What are the opinions on whats best and most cost effective. Home brewing biodiesel or installing a conversion kit and running used cooking oil?

 

I'd say Bio is the way to go.

 

With 5 years of production and 6000+ gallons made, my vote is biodiesel.

Big reasons: no need for an extra tank, no excessive filtering of cold, thick oil, bio blends with D2 in any ratio so there's no danger of being caught away from home low on fuel, and it produces no coking even if combustion temps are low.

Dewatering and filtering WVO is as messy as (or messier than) processing bio, and I've NEVER seen a WVO car that wasn't wearing the evidence of its fuel somewhere in the form of sticky, congealed veggie oil. Lastly, there is no complicated two-tank system with its engine coolant heated fuel lines and filter system and failure prone switching valves.

I live happily with bio's down side of needing to buy methanol, play with dangerous lye, and mix it all up while trying to avoid breathing the fumes.

 

would like an X3 answer...yep I'd go with biodiesel.

if you convert the truck..what will you do the next one?
with biodiesel you convert the fuel..well made it should run in any diesel.

-dkenny

 

I'm for the Bio-diesel also...

 

I've spent the last 4+ yrs. looking into this , and would never consider the veg. conv. , even though there are many that have used the veg. conv. , there is lots of data showing many issue's with its use as a fuel .
I would rather spend the money on what is left at home [ processor + what ever issues ] than have the conversion equipment on the truck + the issue's on the road with me .
Its hard to put together a inexpensive conversion on truck , as compared to build a processor at home for less money .

 

i have been running 20-40% wvo in a 3rd gen for over 50,000 miles now with no issues. the reason i chose this route is that with bio u have to process it then u have to get rid of has chems. with my setup u just filter the wvo and pour it in. 30degrees to 45- 20%, above 45 20=30% and when the temps hit 70 and above i have run as high as 40-45% with no trouble.this is easy and lowers my fuel cost 20-40%. i drive a lot though and maby this would not be good for someone who did not reach 190-200degrees engine temp most of the time. just my .02 worth... i do cut my wvo with 3-5% rug or kero. and use power service...

 

there are pros and cons to both approaches
The veg conversion means you dont need much more than the conversion itself and the equipment to filter and de-water the oil. You dont need to keep buying chemicals or use lots of electricity. Downside is you have to use this on a hot engine, a long trip and during the warm weather. You risk damage otherwise. The risk is greater when you use it on electronic pumps like the VP44 or higher pressure setups like the cp3. Risk may be greater on heavily-fueled trucks. Theres not much info that I can find on this though.
biodiesel can be used for short trips. It can pour right into the tank. It needs to be processed with chemicals. Needs washing, drying and filtering. youre left with a waste product to dispose of which may or may not be benign if dumped. might be a possibility of problems on high pressure systems.
Most of the horror stories you hear on both fuels are due to poor processing, filtering and drying. Water eats injector tips and pumps. Soaps that settle out of bad fuel will clog filters. long-term incomplete burn of veggie oil on a cold motor can cause ring coking and fuel washdown into the crankcase.
Do your homework and figure out which is best for you

 

WVO here.
But, I drive the truck on longer trips so 2nd tank and the range it affords is a good thing. Also, heating the fuel and purging is not much of an issue on longer trips. With my system, I can cut off the heat and fill the 2nd tank with Dino or BioD.

How will you use the truck?
Shorter trips = BioD
Longer trips = WVO

My $0.02

 

I think you have said it best!

 

I have been making my own B100 for truck and wife's Jetta for 4 years and STILL can't decide if I want to convert one or both vehicles. Let's say that a setup for WVO in the rig costs about the same as a make-your-own processor. Now we are down to production costs. My estimate is ~$1 a gallon for time and money to get the oil down at the greasy-spoon restaurant and another $1 per gallon to turn it into B100. Say $2000 for a setup either way. I'd have to drive the truck 30000 miles to break even. Whereas I could sell it tomorrow and put B100 in the new ride. So far, no WVO for me, but I am constantly thinking of how to make B100 faster and easier!

 

Hey guys, I'm running a 97 3500 flat bed, and I'm setting up for making wvo. I have an external 35 gallon steel tank, and 2 55 drums for filtering my wvo. I will be using 2 deisel oil filters as my filtering media, and have to figure out how to get rid of the water efficiently. I would appreciate any links to wvo equipment, and also any bio D sites that you guys have used and TRUST. Thanks. Scott R.

 

Definately WVO. Once converted it's so much faster to process fuel. You can convert a truck easily for about $1500 or less. You don't loose any performance or fuel economy like you will with B100. Here's a recommended diagram for you: