Does anyone here run their diesel truck on waste vegetable oil? I'm looking for a truck to convert right now, but I don't have much experience. I was thinking about finding a really stripped down 1980's beater to start with
You would need to get some filtering equipment to filter the dirt out, you can't just pour it straight from the pan Plus it will only work in temperatures well above freezing (not sure how cold it gets where you live). But i've seen people do it with old diesel mercedes and army truck.
I've known a couple guys that do it. Filtering is everything, both friends have had issues related to sediment. They both use cooking oil from food places.
I've known a couple guys that do it. Filtering is everything, both friends have had issues related to sediment. They both use cooking oil from food places.
We had a '93 Dodge that we were going to do that with. The Cummins engines are apparently among the easier engines to do this with. Don't try it with a GMC I have been told...YMMV.
As others said, filtering is a big deal. Also, most people have a small diesel tank in their setup. The vegetable oil is too thick at most ambient temperatures so diesel is used to start the truck and get it up to temp, which then heats the vegetable oil. Once the engine is to temp and the veg oil is heated you switch to vegetable oil. Before you shut her down, run diesel for a few minutes to get the veg oil out of the fuel lines, injectors, etc.
The VERY first Diesel engine to be demonstrated to the German public by Herr Diesel, himself, ran on peanut oil.
It was at a technology exhibition, IIRC. The Kaiser, himself, was impressed.
His original intent -- to run his engine on powdered coal -- never worked.
It soon became apparent to the Germans that Diesel's fuel and engine were PERFECT a marine power plants.
So the German Navy spent huge on making Diesel's engine viable.
It wasn't REALLY made effective for broad use until the 1930's.
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Left unsaid: burning vegetable oils creates a perfumed exhaust.
Yes, it really smells.
The only way to use it on the highway is to convert it to bio-Diesel -- to kill the smell -- and to permit it to blend perfectly with Diesel #2.
Once converted, it can't be detected as being different than fully taxed motor fuel.
( Untaxed Diesel fuel is dyed back at the refinery. You can't get the dye out of the blend. In farm country, the cops are always checking Diesel trucks for dyed fuel. The fine is a whopper. )
( Untaxed Diesel fuel is dyed back at the refinery. You can't get the dye out of the blend. In farm country, the cops are always checking Diesel trucks for dyed fuel. The fine is a whopper. )
An oil furnace guy told me, that in Ontario, the fine is based on the odometer reading. That can get to be very expensive for those older high mileage vehicles
I looked into doing it with my '85 Mercedes 300TD wagon that uses about 100 gallons a month on my commute. At the time that was $400, which if I could get the fryer oil free, might have been worth the mess (not!).
Now it's definitely not worth it at $2/gallon!
Two words: Wayne Keith
Two more words: Wood Gasifier
One word: Youtube
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