To find out, we went to the Mechanical Engineering Department at Kettering University, in Flint. Dr. Greg Davis thought it would be good experience for his students to verify the claims about acetone in the department's test engine, a Buick 3.8 liter V-6 that is equipped with all kinds of probes and sensors.

For several weeks the students experimented with various strengths of acetone in gasoline. The findings were disappointing.

"Our current preliminary data suggests essentially no improvement running acetone in the fuel," Davis said.

Professor Davis wasn't surprised. "If you notice, it's a very small amount and when you add a very small amount of anything to your fuel, you wouldn't expect a large impact. So it's not really a surprise today."

We wanted to see if it made a difference in a real world situation, so a student who knows what kind of mileage to expect from his Ford pickup and Volkswagen tried acetone in the gas. "The results, when you add three ounces per ten gallons, there were no effects," said Josh Goudzwaard.

Aside from having no effect on mileage, acetone could actually do harm by damaging hoses and fittings. Carmakers don't like acetone either.

"If they know you did it, they could void the warranty," Davis warned.

http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=automotive&id=3951510