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By Dana Linscott |
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Frequently Asked Questions Note: This FAQ page has not been updated since 2003 at which time it was about all there was available for "newbies" to answer basic vegoil related questions. Most of it is still very useful....but since then a very good FAQ has been created on The InfoPop Vegoil Forum in the form of active hyperlink index at the top of the forum. This has been the project of George Jessup who also helped create this FAQ page. I applaud him for originating the idea, creating the links, and continuing to add to the links as the information becomes available. 1. Basic Questions. terms SVO-Straight Veggie Oil is fresh new oil FFA-Free Fatty Acids pex- A durable type of plastic tubing which stands up to heat well IDI Diesel-InDirect Injection type engine-Has a "prechamber" into which fuel is injected which helps vaporize and warm the fuel before it flows to the combustion chamber.. DI Diesel-Direct Injection type engine-Fuel is injected "directly" into the combustion chamber.
1A Basic Advice about problems with svo/wvo The basics to avoid problems are as follows:
Q.-Does anyone have experience running returns to both tanks(diesel and veggie oil) and having problems with oil buildup in the diesel? A.-Usually the amount of vegoil that is routed to the diesel tank is not enough to cause any problems.
Q.-Car has been operating fine on WVO for several hours of city driving. A.-You may have experienced partial plugging of your filter element with fats present in your vegoil. This would be indicated by a rise in vacuum as measured at the filter outlet. By switching to diesel the fats may have been dissolved. This would indicate you may need to upgrade your conversion with an additional fuel heater (either electric or coolant heated). No way to tell for sure without a vacuum gauge connected as described above. Q.-WHY BIODIESEL IF YOU CAN JUST RUN A CAR ON SVO? WHY DOES ANYONE GO TO THE EXPENSE & HASSLE OF MAKING BIODIESEL? A.-It's a trade-off between where you want to spend your time and money. It could even be based on where you live: if you live in a temperate climate, you may get away with *no* alterations to the car, or maybe use a simple heating method that doesn't involve much mechanical skill. Also, some of us would rather do the work on the car once, rather than work on the fuel every time we need more! Both SVO and BioD take the same amount of time gathering fuel stock, but take into account the on-going man- (or woman-) hours it takes to process each batch, versus however long it takes to convert the car. If your driving is frequently long distance driving then SVO certainly seems to be the way to go, but if it is short stop and go trips,then Biodiesel starts to make more sense. And with BD anyone can drive your car.
Q.-Driving a vehicle on SVO sounds wonderful. If it really works so well (and from the testimonials, it seems to), why aren't more people doing this rather than creating their own biodiesel, which seems like quite a lot of work? A.-No conversion is necessary when using Biodiesel and some engines (DI diesels) may not be well suited to running on vegoil. Q.-In a properly functioning SVO system, how many miles can you run without engine, injector pump, or injector failure? A.-As far as on diesel fuel theoretically. Personally I have over 18,000 miles with no injector or injection pump problems.
Q.-Has anyone had or checked to see if there are greater than usual carbon deposits in engines that have been running on svo for a reasonable length of time? A.-I am in the process of doing just that with my F250 IDI. At 20,000 miles on wvo there seems to be no greater than normal carbon build up. A complete teardown is scheduled at 40,000 miles
Q.-I have return line on diesel, single line on svo & have a very very small air leak as it took 1/2 hour of highway driving before loosing power due to air in svo side. I have also noticed a loss of power in svo mode compared to dino. Is this common or could it be the air leak? So should I be heating the return with "H-I-H? A.-Both of the problems described indicate that you may not be heating your svo enough to thin it to near the viscosity of Diesel fuel. This would indicate you may need to upgrade your conversion with an additional fuel heater (either electric or coolant heated). No way to tell for sure without a vacuum gauge connected as described above. You may also wish to add a temperature gauge to your filter to monitor your svo temperature. 1B Basic Questions about prefiltering/processing wvo/svo
Q.-What can I build a filter (that filters the 5gal/jug unfiltered oil into holding tank) out of that is fast, easy, works well, cheap? A.- Try this. Q.-How practical would it be to make a secure box/van trailer permanently fitted with a biodiesel processor that I could hook up to an electrical supply every couple of weeks, bearing in mind that storage/settling will be a problem and hope it isn't vandalized? A.-Probably pretty practical. You would have to adjust for the mixing that takes place in both your unfiltered wvo and biodiesel settling tanks if you planned on moving the unit often.
Q.-I want to try pre-filtered used fryer oil. Do I just filter it and pour it
in my tank?Does anyone have experience with using clean, but used fryer oil? I have access
to all the fryer oil A.-Even apparently clean used fryer oil has enough contaminants in it to clog vehicle filters. It must be filtered first! Generally oil is motivated to pass through a filter by gravity, vacuum, or pressure. And of course you may be able to just "filter it and pour it in" your tank but most likely this will cause either immediate problems or long term ones.
Q.- I just got some sock filters 100micron and 50 micron. Do you just heat the oil and let it free flow through the filter? A.-It is generally accepted that vegoil should be filtered down to 5 microns (some say 1/2 micron) before using it as fuel. This is mainly due to the fact that if you pour any fuel into your vehicle which has contaminants larger than the fuel filter allows to pass it will soon become clogged and restrict the flow of fuel.
Q.-What if the WVO was poured into the tank after only passing through a wire
mesh to take out the "rocks" to perhaps 200 micron. A series of filters in the
vehicle all heated by coolant would bring the WVO down to around 5 micron before entering
the injector pump. A.-I have tried this...with limited success. It is much simpler to filter the oil completely before using it since if any of the onboard filters plug up you will be forced to change it before continuing on. I consider this an unneeded hassle.
Q.-I heard that a 5 micron filter would do the trick, but people here talked about a "vacuum filtering" to remove wax? A.-Vacuum filters don't remove wax. In fact what looks like wax on filters is probably just solidified fats, grease, or hydrogenated oils. Only a heated fuel filter will prevent plugging by the "waxy substances". A process of cold filtering will work to create vegoil fuel which does not have these "waxy substances" until the ambient temp falls below that of the temp used to cold filter.
Q.-Would it be a good Idea to mix fryer oil and Water real good and than filter
it . A.-This is what bubble washing and mistwashing are all about. While these processes remove most of the contaminants in WVO it still must be filtered.
Q.-I picked up about 4 gallons of WVO today, it's liquid at 50d.F, but very A.-Bublewashing uses water to remove most of the contaminants in very dirty WVO. It does this by gently mixing the water and wvo and creating a huge volume of surface interface between the two. When the water is allowed to settle out it takes most of the contaminants with it. they can then be drained off with the water. And forget about using your compressor..it will produce way too much agitation. If you do bubblewashing use an aquarium air supply pump. These may still produce more agitation than optimal. Mistwashing is better.
Q.-What is mistwashing? A.-Mistwashing is similar to bubble washing in that a huge interface surface is created with water and dirty vegoil. In this case it is created not with bubbles but very small droplets misted upon the surface of the vegoil which then drift downward and settle in a layer on the bottom.
Q.-Has anyone looked at getting some kind of official vegetable oil recycler certification from each state? That way the state can tell the health inspector that this is going on and that there is no trouble with doing this? A.-I tried this in my state(MN). After they finally understood that I was NOT handling waste CRANKCASE/ENGINE oil they kind of laughed and said vegetable oil (used or fresh) is a FOOD...and unless I intended to resell it no permits existed which would apply (in MN).
Q.-Ive been told that highly alkaline WVO will cause damage to aluminum and highly acid will damage any steel... does anyone check the pH before using it and what would be the cheapest way of altering it if I should...????? A.-It is difficult to check the pH in oil. Meters and strips will only read the pH of the water in the oil. I test by gently mixing equal parts (1/2 cup each) of the suspect oil and distilled water and then testing the water layers pH after pouring off the oil layer. I would suggest mist (or bubble) washing very acid or alkaline wvo.
Q.-Has anyone setup a 12 v pump to pump directly from restaurants to the car tank? If so could you recommend what pump etc to use? A.-I believe that Greasel offers such a unit for sale.
Q.-Ive been running veggie for a couple months now. Ive rarely found good oil in town to filter down. usually it has a lot of grill fat or creamy substance in it. do other svo users use this just filtered down? it really clogs up the filter if you actually do get it. I am just curious what others are doing for their oil. are you taking the crap and just filtering heavily or looking harder and getting the good stuff? if you are getting the good stuff what kind of restaurants are the best. I heard Chinese but even these have that creamy substance in them that clogs filters quick(I'm assuming its grill fat). A.-Finding the best/cleanest wvo is the simplest answer. But if you are stuck with oil that more closely resembles gravy you may be able to use mistwashing and/or a heated prefilter unit to clean it up.
Q.-Do you heat the oil as well to drive off any water present? A.-I do. Actually I heat the oil to allow most of the moisture to drop to the bottom of my prefiltered oil tank and then draw oil for use from a few inches above the bottom. I drain periodically drain off any water which collects in the tank bottom.
Q.-I am new to the whole process and need a little help. What tolerances do I need to filter my WVO before it can be used and how do I achieve this? A.-5 microns is generally accepted as sufficient...some authorities say 1/2 micron.
Q.-Does anyone have a start-to-finish (from the restaurant to the car) process for using SVO? A.-Yes. Try here.
Q.-My main concern is filtration. Can I get away with filtering through panty hose before mixing with diesel? A.-No.
Q.-Has anyone tried degumming SVO with hot water. Sorry for being a newbie on this one, but can someone explain to me what gummed SVO is?? A.-Fresh "squeezed" vegoil can have gummy plant residue which may cause problems when it is used as fuel. Most commercial vegoil is degummed already. Best to check though! A mist or bubble wash may work to degum svo which still contains water soluble "gummy residue".
Q.-. Is there a minimum temp I should heat the oil to? How long should it be heated before it's ready to strain? A.-The warmer it is the runnier it is and the easier to pass through a filter. I usually recommend around 90*F. The longer you warm wvo (within reason) the more residual water will drop out or be evaporated. But once it reaches a temperature it does not change viscosity the longer it stays at that temp.
Q.-When you guys filter your oil, what do you do with the gunk that you pull out? I would like a sanitary method of disposing of this goop, but the only thing that comes to mind is collecting it and taking it to the oil recycle places...? Will they take veggie oil leftovers? A.-My local recycling center does not care what type of oil it is. It all usually goes to asphalt plants which use it to fire large sand drying units. They have very heavy duty filter and burner units...and exemption permits from air pollution laws.
Q.-Do you guys worry about what I think may be the wax in svo.
Q.-Do you heat the oil before pouring through greasel filter bags? A.-No! Any polyester filter bags filtering capacity is quickly compromised by too much heat. This means that a 5 micron filter bag may soon be a 10 or 50 micron filter bag. Cotton filter bags are simple to make yourself and can take heat (and washing) without compromising their filtering ability. Check here
A.-Not necessarily. I can run most clear looking wvo through my prefilter unit with only a few days of settling time.
A.-Filtering is usually not necessary with most new unused SVO.
A.-Yes, It is a very expensive way to filter wvo.
Q.-There are now a lot of tiny bugs flying around the jugs (probably because of a certain amount of spillage, since the jugs are tightly capped), similar to the "vinegar flies" which gather around my fermenter when I am making home-brew wine. These critters are small enough that they could easily follow the vent hoses back up into the fuel tank of my '85 M-B 300TD if they were hungry enough. Have any of you WVO people had problems with your fuel lines getting plugged with bugs??? A.-No
Q.-The wvo that I collect is used in a canteen fryer, emptied back into the
original 20l containers and stored in a closed storeroom for my collection. A.-Water will settle out along with most of the particulate matter. Generally speaking just settle, filter, and use. If it looks or smells nasty you may want to opt for a bubble or mist wash though. 1C Basic Questions about finding sources of wvo/svo Q.-Before I go looking for oil, what types should I be hunting for? Seems there is a lot to choose from... which types are most trouble with which to work? A.-Get the cleanest wvo you can find. Oriental restaurants seem to have the best wvo generally. Dirty smelly oil will probably be much harder to prefilter and may require washing. Avoid hydrogenated shortening.
Q.-I been having a hell of a time getting my hands on any vegetable oil seems like none of the local fast food places here in Cedar City Utah want to give any up.any ideas? A.-This seems odd. Usually they are eager to do so. Try outlying areas or nearby small towns.
Q.-How difficult is it to convince places to give you their oil, and what's the best way to go about it? A.-Pretty simple actually. Be honest with them...maybe bring along a copy of "From the fryer to the Fuel Tank" to convince them you are not just a "nut". You may have to provide a container for them or ask them to just pour the wvo back into the cubes it comes in fresh. Be punctual in picking it up and clean up any spills...word gets around if you are good or bad. 1D Basic Questions about transferring, pumping, and transporting wvo Q.-What set up have you for filling the fuel tanks. A.- I had a vacuum filter system that automatically pumped prefiltered wvo to a bulk tank. It gravity fed through a hose and nozzle. Now I have a filter setup in the corner of my garage with an integral hand pump that moves about 3 gallons per minute at a leisurely pace.
Q.-A bar down the street has a grease dumpster full of about 100 gallons of sweet liquid. Siphoning out sounds like fun, but is there a hand pump or something like that I can use? If so where can I buy it. A.- Yes. Try finding what is called a rotary drum pump. They can be had for as little as $20US.
1E Basic Questions about svo/wvo petroleum based fuels mixes Q.-Hi I am from the UK and there seem to be a lot of people here just mixing vegetable oil with diesel fuel in a 50-50 mix.Is this an acceptable way to use the oil without removing the glycerin or are there likely to be some engine problems in the future? A.- You may still need a heated filter even if you live and travel only in a warm climate. Since running an engine on fuel it was not specifically designed for is experimental engine problems in the future are a possibility.
A.-Probably not. Gasoline has an anti pressure detonation additive which suppresses the very principal that the diesel engine runs on. You may want to use petrodiesel or biodiesel to thin the wvo.
Q.-Can anyone tell me what the correct measurements are for mixing Diesel with Rape oil or Kerosene. Has anyone got info on mixing kero or heating oil with svo? A.-It varies widely depending on the vegoil and the ambient temperature...as well as the engine being run on the mix. Not much good info on this is available.
Q.-Is the important thing with SVO to keep it hot?(other than filtering) A.-Actually you just need to get it hot before it is injected to approximate the viscosity of petrodiesel. If it gets too cold it may gel or even solidify which is why heated fuel lines and fuel tanks are common components of a vegoil conversion.
A.-Yes. WVO/SVO tends to settle out in a mixture. An electric fuel pump set up to circulate fuel in the tank may help alleviate this in all but very cold weather.
2. Questions about auto/truck conversion. Let me see if I understand this correctly: A.-Yes....Basically. You need to heat the vegoil in the tank enough to allow it to flow easily through the fuel lines. Then these fuel line need to be heated enough to ensure that the vegoil will not solidify in them. Then you need a way to heat the fuel filter to prevent it from clogging with semisolidified grease or oil and a way to switch from diesel to vegoil and back easily. Finally somewhere along the line you need to warm the vegoil as close to 180*F as possible before it is injected into the engine. This is the basic "two tank" system.
Q.-I don't have much money for this project as I need a racor filter & hose-in-hose & fuel tank switch. I have everything else(truck wise) A.-You can salvage a filter from a Ford F series truck for about $20. These were made by Racor. And you can make your own Hose On Hose fuel line for about $2 a foot. 6 port solenoid valves (made by Pollak) can also be salvaged from Ford F series truck for about $20. 3 port solenoid valves (made by Pollak) can be salvaged from gasoline engine pickups with two fuel tanks for about the same amount. Q.-Is there anyone else using WVO in a DI engine?I've noticed a reference to
direct injected A.-Indications are that a few DI diesel engines MAY run on vegoil without "coking problems". These include accumulations of carbon deposits behind the rings near the valves. The VW Tdi engines and the Ford Powerstroke engine MAY be among the DI engines suitable for vegoil conversion. Still not enough data to make a good determination yet IMO. Q.-I am thinking of buying a used diesel vehicle (automobile) for conversion. What is the most reliable used vehicle for conversion? A.-This will differ greatly depending on whether you are living in North America or nearly anywhere else. In North America there are few choices. Generally speaking you want to choose a vehicle with an IDI diesel engine. One exception MAY exist...the VW TDi. You other choices are ...The F-series trucks and vans (pre 1994) with the non "Powerstroke" International 7.3 liter V8....The Mercedes 300 and 190 series with diesel engines (4, 5, and 6 cylinder IDI engines)...And a few IDI diesel engine Nissan and Toyota pickups. If you want any other vehicle with a diesel engine...you have to import from Mexico, Canada, or Europe. You can also swap a diesel engine into some vehicles that were not offered with the option in the US...but this is not for the faint of heart. In the rest of the world diesel engines are much more common in vehicles and all you want to make certain is that they are of an IDI type if you plan to convert them to vegoil. Try here for a list of diesel vehicles.
Q.-what will happen if the temperatures are below zero degrees Celsius? A.-Your svo/wvo fuel will get very thick or solid. (see next question)
Q.-Heated tanks? A.-This is accomplished by installing a heat source in the wvo/svo fuel tank. Normally this is a coil or other coolant heat transfer device. One must be careful to make certain that no coolant can leak into the tank as this may cause damage to the injector pump or engine.
Q.-I have only just become aware of veg fuels and would like to ask about any problems to the system travelling less than 3 miles. A.-Generally speaking vegoil fuel conversions are most effective after the engine is allowed to warm. However 12vdc components are available (like Neoterics Veg-Therm) which allow a fast switch to vegoil from diesel if combines with a quick purge design.
Q.-Most of my drives(to work) is 1/2 hour or so. Is this enough time to preheat the oil, run, then purge the injectors? A.-Yes.Plenty of time!
Q.-I use my turbo diesel to drive short distances every day, so the engine just gets to temp. I'd still like to do SVO,but it seems that SVO is not meant for that. A.-Not necessarily...see previous answer
Q.-Is it a good idea to heat the diesel first, before you switch to svo? In this way the fuel system is at the right temperature before the svo will go in. Does diesel at 80C harm the engine, injectors or pump? A.-In order..Yes...and No.
Q.-This subject comes up alot and I would like to see how everyone is handling there return line for veggie mode. A.-There are about equal numbers in both camps. Some swear by the standard return line to the tank..and others by the short "loop" method. I prefer to keep the diesel return line and loop the vegoil return. This allows you to switch to diesel and purge any air bubbles but allows for more efficient heating of the vegoil.
A.-Vegoil appears to deteriorate rubber components, but not as much as biodiesel.
Q.-Can any diesel engine, foreign or domestic, be made to run on WVO? A.-Probably...but some may have more long term consequences than others.Generally speaking IDI diesel engines are more amenable to vegoil conversions.
A.-I think that 150*F is probably a minimum and 190* optimal for IDI diesel engines. But there may be some disagreement about that. To thin some fat laden vegoils to exactly match the viscosity of petrodiesel one would have to heat it to over 250*F. I have some concern about overheating the IP at that temperature.
Q.-Couldn't you just put a few winds of copper tubing around the exhaust pipe to make a heat exchanger, then run your SVO supply line to it? A.-There may be promise in this method...but no it is not that simple.
Q.-Could the engine work without modification or would heated filter/lines be required? A.-Some claim moderate success with using svo or vegoil diesel mixes with no modifications in very warm climates...but for the most part probably not.
Q.-Has anyone run this mix straight, without heating? I'm in Arizona and it's over 100'F every day. Can I run a mix of WVO/diesel without problems? A.-See previous answer.
Q.-Does anyone have any experience using 'straight waste fats?', or any good web links? There is no shortage of discussions about using it for biodiesel, but little about using it directly? A.-There are folks in Australia that do this. I am unaware of any links that exist.
Q.-Has anyone considered replacing the engine coolant with veg oil and using the lift pump to maintain fuel pressure and supply through the engine block to injector pump??? A.-Yes, it has been discussed. It is considered very experimental. Vegoil does not have heat transfer properties as good as antifreeze/water mix. In cold climates it would solidify in the radiator and prevent circulation.
Q.-How do you switch to SVO when the engine is warm? A.-Most use 12vdc electric solenoid valves.
Q.-Just how often do you have to service cars run on new or used vegetable oil if you're good about letting the car heat up and cool down. A.-Opinions vary. Some say service as normal..others advise treat as "heavy service" when scheduling oil changes.
Q.-Does using wvo increase/decrease/keep same mpg as using diesel in the same engine?I'm about to purchase another used car for a part-time pizza delivery job and felt wvo would be the way to go. A.-Generally speaking mileage and power remain nearly the same in a good conversion.
Q.-Do 2 three port solenoids clear the oil out faster? A.-Properly configured..yes.
Q.-My question is does the SVO lubricate the injection pump properly? Or would you be looking at replacing the pump prematurely? A.-Vegoil has a higher lubricity than diesel so one would expect the IP to last longer. Improper filtering or failure to remove free water may shorten the IP life expectancy though.
Q.-If I wanted to determine the "flush time" on my car, how would I do it? A.-Usually this is trial and error but if you wanted a firm answer you could use a clear fuel line and dye the vegoil.
Q.-We are considering switching from a Biodiesel system to SVO. How long after start up does it take to heat the oil enough to switch over? (summer vs. winter temps?) How long before turning off car do you switch to purge the lines? A.-Depending on system design these can be as little as a few minutes to as much as 10.
Q.-Does a turbo make any difference when using SVO A.-Yes. Just as it does with diesel fuel. A turbo increases available power in both.
A.-This may present a hazard in an accident. There are better ways to accomplish this.
Q.-So where is the best place to put the aux. pump? A.-Below the fuel level in the Aux. tank in a protected place on the frame.
Q.-I read that you use the HEATER not the RADIATOR to do the hose in hose installation. Does that mean that you need to have the heater running all the time? A.-No. The coolant in the heater circuit heats up faster than the radiator and will circulate through your heater fuel line if tied in properly.
Q.-I appreciate that the return loop is necessary to keep the hot fuel circulating. If this works fine, and eliminates the need for a return pipe to the tank, then why the need for it in the first place? A.- In most cases the return line just aids in purging air that may enter the fuel system due to leaks or low fuel.
Q.-If running S.V.O., where did you mount the second tank? I'm trying to work out a location that does not involve locating the tank (or spare wheel!) inside the vehicle A.-If using the spare tire well for a second tank "run flat tires" or tire sealant may be used to eliminate the spare tire completely. Another possibility is the use of a 10 gallon (or larger) marine tank installed in the trunk.
Q.-does anyone use 2 filters for faster flushing ? i.e. one for diesel and one for svo ? A.-Yes.But there are also disadvantages to dedicated (two filter) configurations. A dedicated filter configuration will allow a much shorter purge time but may lengthen the time to switchover since the vegoil in the filter dedicated to vegoil will need to be heated before it will flow through the filter element. In a shared configuration the diesel fuel in the filter is gradually replaced by the vegoil and so need not be completely warmed to "operating temp" since it is thinned by the diesel fuel for a short period of time.
Q.-Does anyone know of a way to start running WVO almost directly after start up? Most of my driving is short distances If I depend on coolant temp alone I will be at my destination before switching to veggie. Due to my short driving distances I also need to be able to flush out the WVO in the fastest manner possible. A.-A good system design incorporating an electric heater makes this possible.
Q.-What about putting a car-type heater core (maybe a dirtbike or crotch-rocket radiator--long & narrow, should fit the sender opening) in each fuel tank, & running the coolant lines with the fuel lines? A.-This may work...but only the vegoil tank need heating. A simpler way exists though.
Q.-Another possibility that I think anyone running SVO should look into: Many semis have tank heaters, which aren't that expensive. Maybe eliminate the whole plumbing hassle of heater hose (also eliminating the problem of the naturally cool-running diesels not warming fully in the winter) & just put an electric heater in each tank? I'm sure my 145-amp alternator will handle it. A.-Possibly..but if the fuel lines are not heated the vegoil may solidify and prevent flow in cold temperatures.
Q.-I have had a problem with rust and condensation. The tank that I am using is a 15 gal. steel drum. I have noticed that when the tank heats up and then cools down the tank breaths and condenses putting water in my oil. I wonder what I can do to remedy this. A.-Some of the moisture may be present in the wvo and "boiling off" when heated. The cold sides of the tank then cause it to condense, run down into the wvo and so on. A water drain at the lowest point is a good idea on any installation. Keeping your tank as full as practical will also help. You may also want to dewater your wvo prior to use as fuel. And don't forget a water trap before the wvo gets to the injector pump. Serious damage can occur to injector pumps from even a small amount of water passing through them.
A.-Hose in Hose (HIH) or Hose on Hose(HOH) both work well for liquefying and preheating wvo/svo fuel but you may still need a supplemental coolant warmed or electric heater to bring the temperature up to over 150*F.
Q.-How many miles can a filter be run on used restaraunt oil. A.-If prefiltered properly a vehicle filter can be used as long on wvo as diesel fuel.
Q.-Backflushing the vehicles filter sounds like a great idea. How do you do it? A.-By reversing the flow of vegoil through the filter. This can be accomplished by connecting the diesel return line so it flows toward the vegoil tank through the filter while running on diesel. This will also prevent wvo from "contaminating" the diesel fuel tank during the purge cycle.
Q.-I've read that diesel has a flash point of 125d F while SVO has a flash point of 325 or somewhere in that area. So there is no danger of heating the SVO to 160-180F (from Coolant or an electric source) but I'm wondering if there is a danger of heating the diesel fuel. Or does it simply become as volatile as gasoline? This is incase I ever have to run diesel fuel only, will I not be able to use both tanks with diesel fuel? Or should I incorporate some sort of fuel heating shut off switch? A.-Heating dinodiesel to 160-180F should not be a problem if you need to use the vegoil tank for dinodiesel. If you have an electric fuel heater inline it would be a good idea to make provisions to turn it off when not needed.
2A Questions about specific vehicles Q.-I saw the "greasel" link from the diesel Chevette site--looked interesting. I have an F-350 (see sig) & my wife is looking for a diesel K-5 Blazer. I'm interested in using cooking oil in them. Advice? Cautions? Suggestions? How to keep it from gelling in the winter here? A.-The F series Fords are among the cheapest and simplest vehicles to convert to vegoil. Move the 6 port valve up closer to the filter under the hood. Run HIH or HOH line back to the front tank for vegoil and install a coolant heated fuel pickup and tank heater. You may need to install an electric aux. fuel heater right before the filter to get the vegoil up to temp and prevent your filter clogging with gelled vegoil in very cold weather. The heated fuel pickup, tank heater, and fuel line will thaw out enough gelled vegoil within a few minutes of starting to switch over and the tank heater (if well designed) will thaw even solidified wvo faster than your engine can use it.
Q.-I believe I have seen where it is possible to install a manual override button on my Ford F250 to manually cycle the glowplugs for a longer duration than they do normally. Anyone know anything about this? A.-Check out the forums at "the dieselstop.com" they have a very nice article on just how to do this.
Q.-I'm thinking of buying a merc300 diesel to convert to 100% veggie oil. Are there any known complications for this vehicle? A.-This vehicle has a reputation as one of the easiest to convert to vegoil.
Q.-I now drive a ford diesel and my husband does also. what I want to know does it effect the horsepower does it stay the same or do you lose some? is the fuel mileage increased? someone please inlight me... A.-Both remain about the same. Q.-I just had my f250 ford switch over to svo via a fuel line heather ( vegtherm from neotheric fuel in Kelowna, B.C.). We start it on diesel and have difficulties to run on the svo. A.-The 7.3 Litre engine may need more than one vegtherm.
Q.-Has anyone converted their Ford Powerstroke to run on wvo. A.-Greasel has.
Q.-I have a ford transit 2.5 litre diesel, can I put svo, straight into the tank and the engine will run? A.-Doubtful. Most conversions for all but warm climates need some higher level of conversion.
Q.-It has been suggested that coolant heat alone may not be enough so I guess supplemental heating via thermostat-controlled glowplug heaters is needed. A.-Probably.
Q.-anyone know of a site for vw idi diesels? A.-Try tdiclub.com
2B Questions about kits and parts Q.-So is copper tubing what most people are using for their fuel line? I heard that it has a negative reaction to WVO, is this true, if so, how bad? A.-Yes...copper pipe is probably the most common used material for fuel lines. Some light corrosion can take place but it is unlikely to cause problems.
Q.-Will a Facet diesel pump pump the cold SVO up to the engine? A.-Cold probably...solidified no.
Q.-I am not entirely sure whether my pump is a inline or rotary Diesel Kiki, although I think it is inline. A.-If the high pressure pipes to injectors come out top of pump in a line then you can guess its Inline! Rotary pumps usually come out of back of pump rather like sparkplug leads on a gasoline engine
Q.-I realized lately that some of my fuel lines, particularly the rubber ones (i.e. not the synthetic ones) are being dissolved. Other rubber hoses too leave black gunk all over me if wvo oil sits on them for a while. Is this abnormal? Is something else in my WVO, even though I water wash it, and filter down to 1 micron? A.-WVO does tend to slowly degrade rubber hose.
Q.-Where do I buy a vacuum gauge from? Also, how do I hook it up? A.-They are available from auto parts stores. It is "teed" in between the fuel filter and the IP.
Q.-How expensive is a conversion kit and how technical is the assembly?(I've seen the diagrams and instructions in the book but that ain't the wiring and coolant system of the under side of a car.) A.-Conversion kits can run from $500 to $1,200 dollars. But it is simple to make your own conversion components. doing so will allow you to convert for less than $300. In some cases...much less. The actual conversion is pretty simple.
Q.-Where do you guys get the 12V 3 way solenoids for switching the fuel lines? A.-You can buy them from auto supply stores or salvage them from gasoline fueled trucks with two tanks. Q.-The hose within a hose seems to be almost impossible to sort out. Any advice posted here would be much appreciated as well. If you're running a looped return line, can you use a fuel pump on the svo tank end to give the filters a little positive pressure, or would this cause too much pressure buildup in the line? A.-Hose On Hose heated fuel lines work just as well and are much simper to make. An aux. electric fuel pump can be used but may not be necessary. If one is used be careful to not exceed the vehicle manufacturers maximum fuel pressure to the IP.
Q.-What are you using for a fuel temp sensor. A.-A regular automotive water temperature sensor and gauge works great and can be easily installed in either the fuel filter or a tee in the fuel line.
Q.-What temperature does everyone look for in their oil before they switch over and also what temp do your systems run at once fully heated. A.-I usually switch over as soon as my vegoil is warmed to 65*F (shared filter configuration) and run with a vegoil temp (at the IP) of 140*F-160*F.
Q.-I have seen a lot of talk on how the Lucas/cav injector pumps have problems running greater than 50/50 mix of svo. Is this still true for a fully heated set up? Is it just the viscosity that harms the pump? A.-Most likely.
Q.-What kind of solutions are there to preheat the tank? A.-I live where the vegoil in my tank get slid in the winter so I use a 2000w 220vac electric hot water heater element installed near the bottom of my vegoil tank to warm the vegoil while my engine preheats with the block heater. By using 110vac the unit only draws around 750w and does not get to hot. Still it might present a fire hazard if one were to try to heat the tank with the vegoil level low enough to expose the element.
3. Questions about other uses for vegoil Q.-Has anyone used svo in a kerosene space heater? Since svo and biodiesel are less toxic than kerosene or diesel, would that make it safer to use in a space heater? A.-No
Q.-is it possible to use svo in a oil furnace? A.-Yes. Check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/altfuelfurnace/
Q.-What modifications if any need to be made to use straight Veg oil in an oil space heater? A.-No one has been able to do this yet. The wicks tend to carbonize too much. Other Questions Q.-Has any one tried using veg oil as engine lubricating oil. A.-It has been tried with varying degrees of success. Vegoils properties do not make them good candidates for this use.
Q.-Has anyone out there got a motorcycle running on WVO? A.-Not too many diesel bikes around...but at least one has been converted to
vegoil. Not much info on it available though.
Q.-After the Biodiesel is made in the reactor, one of the products I end up
with is Glycerin. A.- Glycerin is a useful byproduct for making soap or a number of other products. You may be able to give or sell it to an interested party locally-- the Portland Biodiesel Co-op (gobiodiesel.org) has a member who is making soap and marketing it through natural food stores. Adding glycerin to WVO will thicken it, better not to do that.
Q.-I'm looking for a small pump to transfer wvo from my cold oil tank to the small heated tank in the engine bay. A.-Try a standard electric fuel pump.
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