JEBalles,

If you dewater the WVO properly, and filter it properly, and run it in a well tuned reliable two tank system (Frybrid, Greasecar, or homemade to those standards) everything runs well, for a long time. I am just starting to run WVO on a Frybrid kit after making biodiesel for a year. I am going to do both now (bio stinks to make / run in the winter here)

A forum member here who lives the next town over from me has run the last 50k on his SD on WVO (from 250-300k). He has a two tank conversion and uses the Frybrid still-ish method to dewater (with his own mods of course). His engine runs as good as the day he started running WVO.

The internet and this forum is filled with stories of WVO ruining engines for good reason - it can and will - if done improperly. If you just dump it in the tank without filtering or dewatering in our environment (the northeast), things will be ruined fast. But, using good two tank systems and clean oil, folks with much more sensitive engines than the 616/617 are going 100k+ (later model VW's till 2006 and diesel pickups up until the mid part of this decade).

I have done hours and hours and hours of research on this very same questions, and have converged on my method of filtering/dewatering. I am using 'heated upflow' as Ron (WDBCDH) has described many times. tough to argue with someone who runs 1000-3000 gallon of WVO a year, for 30 years.

This forum has a lot of anti WVO sentiment for good reason. Lots of people get these old cars (that we all love) cheap, dump WVO in, and are happy to get 10k out of them, and leave them for junk. That makes everyone here sad...

Send me a PM, Im in Boxboro, if you want to come see my setup. I can show you how to check for water, and all that stuff.

dd

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'85 300D, 'Lance',250k, ... winter beater (100k on franken-Frybrid 3 Valve Kit)
'82 300D, 'Tex', 228k body / 170k engine ... summer car
'83 300TD Cali Wagon 210k, wife's car