Anyone running WVO?

[RT]

With diesel prices at $2.25/gallon here in town I am now much more serious about a WVO conversion for my 93 6.5TD. I have a source for 90gallons a week of WVO so this is looking more and more like a good idea. The questions I have are what are you guys using for WVOfuel and coolant lines? What are you using for a WVO lift pump? Since mine is mechanical I worry less about pump damage. Thanks, RT

[markrinker]

Tell us more about your supply? Can you get it for free - and what processing will it take before you can dump it into a tank and pump it through a Racor filter and on to your IP? I have thought about checking with a local "Buffalo Wild Wings" restaurant - they must go through alot of WVO.

I have read up on WVO conversions, and considered experimenting with truck #1. (Both of my '94s have old, unused 30 gallon road sander hydraulic oil tanks mounted on the flatbeds that could be used for the WVO tank.)

My conclusion is that the technical challenge to plumb in WVO successfully 'under the hood' is minimal. Access to a clean and constant supply of WVO is the key. Developing an eco-friendly, family-safe and neighborhood-considerate method of gathering, filtering, and storing the WVO is also non-trivial to most city dwellers.

Some of the schemes touted on WVO and other alternative fuel websites are downright dangerous to the occupants in the vehiles (poorly located/secured WVO tanks), the homes where garage filtration is done (fire hazards), and probably illegal if the city/county were to be alerted to what waste (benzene, kerosene, waste oil, thinners) was being stored and mixed in residential garages.

All in all, its far from free or inexpensive, but with some good planning could yield savings over the long run.

(Sorry for the long winded response!)

[RT]

A friend of mine owns several pizza shops. I can get as much as I need. I would need to be prefiltered with a 70 micron screen when sucked up and then put through 5 micron sock filters, gravity fed and finally through a 1 micron "polishing" filter as it is moved to the tank or storage tank. Its not the cleanest oil but its free and plentiful corn based fryolator oil. Gathering oil will either be a 12 to 30 gallon removeable tank in the bed and a gear oil pump to move the "fresh" stuff. Same pump will unload to filtering unit. I can get refurbished 55 gallon drums with cam-locked lids for $15/ea. to process and store the oil. I have room for 6-8 drums in my workshop. I am looking into a custom bed tank @40 gallons with coolant heater for the WVO. The 6.5TD needs an electric lift pump to move the fuel forward so I have been told a Holley blue pump works well. Most people seem to use a hose-on-hose setup to heat the oil in the fuel line and regular 3/8 rubber fuel line for the WVO. I don't like the idea of that much rubber line hanging out under my truck so I am looking for alternatives like maybe copper AC line or PTFE. Most of the WVO kits do not run a return line. I don't like this idea as a fuel system should function as designed regardless of type of fuel used. I am planning on heated fuel tank, heated lines, additional coolant heater and electrical heater underhood and a gear driven 6port valve to control it all. Either a heated Racor or Vormax to filter it right at the IP My fuel bill just hit $1800 for the year so even if the conversion costs $1000 it will be worth it. Storage and transport of WVO is no big deal. Vegetable oil is non-toxic, non-flammable (in most cases), no permits required, etc. Much safer than any petro product. My biggest technical hurdle will be making fuel lines that I feel comfortable with. This is for a work truck. It has to be reliable and need little maintainence once it is installed. Thanks, RT

[markrinker]

I like your plan. I put about 3500 gallons of diesel through my trucks last year, or about 70 gallons per week. I'd need quite a regular supply for both trucks, but one might be do-able as an experiment.

Let me know what you come up with. In the meantime, I am looking into WVO suppliers in the area.

[4x4 power]

Hi folks
I am part of a newly founded program at SIUC we are converting my 6.5 to run on biodiesel made from used cooking oil. I didnt want to run it on straight cooking oil because it needs to be heated in order for it to burn without any problems. To make the biodiesel it costs about .70 per gallon and can be put directly into the tank and has the same properties as diesel, hopefully in the next month I will have emission and dyno numbers to compare diesel to my biodiesel.
Joe

[ttpost]

what exactly is bio diesel and are there any sites on how to produce it. thanks rob

[markrinker]

WVO is 'Waste Vegetable Oil', usually the discards from deep frying vats at restaurants.

Bio-diesel is a catchall term for blends of fossib and non-fossil diesel fuels derived from soybean or other vegetable sources.

Do a Google search on either, and you'll be reading for hours on the topics.

[Marty Lau]

There are kits for this too I think it's called Greasiel or some thing like it. A bunch of info on Fred's TDI site for VW's TDI. If you don't want a lot of rubber hose under you truck, how about some gold old fashion copper tubing from the hardware store.

Also the folks that are using WVO start on Diesel fuel and switch over to Diesel a couple of minutes prior to shutdown so there is no solid fuel in the pump and IP lines if it gets cold.

[turbobill]

I've been tinkering with WVO in diesels for 6 months now. My approach is a bit different and involves no modification to the vehicle whatsoever.

I mix it with #2 diesel. The highest percentage I tried during the warm summer months (upstate NY) was 30% WVO/70% #2 diesel. I noticed some slight initial roughness for a few seconds on startup with head temperatures of 40 to 45 degrees at 30% WVO.

I figured the 30% mitigates some of the cost of the #2 and the vehicle remains unmodified. I cold filter to 10 micron and allow the oil to settle after that. It seems the best method to use the stuff with the least amount of work and time invested.

With the now colder temps, I'm reducing the percentage. I may try some regular unleaded gasoline in the mix to tinker with the viscosity of the mix as it gets colder here. (this is being done successfully by a gentleman in Mobile AL)

The vehicles currently used are a VW Rabbit diesel, Olds diesel with the DB2 pump and a Power Stroke Ford. My 3 winter vehicles are to be a Chevette with the Isuzu 1.8L diesel, a Trooper with the 2.2 turbo diesel and the Power Stroke. (my 6.5 expired last year and hasn't been fixed yet)

I have also nearly completed a bio diesel processor and I feel that the bio diesel may be the best way to go in the extreme cold in my part of the world.

[sk8rdi16]

I too am planning on going WVO in my 95 Burb. I have researched and really like the greasecar kit. It has a mechanism to purge the system unlike the others. That being said, I think I want to construct my own install. I really don't want to take up much space as in cargo area, as I plan to do traveling and probably living in the burb next summer. An undercar tank as most of you pickup drivers have is more of what I am leaning towards. I will also use the holley blue pump probably with a racor turbine series 900FG or the likes. Hose on hose, or hose in hose is the question, also I am not too confident on how to rig the return/purge lines for the veggie.

Pat

[RT]

Thanks for the input. The problem with biodiesel is the processing. With WVO you have to collect and filter it which is a project to start with. With biodiesel you have to do that and get methanol, lye, build a processor, etc. The nice thing about WVO converions is the one time cost/time expenditure. With biodiesel you have a much larger time investment every time you need fuel. I use too much fuel for biodiesel to work for me. I have tried running blends of WVO and diesel and it seems to work okay but I have heard of problems running WVO unheated, coking injectors, building up in piston rings, etc. The best way to burn WVO is to heat it to at least 160* before putting into the IP. This is easy to accomplish with a coolant and/or electric heat exchanger right before the IP. Last time I checked the cost of WVO is about 5-15 cents/gallon figuring cost of filter bags and the minimal electricity used pumping it around and even heating the filtering tanks. Not too bad and much less effort than biodiesel. RT

[stig]

I've been running WVO/unleaded gas blends with minor vehicle mods for about a year (12K miles) in a 95 Sub. I'm in Athens GA where it seldom freezes so the system does not have a heated tank.

Basic system: 2 tanks - 42 gal OEM for WVO blends with OEM lines, 5 gal diesel for start and IP flush. Removed OEM fuel pump and replaced it with Holley Blue located in engine bay after 6 port fuel switching solenoid. Removed OEM fuel filter, replaced it with Permacool filter head and Baldwin 2 micron BF7633. Installed electric fuel heater with thermostat (Neoterics) before fuel filter and looped fuel return line to filter input. Installed 3 way valve on loop so the fuel can either loop or return to tank if no heating is desired like when the OEM tank has diesel in it.
Fuel pressure and temp gauges installed on filter output.

Anyway - the system warms the blends to the 120 -150 range which is enough for blends but not for straight WVO. Blends vary from 90/10 to 80/20.

Last winter it got down to the low 20s a few days - the Sub is garaged and the 80/20 blend ran fine after starting up on diesel and switching to the blend after the filter heated up to 90F.

My system is obviously not for colder climates, but if you live down here it is an option. My next step is to do away with the 2nd tank and add a manual GP button (with new Kennedy QHs) to start up on the blends. I generally only flush the IP when the truck is put up at the end of day now. I know some folks also in the deep south who run blends in their Fords with no second tanks and have done so for 20+K miles.

How well does the Sub runs on blends vs diesel? On diesel the IP will hiccup periodically cruising at highway speeds (sticking IP fuel solenoid??), but NOT while on blends. Why? - I have no idea but it does run smooth on "oil".

Mileage (3.73) on diesel highway about 20, in town 14-15, on oil blends about 19 on the highway, 13-14 in town.