Hi,

As you all know I am an avid 4 Wheel Driver. My Prado 3.4 V6 is reasonably fuel efficient returning 19.5mpg (14.4lt/100kms) on a 7,500 km outback trip. A day trip out the back of Melbourne can see consumption drop to around 17mpg because proportionally there is more real 4WDing being done on a day trip.

Well about 13 years ago I helped my daughter with a year 12 assignment. Her choice of subject was hydrogen as a fuel for vehicles. It all made a lot of sense then and the idea has stuck with me over the years.

Recently while browsing the internet I came across these HHO hydrogen generators and immediately thought I must build one.

I have spent the last 3 weekends building my first prototype, all from bits and pieces available from Bunnings. I have 12 – 70×115 304 stainless steel plates with 8 neutral plates, 2 active and 2 neutral. All this is contained in 100mm PVC plumbing tube with a 25mm clear plastic bubbler.

The first test last Saturday I had it running for 1.5 hours. Using .5 of a teaspoon of potassium hydroxide and oure water, it started with only drawing 1 or 2 amps and very slowly rose to 15amps after 1.5 hours. It was really great to see the hydrogen production in the bubbler.

Sunday, I cleaned the unit as there was quite a brown discolouring to the electrolyte, refilled with pure water and added 1 full teaspoon of potassium hydroxide. This time on startup it was drawing about 7 amps and only taking 45 minutes to reach 15amps.

Both times the heat in the container was rising, the second day after reaching about 23amps I had to shut it down at the 1 hour 10 minute mark to avoid melting the tube.

Both times hydrogen production seemed very good.

Today I have made a hydrogen measuring device so am about to test how many litres per minute this setup will produce.

I am already planning my second unit with a full 16 plates. It’s exciting working on this and seeing results.

Maintenance after Water-crossings So once you have successfully crossed to the other side and are on your way home, you don't need to give the water crossing a second thought, right? Wrong! Any crossing at axle depth or deeper necessitates a checking of the diff oil for water contamination. Having an extended diff breather is not a 100% guarantee of waterproofness and any crossing above your axles without extended diff breathers should mean a mandatory inspection. Checking your diffs for water contamination is very easy. Since water is heavier than oil, it will collect at the lowest point in the diff, right where the drain plug is located. After allowing time for your 4x4 to cool, just loosen the drain bolt and run a small amount (~20mls) of the diff oil into a glass. If you're unlucky enough to have water present, the diff oil should be drained. It is best to flush the diff several times to ensure all traces of water are removed. Milky colored oil also indicates water is present and should also be changed.