Running a diesel van on chip oil

[Ariel Badger]

Anyone done it?
I have a good supply of used oil and would like to use it as fuel in a van. What is recomended?
Thanks Wali T
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[MaybeGuy]

theres a dodgy as fuck lecturer at my engineering college who lives off the stuff...

his words of wisdom:

> you can use it on its own on warm days
> put about 1/4 of a tank of diesel, then the rest as oil on normal days
> only certain diesels take it well. many of them fuck up the injectors

he buys it direct from a supplier, so not much help there, but he has been spotted filling up in the college carpark with own brand vegetable oil. which also works out cheaper.
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[G]

There's lots of stuff on t'net... need to work out how far you're going to go.

Apparently European vans tend to work better with it.

Ultimate is to have two tanks and seperate systems so you can run from veg oil 99% of the time - or can get it so it is 100% with even more effort. Simplest is to just chuck a bit in with your diesel - though it's still recommend to swap your fuel filter I think, as it can actually clean some gunk out and wash it downstream, as such.

I had looked into this before the cost of veg-oil went up so much.
There's a chippy just around the corner, but obviously looking at veg oil, as you are, you have to strain it etc, which takes up a fair bit of space to get the gear setup (and time as well.)

[Bikeless]

Make sure it's fitered well and mix about 5-10% white spirit,it works best on old diesel engines.If you have a direct injection diesel it would be better to mix it with a good percentange of diesel else it will be too thick and clog up your injectors.Just stuff i've read off the net so not a definative answer.

[colin1]

I've heard that some engines are designed to be able work better on vegetable oil.

Very old diesel engines work ok with it, as they arent sophisticated, while modern diesel engines from german manufacturers are supposed to be able adjust the engine settings to take account of the difference in fuel.

So maybe an old diesel van, or a modern vw van.

I have heard it said that in winter, the vegetable oil puts a real strain on fuel pumps due to the high viscosity.

You will need to process used oil before using it.

There are technical things that people do to it. At a bare minimum, you will need to strain it through muslin or something to get the bits out, and ideally leave it to settle, and draw the relatively clean stuff off the top.

I think there is something that you can mix with it to lower the viscosity.

EDIT

google has found me this

https://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_make.html

it tells you how to process the oil to use as biodiesel, such as adding methanol to thin it etc chemicals etc

they recommend that for your first batch, you use unused vegetable oil, until you have got the hang of the processing

this is an excerpt

"Make your first test batch

Here's what you need:

1 litre of new vegetable oil, fresh, uncooked (see Which oil is best?, above)
200 ml of methanol, 99+% pure
lye catalyst, either potassium hydroxide (KOH) or sodium hydroxide (NaOH) can be used, but we recommend KOH, especially for beginners -- KOH is easier to use and it gives better results
blender or preferably a mini-processor
scales accurate to 0.1 grams, preferably less -- 0.01 grams is best
measuring beakers for methanol and oil
half-litre translucent white HDPE (#2 plastic) container with bung and screw-on cap
2 funnels to fit the HDPE container, one for methanol, the other for lye
2-litre PET bottle (water or soft-drinks bottle) for settling
two 2-litre PET bottles for washing
duct tape
thermometer"
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[Ariel Badger]

It does not seem to be worth the grief.

"Don't be put off -- methanol is not dangerous if you're careful, it's easy to do this safely. Safety is built-in to everything you'll read here. See Safety. See More about methanol."


Thanks people, I will not bother.
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[Skudd]

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[G]

[Robby]

To reprocess it yourself into a usable road fuel is a lot of work and kit. If you don't process it correctly, or just try to filter it then chuck in some meths or white spirit to thin it out, you'll damage your engine. Of course, if it's an old car and engines are cheap this might not be a problem.

Personally if I had access to a reasonable amount of the stuff I'd sell it on ebay, and use the money to buy real diesel. Last time I looked unfiltered veg oil was going for 50-60p a litre, although that is probably down to around 30-40p now crude oil has come down.

You should be able to sell an ICB of it for £400, which is easy money.

[Ariel Badger]

[Faraz]

This video shows what you need to mix and how much of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOFbsaNeZps


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[Faldo]

Please, please just don't.

My previous employer bought a massive vat of the stuff and ran a 7.5 tonne recovery wagon and a couple of vans on the stuff. Endless problems.

A couple of weeks ago I had a customer on the phone looking for a high pressure fuel pump and full set of injectors for an Audi Q7 (£40k worth of vehicle that had been run on veg oil). The bill would of been over £2k.

We sell quite a few injectors to people who have run vehicles on veg oil, just isn't worth the hassle in my opinion. Older diesels won't be as bad, but I certainly would avoid putting into anything common rail.
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[Bat]

Ran an L reg Pug 405 TD on it for about 4000 miles with a 25% oil 75% diesel mix, then 800 miles across France on 60%+ oil with no problems other than some reluctant starting on a chilly morning in Calais.

It depends what fuel hardware is in the vehicle. Some such as old Mercs love the stuff. We just filtered used oil from the kitchens at work through jay cloths and a funnel. Smells like chips in traffic too

[Cigaro]

If your vehicle has a Bosch injector pump, it will probably take it.

If it has a Lucas or a Cav pump, take the £1000 you'll end up spending on injectors and pump, and spend it on diesel instead.

Ran a Cavalier and a 205 for thousands of miles on the stuff. Also a Transit but that didn't run so well.

The Cavalier (Isuzu 1.7 TD) was the best. Just used to stick in a couple of quid's worth of petrol with a full tank of veg to thin it out a bit.

Don't put it in a newer vehicle or you'll regret it. Mechanical fuel injection is OK.

If you make it into biodiesel, it should work in anything. But I wouldn't bother, as it's a huge faff.

[Ariel Badger]

I have decided to keep clear of the stuff thank you for all the advice.
I had a think today and this is the result of my meditations.
" Would you eat food cooked in diesel?"
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[G]

From everything I've read, it sounds like it's because they've not changed their fuel filters, as it's recommended you do.
It actually acts like some kind of super-redex, which washes the gunk down stream, blocking injectors etc.

[riffmasher]

1930 ariel,
It really is far less hassle than everyone on here is talking about.
I have been running my Discovery on the stuff for the last year with no problems other than clogged fuel filters every once in a while.

If you are planning to use waste vegetable oil make sure it is filtered down to about 5 micron and mix it 50% with diesel.

If it is new vegetable oil (tesco chip n dry etc) you can run it at up to 100% with a splash of diesel in cool weather.

Currently I am using 100% Bio diesel with no adverse affects.

The important things to remember are:

1. A Bosch fuel pump WILL accept a higher %age of vegoil with the diesel than a Lucas pump
2. Change your fuel filter after 500 miles and then again after another 1000 miles then only when required. Veg oil is thicker than diesel and it will pull crud through the lines to your filter, this is good though because it will clean your fuel system over time.
3. Never put petrol in the mix. It is too volatile and will wear the injectors.

Have a chat to these guys:
https://www.greenteam-supermarket.com/index.php
Ask for Ros or Simon and tell them Guy told you to ring, they know their stuff. No I'm not on a commission!

Riff

P.S. You may not want to eat food cooked in diesel but did you know that Rudolf Diesel invented the diesel engine with the intention of running it on peanut oil?!
https://www.dieselveg.com/rudolf_diesel.htm
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