300D 212km Plant Drive Veggie Oil 1 Tank Installed and Running GREAT! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

karmas_benz · #1 07-21-2008, 12:08 AM

I posted this same thread in the Biodiesel & SVO forum so sorry for the repeat, I figure that people here may be interested in what I am running my benz on:

This past weekend I installed the veg therm and veg max components of the Plant Drive 1 tank system. The installation was reasonably simple simple, tho it did take about 7 hours with 3 sets of hands working on it.

I got lucky and bought just the right amount of Vormax fuel hose, however, in the instructions it does tell you to buy an excessive amount of brass fittings. Before the winter sets in I will be installing a FPHE and some pad heaters to the tank.

I was surprised at how well the installation went, the most confusing part was looping the fuel return. As per the instructions I filled the car with store bought canola oil to start with (EEK at $8.60/ gallon). To be fair there was probably about 2 gallons of diesel left in the tank (it is a 15 gallon tank). The car ran from Maryland to Northern NJ with no problems a all, we made several stops along the way. I checked the fuel lines at each stop all were tight and leak free.

My fuel is not fully prepared yet, it has only settled for a week and a half so far, I will be settling and then filtering through a 5 micron filter and then allowing it to dewater for a week in a 55 gallon drum with a pvc pipe extending to the bottom that will allow the water particles to escape. I will of course be performing hot pan testes before using the fuel.

The car ran beautifully on the svo! I was surprised how easily it started up, it ran very well. I was very pleased with the customer service provided by plant drive. They ensured that the package reached by a requested date and were very quick to respond to all e-mails.

It was so great to drive down the NJ Turnpike running on Veg Oil and i anticipate it will feel even more rewarding once I am running on FREE fuel. Car and installation parts will pay for themselves in 2 years! Im glad to be FINALLY running on VO and I look forward to contributing to and learning from the wealth of knowledge on this and other forums!

<3 Karma

pics to come soon!

#2 07-21-2008, 01:29 AM

"Running" on a one tank "conversion" and running well are not the same thing. The engine will "run great" on almost any combustible liquid you can pour in the tank. Your engine is still being harmed with the one tank "conversion" since it is starting and running on cold oil until the engine heats up. Its more like -karma since you are shortening the life of a good engine with an abusive fuel system "conversion".

You should stick with Diesel or BioDiesel until you can get a proper two tank system to install.

husk · #3 07-21-2008, 01:53 AM

I wonder how "well" it will run once winter comes around. Even plantdrive does not recommend running 1 tank systems in cold weather climates. You are on borrowed time.

Johnt49 · #4 07-21-2008, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karmas_benz

I will of course be performing hot pan testes before using the fuel.

OUCH!!!

I'd be much more concerned with your well being than the engine's if you proceed as planned.

karmas_benz · #5 07-21-2008, 01:12 PM

I figured that I would get several responses like the ones above. I have another car that I will run in the winter if the benz wont cooperate... I have also considered running on diesel solely in the winter months.

Im not so sure how you all can say for CERTAIN that the one tank system will not work. There are plenty of people in Europe and all across the US that are successfully running on veggie oil. I believe that it really comes down to proper fuel prep and keeping up with the maintenance on the car in general.

I will be sure to keep everyone posted on any engine failures

or changes in performance, but for now the car is running wonderfully, starts better than it did on diesel and accelerates quicker as well.

Seems that the information on running on veg oil is a bit biased on this forum... I do love this forum however. MANY MANY people are running on WVO/ SVO one tank systems and reporting positive results. I guess this could be a live and learn situation, but its one that I am invested in learning about.

Lets just remember that:

There is mixed data on how SVO affects engine life span. Some say the life span is reduced: "McCormick, a senior fuels engineer for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO, said studies have shown that running vehicles on vegetable oil can reduce a car's lifespan. 'Those vehicles aren't going to last as long as they would running on conventional fuel,' McCormick said. 'Diesel engines are supposed to be low-maintenance and long-lasting engines. Running on straight vegetable oil, I don't think that's going to happen.'" Source: The Kansas City Star; "One Man's Fish Fry Grease is Another Man's Vehicle Fuel" March 29, 2005. However, many others claim the opposite; "engine wear is greatly reduced, sometimes tripling engine life for engines running on straight vegetable oil."
Source: www.distributiondrive.com.

husk · #6 07-21-2008, 02:52 PM

You are running a one tank system. You will be starting and stopping on cold veggie oil. This will cause upper land ring coking and a myriad of other problems. Do the research there are several papers on how cold veggie oil destroys motors. Plantdrive themselves do not recommend having their one tank system in cold weather climates.

The Elsbett system is the only one tank system that works in cold climates. You cannot run WVO in a an Elsbett system and it replaces your glow plugs with different ones. The timing is also changed. The plantdrive system is not comperable tot his system since it just adds head and still starts and stops on cold veggie without doing any of the things the Elsbett system does. Please do more research.

Oxnard guy · #7 07-21-2008, 07:47 PM

So.........if my car is worth 2500 and I save 8000 in two yrs and no road tax!!

......

karmas_benz · #8 07-21-2008, 08:18 PM

^^ my thoughts exactly.

I am looking into installing the esblet injector lines to help the engine last longer. I do take all suggestions/ criticisms to heart and try my best to look at both sides of every argument.

update on my millage... 2 days 500 miles running smoothly

bgkast · #9 07-21-2008, 08:51 PM

Keep us posted on how it is running in a year or so. I could use some parts.

Oxnard guy · #10 07-21-2008, 09:00 PM

Saving up for a real low mileage Veggie car !! I love all these old salts here!

husk · #11 07-21-2008, 10:16 PM

If you go over the Frybrid.com even Chris Goodwin talks about how the elsbett system modifies a variety of components and that the research that they have done in the field has paved the way. The modifications Elsbett does on vehicles allows it to run VO. Read this thread for more information.

http://www.frybrid.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3970&page=3&highlight=elsbett

Post 28

Last I checked Lovecrap, and Plantdrive had not designed a specific engine to run on VO, you comparing an Elsbett system to any other one tank conversion company means that you have no direct experience with conversion technology, or VO in general. I would hope you read some of the research papers on the internet (mainly the one presented to the Shanghai Symposium) and learn about why upper land ring coking occurs. I find it funny that you think you are a know it all but in reality you know nothing at all about conversion technologies.

probear · #12 07-21-2008, 10:30 PM

OK, assuming that the 'Elsbett system' modifies the injectors, etc, that would possibly make it burn WVO/VO with out a problem, but in that case, what happens when you switch back to #2, with a much lower viscosity?

Not likely that an injector would efficiently spray two different fuels with such a wide separation of viscosity....

husk · #13 07-21-2008, 11:03 PM

http://www.elsbett.com/us/questions-answers/faq/conversion-service.html#c5821

#4

spark3542 · #14 07-21-2008, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karmas_benz

I figured that I would get several responses like the ones above. I have another car that I will run in the winter if the benz wont cooperate... I have also considered running on diesel solely in the winter months.

Im not so sure how you all can say for CERTAIN that the one tank system will not work. There are plenty of people in Europe and all across the US that are successfully running on veggie oil. I believe that it really comes down to proper fuel prep and keeping up with the maintenance on the car in general.

I will be sure to keep everyone posted on any engine failures

or changes in performance, but for now the car is running wonderfully, starts better than it did on diesel and accelerates quicker as well.

Seems that the information on running on veg oil is a bit biased on this forum... I do love this forum however. MANY MANY people are running on WVO/ SVO one tank systems and reporting positive results. I guess this could be a live and learn situation, but its one that I am invested in learning about.

Lets just remember that:

There is mixed data on how SVO affects engine life span. Some say the life span is reduced: "McCormick, a senior fuels engineer for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO, said studies have shown that running vehicles on vegetable oil can reduce a car's lifespan. 'Those vehicles aren't going to last as long as they would running on conventional fuel,' McCormick said. 'Diesel engines are supposed to be low-maintenance and long-lasting engines. Running on straight vegetable oil, I don't think that's going to happen.'" Source: The Kansas City Star; "One Man's Fish Fry Grease is Another Man's Vehicle Fuel" March 29, 2005. However, many others claim the opposite; "engine wear is greatly reduced, sometimes tripling engine life for engines running on straight vegetable oil."
Source: www.distributiondrive.com.

The naysayers in this group are much more vocal than those of us actually running thousands and thousands of miles on cold WVO.

37,000 mi on WVO/RUG blend in the 83 so far.
19,000 mi on WVO/RUG blend in the 97 so far.

No mods to either car at all. No issues.

Don't fear your engine.

karmas_benz · #15 07-21-2008, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spark3542

The naysayers in this group are much more vocal than those of us actually running thousands and thousands of miles on cold WVO.

37,000 mi on WVO/RUG blend in the 83 so far.
19,000 mi on WVO/RUG blend in the 97 so far.

No mods to either car at all. No issues.

Don't fear your engine.

Thank-you! I was all proud of my accomplishment and here I am being told that I have RUINED my car. I appreciate you being vocal about your positive results.