All vegetable oil users - please post your experiences

[biosurf]

Hello all
As there are a number of members on here who have used veg for some time I thought it would be good to have some real data of the means we are all going about it to give those considering it a bit more info so they can makes their own minds up about coming to the slippery side.

This hasn’t been covered in one place before and I will stick a link on the main vegetable oil sticky when we have some entries.

Please quote the below and fill in your info on the form. Cheers!

If I have missed anything obvious then please do point it out and I’ll amend


Year of Surf :
Engine size:
Engine ref.:
Total mileage on the vehicle:

Main type of veg used: SVO (Straight vegetable oil –i.e. bought from the shop) or WVO (waste vegetable oil)

Single or twin tank?
(i.e. do you put it all in the main fuel tank or have you had a second tank fitted to allow you to use diesel to start and then switch over to veg

Other modifications you have had done to the fuel system and approximate cost?


Mixture/s you use

Summer
Veg %
Diesel %
Petrol %
Any other additives (please list) %

Winter
Veg %
Diesel %
Petrol %
Any other additives (please list) %


How long you have been using veg for?:

Approximate mileage done on diesel:

Approximate mileage done on veg/mix:


Is the engine still running fine? Yes/ No


Any problems so far experienced that you think are due to veg usage (any approximate costs would be good here as well as any fixes)


If you are using your own collected waste veg, how do you prepare it for use?


Any other notes/ tips etc.

[biosurf]

right, mine first


Year of Surf :1993
Engine size: 3 litre
Engine ref.: KZN130
Total mileage on the vehicle: 100,000 miles

Main type of veg used: SVO (Straight vegetable oil –i.e. bought from the shop) or WVO (waste vegetable oil)
WVO

Single or twin tank?
(i.e. do you put it all in the main fuel tank or have you had a second tank fitted to allow you to use diesel to start and then switch over to veg
Single tank

Other modifications you have had done to the fuel system and approximate cost?
coolant heated heat exchanger fitted between filter and injectors. Cost £49 - see here http://www.biotuning.co.uk/ShopHeatExchangers.htm
cost to fit: about £70 but not too hard to do yourself.


Mixture/s you use

Summer
Veg 90%
Diesel 0%
Petrol 10% (10% petrol thins the oil by 50%)
Any other additives (please list) capful of veggieboost http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/veggiboost.htmlfor every 10 litres of veg

Winter
Veg 70%
Diesel 20%
Petrol 10%
Any other additives (please list) capful of veggieboost http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/veggiboost.htmlfor every 10 litres of veg


How long you have been using veg for?: 6 months

Approximate mileage done on diesel: 98000

Approximate mileage done on veg/mix:2000


Is the engine still running fine? Yes


Any problems so far experienced that you think are due to veg usage (any approximate costs would be good here as well as any fixes)

None so far *crosses fingers*


If you are using your own collected waste veg, how do you prepare it for use?
Home made filter system- (quite anal but works well. Many do just use time to a sheet and time to filter and dewater)

Filter through sheet
Heat to 70%
Settle for 2 weeks
Drain off water
Filter down to 40 micron
Heat to 70%
Settle for 2 weeks
Drain off water
Filter down to 1 micron
Mix well with petrol and other additive and stick in fuel tank


Any other notes/ tips etc.
For detailed discussions and a database of other vehicles see www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk

In winter especially it starts but runs a bit lumpy for a few minutes but soon sorts itself out.

As discussed in the main veg thread – always have a spare fuel filter to hand in case it gets blocked

If you filter your own veg and want to test for the presence of water after settling, heat up a pan until hot- drop a sample of your oil in – if it spits, the oil still has suspended water present and should be settled for longer.

Always good to stick some Redex or other injector cleaner every now and again- add more than the direction say i.e. a whole bottle to ¼ tank of diesel of fill the new fuel filter up with neat injector cleaner.


UPDATE June 2011
A positive note:
With my recent conking out surf problem I've been able to discover a few veg-related things.

I've always been interested to know how veg is affecting the parts of the fuels system you can't see. I (as is true of most) am not doing the whole veg thing 'properly' - i.e. having a twin tank system where the veg only gets used when up to the proper temp. Instead I am single tanking i.e. sticking the lot in the main tank so veg is squirted out of the injectors when it is far thicker than the diesel they were designed to spray.

In theory this can mean that some of the veg remains unburnt and builds up in the cylinders eventually leading to game over for the engine.

Also, though I filter to 1 micron I have noticed that if I leave my filtered veg for a while in containers I get a fine brown residue at the bottom that I guess must be sub micron particles (burnt chip powder?) that is still suspended in the veg. I can remove this by filtering to .5 micron but it takes ###### ages and franky life is too short. I've wondered if this particles may be doing nasty things to the internals too.

I decided to take the risk as I didn't have the funds for a twin tank system and there was plenty of anecdotal evidence on here of people doing it for 2 years+ successfully, so I figured that I'd take the risk and if it died I would probably have saved the value of the Surf in reduced fuel costs anyhow.


As part of my own investigation into my recent problem I cut a hole under the rear seats to access the fuel tank. I pulled the strainer from the tank expecting to find it clogged with lots of crap but it was pretty clean.

More significantly, the good Dr Anglegrinder has had my head off recently to see to my broken shaft (fnarr) and said that all the cylinders looked really clean.


So... it seems (and I'm crossing fingers here) that the Surf engine is as resilient as we all thought and hoped.

Of course I may be lucky or it may be the same for everyone but to have these two buts of info pleased me at least and should hopefully encourage others.

[POPEYE]

Year of Surf : 1992
Engine size: 2.4lt
Engine ref.: LN130
Total mileage on the vehicle: approx 90.000

Main type of veg used: SVO (Straight vegetable oil –i.e. bought from the shop) or WVO (waste vegetable oil)
Mainly WVO

Single or twin tank?
(i.e. do you put it all in the main fuel tank or have you had a second tank fitted to allow you to use diesel to start and then switch over to veg

Twin tank (but second one was never finished)

Other modifications you have had done to the fuel system and approximate cost?
Home made heat exchangers, one inline before the IP, and one inside the second tank (approx 20-40 quid for the copper fittings and nickel plateing the finished units, electric water pump fitted to rear to help circulation, temp gauges to monitor the second tank oil temp and inline after the forward exchanger, heated coil (also water) fitted around the WVO filter unit (an old surf filter unit was used) lagging of water flow pipes and hoses to the rear and the WVO fuel lines from the tank to the forward exchanger and onto the IP as near as poss, was goint to fit some fuel line heater tape (electronic)

Mixture/s you use

Summer
Veg % 60-70%
Diesel % 40- 30%
Petrol % 2lt per full tank
Any other additives (please list) % auto transmission fluid, 2lt per full tank,
white sperit, 2lt per full tank

Winter
Veg % 30-40%
Diesel % 70-60%
Petrol % 2-4 lt per full tank
Any other additives (please list) % as above increaseing to 2-3lt


How long you have been using veg for?: two years
Approximate mileage done on diesel: dunno

Approximate mileage done on veg/mix: approx 3.000


Is the engine still running fine? Yes

Any problems so far experienced that you think are due to veg usage (any approximate costs would be good here as well as any fixes)

over did the ratio and started the injector pump top seal leaking, but reduced the mix and it stopped,


If you are using your own collected waste veg, how do you prepare it for use?


Any other notes/ tips etc.
per filter through kitchen towel in funnels (twice but depends on the state of the oil) then through two "green team" cartridge filter houseings, one at 50 microns and the other at 5 (i think, cant remember)

Started building the second tank set up and apart from some wireing and switching fuel hoses it's more or less done, however the price of SVO shot up and dont get a regular enough supply of WVO to make it worthwhile finishing,
so just mix as above, no real issues apart from the lumpy startup and smell, runs ok after a minuite or so tho,
unleaded or white sperits are just to thin it a little and trans fluid or redex is for cleaning, no major problems with blockages / larding up the tank or lines ext as some have experienced,
It all here for the disinterested
http://www.hiluxsurf.co.uk/forums/sh...ad.php?t=36706

[tintin]

Year of Surf :1992
Engine size:2.4
Engine ref.:LN130
Total mileage on the vehicle:184,000 Kms

Main type of veg used: SVO (Straight vegetable oil –i.e. bought from the shop) or WVO (waste vegetable oil) WVO

Single or twin tank?
(i.e. do you put it all in the main fuel tank or have you had a second tank fitted to allow you to use diesel to start and then switch over to veg
SINGLE
Other modifications you have had done to the fuel system and approximate cost? NONE


Mixture/s you use

Summer
Veg upto 50 %
Diesel at least 50 %
Petrol %Never
Any other additives (please list) Tesco version of redex diesl treatment (when i remember)

Winter Same as above
Veg %
Diesel %
Petrol %
Any other additives (please list) %


How long you have been using veg for?:2YRS

Approximate mileage done on diesel:

Approximate mileage done on veg/mix:Last 10,000kms


Is the engine still running fine? Yes/ No


Any problems so far experienced that you think are due to veg usage (any approximate costs would be good here as well as any fixes) NONE


If you are using your own collected waste veg, how do you prepare it for use?

Filter thru cotton bedsheet, pour into top tank, leave i week, open tap and pour thru foam filter into middle tank, leave i week,repeat into bottom tank, leave i week, decant into clean plastic bottles ready to shove in tank!


Any other notes/ tips etc.

ALAN

[legendgamesmaster]

a bit of veggie now and then

Year of Surf : 1992 (J)
Engine size:2.4
Engine ref.:LN130
Total mileage on the vehicle:150000

Main type of veg used: SVO (Straight vegetable oil –i.e. bought from the shop) or WVO (waste vegetable oil) WVO - made into biodiesel

Single or twin tank? single
(i.e. do you put it all in the main fuel tank or have you had a second tank fitted to allow you to use diesel to start and then switch over to veg

Other modifications you have had done to the fuel system and approximate cost? none


Mixture/s you use (when i get it, i use as follows, but i dont often get any these days)

Summer
Veg 100%
Diesel 0%
Petrol %
Any other additives (please list) %

Winter
Veg 0%
Diesel 100% - found it waxed a bit in winter, so don't bother any more.
Petrol %
Any other additives (please list) %


How long you have been using veg for?: on and off 2 years

Approximate mileage done on diesel:ooh, 4000

Approximate mileage done on veg/mix: 2000


Is the engine still running fine? Yes/ No YES


Any problems so far experienced that you think are due to veg usage (any approximate costs would be good here as well as any fixes) fuel filters - but i keep veg in red-leaded jerry cans and it seems to get the red lead into suspension, so thats the main problem.


If you are using your own collected waste veg, how do you prepare it for use?
its run through a small proffesional system to convert to metholated bio diesel.

Any other notes/ tips etc.[/QUOTE]
I can happily drive aroiund with the rear window down. i always feel hungry...

[captain_chaos]

Year of Surf : 1993
Engine size: 2.4
Engine ref.: 2L-TE
Total mileage on the vehicle: 170,00Km

Main type of veg used: SVO (Straight vegetable oil –i.e. bought from the shop) or WVO (waste vegetable oil) SVO

Single or twin tank?
(i.e. do you put it all in the main fuel tank or have you had a second tank fitted to allow you to use diesel to start and then switch over to veg
Single Tank

Other modifications you have had done to the fuel system and approximate cost?
Fuel heater fitted between filter and injectors
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vegetable-Oil-...3A1%7C294%3A50
Price has gone up since I installed mine, was £80


Mixture/s you use

Summer
Veg % 90 - 100
Diesel % 0 - 10
Petrol %
Any other additives (please list) % Redex

Winter
Veg % 60 - 70
Diesel % 30 - 40
Petrol %
Any other additives (please list) % Redex


How long you have been using veg for?: 2 years

Approximate mileage done on diesel: can't really remember, sorry

Approximate mileage done on veg/mix: again can't remember, but done all of RTTS 07 and Strata Florida 07 on nearly 100% veggie

Is the engine still running fine? Yes/ No Yeah all going well


Any problems so far experienced that you think are due to veg usage (any approximate costs would be good here as well as any fixes)
Can be a cow to start from cold. Running a little lumpy now too, think injectors have reached end of life expectancy.

*EDIT*
What brand of SVO do you use? KTC 20ltr containers from Makro or ethnic foods section of Tesco*EDIT*

[mickyd]

for the short time I've been using it, heres my info for all its worth



Year of Surf :1994
Engine size:3 litre
Engine ref.:KZN130
Total mileage on the vehicle:96,000

Main type of veg used: SVO (Straight vegetable oil –i.e. bought from the shop) or WVO (waste vegetable oil)

WVO biodiesel

Single or twin tank?
(i.e. do you put it all in the main fuel tank or have you had a second tank fitted to allow you to use diesel to start and then switch over to veg.

straight into main tank


Other modifications you have had done to the fuel system and approximate cost?

none


Mixture/s you use

Summer
Veg 60%
Diesel 40%
Petrol 0%
Any other additives (please list) %

Winter, not done a winter yet
Veg %
Diesel %
Petrol %
Any other additives (please list) %


How long you have been using veg for?: 2 days

Approximate mileage done on diesel:

Approximate mileage done on veg/mix:200


Is the engine still running fine? Yes/ No. yes


Any problems so far experienced that you think are due to veg usage (any approximate costs would be good here as well as any fixes) No


If you are using your own collected waste veg, how do you prepare it for use?


Any other notes/ tips etc.

differences noted so far, car takes a fraction longer cranking before starting, but even from a cold start, car still fires up in less than one second and puff of black smoke upon starting is reduced, car smells of chinese cooking lol.
I will update as and when anything noteworthy changes.

[jaky cakes]

Year of Surf :1995
Engine size:3.0
Engine ref.:kzn 130
Total mileage on the vehicle:160,000km

Main type of veg used: SVO (Straight vegetable oil –i.e. bought from the shop) or WVO (waste vegetable oil) 3years on svo 1 year on wvo

Single or twin tank? single
(i.e. do you put it all in the main fuel tank or have you had a second tank fitted to allow you to use diesel to start and then switch over to veg

Other modifications you have had done to the fuel system and approximate cost?
fitted a baxi potterton central heating heat exchanger to pull heat from engine coolant to heat veg prior to filter to around 60'c


Mixture/s you use

Summer
Veg 66%
Diesel 33%
Petrol %
Any other additives (please list) %

Winter
Veg 33%
Diesel 66%
Petrol %
Any other additives (please list) %


How long you have been using veg for?:4 years

Approximate mileage done on diesel:100,000km

Approximate mileage done on veg/mix:60,000km


Is the engine still running fine? Yes/ Noyes


Any problems so far experienced that you think are due to veg usage (any approximate costs would be good here as well as any fixes)fuel tank pick up pipe screen blocked a month ago - covered in a scale/sludge - possibly due to wvo disolving all the crud from in tank


If you are using your own collected waste veg, how do you prepare it for use?
collect FOC oil from local pubs/schools. prefilter to 50 ym then settle for 2 months in 45gal drums (x2) storage. then decant into pretreatment 45gal drum for further month. decant into insulated heated 45gal drum with home made condensor fitted to top to collect water distillate- heat to 70'c and let cool over night. hot plate test and freezer test to check for water then pump through 25ym,10ym and 1ym canister filters into 45gal finished drum. decanted into 25 litre pouring drum to pour into car.

Any other notes/ tips etc.

.

[Philip]

Year of Surf : 1996
Engine size: 3000cc
Engine ref.:
Total mileage on the vehicle: 130,000 Klms

Main type of veg used: SVO (Straight vegetable oil –i.e. bought from the shop) or WVO (waste vegetable oil) WVO

Single or twin tank?
(i.e. do you put it all in the main fuel tank or have you had a second tank fitted to allow you to use diesel to start and then switch over to veg

Single tank

Other modifications you have had done to the fuel system and approximate cost?

Fuel Cat Heater.


Mixture/s you use diesel/svo

Summer
Veg % 70
Diesel % 30
Petrol %
Any other additives (please list) %

Winter
Veg % 25
Diesel % 75
Petrol %
Any other additives (please list) %


How long you have been using veg for?: 3-4 years

Approximate mileage done on diesel: 80 K app

Approximate mileage done on veg/mix: 40 k


Is the engine still running fine? Yes/

Any problems so far experienced that you think are due to veg usage (any approximate costs would be good here as well as any fixes)

Previous vehicle needed new gasket on pump £90


If you are using your own collected waste veg, how do you prepare it for use?

Filter into a plastic dustbin and then filter into smaller 20 ltr containers after 5-6 days of settling.

Works out i am getting about 46 MPG as i get approx 40-50 ltrs a week free and that diving mainly in London.
When i used new veg oil would run at 90-100% in summer.

Any other notes/ tips etc.
__________________

[BUSHWHACKER]

Year of Surf :1991
Engine size:4 litre
Engine ref.: 1UZ-FE

Oil: Sommerfield's.
Milage: 3 feet.

Engine destroyed, won't run on veg oil!

[That Ruddy Squirrel]

Year of Surf : 1993
Engine size: 3.0 Litre
Engine ref.: KZN130
Total mileage on the vehicle: 206986km

Main type of veg used: SVO (Straight vegetable oil –i.e. bought from the shop) or WVO (waste vegetable oil) SVO

Single or twin tank? Single
(i.e. do you put it all in the main fuel tank or have you had a second tank fitted to allow you to use diesel to start and then switch over to veg

Other modifications you have had done to the fuel system and approximate cost? Fuel heater just before the filter - £30 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SVO-WVO-DIESEL...3%3A1|294%3A50


Mixture/s you use

Summer
Veg 99%
Diesel 0%
Petrol 0%
Any other additives (please list) 1 % Occasional Injector cleaner

Winter
Veg 99%
Diesel %
Petrol %
Any other additives (please list) 1 % Occasional Injector cleaner


How long you have been using veg for?: 3 years

Approximate mileage done on diesel: 90,000km

Approximate mileage done on veg/mix: 117,000km


Is the engine still running fine? Yes/ No No, it got killed by overheating due to mud clogged rad


Any problems so far experienced that you think are due to veg usage (any approximate costs would be good here as well as any fixes) Need to keep an eye on the fuel filter, it may need replacing


If you are using your own collected waste veg, how do you prepare it for use? No


Any other notes/ tips etc. Beware being chased by van loads of hungry builders

[VTXLister]

Year of Surf :1996
Engine size: 3.0L
Engine ref.: KZN 185
Total mileage on the vehicle:139000km

Main type of veg used: SVO (Straight vegetable oil –i.e. bought from the shop) or WVO (waste vegetable oil) WVO

Single or twin tank?Single

Other modifications you have had done to the fuel system and approximate cost?

Fitting a Vow2 before this winter

Mixture/s you use

Summer
Veg % 50-70
Diesel %30-50
Petrol %0
Any other additives (please list) % a splosh of ATF when I remember

Winter
Veg % 30-50
Diesel %50-70
Petrol %0
Any other additives (please list) % as above


How long you have been using veg for?:

18 months (?)

Approximate mileage done on diesel:

130000

Approximate mileage done on veg/mix:

9000
Is the engine still running fine? Yes/ No

Yes


Any problems so far experienced that you think are due to veg usage (any approximate costs would be good here as well as any fixes)

If I lower the back window while driving the dog sticks his head out of it and starts whining for food


If you are using your own collected waste veg, how do you prepare it for use?

Mark 20L containers with collection date
Stand for minimum 1 month
Allow to drip via 3mm tube into 25 micron filter container, then into 5 micron, then 1 micron into 45 gall drum.
Hand pump (less disturbance to any sediment) into 25L container plumbed into sub-micron centrifuge.
Spin for 15-30 minutes - pump into 45 gall drum ready for pumping directly into car, lugging of heavy containers and spillage reduced to virtually nothing.
Oil is so clean I feel like doing my chips in it again.

Starts and runs fine, exactly same as on diesel.

[Dodge]

Year of Surf :K
Engine size:2.4
Engine ref.:
Total mileage on the vehicle:I forget now, 130k?

Main type of veg used: SVO (Straight vegetable oil –i.e. bought from the shop) or WVO (waste vegetable oil)SVO

Single or twin tank?
(i.e. do you put it all in the main fuel tank or have you had a second tank fitted to allow you to use diesel to start and then switch over to veg Single

Other modifications you have had done to the fuel system and approximate cost? None


Mixture/s you use

Summer
Veg % 100, when it was warm, or 66SVO/33Diesel most other times, well I did when it was 35p a litre, not any more when I can get diesel for 80/90p
Diesel %
Petrol %
Any other additives (please list) %

Winter
Veg % 66 in mild weather, down to 33 when cold, nowt when really cold, although not often any more due to the price
Diesel %
Petrol %
Any other additives (please list) %


How long you have been using veg for?: 4 years

Approximate mileage done on diesel: 10k only a guess

Approximate mileage done on veg/mix: 10k again only a guess


Is the engine still running fine? Yes/ No Yes


Any problems so far experienced that you think are due to veg usage (any approximate costs would be good here as well as any fixes) Had to change heater plugs about 3 years ago but I may have had to do that anyway.


If you are using your own collected waste veg, how do you prepare it for use?


Any other notes/ tips etc. It runs fine on neat veg it's just starting when it's cold that's the problem, a twin tank system would sort it, flick to diesel before you turn off then start on diesel. I get 15mpg so it's all about economy for me. When it isn't pouring with rain I take my bike. I buy a 100L at a time in 20L drums from costco, but it's not much cheaper than I can get diesel so I rarely bother, although I have the remains of a neat veg oil top up as I was very low, had an early start and didn't have time for a detour to find an open gas station. Smells like a doughnut trolley, or a chip shop to some.

[mud skipper]

given up for 2 reasons
1. svo is to expensive especially by the time i have bought redex, fuel filters and degreasser, t-cut and polish for the rear wing.

2. slows the acceleration down noticably

and as for the Discovery forget it, lucas fuel pump struggles with std deisel

[johnsiddle]

Current situation

Year of Surf :1995
Engine size: 3 litre
Engine ref.: KZN130
Total mileage on the vehicle: 180000Km approx

Main type of veg used: SVO (Straight vegetable oil –i.e. bought from the shop) or WVO (waste vegetable oil)
WVO

Single or twin tank?
(i.e. do you put it all in the main fuel tank or have you had a second tank fitted to allow you to use diesel to start and then switch over to veg
Twin tank with Pollock Valve in the engine bay

Other modifications you have had done to the fuel system and approximate cost?
Fitted a 15mm copper ladder in the Landy tank fed with hot water.
Wrapped a several 10mm copper coils water heated around the fuel filter and fitted a 22mm water jacket with a 15mm oil pipe thro middle to heat oil prior to the IP Cost indeterminate cuz I kept changing things. Paid £30 for a Pollock valve and £3 for the landy tank.

Have now removed swirl tank and the rear mounted fuel pump following a change to running 100% Bio.
Changed my Veggie filter to a Surf type and fitted a glass bowl fuel filter from an old jag at the rear this catches the loads of crud that the Bio is stripping from inside the Landy tank.

Did a freezer test on my Bio and it appears to go solid at about -6C. So I guess I will still need to start on Dino in winter but then run 100% Bio when hot.
Home made BIO runs just like water so extra fuel pump not needed.
Just changed my BIO fuel line to a rubbery type one, the clear plastic I was using started collapsing with the heat of the BIO.
All signs of INJECTOR KNOCK has gone since running BIO

Now in the process of designing a computer system to run the GL BIO Reactor I use to make the BIO

Mixture/s you use

Summer
Veg 100%
Diesel 0%
Petrol 0%
Any other additives (please list) Redex in swirl tank when injectors get noisy

Winter
Veg 100%
Diesel 0%
Petrol 0%
Any other additives (please list) Redex in Swirl Tank as above

How long you have been using veg for?: 9 months in this car

Approximate mileage done on diesel: 500Km

Approximate mileage done on veg/mix:4000Km


Is the engine still running fine? Yes


Any problems so far experienced that you think are due to veg usage (any approximate costs would be good here as well as any fixes)

Recently had to replace the ECU and the IP I think the Spill valve was faulty. I dont think it was down to the veggie.
I have had various problems trying to find a reliable electric pump to push the veggie up to my swirl tank fitted in the engine bay. Currently using a flopump water pump fed from a 15mm tank fitting mounted near the bottom of the tank, this allows the pump to prime better.
My previous pumps all clogged up as did the original intank pump in the landy tank.


If you are using your own collected waste veg, how do you prepare it for use?
Up until now I just cold filtered thro a 600 and 200 micron tray filter then heated it and pumped it thro a 5micron cannister filter. I then ran it thro my home made centrifuge.

I have just made my first batch of BIO using a GL Eco processor. Not used it yet tho cuz I didnt quite do it correctly. I am going to part process it again to recover the Meth ( this bit went wrong plus my pump started leaking)

Any other notes/ tips etc.
For detailed discussions and a database of other vehicles see www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk

In winter especially it starts but runs a bit lumpy when I forget to switch to deisel the night before but soon sorts itself out.


Latest Update

I am still running B100 home made Bio and use a twin tank system
I had a lot of problems with bad batches of BIO the glyseral was getting thro and clogging everything, I am a dab hand at getting the Injector pump out, cleaning it out and banging it back in).
Been running BIO for a couple of years now and the most recent problems have been down to my bad batches of BIO blocking the IJ Pump and filters.
This appears to be sorted now....

My setup now is as follows:

In my second tank I have a copper pipe ladder fed with hot water.
I removed the gause fiter from the pickup pipe in the tank and now feed thro a glass bowl type filter to catch big lumps, it catches some glyceral as well.

Under the hood I have a twin filter using two cheap Delco 296 filter cartridges bought off fleebay. ( had problems cuz I didn't buy the pipe banjo's at the same time tho.)
The BIO then goes thro my homemade heater conduit, 28mm copper for the water and the oil way is made from some 22mm flexible stainless pipe I had left from my Solar panel installation.
The hot oil then goes into a normal Surf fuel filter, the hot oil helps to stop fat and glyceral buildup in the filter, there is way enough heat to keep the temperature of the oil up. Not lagged the surf filter yet but may do so in winter.
I removed the 10mm copper coil I had around the Surf filter cuz it got in the way and made changing the filter a big job.

The scavaged oil from the pump I feed straight back into the feed line before the twin pumps, since this is hot oil it heats the twin filters as well..
A thermal switch mounted on the heater is used to switch over to bio when the oil is hot.

Since I bust my fan by leaving a socket on the crankshaft nut I have fitted a 16inch electric fan (also from fleebay) and I feed this via a relay and a thermal switch mounted in the top rad pipe just as it leaves the engine to the rad. The switch trips at about 89c I removed the rad cowl and used the mounting holes to mount the fan, this works a treat and during the height of summer the engine stayed nicely at mid point, pretty much normal even in traffic.

All in all I think I have now got the system sorted, my home made BIO is better now I just settle it and leave out the hot filtering, I also add a bit more caustic soda for luck when I make it.

Cost??? Well you can not put a cost on perfection, I have spent a fair bit but given that I run about 50 ltrs a week BIO at a rate of about 30p a liter against the pump prices of about £1.20 I think it is well worth it.
I could not afford to run a 3ltr auto on Dino on a pension.
I hope this is of interest..
John