Heated spin on filter wont stop smoking. Running waste vegetable oil
 

Last time I posted I was having trouble with my spin on filter clogging with WVO on my 78 240D Mercedes. Ever since then I began heating the spin on filter, and filtering the oil down to at least 5 microns. Everything is working good now expect the spin on filter won't STOP SMOKING. Basically I heated the spin on filter by wrapping nichrome wire around it in the fiberglass sleeving. Sticking it between to pieces of aluminum tape, then wrapping silicone tape around it. I did this same thing with my fuel injection lines. When I first hooked them up to they were smoking but then it stopped. By the way, I got the idea how to do this stuff from the fattywagons website which went out of business. Anyway I need advice on what I can do to stop making it smoke?

Is it the filter smoking or the wrap you put on it?

Fiberglass can smoke if its reaching it flash point, which you do not want to happen under the hood. Silicone tape can melt and smolder if its too hot as well.
Can you touch it without it burning?

Where are you supplying current to the wire? Do you know its draw?

It seems like everyone is pretty happy with Frybrid heated filter, and its really not that expensive if you think about the pay off. People also seem to like Dana's plan for coolant wrap jacket for heating a filter.

Whats strange is that the fiberglass sleeving smoked when I wrapped it around the fuel injectors with silicone tape but then it stopped. When I wrapped the same stuff around the spin on filter it wont stop. Is it maybe because on the spin on filter is wrapped in aluminum tape? Maybe it shouldn't be wrapped in fiberglass sleeving when wrapping it around the spin on filter.

there should be on difference in what you wrap. i do not think the filter is having something to add to the smoking. the aluminum tapes glue/adhesive may be smoking. you need to address the nichrome wires current draw. if you remove the current...then the smoking stops, correct? then that is the source of the smoking. so, if that is getting too much current, it will overheat the wrap and cause the smoking. could be the silicone tape, the fiberglass, or the adhesive on the aluminum tape.
how is this set up for when you have to change the filter? do you have to remove it all just to change the filter? if so, then i would say you should look into another heating method. i am not familiar with the fattywagons suggestion, but if its smoking, its not good. can you post a pic?

Having trouble posting pictures. The current draw going to this filter is the same current draw going to the fuel injector line heaters which only smoked temporarily when I installed them.

being nichrome wire, it is easy for them to burn out, right? well that could have been what happened to the injector lines. and thats why it is not smoking there anymore. because the circuit is broken. just a thought.

The circuit on the injector lines is not broken. Its a complete circuit working good.

I once played around with some nichrome wire, when shorted out the stuff gets RED hot :eek: Anything it touches would burn. :silly:

Try to post pics.