WVO blends - what needs modified?

[fields_mj]

I'm trying to get things around so that I can run WVO blends in one of my tanks. I've read about a dozen different posts on here about it, and I've been digging on infopop for the past month. I'd like to hear from those of you who run WVO or a WVO blend and get some feedback on what you had to modify on your trucks to get this to work. So far, I understand that I'll need to replace my lift pump, and add a heat exchanger. I plan on adding a golden rod also. I'm not sure of anything else beyond that.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[sassyrel]

well, i have run 2/3--1/3, with dsl being the 1/3, and done nothing but drive down the road--no changes to anything--runs great---

 

[fields_mj]

I've been told that these trucks can do just that depending on the weather. I'd like to get set up to run a variable blend through most of the year. Thus the need for a heat exchanger. I'd like to do an electric fuel pump and a golden rod anyway, even if I wasn't going to run WVO.

 

[GRU]

all i did was the heat exchanger. i run traight 100%veggie in the summer. this was the quickest simplest way to free fuel. however after using it a couple years i want to put the tank selector valve right before the fuel pump. that way i can have seperate filters. the veggie plugs filters alot quicker.

 

[fields_mj]

the veggie plugs filters alot quicker.

That's what I've heard. Thus the golden rod. I've already bought one from TSC. It has a 10 micron filter on it and it was $30. I need to get it installed this fall so that I can stop replacing my factory filter every 6 months. It will more than pay for itself in the first year.

 

[6.9poweredscout]

I think I'm going to start the hunt for veggie oil for the scout. I saw some heater systems I was thinking an in line heater right at the tank, a running an aux 10 gallon diesel tank with a universal electric selector valve for startup. Otherwise I should be good on straight veggie oil in the tank? Again I'm just brainstorming.

-Jon

 

[jonathan]

why dont you guys use wmo?

 

[6.9poweredscout]

Was thinking of some of that too....just not a lot, I hear it can damage the i/p and injectors quicker.

-Jon

 

[94IDIT]

IIRC there was a thread on this site about making a homemade "wvo kit." Does anybody have a link to it? I'd love to look at it and show it to my brother. He's thinking 'bout making his own setup.

 

[Brad S.]

I was thinking about running wvo with a heated tank and all the fuel warming stuff. I decided to wmo with my heated tank because of cold temps in the winter. Not that wmo by itself flows very good when its cold, but I know it flows better then wvo.
Being able to have a good supply of product also made the decision for me.
Just my .04, (adjusted for inflation)

 

[fields_mj]

This is something that I've wanted to do since before I bought my truck. I thought I had a source lined up for 400 gal a year, but the guy set it aside for me last year, and someone else showed up an hour before I did and hauled it off... The guy still had another 30 gal or so that I got, but now I'm back in hunt mode.

All of my info to this point has been what I have READ (not tried) off of the infopop site. I can buy a 10 plate HE for less than $100 that will mount in the engine compartment, and should supply enough heat for 9 months out of the year. The gell point for WVO will vary a LOT depending on what the original stock material was. I've got some oil from last fall that didn't solidify until it was near 20 degrees outside. I've got other oil, that solidifies at 50 or 60 degrees, so you always want to test your stock. If you blend, then my plan is to stick a clear pop bottle of my blended fuel in the bed of the truck so that I can have a visual check of what's happening in my tank. Allow the oil to settle for a month or two, and then drain the thin oil off the top and use it for colder weather, and use the "grease" during the summer months. This works well when it's 40~50 degrees outside. Warmer than that, I think it all just mixes together because it's all a liquid.

When I fill up, it will get dumped in the tank, and refilled with the new stuff. Also, a lot of guys are adding 5% to 10% gas to their blend, and that is lowering the gell point of the WVO a LOT!!!! More gas in the winter, and less in the summer. More than 15~20% is causing problems even in the winter, but 10% APPEARS to be safe year round. I've seen some video (we all know how trust worthy that is) of a guy who claimed he had a high trans fat percentage WVO (almost grease, about 50 deg gel point) and with a gasoline blend (I can't remember if it was 5% or 10%) it turned to a liquid when the gas was added. This was done outside in supposedly 20 deg weather. I have no idea what the temp of the grease or gas was, or if the blend turned back to a gell after a few minutes when it cooled to ambient temps. This is an experiment I plan on doing myself using some .5L water bottles, the fridge, freezer, and a deep freeze. My first experiment will be to put gas in the water bottle and leave it in the drive for a week to see if it eats through the bottle. I don't think mama will be happy if that happens in her fridge....

A heated filter is highly recommended because that's the point that will clog up first when the oil starts to gell. I would like to install 2 golden rods (one for blends, and one for D2), but I never took it to the point that I figured out what valves to get and how to tie them back to my fuel selector switch. I also planned on switching over to an electric fuel pump, but since my source really didn't come through, I've stopped spending money on it for now. Other than that it was just a matter of remembering to switch over to D2 a few minutes before stopping so that your entire fuel system has D2 in it when you shut down. The WVO will for a plastic coating on most metals when it just sits there. This process is excelerated in the heat, so having a fuel system full of WVO sitting in the parking lot all day in the middle of August is less than ideal.

For what its worth, that's my 2 bits,
Mark

 

[damac]

I am no techie by any means but recently did an experiment with my truck and a vw jetta with blending and it went baaad!

Because of what I read on the internet I mixed 20% gas and 80% clean centrifuged oil. This is oil that I purchased from somebody and I think it is quality stuff. It got to as cold as 15 a few weeks ago and I left a jug of this stuff outside and would check it time to time. Even before mixing, this oil does not seperate or become solid at these temps.

Well I tried this mix in warmer temps like 40's and would compare it in a bottle to diesel outside in a jar. It was not as thin as diesel but better than a motor oil. It did not seperate on its own either.

The truck has 2 tanks, the jetta one. The initial tests had the vehicles running what I would call normal after switching to the blend after the cars warmed up and on freeway runs which is the majority milewise of the commute.

It only took a couple days, but I now believe that using the same filter setup for both sources of fuel, allowed the diesel to continue to wash some veggie downstream after a good purge time on straight diesel.

I did change out the filters, dumped starton in each tank and went back to diesel while tring to get rid of the wvo first. I caught it early in that each vehicle was angry after they sat after a couple days or running, when it came to starting them up and the injection pumps sticking, etc.

I did 2 soaks of atf for a couple days in each ip pump and new filters and now both vehicles appear to be back to normal.

So I won't be doing that again and planned to revisit the topic with the jetta soon when I fix some other stuff, and will redo the truck later when I take the bed off and redo all the hoses, etc.

As far as how both vehicles ran when on the highway, to me they seemed to react to the pedal well, there was a tad different sound I would say but nothing wierd popped out to me. My goal was to get the mileage on the freeway runs, and use the city driving with diesel.

 

[hazardc]

What sort of setups are you guys using to filter your WVO? I have a good hookup on some. I'm thinking if i can get wmo easier I will just use that, but I'm all for experimenting with alternative fuels right now.

 

[Alex S]

Was thinking of some of that too....just not a lot, I hear it can damage the i/p and injectors quicker.

-Jon

your better off with filtered WMO then veggi

streight veggi is alot harder on a ip then a wmo blend plus you will get more of a complete burn with WMO. The glycerine in the vegie oil will slowly plug the injectors and coke the combustion chamber

 

[6.9poweredscout]

I aquired some fresh motor oil and trans fluid (it was old, wouldn't trust it in an engine) sp I poured it in the tank. The truck ran quieter and had noticeable more power!

-Jon