be simple and cheap.

although I am bummed by the fact that it does not double fuel economy. I originally thought it did.

the M4+2 is a much more expensive engine to build. Complexity will no doubt result in greater cost and less reliability.

essentially 90% of the changes needed to implement the Crower 6 stroke engine is cam shaft change, with a high pressure water injector. I don't know the downsides which have kept it from progressing since 2006 so perhaps there is some unforseen problem beyond the easy to solve freezing problem.

I just read the real reason this has not gone to market.

you are all right. Crower was given MRSA and he has been in the hospital for the last two years... Spookey!