Took about 10 minutes to collect the oil cubies from either my work or local restaurant. I filtered it in succession this way, simply poured it through a filter made from window screen to remove larger chunks, the screen sat above a five gallon bucket with a 5 micron screen on it, and gravity drained into a 2 micron sock filter which drained into a 55 gallon plastic drum. I tapped the drum about 3 inches from the bottom to draw off the oil. I built up enough of a supply so I always had 20 gallons ready to go at a notice, while anything else was taking its time to settle out. So my physical involvement was......moving a few oil cubies into the car trunk, taking them out of the trunk, pouring into my filter setup after they settled, and drawing off the oil. All in all, about 20 minutes hands on labor a week, and a few weeks to allow settling (like I said, I had a supply already built up so waiting was not an issue).

That's fantastic. Hugely less hassle than what I've read about others going through.

Well it worked well for over ten years and 4000+ gallons of WVO. I just used the KISS principal I learned in the Navy....Keep It Simple Stupid/

Not exactly your question, but if in CA you can buy bio-diesel at the pump. I usually fill with Propel HPR or Union 76 R99. No conversion needed and claimed to work in any diesel. It is chemically processed to not gel in cold weather. If concerned that WVO has gunked the system, bio-diesel should dissolve it better than fossil diesel. The main change might be to replace most rubber hoses with bio-fuel rated hoses. I did around the lift pump, but left the clear nylon factory hoses and the cigar return hose. I used 1/8" Viton hose for the injector returns, as the braided hose eventually seep, even with fossil diesel.

I'm in California as well and fill up with Propel HPR whenever possible. I found it does a fantastic job of cleaning the entire fuel system. Interestingly it's not Biodiesel but a whole new thing called Renewable Diesel made in a completely different way. Expect to see more and more of it as new plants come on line. It is approved at 100% (versus 5% for Biodiesel) by all major engine manufacturers and gets away from the cold flow problem and stability problems associated with Biodiesel.

Excellent analogy, lol!

The few WVO converted diesels VW's and MB's I looked at were in a sad state. Several trends were evident. The owners were not car enthusiasts, much less european car enthusiasts. They were free fuel enthusiasts first and foremost, and everything beyond that was neglected. I would be skeptical of any former WVO car for this reason. Personal bias perhaps, but the WVO fans I've met have all been the pot smoking "free fuel" hippie types who I wouldn't buy a shoe shine from, much less a used automobile.

I tend to agree...
 

There have been very few exceptions I’ve found. I took a chance on the one I just bought simply because it was cheap and has a MB remanufactured engine in it (1992 300SD). It’s a very solid car that’s been kept on the road, but not like I would’ve cared for it. This is Mercedes diesel #41 for me since I started in this hobby 18 years ago so I’m fairly well stocked with parts should there be any problems. Generally as a rule, I stay away from MB’s that have a WVO past. To each his own.

AMAZING......I'm a retired Naval Officer, have a Masters degree, have worked everyday of my life since I was 10 years old, and do not smoke pot. Guess you would still be skeptical of my WVO car success that I described above.
Don't worry, I'm not in the habit of selling my used cars, I either give them to family or donate them......I suppose I could round up some shoe shine if you are interested though.

No comment on WVO, but your hippie analogy gave me a laugh and reminded me of Ronald Reagan's definition of a hippie as someone who:
1 Dresses like Tarzan,
2 Has hair like Jane
3 Smells like Cheetah

Take that with a grain of salt, but it came from someone who could have been Tarzan, likely dated Jane and certainly knows what Bonzo smelled like.

Cheers

I converted my 82 300sd back a few years ago. It was converted with cheap clear pvc hose and the hoses would occasionally spring pinhole leaks.

Luckily the original system is much simpler than this two tank valves system that was in my car. I just removed everything and got some good quality biodiesel compatible Gates hose and plumbed it like the diagrams in the shop manual. I eventually even replaced the cigar hose that had been removed during the conversion. It was easy. Just follow the diagrams. Luckily as I said the system is so much less convoluted when normally plumbed that it is easily restored.

Your 1980 300sd sounds like a car I saw on the Southern California Craigslist a month ago. Are you in that area?

My feeling with the conversions is that some buyers are scared away by a history of WVO use. I like the old stripper girlfriend analogy...you may even go as far as including the ex-streetwalker with the heart of gold. Two of my friends married those and they have had interesting marriages to say the least.

That being said, I have nothing against WVO. I ran it for years in my 240 two tank style. But, one of the motivations for restoring my 300sd’s system to diesel only OE was to make it more attractive for resale. At least around here WVO conversions are not a value add.

I understand that Propel sources their fuel from a Neste plant (European) in Singapore. The raw product is mostly waste seafood from processing plants there. They also sell E85 fuel, so don't mix up the yellow and green hoses. My M-B idles noticeably smoother on the HPR fuel than on D2, as others have reported. It will likely be CA-only unless other states start the same carbon-market since they are effectively subsidized by trading carbon credits. Last time, HPR was 20 c/gal cheaper than the D2 sold at the same Shell station, though about the same as D2 at economy stations. I don't know much about the Union 76 other than the pumps have a label "R99 bio-based" or such. The station attendant didn't know anything about the fuel. The car seems to run the same on it.

WVO No problem!
 

I've run VERY WELL FILTERED WVO that hasn't been cooked to death right in the main tank, no conversion, in several W123's, my two main ones over 60,000 miles each. Only in above freezing weather, and mixed with a bit of K1 Kerosene only below about 50 deg.F. I also add a cup or two of regular gasoline to each 4.6 gallon cube of oil, especially in cooler weather. Also, i will use the block heater in cooler weather, and keep a few gallons of WVO indoors behind the wood stove, so if i am setting off on a day's errands, i give it nice warm fuel for minimum viscosity. I have a magnetic heater stuck to the back of the fuel tank which i may plug in for a few hours before heading out on a cold morning.

BE CAREFUL WITH OVERZEALOUS CLEANING OF THE TANK. When i first started running WVO on 2 of my cars, i went through a few hundred miles of frequent filter clogging, probably due to diesel deposits coming off the tank. After about 200 miles, this cleared up, and now i only change the small filters 2 or 3 times a year, and the big one maybe once.



I let the car warm up, especially in cooler weather. When the engine is hot, the oil is pretty near the optimum 160 deg F by the time it reaches the injector nozzle.



One of the cars got a bit sluggish after running WVO for about 40 000 miles, so i took out the injectors and soaked the rings in marvel mystery oil for a few days, BTW, the injectors were cleaner than some i've seen running dino! $5.99 tune up, and it has run great since (knock on weird)!



I think most of the problems with WVO stem from faulty conversions, or water/dirt in the WVO. No conversion, no problem! These cars have paid for themselves several times over, and will probably rust out before any damage is done to the engine. But given the superior lubricity of WVO, i don't anticipate any serious problems.



I run my 81 diesel rabbit on WVO too, but it is a little more finicky in cooler weather.

No joke.