1991 300td first ever mixing of svo and diesel
 

i have a 1991 300td and after reading this forum i went down and bought a gallon of pure wesson oil and added it to a full tank of diesel.

so 1 gallon of svo and 15 gallons or so of diesel.

my car ran better and smoother.

it has 140,000 miles, has all of the maintenance records and runs great.

is this blending a good idea or am i just wasting my time?

what is a good ratio of svo and diesel? how much am i improving the fuel rating by doing this and can i ruin my car.

i live in northern california so cold temperatures are not a problem.

thanks ...

Well, I have noticed that somebody is running his VW TDI with 80% WVO, 5% Gasoline, 10%Kerosene, and 5% of some other oil .

I'll probably try this mix.

man that is a scary blend.

i am way too conservative for that.

but i would like to supplement my diesel with an additive that increases the quality of the fuel and the engine life and i have read so many good things about a 20% SVO / 80% diesel mix directly into the tank.

that mix would keep the thickness very low and remove the need for heating i would think but maybe i am wrong.

i am just worried about my turbo and FI getting ruined or about my hoses getting ruined, is that common with my model, my engine and a blend of 20/80?

thanks ...

1st blend is not my thing because I am done with RUG.
Can't stand the stuff.
2cd blend is dangerous because of possible damage, 1st included:
http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/ubb.x?q=Y&a=tpc&s=447609751&f=159605551&m=563103245&p=1
I am all for SVO. I do think you have to heat it properly in a two tank system to do it right....

Here are the folks putting tremendous effort into figuring out veg options:
http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?a=frm&s=447609751&f=159605551

I'm running 90/10 wvo/rug...
 

In my 80 240D and will be running same in 83 300D. I added a coolant heat exchanger (made it myself) and a homemade 12v fuel heater with a switch in the cabin. Can runs flawlessly and started this morning at 40degrees with no problems. Will be in 20s tomorrow but I'm not worried. Using virgin oil like that is alot easier and more predictable than waste oil. You should be fine with as much of it as you can afford. Of course, there are no guarantees...

I read in France most of the diesel sold at normal pumps is 20% veggie, so I might try it for a laugh when the weather warms up a bit. Maybe I should keep a bottle of veggie in the boot incase I run out of diesel in the middle of nowhere...

Optimum combination without powerloss in my SDL is .625% Diesel
Ye ole mix master pushes about 80oz diesel with 48 oz SVO

I'd be very wary of blending RUG in any amount in a newer car (IE, newer than 617). The alcohols in it can damage IPs I've heard (which is the reason those engines strictly warn you to not use any alcohol based fuel additives).

To be honest, blending like that is something you can get away with on many older IDIs but its tricky business. If you are going to do SVO on a newer car that you care about, take the time to do a proper two tank system.

France doesn't mix vegetable oil into their fuel, they mix biodiesel. Yes it starts its life as vegetable oil, but biodiesel is chemically changed and becomes a whole new product, the two things aren't interchangable.

Good luck, and keep your eyes on the SVO forum at http://biodiesel.infopop.cc for blending advice.

peace,
sam

My understanding is that SVO will not ruin rubber parts but Bio-D will- it took my dense head quite a bit of reading to finally realize what the difference is.

My plans are to convert WVO to Bio-D using the lye - ethanol chemical catalyst. I don't want to go with WVO because I'd rather not fuss with the two tanks, heaters, special injectors, etc. On the other hand, I will not use higher than 20% Bio-D due to the risk of damage to seals, etc.

If I manage to create substantially more Bio than I can use in my car by running 20/80, then I'll put it in with my furnace oil to cut home heating costs- that is after I do enough research on using Bio in an oil burner. I suppose if I screw that up, a new oil burner unit for my furnace would be a lot cheaper than a new MB fuel system!

Dave from the North Country

Dave, if you want to start making biodiesel, I recommend lurking over at http://biodiesel.infopop.cc, which is where a lot of very experienced homebrewers hang out.

I understand your hesitation and desire to 'go slow' and thats a good way of doing it, but if you follow directions and don't cut corners, you'll make good quality fuel that you can feel comfortable running in any blend you want, including 100% biodiesel. Start low, and work your way up based on the amount of fuel you can make.

You don't mention what vehicle you've got, but I've never heard of seal failures on Mercedes vehicles due to biodiesel. In fact the only seal failure I've heard of personally is my friend failing a seal on her Rabbit's IP, but that may not have been the biodiesel's fault, because her Quantum has been running on B100 for 4 years with no seal problems. Hoses are an easy replacement on the mercedes, and won't 'sneak up on you', just keep your eye on them and replace them when they are soft.

Any burners that will accept #2 heating oil will also accept biodiesel. You shouldn't have any problem at all with your furnace. The one type of furnace that occasionally has problems is the kerosene type furnaces that use a wick to bring fuel up. Biodiesel does not wick well, and so doesn't perform well in those furnaces (but those aren't as common either).

Don't hesitate to ask questions here or on the infopop forum if you get stuck along the way or want more info.

peace,
sam

Aside from environmental benefits, is there any cetane benefit to a bio deisel blend???

My Dad and I used to have a Peugeot 504 Diesel that we used for commuting and we soon found it would run on kerosene, Jet 'A' and Home Heating Oil.

One of the most amazing things I ever experienced was running the engine on 100% Petroleum Based Cleaning Solvent. No knock, no smoke and a significant power increase.

I wouldn't think Wesson Oil would readily mix with Diesel, but I have never tried it.

Is there any audible change in the combustion process with a bio fuel???...Bert

Objectively, biodiesel has a higher cetane than petroleum diesel. Petroleum #2 diesel tends to range 40 to 45ish, biodiesel ranges from around 45 to 60ish depending on the feedstock, and tends to average in the low 50s.

Subjectively it makes my car smoke a little less, and it is a little quieter and 'smoother' on the biodiesel.

peace,
sam

yes, the chem analysis on the biodiesel I purchased recently for my son's science project lists the cetane rating as 52.6! I haven't used it yet, but many here who have used biodiesel report smoother operation.

Moreover, one of the most dramatic benefits of biodiesel appears to be increase in lubricity, very significant even at 1 or 2% concentration :D

Using 'Wesson Oil' as a general additive, how much should you add to a tank of fuel???

The quieter combustion process and higher cetane rating would be worth the extra effort.

You can get 5 gallon containers of 'Cooking Oil' from Smart & Final for $13.00...Bert