Cause and effect
 

Your vehicle has a warning light for low oil level (comes on when the engine is about 2 quarts low) but for oil pressure it has a gauge. If the oil level is really so low that you were able to add 5 quarts then damage to the engine may have occurred.

The engine oil has to be going somewhere -- either into the cylinders and being burned or leaking out from a hole, gasket, or seal. Does the car produce dark, oil-smelling smoke when you drive or is the oil leaking from somewhere and dripping on the ground?

The use of WVO may or may not have caused your problem; it certainly hasn't helped. There are many folks who do not maintain an open mind but automatically blame WVO. I try to keep an open mind but it's interesting to read the posts on this forum and note how many of the "car is dying" threads involve a WVO engine. It certainly has kept me from trying WVO -- too risky.

BTW, a replacement engine is now $8-9K, plus installation and core.

Jeremy

I have been running WVO and I am interested in any verified case of WVO harming these engines.

If you could give me more information on the vehicles with the stuck rings I would appreciate it.

Thank You.

Preemptively blaming WVO usage for a massive oil leak demonstrates a lack of rational thinking, however, high crankcase pressure due to stuck rings is indeed a possibility among many. Any damaged seal, line, or gasket under oil pressure could create the massive oil loss described, and that still hasn't been described fully. But, I echo the curiosity about a documented WVO caused breakdown. "I have seen this happen many times before" is not convincing or constructive information.

So, for all interested in exactly how much WVO was run through this engine - answer is, very little. We added the two-tank system this past fall, and I doubt it ran more than 3,000 miles on veg - it might have been closer to 2,000 miles. Our '85 300CD runs well on veg, probably at least 30k miles on veg with that car. Anyway, all thoughts on rings, gaskets failure, etc., are much appreciated. Compression is way down, it's almost un-drivable, and so far leakdown test is inconclusive. I should have more information from the mechanic tomorrow. Thanks to those cheering us on to repair it! We'll make a decision shortly. If we don't repair, we will offer it to this forum first. Body is immaculate, chassis perfect, all electricals, vacuum system, vacuum locks, etc., work well. Many new parts. We'll decide soon!! Many thanks again for your input...

A very nicely worded blast fired across your bow Mercy!!! ;)

Rich, I like the new tactic! :P

Does this car use a 5 cyl om617

Ya I know, right Jimmy.

The most recent case was a 79 300TD that had came into my buddies shop and it had logged about 20K on veggy oil, car had 200K on it. Well it got to the point where it wouldn't start, so we ran a compression test on it and found very low numbers on all cylinders. So he tore down the engine and I only wished I had taken pictures of the rings.....

nope, 6 cylinder OM603

If memory serves me correctly, Alistair posted a case of a 603 with stuck rings from WVC which he loosened with water injection.

Wow. I bet it had some bad injectors. I had an 85 300D and ran it on single tank WVO system for 25,000 miles . Compression was 395, 405, 400, 400, 365 before starting. Replaced all nozzles and glow plugs to start with (as everyone hopefully knows that bad injectors and glow plugs will cause lots of unburned fuel in cylinder and unburned wvo in cylinders contaminates motor oil and destroys engine fast). At 15,000 i checked compression again and it was same. Car is still one of best running 300DTs around with 290,000 on it.

I have a friend with 100,000 miles since his wvo conversion on his two tank system 240D. Still going strong. He never replaced his injectors.

On the other hand, I saw a blown engine , several actually at the mb mechanic the other day. Some were gas some were diesel. Don't know what happened. Do you think they were all WVO damaged engines too?

rebuild it!
 

rebuild her! And get the better head, what is it a 606 head? There's more about that here at the lists.

Without a doubt. WVO is evil, created by the devil herself, just to prevent the meek (diesels) from inheriting the earth.

Thanks, trying my best ?

Hard to get real information.

Ya have to tip toe through the landmines.

I just dont get it, I have several thousand of miles on veggie and no ring coking, low compression issues.

Were the injectors bad in the first place, and maybe the rings had been coking up from the diesel it was run on for 200,000 instead of all of it happening in the 20,000 on veggie ?

A bad injector causes coking of the rings despite what fuel your using.

Do you have any information that is first hand ?
Instead of a guy who brought their car into your buddies shop ?

I have heard lots of shop talk get pretty far fetched, like fish stories around a camp fire.

Yes, water injection seems to keep these engines cleaner.
Havent set me up a system yet tho.