It's been an enjoyable "fad" for me. I started running WVO in the winter of '81/'82 in an Audi 4000. I'm not bored of it yet.

Oh yea, never overflowed the tank (yet).

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Ron Schroeder
'85 300 Turbo Diesel 2 tank WVO
'83 300 Turbo Diesel 2 tank WVO
Some former WVO vehicles since ~1980:
'83 Mercedes 240D
'80 Audi 4000D
'83 ISUZU Pup
'70 SAAB 99 with Kubota diesel
'76 Honda Civic with Kubota diesel
'86 Golf
Several diesel generators
All with 2 tank WVO conversion
LI NY

This “Fad” has lasted for the last 20 years in Europe and keeps going stronger, ELSBETT even build engines specifically to burn WVO - SVO or used automatic transmission fluid and they convert cars that we haven’t seen in the US.

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2000 430 ML
2005 S500
87 300 D
61 300 restoring

I love the concept of veggie oil as fuel, and am well on my way to finishing my greasecar conversion, but I don't think it is a long term solution on any large scale. How would it be possible to plant enough acres of vegetables to produce the oil to run all those cars? There isn't enough land! And there probably isn't enough water either, to irrigate the crops.

I for one, hope this SVO/WVO "niche" remains just that, and doesn't become too popular. That way there's more fuel for me!

So I say to the "naysayers": Bring it on!

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1987 Mercedes 300D ~200K (Greasecar & Biodiesel)
1993 Ford F-250 7.3 IDI diesel 165K (Biodiesel)
1996 Thomas/International Bus with DT466 engine

I worked at a gas station 3 years out of high school, and, well, you honestly have no idea what you are putting in your car even if you get it from the pump.

the fuel goes from and to so many pipes, trucks, tanks, and hoses before I gets to your car, there really is way to garantee any kind of quality.

We had to check the level of fuel in our tanks every night.
That involved sliding a large cover out of the way and dropping a 30' stick into the tank. Think we were wearing clean suits?

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'82 Euro MB 300 D Turbo Silver/Blue - Fixed
Adding W115 Intake and Intercooler

1986 Chevy Camaro Cp 400HP For Sale
Engineer
Tuscaloosa, AL

I agree completely, whether it's a niche or a fad, homemade WVO/SVO will stay very small. Commercial BD is the only way that alternative diesel fuels will ever get any real traction. If you guys want to actually accomplish something, how about supporting your local BD supplier?

I hope usage stays under the level at which it becomes a cost-effective tax revenue source

Sixto
93 300SD

Agree. I was hot on the WVO thing and then started actually looking into it. $1500+ for the kit I wanted, very difficult in my rural area to find "good" WVO to use, in enough quantities for my use, then the filtering, storage, time, etc. I just drive 15 minutes and fill up with B50. There is also a local guy that has B100 delivered to his place for a small group of people to use - I may get in on that. Yes, it's almost the same price as diesel, but no investment $ in the kit, installation, time to gather and filter, etc. I'm still running at least 50% veggie oil that smells terrific and and is friendly to the environment. We need to get the mainstream media squaking about Biodiesel as much as they do about the stupid ethanol. Commercially available biodiesel is the way to ge the masses on board.

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'85 300D - 206K (sold)
'81 240D - 149K (sold)
'03 Jetta TDI - (sold)
'79 300D - (sold)

Back to the original posters dilemma- I think that this is an easily fixable flaw in the Greasecar system (other than the whole heat the oil to 160 thing, which is especially important in a TDI). I don't like that it is easy to switch too early and burn cold oil, being able to forget to purge, and being able to leave the purge on.

Ideally there should be a temp switch or controller to prevent early switchover, which my Dad did on my previous Dodge truck. When I convert the benz (hopefully in the next two weeks!) I will install a hidden switch so that whenever someone else drives it I can turn the whole system off. They can play with switches all they want, but it'll just burn diesel.

Now, the purge should go to the vegoil tank. Where else would it go? Its fine to put diesel in the veg tank, not vice versa though.

Also, there should be a forgot to purge warning, especially on expensive unforgiving engines.

The leaving purge on fix is easy, have the DPDT switch be a ON/OFF/(ON). Then you have to hold the switch down to purge, and it comes off automatically.

I don't think that vegoil is much of a fad that will pass. Most people simply will not get into vegoil if they have to convert the vehicle, drive and maintain they system, filter oil, etc. I enjoy designing and putting in the system, love driving it (otherwise all I have to do is watch the fuel gauge go down!), and don't mind filtering at all. And the $30-50 a week is awful nice.

At least thats my $0.02.

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1985 300D, 237k.
1994 F-350, 6.9 diesel, 5 spd manual, Banks Turbo. 261k.
Sold: 1985 300CD- 267K

I'm already there - for my diesel tanks I already have a pre-paid card to buy B20 from the ONLY tank in Las Vegas. Some stations have B5, but only ONE in town with B20 - and that's where I go to fill up my diesel tank for start-ups, and purge at shut down when I'm not burning WVO.