Burning WVO in a Diesel - eBay Guide - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

mespe · #1 08-20-2006, 08:01 AM

HI all,

Dodn't know if you're aware that eBay now offers free guides, written by anyone about anything. I wrote a quickie on burning WVO in a diesel and gotten quite a few "yes" to the was this helpful. This got me into the top 5000 reviewers (just another icon added to the rest on my eBay NIC).

Well if you could read my guide and answer yes to "Is the guide helpful" question (if you feel it was helpful or informative that is) I just might see me reviewer rating soar. Plus you'll learn a little about burning WVO.

http://reviews.ebay.com/Burning-WVO-Waste-Vegetable-Oil-in-Diesel-Vehicles-benz_W0QQugidZ10000000001239706

Thanks in advance

Marty

Jmana · #2 08-20-2006, 09:57 AM

Marty,
Geez, if I was new to WVO and read this article, I'd be scared to death to run WVO in my car! Have a spare car available just in case? It sounds to me like you are running WVO with a stock setup, and you should explain this in your article, because if you'd spend about $300 on a proper filter you wouldn't have many of the issues you mention. The amount you are spending in replacing the secondary filters every 1,000 miles alone could pay for a decent filter. I have a coolant heated Fleetguard in mine, and I can get 7,000 miles minimum to a filter. And I don't even have to mess with prefiltering. If I'd prefilter I'd probably never have to change the filter element. Oh well, maybe your article is a good thing. The more people you scare away, the more WVO for the rest of us!

TheDon · #3 08-20-2006, 10:03 AM

fix it so it makes it sound that running veggie is the worst thing for the cars and maybe.. just maybe the price of a perfect SDL will go down to around 2k since everyone is afraid and ill buy an SDL

mespe · #4 08-20-2006, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmana

Marty,
Geez, if I was new to WVO and read this article, I'd be scared to death to run WVO in my car! Have a spare car available just in case?

My intentions were to scare away anyone that isn't mechanically inclined to be able to take out injectors and clean them when they get coked up. (Which will happen because even though you pre-heat your oil, the initial start of the vehicle is with cold oil, which I believe adds to the coking.

I really should consider a heater for the WVO, and I may put one on before it cools down much this fall, that is if I'm still driving my 300SD. If I can get my 400e running good, I might just buck it up to the pump for the shear enjoyment of driving the 400e.

I appreciate all the "Yes" button clicking.

I can add more to hit, and probably will in the future.

thanks

Marty

Jmana · #5 08-20-2006, 12:41 PM

I drove my 300SD for about 30,000 miles on a blend, and never once had to remove the injectors. I am now driving a 300D, and set up a 2 tank system, with the veg oil going into the main factory fuel tank, and a 5 gallon can for diesel to start on. Hopefully this will prevent any coking problems. Seriously though, if you intend to keep using WVO, you should definitely get a better fuel filter. I would never recommend someone to use a stock filter for WVO, it's not safe to use such a small filter because it will clog up so quick, and the last thing you need is to start losing power on a busy freeway. With a bigger filter you don't experience much power loss when the filter gets dirty.

greasybenz · #6 08-20-2006, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmana

I would never recommend someone to use a stock filter for WVO, it's not safe to use such a small filter because it will clog up so quick, and the last thing you need is to start losing power on a busy freeway. With a bigger filter you don't experience much power loss when the filter gets dirty.

Not only a bigger filter but a small pump before the filter so if it starts to clog, youll have enough power to get off the highway to change it. Problem i see is that if you dont have better flow with either a stock or bigger filter you will still get clogging unless you have better flow.

mespe · #7 08-20-2006, 09:00 PM

[QUOTE=Jmana;1251937] Seriously though, if you intend to keep using WVO, you should definitely get a better fuel filter. [ /QUOTE]

OK I would love to get a bigger filter, got a part number? What about the primary? Those seem to go a bit more often.

I've driven one benz about 20K miles and started getting injector knock. It went away though. Haven't pulled the injectors yet to look at them, but I'm sure they're not to nice looking.

MArty

Jmana · #8 08-20-2006, 10:23 PM

Oh no, don't use a primary either. The type of filter I am talking about has a drain at the bottom. So you want to suck everything directly into the filter. The chunks will fall off the element, and sink to the bottom of the bowl where you then drain it out every couple of days. Also, I would advise against a pump before the filter. Most veg filters need to be on the suction side of the pump, so plumb the fuel line direct into the filter, then from the filter to the lift pump. I had issues with air getting into my filter, and thought putting an auxilliary pump before the filter would help to lessen the air problems, but all it did was burn up the aux pump because the fuel wasn't filtered prior to entering the pump. Tried putting a disposable filter before the aux pump, and it clogged in two days. So the best thing is to have the fuel going directly into the filter. If you do have problems with air in the filter like I did, the solution is to tee the return line, and connect that to a tee in the filter exit line, this will greatly reduce the demand for fuel from the filter. I can't really give you a model number for a filter, as the one I use is now discontinued and nearly impossible to find. But Davco makes some really nice filters, and a guy on ebay sells them pretty reasonably.

mespe · #9 08-20-2006, 10:43 PM

Jmana

I filter my oil before it goes into the tank. I use a Raycor 90 GPH, nice big filter, but to do any plumbing for the car to last this summer didn't seem like something I wanted to get into. Especially since the car runs fine on the WVO/RUG mixture.

My filtration setup consists of a sump pump pushing unfiltered WVO through the Raycor filter. The pump maxes out at around 5-6 PSI, well within the 9 PSI rating of the filter.

One of these filters lasts 50-100 gallons, and are rather inexpensive by the case (about $40 for 12).

The pre-filters ($4.00 from Advance) are washed and reused until they get too nasty. The spin on filter ($10.00 at Advance) lasts anywhere from 1000-2000 miles. There is a good indication of the secondary filter by slow lose of acceleration and limited top end. But when the primary goes, it's pretty abrupt. (But still manageable on the highway for several miles, idling at a traffic light is another story, best to wait a minute or 2 for the food particles and other debris to settle to the bottom of the filter and it'll restart.

I have no intentions of driving this car when the temps cool down, it'll be parted, hopefully I'll be driving the 400e that I just picked up. It sure is alot more fun to drive, and almost worth the money at the pump.

Next summer, I'm hoping to be able to do a 350SDL to WVO conversion, I might put a little more effort into that one as it should most likely be a nicer car then my current daily driver.

If you are not filtering your oil before you put it in the tank, aren't you worried about clogging the screen?

Jmana · #10 08-20-2006, 11:01 PM

No, I have the return and supply lines hooked up backwards, so I am pulling out of the return line.

Gauge · #11 08-21-2006, 02:21 PM

Is the part about the fuel filters true? If the primary is clogged, (the primary is the little in line filter) it will idle poorly but run at high speed OK and if the secondary is clogged, (the secondary is the spin on filter), it will idle OK but will run poorly at high speed?

If either is clogged, wouldn't it idle OK, but the clog in either filter be most apparant at high engine speed - when the most amount of fuel is needed? I can't understand how any clog would be more apparent at idle than high engine speed.

Can someone explain the physics behind this?

Jmana · #12 08-21-2006, 04:28 PM

It's been a while since I had a secondary that was clogged (when I first bought my 300SD), but I know it wouldn't go faster than 60mph when it was. Changed the filter and it was fine.

Old300D · #13 08-21-2006, 05:54 PM

I haven't clogged a secondary either, but I regularly plug primary filters; the idle tends to lope and it runs ok at speed.

mespe · #14 08-24-2006, 12:26 PM

At Highway speeds, the last time my primary got clogged, I was Ok at 65, then had a gradual loss of speed, but after coasting some power returned. When I exited the highway, coasting the car was fine, but when I came to a stop, loping, shaking and sputtering are a few verbs that might describe the condition. If the primary gets bad enough and the car stalls at idle, wait about 2-3 minutes and you'll be able to start it again. As long as you are giving it fuel, via the accelerator pedal, it might cough and sputter, but it can run. Alot of the crud inside the primary filter will simply fall off, only to block the filter once flow has returned. I guess if you are in a bind, you could shake the crud out of the primary and you should be able to drive about as long as the "Reserve" light is on.

mespe · #15 09-03-2006, 08:12 PM

I would like to thank everyone that pushed the "Yes" button. For those of you that pushed the "No" button, is it because you already burn WVO and the guide didn't help you?

Anyone care to volunteer their "No" response?

Thanks

Marty