My WVO conversion system
05-09-2011, 12:14 AM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
My WVO conversion system
Okay here it goes. I'm gonna try to document the installation of the WVO system I'm installing on my 93 Dodge Cummins. I've spent about 40 bazillion hours researching, designing, fabbing and installing. Enjoy!
I started out purchasing a used toolbox tank I found on Craigslist specifically designed and built for the Veggiestroke system for about a third of the cost of new.
Here's a pic of the fittings in the back of the tank:
I opted to build a tube in tube design to go between the tank and the engine compartment to minimize the exposure of fuel lines to the outdoor elements.
This will also help heat the fuel and eliminate any gelling in cold weather. I used 3/4" heater hose for the outside line that I bought at a local auto parts store and 3/8" aluminum fuel line tubing I bought here:
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Alumin...Line,1633.html
The coolant hose barb is 5/8", the brass tee is 3/4" and the the terminal end is 3/4" fnpt X 3/8" compression which had to have the the hole inside drilled out large enough for the 3/8" aluminum tubing to pass through.
Next I ran a 5/8" heater hose return line from the tank to the heater core return line.
I cut the factory hose close to the firewall with just enough free hose to slip in a hose barb fitting then replaced the other side with a piece of the hose I bought putting the factory piece in the glove box just in case I ever need to convert the truck back to factory. As you can see in the pic the hose runs fairly close to the exhaust manifold and the downpipe so I'll probably install a heat shield on it. I'll tackle that and document it later...
Next I installed a 3 way solenoid valve I bought here:
http://www.wvodesigns.com/wvo-conver...valve-12v.html
for the injector pump/line return line.
Short pieces of 5/16" rubber fuel line and hose clamps work great for splicing in the valve. Just slip the fuel line pieces over the factory plastic fuel line and secure with hose clamps. Cut the factory line with a utility knife about 1" below the hose barb fitting thats inside the factory line where it adapts from steel line to plastic and cut the other end of the factory line short enough to complete the splice without binding. These 3 way valves are the 1 inlet/2 outlet design so make sure you plumb the diesel outlet on the power off side and the WVO outlet on the power on side. Also make sure you prewire some 3 ft. leads before you install as it's very tight back in there.
Next I installed a standpipe and shutoff valve for the coolant pressure side.
There is a 1/2" NPT pipe plug next to the factory heater hose that I removed and installed a 4" black pipe nipple and elbow for the shutoff valve. Make sure you use teflon sealing compound on all pipe thread connections! This line goes to the heat exchanger/fuel filter that I bought here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=42604
I couldn't hardly build one of these myself for that price so being inherently lazy I opted to just purchase it. They also carry one with a thermostatically controlled glow plug that is used to speed up initial warm up in cold climates (That's the one I bought) Pictured here you can see I relocated my battery and mounted the HE and fuel pump
I turned the battery 90 degrees to allow more room for the HE and only required drilling hole in the battery tray for the hold down and splicing some longer leads on some accessory hot wires. The HE is mounted on a super fancy custom build bracket I built out of a scrap piece of angle iron. The needle valve to the right of the HE is used for bleeding air out of the system during filter changes. To the left you can see the fuel pump I bought here:
http://www.fuel-pumps.net/frb51.html...FRtKgwod0ntlHA
It's a Walbro FRB-5 which is the only fuel pump I found that is designed for Biodiesel and hot WVO. They are rated for a maximum temp of 140F so I have the WVO bypass going to the outlet side of this pump that way the pump only pumps what the engine consumes and any bypass fuel gets reheated and filtered. This pump is not very quiet so it should be mounted with rubber insulators between it and the body. It grounds off the body though so you may have to run a ground wire.
Coolant flow leaves the engine, past the shutoff valve to the bottom of the HE, out the top of the HE and to the tube in tube setup that goes to the tank.
Next I removed the banjo bold to the fuel line at the outlet side of the fuel filter (be careful not to loose the special washers that are on both sides of the banjo). Then I unhooked that line at the injector pump and removed it towards the front of the truck. I then took a pipe cutter and made a cut between the first and second bend by the injector pump fitting. slid a section of 5/16th" fuel line hose over each of the cut ends (after wire wheeling the paint off the outside of them) and reinstalled the banjo/fuel filter side first. The following pic shows how I turned the other section 180 degrees so both lines are now pointed towards the left side of the truck.
Next I installed a second 3 way solenoid valve shown here:
For this installation I spared no expense and used old rusty tie wire. You may opt for a more elaborate mounting system but at some point you've got to tell yourself "Okay this is just too fancy!" Also now the valve is sandwiched between two two coolant hoses... Need I say more? Notice that with this setup when you shut off to backflush there is only the WVO leftover in the injector pump and injector lines. On this setup the two outlets must now be used as inlets. You can also see I have a tee just before the WVO inlet. This serves many purposes but most importantly it goes to the recirculation solenoid valve for initial startup allowing WVO to circulate through the HE/filter system to eliminate temperature fluctuations during cold weather.
Here you can see the tube in tube plumbed into the fuel pump inlet (bottom) and HE unit.
You can also see the check valve I installed on the bypass line. I did this because of the design of the 3 way valve to prevent WVO being pumped into the diesel tank. At the bottom of the fuel pump you can see a tee with one port capped off. This is where the recirculation line plumbs into after all the lines have been bled of air.
Here's the whole sebang! My air bleed valve was leaking out the top so I had to replace it with a pipe plug for now. You can see just behind and to the right of the red intercooler boot the recirculation solenoid valve. This is a small 1/4" NPT inlet/outlet valve for preheating the system upon initial startup. This can be open and the pump can be running while you are waiting for your engine to reach full operating temperature. You can see the top of the HE has one of the four ports plugged off. Eventually I'm gonna install a temperature gauge probe there.
On a side note, if you install your WVO tank in the bed of the truck as I did make sure you protect the rubber hoses passing through the bed floor because it's sharp. I took an empty steel carb cleaner can and cut it open and cut 2 wide strips out of it with a pair of tin snips and wrapped the strips around the hose where they pass through the bed.
Tomorrow I'm going fishing so no updates ...
I started out purchasing a used toolbox tank I found on Craigslist specifically designed and built for the Veggiestroke system for about a third of the cost of new.
Here's a pic of the fittings in the back of the tank:
I opted to build a tube in tube design to go between the tank and the engine compartment to minimize the exposure of fuel lines to the outdoor elements.
This will also help heat the fuel and eliminate any gelling in cold weather. I used 3/4" heater hose for the outside line that I bought at a local auto parts store and 3/8" aluminum fuel line tubing I bought here:
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Alumin...Line,1633.html
The coolant hose barb is 5/8", the brass tee is 3/4" and the the terminal end is 3/4" fnpt X 3/8" compression which had to have the the hole inside drilled out large enough for the 3/8" aluminum tubing to pass through.
Next I ran a 5/8" heater hose return line from the tank to the heater core return line.
I cut the factory hose close to the firewall with just enough free hose to slip in a hose barb fitting then replaced the other side with a piece of the hose I bought putting the factory piece in the glove box just in case I ever need to convert the truck back to factory. As you can see in the pic the hose runs fairly close to the exhaust manifold and the downpipe so I'll probably install a heat shield on it. I'll tackle that and document it later...
Next I installed a 3 way solenoid valve I bought here:
http://www.wvodesigns.com/wvo-conver...valve-12v.html
for the injector pump/line return line.
Short pieces of 5/16" rubber fuel line and hose clamps work great for splicing in the valve. Just slip the fuel line pieces over the factory plastic fuel line and secure with hose clamps. Cut the factory line with a utility knife about 1" below the hose barb fitting thats inside the factory line where it adapts from steel line to plastic and cut the other end of the factory line short enough to complete the splice without binding. These 3 way valves are the 1 inlet/2 outlet design so make sure you plumb the diesel outlet on the power off side and the WVO outlet on the power on side. Also make sure you prewire some 3 ft. leads before you install as it's very tight back in there.
Next I installed a standpipe and shutoff valve for the coolant pressure side.
There is a 1/2" NPT pipe plug next to the factory heater hose that I removed and installed a 4" black pipe nipple and elbow for the shutoff valve. Make sure you use teflon sealing compound on all pipe thread connections! This line goes to the heat exchanger/fuel filter that I bought here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=42604
I couldn't hardly build one of these myself for that price so being inherently lazy I opted to just purchase it. They also carry one with a thermostatically controlled glow plug that is used to speed up initial warm up in cold climates (That's the one I bought) Pictured here you can see I relocated my battery and mounted the HE and fuel pump
I turned the battery 90 degrees to allow more room for the HE and only required drilling hole in the battery tray for the hold down and splicing some longer leads on some accessory hot wires. The HE is mounted on a super fancy custom build bracket I built out of a scrap piece of angle iron. The needle valve to the right of the HE is used for bleeding air out of the system during filter changes. To the left you can see the fuel pump I bought here:
http://www.fuel-pumps.net/frb51.html...FRtKgwod0ntlHA
It's a Walbro FRB-5 which is the only fuel pump I found that is designed for Biodiesel and hot WVO. They are rated for a maximum temp of 140F so I have the WVO bypass going to the outlet side of this pump that way the pump only pumps what the engine consumes and any bypass fuel gets reheated and filtered. This pump is not very quiet so it should be mounted with rubber insulators between it and the body. It grounds off the body though so you may have to run a ground wire.
Coolant flow leaves the engine, past the shutoff valve to the bottom of the HE, out the top of the HE and to the tube in tube setup that goes to the tank.
Next I removed the banjo bold to the fuel line at the outlet side of the fuel filter (be careful not to loose the special washers that are on both sides of the banjo). Then I unhooked that line at the injector pump and removed it towards the front of the truck. I then took a pipe cutter and made a cut between the first and second bend by the injector pump fitting. slid a section of 5/16th" fuel line hose over each of the cut ends (after wire wheeling the paint off the outside of them) and reinstalled the banjo/fuel filter side first. The following pic shows how I turned the other section 180 degrees so both lines are now pointed towards the left side of the truck.
Next I installed a second 3 way solenoid valve shown here:
For this installation I spared no expense and used old rusty tie wire. You may opt for a more elaborate mounting system but at some point you've got to tell yourself "Okay this is just too fancy!" Also now the valve is sandwiched between two two coolant hoses... Need I say more? Notice that with this setup when you shut off to backflush there is only the WVO leftover in the injector pump and injector lines. On this setup the two outlets must now be used as inlets. You can also see I have a tee just before the WVO inlet. This serves many purposes but most importantly it goes to the recirculation solenoid valve for initial startup allowing WVO to circulate through the HE/filter system to eliminate temperature fluctuations during cold weather.
Here you can see the tube in tube plumbed into the fuel pump inlet (bottom) and HE unit.
You can also see the check valve I installed on the bypass line. I did this because of the design of the 3 way valve to prevent WVO being pumped into the diesel tank. At the bottom of the fuel pump you can see a tee with one port capped off. This is where the recirculation line plumbs into after all the lines have been bled of air.
Here's the whole sebang! My air bleed valve was leaking out the top so I had to replace it with a pipe plug for now. You can see just behind and to the right of the red intercooler boot the recirculation solenoid valve. This is a small 1/4" NPT inlet/outlet valve for preheating the system upon initial startup. This can be open and the pump can be running while you are waiting for your engine to reach full operating temperature. You can see the top of the HE has one of the four ports plugged off. Eventually I'm gonna install a temperature gauge probe there.
On a side note, if you install your WVO tank in the bed of the truck as I did make sure you protect the rubber hoses passing through the bed floor because it's sharp. I took an empty steel carb cleaner can and cut it open and cut 2 wide strips out of it with a pair of tin snips and wrapped the strips around the hose where they pass through the bed.
Tomorrow I'm going fishing so no updates ...
05-10-2011, 09:58 PM
#3
Registered User
I need my bed space so I cant run a tank there. Dont want to deal with DOT inspection hassles or potential for fines trying to negotiate the red tape in my state. Id prefer to mount the tank(s) under the bed somewhere.
Also thinking about adding propane which might be able to go where the spare sits.
I thought about mounting some spun aluminum tanks on the sides between the cab and the rear wheel, but Id need to modify them a bit to put in baffles, heating coils and pickup / return lines. If I had a TIG welder Id be all over that.
I tried making some WVO tanks from plastic boat tanks but theyre just not sturdy enough to feel safe on the truck so I took them out.
Also thinking about adding propane which might be able to go where the spare sits.
I thought about mounting some spun aluminum tanks on the sides between the cab and the rear wheel, but Id need to modify them a bit to put in baffles, heating coils and pickup / return lines. If I had a TIG welder Id be all over that.
I tried making some WVO tanks from plastic boat tanks but theyre just not sturdy enough to feel safe on the truck so I took them out.
05-11-2011, 12:13 AM
#4
Registered User
Thread Starter
your could mount a tank where the spare is and build a flip down license plate or find a vehicle with a similar sized rear bumper that already has a flip down license plate for that stealth capability. you can add a touch of food coloring to WVO to make it match diesel as well.
05-12-2011, 12:01 AM
#5
Registered User
Thread Starter
Well apparently I can't add to my original post anymore so I'll have to start again here.
I started the next step by building a control panel out of a scrap piece of stainless
Here you can see I have a switch for everything except the photon torpedos... This way during initial startup I can turn on the pump and recirculation valve to start heating up the system. If it's cold out or real slow to get to temperature I can turn on the auxiliary heater (glow plug heater). The WVO switch, which activates the 3 way valves, I bought at harbor freight tools and has an LED light on the end that way at night I don't forget to turn off the system. Later I'm gonna add an LED light that will go out when the system is up to operating temperature. I'll document that later.
The wiring in back looks like this.
The top four terminals I'll run to the hot leads on each of the components and the bottom four I will splice together to a 10 gauge primary wire that will run directly to the battery. Make sure you add a weatherproof inline fuse right before the battery connection. I installed a relay for the preheater as it requires 10 amps but is not necessary for anything else as the solenoids only require 1 amp and the pump operates on 2.4 amps.
I started the next step by building a control panel out of a scrap piece of stainless
Here you can see I have a switch for everything except the photon torpedos... This way during initial startup I can turn on the pump and recirculation valve to start heating up the system. If it's cold out or real slow to get to temperature I can turn on the auxiliary heater (glow plug heater). The WVO switch, which activates the 3 way valves, I bought at harbor freight tools and has an LED light on the end that way at night I don't forget to turn off the system. Later I'm gonna add an LED light that will go out when the system is up to operating temperature. I'll document that later.
The wiring in back looks like this.
The top four terminals I'll run to the hot leads on each of the components and the bottom four I will splice together to a 10 gauge primary wire that will run directly to the battery. Make sure you add a weatherproof inline fuse right before the battery connection. I installed a relay for the preheater as it requires 10 amps but is not necessary for anything else as the solenoids only require 1 amp and the pump operates on 2.4 amps.
05-12-2011, 11:18 AM
#6
Chapter President
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: misplaced Idahoan stuck in Albuquerque, Roughneckin on RIG 270
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don't drink any alchohol when wiring this up since they are all the same color 
oh and do yourself a HUGE favor. don't run the switches straight to the battery. install some relays. let the relays take the load
only playin
oh and do yourself a HUGE favor. don't run the switches straight to the battery. install some relays. let the relays take the load
only playin
05-14-2011, 10:46 PM
#7
Registered User
Thread Starter
Hey Cbrahs, I do my best work when I've been drinking!
After the wiring was hooked up I installed the control panel.
Here's how it looks! Easy to read. Easy to access without taking your eyes off the road and no wires showing! Note the LED light in the bottom middle. this is hooked to a thermosensor on the top of the HE that shuts off the auxillary heater when fluid temperatures reach 180F If the light turns off without the aux. heater I know the coolant HE is adequate.
Next I need to setup a filtration system.
This is what I have so far. The steel barrel is an open top design that has a set of barrel strainers I bought here: http://cgi.ebay.com/5-55-Gallon-Barr...item35a7ec32cd
This is a set of 5 barrel strainers that are 75, 100, 200, 400 and 600 microns that you stack on top of one another. The steel barrel is also elevated with cinder blocks to allow my turkey fryer burner underneath to preheat my oil to 100 degrees before additional filtering. Once it reaches 100F I can turn on the pump and the oil flows to the series of filters you see here. The first is a Goldenrod waterblock filter and the next two are 25 micron and 5 micron filters. From there it can be pumped directly into my trucks auxillary tank or stored in these 55 gallon barrels.
Well there you have it. Now All I have to do is wrap some insulation around all the lines and HE and fill my tank with some filtered oil and its off to wherever!
After the wiring was hooked up I installed the control panel.
Here's how it looks! Easy to read. Easy to access without taking your eyes off the road and no wires showing! Note the LED light in the bottom middle. this is hooked to a thermosensor on the top of the HE that shuts off the auxillary heater when fluid temperatures reach 180F If the light turns off without the aux. heater I know the coolant HE is adequate.
Next I need to setup a filtration system.
This is what I have so far. The steel barrel is an open top design that has a set of barrel strainers I bought here: http://cgi.ebay.com/5-55-Gallon-Barr...item35a7ec32cd
This is a set of 5 barrel strainers that are 75, 100, 200, 400 and 600 microns that you stack on top of one another. The steel barrel is also elevated with cinder blocks to allow my turkey fryer burner underneath to preheat my oil to 100 degrees before additional filtering. Once it reaches 100F I can turn on the pump and the oil flows to the series of filters you see here. The first is a Goldenrod waterblock filter and the next two are 25 micron and 5 micron filters. From there it can be pumped directly into my trucks auxillary tank or stored in these 55 gallon barrels.
Well there you have it. Now All I have to do is wrap some insulation around all the lines and HE and fill my tank with some filtered oil and its off to wherever!
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05-18-2011, 01:15 AM
#8
Registered User
Thread Starter
Update to my WVO conversion
Well finally took it out for it's maiden voyage on straight WVO. Hit the interstate and set the cruise at 65, flipped the switch and nothing. Couldn't feel any difference or hear any difference. Drove about 10 miles and pulled over to check everything out and the first thing I noticed was how much quieter it idles! No more rattling! Exhaust smells like a truck stop restaurant! Still pulls hills nicely. Thought about checking my fuel economy but why! Other than the cost of filters It costs me nothing, nada, zip, zilch, zero, the big fat OOOOOO! Woo Hoo! Checked the temp of the oil entering the injectors and it's between 146 and 158F! Perfect!
05-31-2011, 11:15 PM
#11
Registered User
You might keep an eye on the aluminum fuel line. I would be very concerned with the vibration and about a movement causing the line to crack or fracture. My two cents, Mike.
06-01-2011, 02:01 AM
#12
Registered User
Thread Starter
You obviously aren't running a WVO system. If you did you'd know that the aluminum fuel line was inside a 3/4" coolant line. Only about an inch of it sticks outside of it and it's encapsulated by a 3/8" rubber fuel hose.
Oh and Santa? Could I get a new fishing pole for Christmas???
Oh and Santa? Could I get a new fishing pole for Christmas???
06-01-2011, 06:58 AM
#13
Registered User
I agree with Santa, you should keep an eye on the aluminum tubing. Fatigues easily.
06-20-2011, 01:40 AM
#15
Registered User
Thread Starter
Update to conversion
Well I have my first issue running WVO. Not sure if it was caused from running WVO or if it's just a side effect. Lately I've noticed that the idle speed seems way lower on WVO than diesel plus if I shut off the truck on WVO to run in the store or something then try to restart it it won't start on WVO Even if engine is at full operation temp and the WVO is hot! Any suggestions? Could this be a weak injector pump? Drives fine and has plenty of power but acts like it's starved for fuel at idle. Fuel pump and filter are new.