I have an 1985 Mercedes 300. I am running W80. If I put a line heater or wrap the spin on fuel filter with a heating element, will this cause a problem. I know the RUG is diluted with WMO, but I still wonder about the volatility.
Filter Heater
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AcIdBuRn02ZTS
Full Access Member
Unless the temperature reaches over the auto ign. temp which is north of 400F IIRC, you wont have any safety issues. Some say heating may evaporate the RUG but no solid proof of that happening.
A lot of dodges and fords come factory with heated filter heads and what not... you should be fine.
A lot of dodges and fords come factory with heated filter heads and what not... you should be fine.
Blind Driver2
Full Access Member
Check into a plate heater.
The plate heater idea is a good one.
But just for a little more info, I tried "coiling" copper tubing around my stock filter on the IDI, it really didn't seem to work that well.
That copper line was plumbed in from the heater hoses.
mjs2011
Full Access Member
Wvo designs sells a few different types of filter wrap heaters. Some are 120 v and some are 12, with different power draws also.
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The FNG
NOT a Powerstroke!
I used a pre filter heater that is a milled aluminum block with coolant ports and tapped holes for glow plugs. It seems to work pretty well for me.
AcIdBuRn02ZTS
Full Access Member
Do u guys that use heaters run all of your fuel through the heater or just waste oils?
I was curious if anything would become a problem with preheating d2.
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I was curious if anything would become a problem with preheating d2.
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The FNG
NOT a Powerstroke!
I've heard my particular pump (stanadyne db2) doesn't care for hot fuel, so I made it so I could bypass my heater with valves. If I'm going to run WMO, I'll open the valve to the heater and close the bypass valve. Otherwise I run my d2 "cold".
Josh Carmack
Full Access Member
The Mercedes pumps are lubed by engine oil, so I would assume they can handle temps in the 180 to 210 range no trouble. The delivery valves on the Bosch pumps are out on top, and therefore do not see the engine heat that the pump cam and other mechanicals do, so who's to say. IMHO it's probably fine as long as the temps are reasonable, IE <230-250 I spent this afternoon, and will tomorrow as well getting a new system setup, and a fresh batch of fuel run. That fresh batch is going to go into my 87 300d's By this weekend.
Josh Carmack
Full Access Member
sporanox, how does your OM 617 like the W80? Is it turboed? Whats the consumption look like w80 vs d2? I bought these cars back in Feb. and have not yet added one drop of W anything to them. To be honest I'm so glad they aren't sucking down fuel at 14 or 20MPG as the other two daily drivers had been doing before I bought the two little W124's. I get around 36 to 39 with the turbo disabled. (funny story) And around 30 with the turbo working. It drops down to about 18 to 25 on the mail route depending on the mail load for the day. Still better than the little yota I was driving that was getting around 15 MPG on the mail route.
AcIdBuRn02ZTS
Full Access Member
Sweet deal man.
My heat exchanger is only heated via coolant... and coolant temps dont reach 200... typically 185 and I'd venture to say the fuel passing through the exchanger isnt getting a 100% heat transfer.. Its the same fphe that veggie guys use... but I was worried about plumbing it with just oil.. if the oil sits in the heat exchanger while its hot, I dont want it to vapor lock or sludge up, etc... I really want fuel flowing through it all the time if its going to be hot all the time.
-Chris
My heat exchanger is only heated via coolant... and coolant temps dont reach 200... typically 185 and I'd venture to say the fuel passing through the exchanger isnt getting a 100% heat transfer.. Its the same fphe that veggie guys use... but I was worried about plumbing it with just oil.. if the oil sits in the heat exchanger while its hot, I dont want it to vapor lock or sludge up, etc... I really want fuel flowing through it all the time if its going to be hot all the time.
-Chris
Josh Carmack
Full Access Member
Acid, I have heated my oil so hot it literally melted the plastic end off the heater element. Had the paint or oil residue, on the drum smoking. During that time I didn't notice a huge amount of vapor coming out of the tank. I would say that oil had reached 400 or more degrees. Scared the sh%T out of me when I realized what I had done because I went to town and came home which is a 40 mile round trip for me. Went to check on the processor and the the pump had quit and then I noticed all the smoke in the air and realized I had left the heater on. Luckily it started drawing enough current or the pump stalled and blew the feeder fuse for the whole rig. That batch had about 7 gallons of gasoline in it, and I hadn't lost a huge amount from boiling. The levels were1/2" or so lower than they were before the run stated, at roughly 2 gallons per inch I would say I lost and ounce or two or more of water that was in the tank bottom, and a gallon or so of gasoline vapors.Very shortly I am rebuilding my entire processing tank and will cut the lid out of that one to see what the cooked goo inside looks like. Rebuilding the processor on the foundation of a ringed drum vs a crimped one. Lesson learned, and am now looking for an automatic temperature controller so I don't have to touch the drum anymore to know when to heat or stop.
AcIdBuRn02ZTS
Full Access Member
So you are thinking I would be safe to just heat the oil line?
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Josh Carmack
Full Access Member
Yeah, I wouldn't see why not, oil has to get in the 3s to 500s before you see evaporation. I'm not the expert, but at the 180 to 220 coolant temps in you FPHE it shouldn't, if it does you can blame me!
