My good friend and old college roomate's family is selling their 1980 300D N/A.... I'd like to convert it to run on WVO. He's asking 750.. This seems like a good price.. should I jump on this? I originally wanted to get a diesel truck to run on WVO as a daily driver/hauler but seems like I can't pass this up.. I think it would be a could starting point for learning the fine points of WVO operation.
JUMP ON IT, NO CONVERSION NECESSARY!
This 3.0L IDI is a super hearty diesel engine. As you may know, diesels were invented to run on peanut oil, but newer designs prevent easy combustion of less volatile oils like this. Our engines will run on very high percentages of WVO, I am currently running 75% WVO with absolutly no adverse effects. If you live in the south you will be able to run, at least, 50% during the colder months (20% if you live in the north). Forget the SVO two tank conversions, they're a waste of money and take up too much trunk space. All you will need to do is mix a small amount of petrodiesel, kerosene or biodiesel into your WVO. I'm going to try 100% WVO on my next tank just to see if it will start, since starting is the major downfall of SVO systems.
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1988 Volvo 740 GLE
1997 Saab 900SE Talledaga
Over the first 1200 miles I had to change my prefilter four times and now I need to change my primary filter for the first time.
As for filtering the WVO, I just pour it through a transmission funnel with a shop rag draped into it. I keep the rag up off the bottom of the funnel to allow the oil to flow through a larger surface area and then I put a couple zip strips around the funnel to keep the rag from falling in. It collects virtualy all the particulate matter out of the oil but it takes a little time. As for the food particles I pull out, I just throw those in my garden to let them biodegrade.
Where do you get your WVO? Do you follow any guidelines? I have done some research and am about to embark on this journey.
Currently I get my oil from my old job. They get rid of about 4 Gallons a week, which is more than enough for me since I rarely drive my car in the summer. Soon enough though, I will be pumping my oil from a couple area reastaurants' dumpsters. I don't follow any guidlines aside from keeping the ammount of veggie oil low in colder weather. Hopefully, by next summer I will be able to afford to get my processor hooked up so I can start making my own biodiesel from the WVO.
I checked out producing biodiesel myself and came to the conclusion that it's just to difficult and time consuming in order to do it properly. It also can be dangerous and literally unhealthy unless you follow specific safety precautions. I like the idea of adding good old WVO to your tank.
I checked out producing biodiesel myself and came to the conclusion that it's just to difficult and time consuming in order to do it properly. It also can be dangerous and literally unhealthy unless you follow specific safety precautions. I like the idea of adding good old WVO to your tank.
Are you aware that your time involvment in a batch of biodiesel would be less than five hours? Also, if you produce your own, it would cost you around $.60/gal. The only safety precautions you need to take to ensure that you don't suffer blindness or death are; Don't breath the methanol or sodium methoxide fumes, and don't allow methanol, lye, or sodium methoxide to touch your skin. Thats pretty basic, if you've ever taken a 200 level chemistry class you would have no problem with that. Honestly, it's not as hard or dangerous as a lot of people think. You can easily build a processor for $100 or less that allows you to perform the entire process without ever exposing yourself to any dangerous chemicals other than lye. You are right though, it is a lot easier to just mix some WVO right into your fuel tank and not worry about anything.
Just make sure you keep a few prefilters, a primary filter, and the tools to change them with you at all times. You will be able to keep the same primary filter through at least 3 prefilters. Just so you are aware, I didn't make it five miles after my first addition of WVO before my prefilter clogged.
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