This is especially for folks like Fiverbob. Maybe a new sideline and save on the high cost of diesel.

A discovery inspired by a university student's native Samoa could be the answer to some of the country's fuel problems.
A Samoan-born Auckland university student Dominic Schwalger has discovered coconut oil will run a diesel engine.
He hopes his discovery will be used in the islands to improve people's lives.
"I hope it will be useful for people in rural villages. I hope they take it up and use the oil for diesel generators and water pumps," he says.
Schwalger and fellow student Penaia Rogoiumari discovered coconut as a source of fuel during a third year mechanical engineering project at the University of Auckland.
Initially they tested coconut oil blended with diesel but eventually ran the engine on pure coconut oil.
No modifications were made to the engine and over a year the pair have used 20 litres of coconut oil on their experiments.
Making coconut oil is a simple process, Mr Schwalger says.
"In essence the white flesh of the coconut is dried out, then pressed to release the oil.
"What we have shown is that without any modification to either the oil or the engine you can use it as an alternative fuel," he says.
The 28-year-old grew up in Samoa but lives with his aunt in the south Auckland suburb of Manurewa.
He became interested in cars and mechanics at an early age because his father is a panelbeater. As a teenager, he helped out in his father's workshop during the school holidays.
He came to New Zealand in 1997 and completed a diploma of mechanical engineering in Wellington.
He returned to Samoa to work then came back to New Zealand to study at Auckland University.
He hopes to get a job in the engineering sector here or back in Samoa.

 

Rudolf Diesel developed the engine that was later called Diesel engine for one purpose- burning vegetable oils in less developed countries to reduce their dependency of coal.... Later it was found that you can run the Diesel with a by-product of the refining process when extracting gasoiline and petroleum from the crude oil. Since this was cheaper than veggie oils in the developed countries it was used...

Just my 2c

AlpineRAM

 

Mmmmmmm.....a diesel powered truck that smells like a Piña-Colada......

The best of both worlds.

 

Add a bit of alcohol to the coconut oil and it should go like stink ......
(Sorry could not help that one)

 

I will take a 34 gal Pina Colada to go please!

 

and teh exhaust makes a good sun-block/tanning lotion?

 

Lary already does that. He stands butt naked at the tail pipe while his wife revs it...he does a dainty spin for a few minutes to get a nice shiney coating and he is good to go with a sunscreen that smells oh so nice.
You should see how shiney his LEGS are after that...but do not worry, if you are anywhere near him, he will tell you; "LOOK AT MY LEGS! LOOK AT MY LEGS!"


How do I know? He got us kicked out of a hotel yelling that through the wall from his room.

Scotty

 

T M I !!!!!!!!!!

 

There are some things in life that you can't Un-see

Britt

 

Aw the whole idea sounds nutty to me!

However, back before the spark plug was invented, gasoline was a by-product of oil. Lubricating oil and fuel oil was refined and the by-product, gasoline, was disposed of by pouring it out in the desert to evaporate. There was as of yet no use for it.

 

AlpineRam,
Rudolf Diesel designed his first engine to run on coal dust because it was cheap and readily available in his area. That was the true beauty of his design: that it could run on whatever fuel was around. vegetable oil in the corn belt, coconut oil in the tropics, coal oil in the mountains. His biggest challenges revolved around the injection pump. Not unlike today.