- By Frank Wicks-

The biggest problem in our business is the 10,000 people out there who are selling water-injection systems, " Joel Robinson says of the fuel-saving industry.

Robinson, a Massachusetts resident and inventor of a legitimate fuel-saving device called, appropriately enough, "Gasaver," complains that the gimmick-type gas savings devices that are on the market make it difficult for those who make genuine breakthroughs in this field.

"There are 101 water-injection systems around, but they're all phonies. Can you tell me why water would help combustion? Water puts fire out; it doesn't help it to burn better," Robinson says. Another gas-saving gimmick that recently surfaced involved a man who claimed that for 10 dollars he would install a device which, he said, would increase mileage by 25 percent. Unfortunately, it turned out that all he would do was attach a rubber cord to the gas pedal and anchor it below the dashboard, thus making it more difficult to press down the accelerator.

It's not too difficult to believe Robinson when he says, "Whenever we start, talking to anyone about our method, we have to give them 10 minutes to stop laughing before we can explain why it works."Actually, the, Gasaver operates on a principle long recognized by chemists and engineers. However, it wasn't until recently that Robinson's invention made it possible to successfully apply this principle to the automobile.When gasoline is burned in the standard internal-combustion engine, usually only about 70 percent of it will burn effectively.

The remaining 30 percent, which is lost, contains two basic items: hydrocarbons (gas vapor that did not burn), and carbon monoxide (partially burned gasoline).

In 1974, automobile manufacturers began installing catalytic converters on all new cars. The catalytic converter, working on the same principle as Robinson's Gasaver, burns the hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide by bringing them into contact with platinum at combustion temperatures.

This process promotes a more thorough and complete burning, thus producing fewer pollutants. Unfortunately this process takes place outside of the engine, and the energy produced is lost; actually, it robs the engine of energy because of the "back-pressure" it produces.

Gasaver's West Coast distributor, Jack Leopold of Torrance, explained how the Gasaver works. "The Gasaver injects a platinum vapor directly into the engine where the catalytic action of the platinum promotes faster and more complete combustion - with 15 to 25 percent savings in gasoline. Robinson added, "We're not doing anything new chemically; we're simply changing the location of where the process occurs."

The platinum-injection system coats the engine surfaces in a gradual process.The longer the process.is continued, the less energy is lost in the exhaust. Although results can be seen almost immediately, Leopold says the process won't reach its full capacity until after about 1800 miles.

Robinson, a graduate of Boston University as an industrial engineer who has successfully applied the catalytic process tool-burning furnaces in industrial facilities, says chemists have been trying to introduce platinum into the engine for years. "Theoretically," he says, "there are three ways to use the platinum. One is to paint the surfaces with it like they do with the catalytic converter. However, it is not possible to coat engine parts. The second way is to add it to gas, but the chemists haven't figured how to do that yet. In our method, we bring the platinum into the engine with the incoming air. "If either of the first two methods were possible, it would demand the use of unleaded gas. Lead immediately destroys the effect of platinum, and that's why catalytic converters need unleaded gas. But our process can be retrofitted to old cars and can use leaded gas."Dr. Herbert Kaesz, professor of chemistry at UCLA, confirmed the fact that the Gasaver is based on established chemical principles. "The idea is a sound one. I'm just surprised that they are the only ones on the market with it . . . I'm going to put one on my car."

Now that a gallon of gas has reached a dollar in price, the Gasaver might seem like a logical replacement for the catalytic converter.However, neither Robinson nor Leopold profess any desire in challenging the powers that be.Robinson says that while the general public may be hesitant to try out the device, those people in the technical community have been his best customers. "So far, most of our customers have been engineers because they understand the principles behind it."

On a recent trip to San Francisco, Easy Reader staff member Robert Triptow took the opportunity to test the Gasaver on his Volkswagen.Driving an unloaded car up Highway 5 without the device, he used two tankfuls of gas and averaged 27 miles per gallon.

On his return trip, Triptow took the longer route down Highway 101. With the device attached and the car loaded with belongings he had picked up, he used just under two tankfuls and averaged 32 miles per gallon.

Although his mileage increased by over 18 percent, according to Gasaver's promoters, his future mileage should increase even more as the engine parts gradually become coated with the platinum molecules.