I jut purchased a 1987 190DT for conversion to vegoil...actually waste fryer oil. I have converted quite a few different vehicles as well as tractors and generators and in the "alternative grease fuel" community Mercedes are rated high in their ability to easily deal with used and fresh vegoil as a fuel.

This is why I have been searching for this particular (apparently somewhat "rare") baby benz. I have a Ford F250 which has been happily running on waste vegoil from a local oriental buffet for over 22,000 miles but would like a more comfortable and "sporty" car for use when I don't have much stuff to haul around. I think the 190 DT is about as sporty a diesel powered car I can get in the US. If it only had a manual transmission.

Anyway..I originally set up the F250 with a return line for the diesel AND vegoil..was convinced that was the way it was originally designed and that there must be a good reason for it. After 14,000 miles on vegoil I changed the configuration of the system to incorporate a "looped" vegoil circuit but retained the diesel circuit return line. This worked well since it allowed for faster warming of the vegoil while still allowing a simple way to purge any air bubbles which might sneak into the fuel lines.

For the 190DT conversion I have designed a system that incorporates a small vegoil tank which fits inside the spare tire...actually the cavity of the wheel. This is turn is kept full by "disposable tanks" of vegoil which reside in the sides of the trunk...on leak proof trays and hidden by carpet covered fold down panels. These "disposable tanks allow for refuelling with vegoil outside of the trunk...since vegoil spills inside impart a "rancid oil" smell to the vehicle which detracts from driving enjoyment. A small dash light warns when the disposable tanks are empty and only 60 miles of vegoil fuel remain. This allows for a conversion which minimises "cutting into" the stock fuel system and leaves most of the trunk space usable.

This small tank allows a vegoil return line to once again be incorporated in the design while retaining the advantages of a looped vegoil fuel system. If you are interested in following the conversion of this vehicle I am posting it here.

I have found the key to long term use of waste vegoil as fuel is having a vegoil fuel system which can use even solidified WVO (waste vegoil) since the "gel point" of wvo varies widely depending on the base vegetable oil and the fat content as well as the temperature. Of course I live in MN so I need to contend with subzero temps and solid "fuel" for nearly 5 months of the year.

And of course filtering the wvo well is critical. The first efforts I put forth regarding vegoil equipment desing was developing simple to make and use vegoil processors. Later I designed and developed simple to make and install vegoil conversion components. I do sell emailable "how to" files with pictures and diagrams for the filter units and conversion components on my personal web site. There is also the most comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions list on vegoil conversion there as well along with a description of what it takes to convert a diesel to vegoil. If you are interested take a look here .

Using these designs it is quite possible to convert a vehicle to vegoil AND build a wvo processor (filter/pump/holding tank) unit for less than $US250.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. danalinscott@yahoo.com

Dana