dieselluvr

Well fixed the problem. Breather tube for the tank was plugged with ants or an ant nest. Apparently ants LOVE WVO. So alls well in WVO land.

dieselluvr

New update. Have about 2000 miles on WVO so far with no problems other than the ants... I finally got around to checking my fuel economy on WVO and driving back and forth to work (3000 foot elevation change) and I got 17.2 MPG which is pretty good for a 3/4 ton extended cab 4X4!

AUGIE DOG

OK!I will ask the question.Where are you getting the VO? Restaurant owners have to be wising up by now knowing that a bunch of diesel heads want their waste. Is there a source for just bulk soybean,canola,rapeseed etc,etc. oil?

dieselluvr

I put ads on craigslist, local papers and collect some from individuals trying to "do their part to save the world" by recycling their WVO from their frydaddy and one of the area grease trap cleaners supplies me with about 50 gallons a week for 50 cents a gallon. I also have found a few mom and pop grocery stores and gas stations with a fryer that I buy their oil from at 50 cents a gallon.

The big rendering companies probably don't pay anything for their service but they also have a big dumpster that they can just pour into rather than having to carefully try to get it back into the original containers. Some other VO burners in the area have set up customers with 55 gallon barrels to collect in. It's messy and kinda a PITA and that's why most people won't bother but I have the real estate for doing it and so far it's worth it.

dieselluvr

Update: I ended up installing a bleeder system after the fuel filter that removes any air from the fuel that ties into the WVO bypass line that now goes back to the WVO tank. I did this because I was still having problems with a really low idle while running on WVO. I also had to replace my Walboro frb5 because the motor burned out of it.

I currently am living with the fact that it idles low on WVO. Maybe something wrong with the injector pump. Who knows but I can run about 1500 miles and only use a half a tank of diesel so it's saving me a ton of money. I've currently got about 5,000 miles on
WVO with no problems other than the low idle and my engine oil still looks pretty clean so that's good.

I'm gonna probably experiment with mixing 10% gasolene to the WVO in order to reduce the viscocity to see if that fixes my idle problem.

macattack_ga

This is common. You can bump the idle up or someone somewhere suggested using an A/C idle solenoid to bump the idle up when running WVO.

dieselluvr

Oh sure! Now you tell me! Actually I was gonna do the AC solenoid setup but since steel prices went through the roof it's really hard to find parts cars/trucks around here. What I've been doing is blending 10 parts WVO with 1 part gas to thin it out some which seems to be working well. Though I've noticed that it will cause absolutely all impurities to settle out including fat solids that would normally stay suspended. So... to minimize filter clogging I've been having to premix in a barrel that I welded a bung on the bottom and drain out the impurities after 24 hours. Probably gonna do a new thread on this procedure once I've got it mastered to help out others.

Other than that I've been using the truck to commute to jobs and can usually travel between 600 and 1500 miles before I use up a half tank of diesel (I always refill the diesel tank once it hits the half way mark). Went to the coast this weekend and probably traveled 400 miles and maybe used a half gallon of diesel.

dieselluvr

Well thought I'd throw in an update. I have approximately 14,000 on the WVO. No leaks, no clogged filters, no loss of power, no cold starting problems (down to 25F) and no way I'm running on diesel alone again. If I can run like this for a total of 30K I will have paid for the truck and all the mods I've added.

brcron007

HI How has the wvo rig been doin so far ? Have you had any more issues ? Thanks, Ron

dieselluvr

Update: Modified my original design. relocated my fuel pump (Airdog Raptor) and fuel filter to the inside of the toolbox compartment of my heated toolbox tank. VERY happy with this setup! Makes my engine compartment look clean and roomy again. I've acquired approximately 35,000 miles so far on this truck running on WVO dragging my 32' fifth wheel around the state for work and play. Truck always runs flawlessly. Did a Blackstone oil analysis after 12k and again after 11K and reports were excellent with the oil "retaining most of it's lubricating qualities even after extended use with WVO" while using plain ol' Mobil Delvac 15w-40. So... I'm saving money on fuel and I don't have to change the oil nearly as often. Hard to beat that with a stick!

brcron007

Could you post pics of how you modified your system, from your original design. I'm in the process of building a crew cab CTD conversion. I'm also using your set-up as a template (Copy cat) for my wvo conversion. I think it is a gem of an example. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Ron

dieselluvr

Well I've got maybe 70-80K on WVO only. My IP just ceased on me (while running on diesel). One of the main springs broke (Apparently a common cause of failure in the VE pump). So... while the pump is getting rebuilt I decided to replace my injectors with some performance ones since the stock ones have 200K on them and have been told that the new performance ones are much more efficient and should help proper spray patterns with WVO (to be determined) So I pulled my stock injectors and they look freakingly clean! One has rust on the outside which would explain the high sodium and potassium presence in my Blackstone Lab results suggesting an antifreeze leak in the head at the #6 cyl. So for all you skeptics about coking while running (proper)mix and/or SVO in a well designed system, here are the pics to prove otherwise! Also here's a pic of my toolbox tank pump and filter setup.

dieselluvr

Another update. Had my injectors tested at Pacific Injection in Portland,OR. they said they are in great shape so I decided to just put them back in. What the heck right? If it aint broke, don't fix it.

greenghost45

Hi;
Very complete documentation and writeup, well done!

I converted my 97 Dodge 12 v about 2 years ago but have not put on as many veg miles as you. I had some teething problems with fuel starvation and cannot always access enough supply of veg.

My veg filter is currently mounted under the hood but I have been tempted to move it to the truck box next to my veg fuel tank. I have a heated fuel pickup (Hot Fox) as well as coolant heated filter and a final in-line electric heater. Most of the parts came from Plant Drive. I also have a flat plate HE that I am still planning to install but have not yet. Like you, my idle is slower on veg.

Apparently, you have had no trouble with the veg filter mounted in the fuel tank box? How did you measure the fuel temperature to the injectors? (you said 146 to 158F, as I recall). I am planning on installing a small digital temperature gauge for fuel temperature, between the fuel filter and the injector pump.

Thanks again for posting your experiences!

dieselluvr

Sorry for the Slow response. I pull over somewhere along the freeway and shoot the injector tops with a digital pyrometer's lazer. Best way to determine actual driving temps which are quite lower than at idle. In fact if you pull over and wait 5 minutes the temps (or mine anyways) will raise 15-20 degrees.