I'll give it a try, and not get too scientific. The specific gravity of water is 1. 0. Alcohol, when I first started buying it, for racing purposes, was sold by it's water content, ie, 76%, 82%, 96%, 98% AND 99.9%, or as it was known then, hospital grade. Alcohol's main use , so I've been told, is to dry propane, and most of what is left, is used for other purposes, such as racing. Alcohol abosrbs water, and also nitromethane, which is heavier, just as water is, so when the specific gravity, gets greater than it's normal range, it is considered illegal, but it may only be water, but to test it in a lab, takes time, they just call it illegal, and toss you for the night. It is usually a good practice, as in the case Sunday night, to ck all of those that bought fuel from the same source, then at least everyone is comfortable with the decision. We currently use a nitromethane hydrometer, and I haven't been privy to it's workings, I don't know if it can tell the difference or not, but it is marked off the same as mine, and when checked, we usually agree on the SG. GoKarts used to use a pump around system, where everyone used out of the same barrel, your tank was dry til you went on track, and you got your fill, as you went on track, so everyone drank at the same trough. To test using the water test, you use equal amounts of water, and the contestants fuel, mix them in a clear glass jar, and if it's good, the mixture will cloud up as it is shaken, then clear up almost instantly, the longer it takes to clear the more reason to believe it has something else in it, including just too much water, and upper lube usually won't chg it much. Bob

One of my jobs as an officiail was to check fuel with one of those barometer deals. There were 2 tubes yu stuck in the Barometer then gently filled with fuel. Let it sit on a white piece of paper so it could settle. Then check both one will be the temp of the fuel the other will be specific gravity of the fuel. Then you go to your list, look up the temp then scan straight a cross to the gravity number and you have you reading. Now go to the chart and it will tell you if it's legal. Why the white paper, while your waiting you can look down the tube to see if the fuel is clear or not, Methanol is clear like water. I took some Methanol home put on some rubber gloves and did some testing of my own. %5 Nitro will throw the hydrometer right out of the barometer tube. There are some "Punky" things you can add but you can smell them when the cars fire up. Stand by the exit of the track and smell as they come off the track. Another thing I did was check the tracks fuel supply so I had something to go by. I've been to 3 USAC races this year, not impressed. When I helped officiatte at a Tournament race I was handed the job of fuel checking because I seemed the best choice or maybe dumbest lol. God Bless.

OK, I forgot to tell you, what the SG of alcohol is, if you were wondering, the industry std for it is .79, which I've found to be good stuff, but if I had my druther's, I'd druther it be closer to .76, lighter means a hotter burn, any thing much lower than that, probably has some sort of "inhancer" in it, which will also get ya tossed for the evening, so, what's this tell ya, be carefull where you buy your fuel, and if nothing else, either buy yourself a hydrometer, or use the water test, I have an electronic tester also, but it's so darned sensitive, I'm almost afraid to break it out, and, if not calibrated correctly, it isn't the last word either, the only real test is to have a lab test it, I'm sure Abby, on NCIS could be counted on to break it down for you! Good luck! Bob

MeOH absorbs nitromethane if you add it maybe ;-). I'm not so sure it would show up otherwise, unless it was used as a solvent to make or clean the container you're storing it in. It was most likely water contamination and very little at that. It doesn't take much(I've heard as little as a cup in a drum) to render it useless as a fuel.
Posted via Mobile Device

Really, the 82% used to be the preferred batch, that water enchanced the power produced, just like adding it externally, and that would be 18% water, in a gallon of alky. I think something around 96% is more of a std today, you can almost look at it, and see the water in it, I've ck'd some that was almost pee colored, but smelled sweet, almost like some weak cider, and was real sticky as it evaporated on your fingers, bunch of guys got some of it at a track up around Indy, a few years back. Bob

I think VP claims to have 99.95% pure MeOH. Obviously this changes shortly after you unseal the container. Did USAC take a sample to have tested? It would be interesting to see what the contents are. I'm sure a university in the area would have a GC or GC-MS to run the sample through.
Posted via Mobile Device

Mike Devin refered me to some University out in the South West and some guy named Charles. He did alcohol testing and could tell what was in the fuel. Also I had contatcted VP about some alcohol they were getting ready to release. They told me it wouldn't pass the water test and when I asked why I never heard back. Any ideas?

There might be a small amount of some type of lubricant added since alcohol has no lubricating properties like petroleum-based fuel? Or maybe it's their little secret! Not so sure it's a good idea to be marketing a fuel that won't pass the water test since it appears that many tracks use this as a basis for what is "legal".

Thanks so much for explaining bout the fuel Jimmy

we use only powermist meth and never had a bad batch, in karts, micros or midgets.
they do make a mix called "holeshot" that has a red color and i believe will pass water but not hydrometer.
i was taught to only mix about 2oz of water to 8 oz of a fuel sample with the water test and it should clear out quickly. i have also seen people get tossed supplying a sample that was siphoned out using a dirty hose....finally going in the tank with the fuel sample bottle and getting the sample direct....and it passed.
i was also taught that there are three things to look for when doing a fuel test....color, smell and the ability to absorb water....if you use a top lube, it colors the fuel....yer done before you start....it also (most times) wont pass the water test. as far as smell, powermist has a VERY strong smell but it isnt abnormal....not like if you have nitro mixed in
another way to tell if there is stuff mixed into the fuel is to watch the flame from the headers....blue and orange is ok....green, purple and red isnt
i also learned a LONG time ago.....there isnt a fuel test out there that can be performed in the field that has the ability to find a real good, professionally done mix. as long as the "chemist" knows the tests that are gonna be done, he can mix the goodies to give you the edge you are looking for AND make the tech guy happy....but it does come with a price!
IMO....fuel and tires are the easiest places to start if you wanna go into the "grey area"