Tom Ogle was a High School dropout earning his living repairing small engines. One day while working on a gasoline lawnmower engine he had the carburetor removed and did not notice a fuel line was close to the intake. He pulled the engine through several times checking the spark plug and it started running and continued to run. He discovered the engine was running on the fumes from the fuel line. This article tells the results of his discovery, but to this day his discovery has not reached the public domain. Comments welcome!

John P
FTroopChief

Tom Ogle and his environmental car
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by Egon Lass
In 1977 there was a big splash in the El Paso (Texas) newspapers about a young man named Tom Ogle, who had invented a device that could be installed into any American car, and which could make that car go in excess of 100 miles per gallon of gasoline. This was front page news for four days, and as suddenly as it had appeared in the newspapers, it was gone. I wanted to see what had happened to the project and made an internet search on Tom Ogle. I came up with the following link:

http://rexresearch.com/og le/1ogle.htm

This site contains several of the articles that appeared in 1977 and thereafter, describing the strange things that happened, and also presenting the entire patent that Ogle took out, with diagrams and explanations for all to see. It was very clear that Tom Ogle, a high school dropout, was not equipped to handle the fallout that such an invention entails. The first thing that happened was that his working partner, who was privy to the information, died in a freak accident. There were attempts to discredit Ogle's invention, but one of the articles states the following:

Registered state engineer Frank Haynes Jr. conducted one inspection, and another inspection was conducted by Professor John Whitacre and Professor Garry Hawkins from the Mechanical Engineering department at the University of Texas at El Paso. Both inspections indicated that the device did what Ogle represented that it did; that is, that the device allowed the old car that Ogle used in his run to Deming to get in excess of 100 miles per gallon.

Wouldn't you know it? Four years later Tom Ogle was dead, and with the wonderful imagination of the mediocre, his death was called a suicide. The following is taken from one of the obituaries:

Tom Ogle who astounded the automobile world in 1977 with his "Oglemobile", died August 19, 1981. According to an investigator his death was attributed to alcohol and an "overdose" of Darvon. There are a few HMC [High Mileage Carburetor] people who feel that although his death appears to be accidental, it was really a well orchestrated plan to play on the young mechanics's weaknesss for self-destruction...
Was his death accidental? David L. Williamson, President of Advanced Combustion Systems writes, "Whether directly or indirectly, Tom Ogle died as a result of working on a fuel saving system. Information forwarded to us indicated that Tom had a silent partner who preceded him in death, when a car fell off the jack stands on top of him. After his partner's untimely death Tom boarded up his car care center and went into hiding."

I have several questions that I would like to ask the American government, the automobile manufacturers, and the oil companies. Why does not every car in the world contain this device? Why did the public of America and the world pay record prices for their gasoline in 2006, when in reality we don't even need any imported oil? Why are American cars, and indeed all the cars of the world, polluting our planet when pollution could be dropped drastically by Tom Ogle's invention? What is the impediment that is keeping Tom Ogle's invention from being utilized? And the most infuriating question of all, why have the media been silent? Why does not every household in the world know about the depth of this betrayal by the rich and powerful?
AUTHOR

 

Tom Ogle and his environmental car - by Egon Lass - Helium

 

I would think it's only possibly to get a certain amount of energy out of a gallon of gas. Even if you could make an engine which is 100% efficient (you can't), there's no way you're going to get 200 mpg on a big 8 cylinder car. It just isn't scientifically possible.

The "Big Oil" "Big Auto" conspiracy theories always involve impossible inventions.

 

Fuel economy system for an internal combustion engine

Would this be safe, practical and efficient? It makes sense to eliminate the whole liquid fuel system in favor of one that carries a chemically correct mixture to the intake manifold, but what happens when it backfires? I think fuel injection and wideband oxygen sensors have the vapor thing covered. How could the method of fuel delivery allow an engine to run leaner? This is definately interesting though . This would be a good one to send in to mythbusters

 

Thank you GDC for posting that link. That was to be my next post as I went down the list articles written about Tom and his "TOY". I was living in Albuquerque, NM at the time and never could quite understand how he went "off the board" so suddenly.
The price of gas went up 8 cents a gallon two days ago, and by some strange quirt my CRS was pushed back in time and I thought about Tom Ogle. Today I took a little time and and Ogle'd him and was surprised at the amount of writing there is on him. The link you provided, if followed out and then google the Patent # 4,177,779. There is some interesting reading, including the patent and all the drawngs.
Reminds me of a WWII Engineer Batallion with the motto, "The difficult we do right away, The impossible may take a little while".
I have no idea how it worked, but apparently it did, maybe he used K&N Filters, rotflmao.
Where is the inventor of e=mc2 when you need him?
I figured Franc would have the answer by now.

John P
FTroopChief

 

You are welcome John!
There is some interesting reading on those pages.
I am not sure if there ever was this magic carburetor, But then what do I know.

Seems as though man continues to discover things that challenge what we believe.

 

A lengthy description of Ogle's Patent including drawings, reference to 27 other system patents, and operation of his unit is written here:

Tom Ogle ~ Vapor Fuel System

Fuel Economy System for an Internal Combustion Engine

Tom Ogle (December 11, 1979)

Abstract ~
A fuel economy system for an internal combustion engine which, when installed in a motor vehicle, obviates the need for a conventional carburetor, fuel pump and gasoline tank. The system operates by using the engine vacuum to draw fuel vapors from a vapor tank through a vapor conduit to a vapor equalizer which is positioned directly over the intake manifold of the engine. The vapor tank is constructed of heavy duty steel or the like to withstand the large vacuum pressure and includes an air inlet valve coupled for control to the accelerator pedal. The vapor equalizer ensures distribution of the correct mixture of air and vapor to the cylinders of the engine for combustion, and also includes its own air inlet valve coupled for control to the accelerator pedal. The system utilizes vapor-retarding filters in the vapor conduit, vapor tank and vapor equalizer to deliver the correct vapor/air mixture for proper operation. The vapor tank and fuel contained therein are heated by running the engine coolant through a conduit within the tank. Due to the extremely lean fuel mixtures used by the present invention, gas mileage in excess of one hundred miles per gallon may be achieved.

Inventors: Ogle; Thomas H. W. W. P. (9028 Mt. Delano, El Paso, TX 79924)
Current U.S. Class: 123/522; 261/DIG83 ~ Intern'l Class: F02M 031/00
Field of Search: 123/133,34 A,122 E,134,136 48/180 R 261/144,145

I have no idea what it all means, the only questions being; does it work? and where is it?
John P

 

Back some time ago, Smokey Yunick tested this principal and put together a hot vapor engine in a Fiero. He managed to achieve 50 mpg. Perhaps with some tweaking one might get that a bit higher, but, scientifically, there's no way you'd ever get 200 mpg.

 

The fuel is vaporized with heat and the vapor makes its way to the engine due to the engine's vaccuum, as in a normal engine. The vapor's flow is controlled with a series of neoprene filters and valves coupled to the gas pedal. The part where it loses me is where it says that the engine operates cooler than a normal engine and the cooling system is actually used to heat the engine to aid in vaporization. I just dont understand how that would happen, a lean mixture makes more heat. The combustion of octane will release a certain amount of energy, the energy released it from the chemical bonds breaking down. Vaporization occurs within every engine.
A stoichiometric (chemically correct) mixture will provide a certain amount of energy, the only real variables determining power (change in pressure x change in volume = work done by engine/ cycle = nR x change in Temperature). The mass of air/fuel [nR ; where n= number of moles; a unit of measuring small amounts of elements and R= Universal gas constant] will be more or less constant throughout the engine's cycle.
If the engine can run cooler, less fuel would be required to make similar power; as the change in the mixture's temperature throughout the engine's cycle would be greater, therefore the work done by the engine per cycle would be greater (dWK=[nR]dT). In order to get 100 mpg out of a cleveland, you would need to essentially multiply the fuel economy by 10-15x what it would normally be. So dividing the amount of fuel by 10-15 would require a temperature change 10-15x greater than a typical 351c; or the air/fuel mixture would need to be well below freezing temperatures or the combustion temp would need to be temendous. However, it would require different tolerances within the motor (pistons, rings, etc.), different oils and alot of re-tweaking either way. It wouldn't be as easy as bolting on a carburetor.I'm calling BS on this one, 351 clevelands don't make more power running lean . I would beleive it if a different fuel were used, as there are elements that are explosive in the presence of oxygen. I'm sure there are ways to make more power than with gasoline, who knows if its safe though.

 

Adiabatic (or "hot vapor") engine. From 90hp / 35 mpg now to 250hp @ 51 mpg.

http://www.legendarycollectorcars.co...clusive-video/

Interesting..

 

Sorry John but my meager income could not afford an education in physics But thanks for the compliment.
But one need not go to college to learn such things.

I have to agree with Downward Spiral here. There simply isn't enough energy in a gallon of gas. Perhaps Ensign Checkov could collect some errant nutrinos from a nuclear "wessel" and get with Chief Engineer Scotty on the challenge of changing the laws of physics. Thereby making this device actually work.

Joliet John says it best, the conspiracy theories on the Big Oil squashing this technology abounds. In reality, it makes no sense. The resourse of oil is a known finite. Having the ownership of any energy technology gives one an edge over their competition.

Imagine if, instead of messing up the Gulf of Mexico with a high risk drilling operation, BP could just put Shell and Hugo Chavez out of business selling carbuerators.

Oil companies do not exist to deliver gasoline. They exist to make a profit delivering gasoline. Or anything else from which they can profit.

 

A lengthy description of Ogle's Patent including drawings, reference to 27 other system patents, and operation of his unit is written here:

Tom Ogle ~ Vapor Fuel System

Fuel Economy System for an Internal Combustion Engine

Tom Ogle (December 11, 1979)

Abstract ~
A fuel economy system for an internal combustion engine which, when installed in a motor vehicle, obviates the need for a conventional carburetor, fuel pump and gasoline tank. The system operates by using the engine vacuum to draw fuel vapors from a vapor tank through a vapor conduit to a vapor equalizer which is positioned directly over the intake manifold of the engine. The vapor tank is constructed of heavy duty steel or the like to withstand the large vacuum pressure and includes an air inlet valve coupled for control to the accelerator pedal. The vapor equalizer ensures distribution of the correct mixture of air and vapor to the cylinders of the engine for combustion, and also includes its own air inlet valve coupled for control to the accelerator pedal. The system utilizes vapor-retarding filters in the vapor conduit, vapor tank and vapor equalizer to deliver the correct vapor/air mixture for proper operation. The vapor tank and fuel contained therein are heated by running the engine coolant through a conduit within the tank. Due to the extremely lean fuel mixtures used by the present invention, gas mileage in excess of one hundred miles per gallon may be achieved.

Inventors: Ogle; Thomas H. W. W. P. (9028 Mt. Delano, El Paso, TX 79924)
Current U.S. Class: 123/522; 261/DIG83 ~ Intern'l Class: F02M 031/00
Field of Search: 123/133,34 A,122 E,134,136 48/180 R 261/144,145

I have no idea what it all means, the only questions being; does it work? and where is it?
John P

 

I agree you have a lot of equations and physics data which of course I don't understand. I believe I read the statement somewhat differently than you have stated though regarding the engine, water, and gasoline temperatures and heating. I think the statement was that he engine and cooant temps were lower and to increase the vaporisation of the fuel, a reinforced gasoline tank was designed and the tank was heated.
(quote) "The Chapin US Pat. No. 1,530,882 discloses a gasoline tank surrounded by a water jacket, the latter of which is included in a circulation system with the radiator of the automobile. The heated water in the circulation system causes the fuel in the gasoline tank to readily vaporize. Suction from the inlet manifold causes air to be drawn into the tank to bubble air through the gasoline to help form the desired vapor which is then drawn to the manifold for combustion. " etc.


Many years ago, before auto seat belts became widespread, a man was on the old, old Joe Pyne TV show and demonstrated a "Kinetic Energy" Car seat, that a driver's seat upon headon collision up to 35 miles per hour would shear bolts, rotate and the driver would tae the impact on his buttocks. Demonstraions showed it worked as in an impact the first motion of the body was backwards, although it worked was not practical because of other, ie side or up and down motions, therefore was never produced.
I wonder how the learned Professors certifying the test of Ogle's car would explain the test in today's world?
I am inquisitve not condradictory. I use many things because they work, not because I know HOW they work.
Thanks for your participation.

John P

 

This invention gave a whole new meaning to the saying of 'getting something a$$ backward'.