Intro/questions for WVO runners

[kuskoal]

Good morning! Long time lurker, first time poster! I haven't even attempted to create a post because everything has been answered to rebuild this truck!

My father has accumulated quite a stockpile of wvo over time for his 7.3 excursion, but he mever got around to making it into bio diesel and the oil itself is older, breaking down and becoming acidic.. I know from looking around our trucks are none too finnicky about what they ingest(like me!) As long as it's cleaned thoroughly.

My diesel mechanic brother says the acid will eat pretty much anything because... its acid. How can one lower the acidity of the wvo and monitor it? As much as I like these engines, I would like to see some mileage come from my pump before it wears out.

How does one lower/monitor acid levels in oil? I've seen on a VW TDI forum a gentleman went with baking soda to lower acidity

 

[mjs2011]

We use a chemical in our WVO to keep it from going rancid. Rancid oil is similar to rancid gas in a small engine. It may run, but will not be ideal. I cannot recall the name at the moment, but it is pretty potent stuff. A few ounces treats 55 gallons. As far as wvo eating things up, Thats what it does, even when fresh. Viton seals are recommended.

 

[kuskoal]

I can see that. It's a fuel not designed for our system. As far as diluting/neutralizing the acid, would it be a problem to run it, say blended 50/50 with diesel?

 

[mu2bdriver]

I know locals who used some Pri-D mixed in with some older wvo, mixed it well, and ran it without short term problems. Don't know about the long term consequences.

 

[mjs2011]

No problem with going 50/50 wvo and diesel. even 80/20 wvo to diesel would be ok to thin it out some.

Do you have a dedicated WVO setup, or do you just plan to add it to your tank?

 

[kuskoal]

Just plan to add to the tank. It's just sitting around taking up space so why not burn it up! Is therena certain micron level the oil should be filtered at? I was going to filter it down to 5 before dumping it in

 

[mjs2011]

5 microns should be ok. If I recall correctly, that is what diesel is filtered to. We let our wvo settle in the jugs we get it in for a few weeks, then filter it with a screen, then a 2 micron bag filter into a series of barrels, where it can settle more.

I would highly recommend the settlement process, as fats can still settle out of filtered oil. Once you have clean wvo, you can mix it with diesel in your tank to the desired ratio. I would avoid running it straight if I were you since you do not have a dedicated wvo system set up. This system should include a heat exchanger and a seperate filter atleast.

Also, I assume you have two tanks on the truck. You are going to want to startup and shut down on straight diesel to purge all of your wvo out of the system.

 

[kuskoal]

Sounds like a good set up letting it settle after the filtering processes. Will definitely start drawing up a filtering mechanism!

I only have one 45? Gallon tank on my centurion. So it will all be the same fuel. Probably an 80/20 diesel/wvo blend?

May I ask why wvo is bad to start/stop the engine on?

 

[TWeatherford]

Starting up and on WVO makes your injectors spray fuel that they were not designed to spray. Its like squirting margarine through a spray bottle. It won't do it well, your input shaft on your IP might shear, and if it does run decently (which often they will), it will still have incomplete burn and carbon up your cylinders, increasing engine wear. If you have a heated fuel system, the WVO is much thinner, closer to that of diesel, so your IP can pump it and your injectors can spray it without much of an issue. Of course, without a heated fuel system, even on a warmed up engine you have increased wear. Our IPs are not super durable, compared to those in Cummins trucks and the old Mercedes diesels, so they don't take well to thick fuel. They take even less well to thermal cycling that occurs when you switch from hot fuel to cold fuel. I went through three IPs on my truck running WVO with a fully heated, two tank system. I did save some money, but it wasn't really worth the time and effort for me any more so I quit.

One thing to keep in mind, is WVO does not mix well with mild steel, brass, copper, etc. Pretty much anything but aluminum and stainless. It polymerizes (turns to plastic) and clogs stuff up. You won't see an issue after a day, a week, probably months. But eventually you will have some seriously gunked up components.

 

[mjs2011]

TW, when you say you went through three IPs, any back story on that?

Quality of your oil filtration, junkyard IPs or rebuilds, over a couse of how many miles? I Have 2000 miles on wvo and it killed my pump, but the thing was factory with 212k on it. So I am not sure if that was due to the wvo, the miles or both.

 

[TWeatherford]

25000 miles. WVO filtered with a centrifuge, run through a Donaldson 10 micron filter after that. No water in the oil. 10 micron filter on the truck. First ip was the one it came with, so it was probably old already. Died after about 8k. Bought a rebuilt pump from Oregon Fuel Injection, lasted about 16k and seized (snappedthe input shaft) as I switched to WVO. Got another rebuild from OFI, and quit running WVO and sold the truck a year later. So technically I only killed two pumps on WVO.

 

[Brad S.]

One thing TW hits on is that WVO reacts bad to anything other than aluminum.
Check out the companies that sell WVO kits, they all use aluminum tanks.
Not trying to discourage the use of WVO I think its a good fuel source, BUT it does have its drawbacks..???

Mjs2011 didn't you recently have some problems with wvo???

Just kidding, had to throw that it for comedy sake. I like to hear people using other fuel sources.

 

[mjs2011]

Yeah, it killed my IP, but I would attribute that more to my stupidity than the wvo. I tried to switch over to wvo on a 10 degree night, and I had not blended the wvo with diesel at all.

New IP is on the way, as well as injectors, and I'm hoping to get up and running again.

 

[finitetime]

Best advise I can give filter filter filter.

I've been to the 2 tank method for 4 years now. No major problems. I have a steel tank and copper fuel line from bed. If you run enough fuel through it and don't let it sit you don't have to worry as much about polymerization. I go through 30-50 gallons a week. I have been running the oil in the single temp digits in the mornings but I have a heated fuel line from tank to pump on the engine. 30 Plate heat exchanger between wvo filter and injection pump. Heated lines around wvo filter. And I will switch from diesel to oil and back to diesel quickly several time to get that cold plug of oil in the unheated section of the line after the heat plate going through the pump with mostly diesel. Might be ******* the switch but its cheaper than a pump.

Water is not something I worry about. I use cold up flow settling which gets the water that settles out. What doesn't is suspended and on my old 7.3 idi just lets it go right through the motor without notice.

Fats. I heat my oil until there all melted and then I filter it too. I burn them too!!! Get my oil from a chicken wing place and it looks like coffee with brown grits at the bottom by the time I get it.

 

[finitetime]

Don't worry about the acid. Veg oil is acidic by nature and used it get worse and has salt in it. There is nothing you can do about it. It will eat all the rubber lines. Diaphragm in fuel pump if you have the old mechanical kind. return lines and o-rings. Everything eventually. One of the best things about a 2 tank system is that you don't have acidic salty oil that has water suspended in it in you system all night when its not being used.

Its the price you pay for cheap fuel!!!!