What should you fill the alcohol reservoir with during the colder months?
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Methyl alcohol (methyl hydrate) ✓
- Ethyl alcohol (ethanol)
- Diesel fuel
Answer: B. Methyl alcohol (methyl hydrate)
During the colder months you should keep the alcohol reservoir filled with methyl alcohol (methyl hydrate).
Why this is the answer
The handbook's air brake section says the alcohol reservoir should be kept topped up with methyl hydrate during the winter months, and that these systems are built to use pure methyl hydrate as the alcohol supply. It also advises starting before the first freeze of the season. Because the reservoir and evaporator or injector are made for that specific product, only methyl hydrate formulated for alcohol evaporators or injectors should go in.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Isopropyl alcohol — Isopropyl alcohol is not the product the handbook names for the reservoir; it calls for methyl hydrate.
- C. Ethyl alcohol (ethanol) — Ethyl alcohol (ethanol) is a different alcohol from the methyl hydrate the handbook specifies for these systems.
- D. Diesel fuel — Diesel fuel is a fuel, not the alcohol the handbook says to put in the alcohol reservoir.
Remember it
Methyl hydrate is the winter fill for the alcohol reservoir, and it should be in before the first freeze.