Ok, so Ive read and read and read. Pros cons etc of wvo, blends, etc. I wanted to start running wvo with heated system but after reading and well you get the point.

Simple question: Should I avoid using straight wvo and make a biodiesel set up?


thanks

lewis

 

With your "96" It wouldn't be a problem with a heated tank system.

 

Now you're gonna make me start second guessing

 

There is lots of info now showing that it is a short term thing .
Sooner or later [ too many variables ] you end up shorting the life of fuel system , engine .
By the time you get set up with the best way to use WVO, SVO as fuel , its easy to spend much less on processing equipment , then just fill & drive , I would rather do all the work at home [ processing ] than the hassle of the 2 tank system on the road .
And you still need to filter / clean , dewater , separately at home anyway .
The short answer is do not run , WVO , SVO , except to make bio from .

 

The only short term things that I read about are the folks that are mixing SVO and other things (diesel, kero, gas, and what ever else) striaght in the tank and not using a secondary heated fuel system. There are folks with well over 100,000mi. on SVO conversions.
Now that being said my friend has been running 50% diesel with 50% SVO for about 3 years in his "95" the summer only. He runs it very hard towing daily. Truck runs the same with or with out other than being quieter. Not sure what his long term effects are going to be and he dosen't care. (He is a mechanic)

 

Way I see it with a done right WVO system the "processing plant" is in your truck's bed. With a Bio system the plant is in your garage or backyard.
If you have the room to do it in your garage you're much better off making BD from your WVO.
Big advantage with BD over WVO is you don't have to wait for the system to warm up nor remember to flush the system before shutdown.

 

Thanks Infidel. Currently I'm using a 30% blend and I'm not a mechanic capable of rebuilding my beloved in line 6. I think I'll build a processor and do the bio thing. As I speak I'm installing a 12 valve into My 2001 F350. If I break the motor in my Dodge before the Fummins is ready my wife will not let me visit this site anymore.

Biodiesel it is. I think I'll sleep a little better now

 

Not exactly. Biodiesel requires chemicals purchased separately--methanol and lye--whereas WVO just needs filtering and dewatering. The best and cheapest way to go is WVO filtered with a centrifuge--no running costs besides a little electricity.

 

i think he is also figuring in the parts for the add ons needed, tanks, lines, heating element, valves, and install

 

I've got about 41K on my WVO set up. Truck runs great, had my oil analyzed after 30K and it came back good. Many people have over 100k and still going strong. I have no methanol or lye to buy and I can run it all winter, bio you cant. The kit has paid for itself many times over. I think the people that are having problems are not filtering properly and or don't have a good set up on their rides.

Note: The above is my opinion and therefore must be right. Why else would I say it?

 

let me understand this thread?? if i run filtered WVO blended im going to have big trouble with engine!! but if i run biodiesel i wont have any problems at all. that got me thinking about the last 30yrs. what about all the blown up diesel engines that never,ever , seen a drop of anything but straight #2 D. somthing dont add up! Thx Ron

 

Hi Ron. There are lots of things that can ruin a motor besides the fuel that is used. I think what a bunch of people are saying is that WVO is harder on the fuel system.

 

HI! JD, you said the magic words,, there are a lot of things that can ruin a motor besides the FUEL. I agree! what can help is a good maintenence program, and people who are aware of there vehicle. that said i have a good friend that runs a local diesel injection company, he said he loves the new ULSD, business has picked up since its introduction!! Thx Ron

 

I bought my truck before the price of diesel went through the roof. Even then, I had the sole intention of running this truck on WVO. That was the purpose of buying it. Shortly after I bought it the price of diesel began to climb, the secret of free fuel (WVO) was out and I couldn't secure an oil source. I wouldn't hesitate to run a 12 valve on WVO, filtered well and preheated, of course. I sure would like to have an oil source.

 

I've been doing a lot of research on the subject as I bought a 2006 Jetta TDI and a 2007 Ram diesel for my wife and myself, with the intention of running either biodiesel or SVO/WVO.

I purchased the book "SVO" by Forrest Gregg off of amazon.com and there is a lot of good info there. I highly recommend it, as there is so much utter BS on a lot of the boards.

Anyway, from my research the entire trick to long engine life (using WVO, SVO or "biodiesel") is to have it utterly clean, water-free and at a low enough viscosity that it will have the proper spray pattern when it enters the cylinders from the injector nozzles. THAT is where all the problems (coking, contaminated oil, etc) get their start. So, to get the proper viscosity, you can either "transesterify" your WVO into "biodiesel" using lye and methanol in a processor, or you can heat the clean, filtered and dewatered WVO directly in your vehicle prior to it reaching the injector pump. As long as it is above about 165F, most folks say that is the effective temperature to get the correct spray pattern at the injector nozzles. You want to use an automatic "WVO Controller" to switch between regular petro-diesel and WVO at shutdown. Also, by completely heating the entire fuel system as most kits do, you are able to use straight WVO all year round whereas "biodiesel" can still give you gelling and crystalization problems (clogged filters) in cooler climates.

I have decided to go with the WVO system from Rover Hybrids, with some additional parts from Elsbett Technologie GmBH (load controller) so that my truck will automatically switch back over to petrol diesel under light engine loads (stop-and-go traffic) as soon as I have the $$. Why?

I have kids. after careful consideration, there is NO WAY I want lye and methanol (in the quantities I would need to "feed" my two vehicles) anywhere near them. Also, I have no respectable or legal means of disposing of the glycerine waste. I also don't have the time to do all that processing and collecting, so I am buying pre-filtered, dewatered WVO in bulk from a local supplier for about $1.80/gallon. I will still run it through a home-built dewatering and final 5 micron (absolute) filtration system before it goes into the two-tank system of the truck or the jetta. I'm not worried about long trips and making fuel on the road as that (to me) is a waste of time. I'll have the second tank in the bed of the truck (80 gallons) plus the stock 34 gallon tank of diesel. At about 17 mpg highway overall, that gives me a range of almost 2000 miles. If I need any more than that, I have a plastic 125 gallon tank from Tractor Supply I can throw in the back and transfer it as needed.

From my calculations this setup should pay for itself in under two years with my current driving habits.

-David