used oil
 

if i run say 1 to 4 ratio of used oil to diesel, it shouldn't hurt anything, as long as its filtered fairly well and dosen't have anything besides oil/tranny fluid in it right?? the reason i ask is because i added almost 4 gallons to my tank and saved myself 11 dollars in fuel cost, i can get clean used oil by the 5 gallon buckets all week long, it just smokes some more and with the LSD and ULSD fuel i think it would help with pump lubrication.[coffee]

1:4 seems pretty high, but I sure could be wrong. That would be cool to use though, with prices of diesel so high these days.

actually more like 1 to 5, 4 gallons of oil to 20+ gallons of diesel. that probably gave me 50+ miles on this tank for free.

As long as mileage doesn't suffer.

What would be the best way to filter the used oil? I got MANY 5-gal buckets of used oil just sitting in my barn that Id love to get rid of in cost effective manner.

Will any used oil do? Cause all of what I got is out of our only gas vehicle and little ford 8n.

The Cummins oil burner recommendation was 5%, so that's a way high concentration you're talking about there. You're running the risk of prematurely wearing out the lift pump and clogging the fuel filter if you don't filter it really good. Here's my used oil filter. Uses a roll of toilet paper as the filter element and the used oil comes out the bottom clean as new, particulate-wise:

http://72.19.150.167/PhotoAlbum/Cars/Pics/Filter.jpg

It's nothing more than about $20 worth of PVC, clamps, glue and scraps.

i am gonna build my own filter, something like that, if you do pour it straight into the tank, let the last couple inches stay in the bucket so you dont get any junk.

I was thinking of taking a long PVC pipe 18" or so and stuffing one end with 6-8 inches of toilet paper. I mean stuffing it real tight so that the oil takes several minutes to run through. Hows that sound?

It takes about three days to filter a gallon through mine. Slower is generally better for filtration purposes.

I just dump it in and let the fuel filter do it's job. As long as it starts and runs ok I see no problem with 4 to 1.

Edwin

I just ran 3 gallons of my used stuff with no ill effects... brings my mileage to 28.4mpg that I pay for... I also just let the fuel filter do its thing. I would prob filter oil that was given to you, but be sure it is from a close friend so that you klnow there isn't any other oils that may be added into the bucket (i.e. gear oil, antifreeze and such). Anywa, happy burnin...Jake

this stuff is coming out of good trucks and tractors, nothing i really have to worry about, just regular 4,000 mile oil. it sure smokes alot more though, but i like that. once i get to florida i am gonna set up a tank with a hand pump and filter so i can make it cleaner and easier to empty into the truck.

I agree.

I know of several Ford/Internationals that are burning waste-oil 100% with no issues.

I would be hesitant to use old oil from anywhere but my own stuff, as they will dump brake-fluid, transmission fluid, anti-freeze, and tobacco-spit in with the used oil.

I pour mine through one of those paper paint filters, to get out any clumps of gunk.

Then, I scavenged the filter-holder from a MR COFFEE, and pour the oil through a coffee-filter, before pouring it in my tank.

It takes about two days for a gallon to go through a new coffee filter.

After a gallon, the filter will nearly stop flowing at all.

Does anyone know the "MICRON" rating for coffee filters ??

BK, ther reason your coffee filter runs slow is not because it is getting a low micron rating, it because it is CLOGGED. There no depth to a coffee filter. After the first few minutes the surface is covered with whatever it catches and it clogs.

all the guys i will be getting it from are my good friends, they keep the oil "clean" cause they use it for starting fires. transmission fluid really wouldnt hurt, its actually pretty high sulphur.

Compare the nomial rating of your oil filter and the rating of your fuel filter.

Just wondering why it needs to be clean to start fires.

so they know it wont combust if there is gas or something else explosive in it cause they use it to heat the shop but in the summer its useless to keep so much around so i am going to start using it.


update: truck still running fine, hazes when it sets and idles, i just added another 4 gallons today with my fill up (thanks KB440), i will probably change my oil this weekend and go ahead and dump my oil in the tank, so far in 2 weeks ive saved 23 dollars and kept 8 gallons of oil from being spilt into our water supply, i need a 55 gallon drum to store my oil in now, see, i do my part for the enviroment, i think the 50 foot plume of black smoke out of the tail pipe kinda equals it all out though.

Will running used oil cause fuel filters to get clogged more frequently?
If a trooper was to dip my tank and see that my fuel is black and that Im using used oil, can the EPA bust my head?
What about used synthetic oil?

Normally, used oil contains varying amounts of particulate matter up to and somewhat larger than the full flow filter's nominal micron rating. I say "normally," because there are a few exceptions where the engine or equipment type, bypass filters and some cleaner-running modern engines for example, will mitigate this. Used diesel oil is "normally" loaded with soot in the <1 to 20 micron range. The range of partical size is directly proportional to the length of time it has been run due the soot's tendency to agglomerate over time with increased solution concentration.

In any case, "clean" is not a term I would ever choose to describe used motor oil of any kind. But apart from that, I'm sure the 12 valve 5.9s will run it just fine at very high fuel concentration levels and/or containing large amounts of insolubles. just expect to see shorter fuel filter and lift pump life, at least with the piston pumps. The diaphragm pump is not going to be affected by it.

I don't know about the fuel systems in the 24v and newer trucks, but common sense would seem to imply that used oil is going to be a no-no, at least in raw, unfiltered form.

If they find your fuel isn't clear, brownish or green they will test it for dye. No red dye, no problem even if the fuel is red from something else.

People I know who have tried running synthetic oil said it smokes badly. This indicates to me that it doesn't burn well.

i am going to "wash" the tank with diesel next week and not put any oil in it, just so i dont get a huge buildup of oil in it.

I put 3 paint strainers on top of each other, strain it through those, then take 2-3 gallons of the oil and put it in a 5 gallon gas can. Then I add 2 gallons of diesel then mix it up real good, pour it in, then fill er up. mixes it in very nicely I believe.

i am going to spend a little money this weekend and get something set up for a filter.

saved 9 bucks this week, ive saved 33 dollars so far and burnt 11 gallons of oil.

I have run waste oil in several of my diesels. In my 1st gen I ran it in concentrations of up to and including 100%. It always ran just the same. I never ran any ATF just used engine oil and very old heating oil. The best mileage I ever got with my Mercedes diesel was on a waste oil mix.

A reasonable prefilter is a 5 gallon bucket with a piece of acrylon canvas over the top and pushed down to make a bowl or funnel shape. Mount a valve on the side of the bucket, down low. Any water or contaminants that get through the filter will settle on the bucket floor. Pour the oil on to the canvas and let it strain through. Then open the valve and fill a can to get it to the tank. Leave the bucket sitting on a workbench so it won't get moved and stir the contaminants.

I did plug one fuel filter on the 1st gen but I can't say it was the waste oil, might have been. Keep a filter handy and you'll be fine.

A lot of naysayers are ready to claim it will hurt the engine but I've never seen any evidence that it does. It really is a pretty common practice and is fun if you have a convenient source. Most engines get new oil at about 3-5000 miles and the oil is still pretty clean. I worry most about hard steel material such a gear hard facing and dirt from the drain pan.

The best ratio would probably be about a 50-50 mix with fuel max to keep the viscosity down and a 2 or 5 micron spin on extra fuel filter. This would be easy to change if needed and would keep out the worst contaminants.



John

[laugh] [laugh] Good one, I was wondering that too (and I have burned many a gallon of old oil to start brush piles burning). [laugh] [laugh]

ever seen a fire blow a door of a wood stove????? it will if there gas in the oil.

Cheap easy oil flilter
 

Waste, used oil bucket up high, large diameter hemp rope end in the bucket. Other end of rope in filtered oil bucket below the level of the used oil bucket. Capilary action will work the old oil out of the waste bucket and drip down in the clean oil bucket. It is a very slow process, but works well.

There have been other posts on running Motor Oil. Cummins has something in the book about burning it, a set limit per tank with Gen 2. I would go with that. Given that Oil is not meant to cleanly burn, I believe there are issues. Soot & conatminates are not good for LP & VP, amoung other things.
You should be asking what are the down sides to doing this? Screwing up VP's, injectors and filters are all possible downsides. These motors are expensive to fix. So, is it worth it?
For what we have paid for these trucks, in my opinion, No.

Interesting reading, I burn around 1500 gal of used oil in shop, reznor waste oil heater.
Usualy have to clean heater 2 to 3 times each season, the trash from heater will fill a 5 gal bucket.

Good luck with your pumps and injectors.

Concerning running oil, it's easy to think up things that "might" go wrong and give examples of why they might. But it's still a fact that a lot of people run waste oil and Cummins and Mercedes even have guidlines or have had guidlines for doing it. Many fishing boats just dump the oil into the fuel tank. I have number of friends that ran it in their boats and cars a few years ago when I was really into it.

I have run my share in all different percentages up to 100%, and in different engines, with no ill effects. Nor have I ever seen any problems that others may have had. My experience is with various mechanical injection engines. I have some concerns too and don't currently run it in my '04. Part of this decision is based on not having a good source and not wanting the hassle of prefiltering and storing. The oil I'm talking about is non synthetic waste engine oil. In the '04 I have no concerns at all with running 2 stroke, new lube oil, or other additives in reasonaable ratios. I really doubt that 100% new lube oil would cause any more problems than reduced power because of increased viscosity, but I have no proof of that.

I think it's best to lay out the facts and let each person make up their mind rather than throw out a big scare based on nothing but uneducated guesses. If someone runs it and has damage I want to know it and will factor that into my own decisions. So if someone has had damage from oil please speak up and join the conversation. Also, I'd like more info from those that do run it. How'd it go?

It seems a little bizarre at first glance and there are good reasons to think it might be a bad idea (dirt, combustion products and metal come to mind), but has it hurt an engine? That's the real question. Don't run it if you have any concerns, but it may not be a good idea to try to talk others out of doing something that cannot be shown to cause damage. If it can be shown let's hear it, we'll all benefit.


John

id never run used oil in a 24 valve cause of the injection pump, no other reason, i dont trust VP44's, too many people with problems, that is why i am leary about getting a 24 valve. im gonna start collecting used oil for my trip to florida in about 35 days.