Bio-Diesel / W115 Questions
 

Okay here's the deal . . .

Currently I own a '95 Civic, it's a great car, but it just doesn't do it for me. So i found a buyer for my Civic, and therefor I have the freedom to look around for a replacement car.

Being a self-proclaimed "automotive-activist" & and interested in alternate fuels/energy sources, i've become very interested in having a Bio-Diesel Mercedes Benz.

I found a W115 '75 300D around me, with a recently re-built motor, and AC (which is a must in Southern California). I've had a '79 300CD in the past, so i'm use to some of the "quirks" of having a diesel. On a side note . . . i've thought about getting a W123 300D, but would prefer the nostalgia of the W115.

My Questions....


What should I look out for on this Mercedes Benz model? besides the usual of rust etc.

What's your opinion of the car?

How would I go about converting the car into a Bio-diesel car?

*I've done some research and have found mixed answers. Some sources claim no changes are needed, some say adding more fuel filters is required etc.


What else should I be concerned about?


Any comment would be highly appriciated.

(RE-POSTED in Vintage Section)

SoCal,

I too have a 1975 115 300D and am going to run it on fry oil. I have fixed and painted the car for my son. He works in the local hamburger joint and is happy about the fact that he can get his fuel free.

From what I understand all that is needed to run fry oil in a warm climate is to filter it through a 20 to 25 micron fuel filter and pump it straight into the car. Apparently if the oil stays liquid at room temp. then you can run it without all the dual fuel system set up that is required in colder climates. My next door neighbor has three 350 MB Diesels that he runs on fry oil. All have dual systems but he doesn't use them here in S. Texas. From what I have read on various site on the net the oil will tend to disolve some of the rubber hoses in the fuel system, but it is a long process and not a major concern.

I don't know that the dual system is worth the money. If you drive 12k a year and the car gets 25 mpg and fuel costs $2 a gal. that is an annual fuel bill of less than $1,000 a year not counting any failed hoses. A thousand dollars is nothing to sneeze at but the conversion probably costs $1,500 plus and getting and cleaning the oil is a hassle. If you can use the il straight w/o the dual system I would say go for it.

Good Luck.

more info here
 

Waste Vege oil info here at the Maui Green Bulletin Board . This link is to the WVO forum. There is biodiesel forums that are very active on the same board.

MB's seem to love the fry juice better than many diesels. In the WVO forum there is a FAQ. In that FAQ is an MB section.

this guy has a w115 biodiesel/svo.
www.vegenergy.com
runs great!

Thanks for all the sites and advice.


Secondly, i'm still confused . . . after doing a few hours of research it still seems like some people have complex systems for their bio-diesels, while others just go straight.

I also havn't found the differance between SVO (Straight Veg. OIl) and WVO (Waste Veg. oil)

I still don't know what convertion would be required for my possible W115 '75 300D

I've found some contacts on the the sites provided, but am still looking for more people with bio-diesel knowledge. Any help is appreciated.

I'm in the Los, Angeles Area

. Complexity of a WVO/SVO car is the plumbing changes you make in your vehicle. If you allways drive in a hot climate you need less plumbing changes. You have to have a filter system in your garage/storage space to filter/clean the oil you get. Assuming you use WVO.

. Complexity in biodiesel is what is in your garage/storage space. You have to chemicaly alter each drop of the cleaned veg. oil with acid and methanol to convert it to biodiesel. This is done in a biodiesel reactor. There is a bit or waste product left over from the reaction you have to deal with also. Like WVO you also have to have a filtration system to clean the oil before reacting it.

Both are Vegetable oils! SVO is straight vegetalbe oil from what ever source. Usually means CLEAN/Never fryed in oil. This is very expensive stuff. WVO is used by those who get their oil from resturants that has been thru the fryer and is full of crud that must be filtered out; hense WASTE Veg. Oil. Most who make biodiesel use WVO as the stock to make there biodiesel from. That is why they also need a filter system..

Quote:

I still don't know what convertion would be required for my possible W115 '75 300D

matters where you live. Matters how many minutes your driving usually takes. Read up on Blends too. That is a new area you might find interesting.

Quote:

I've found some contacts on the the sites provided, but am still looking for more people with bio-diesel knowledge. Any help is appreciated.

Wont find a better source than the Maui Green web site I threw out at you earlier for asking questions. There is no one source/person with all the answers. Another good source for info to read is the Journey to Forever Website. Do a google search. Be noted J24E is a very biased site toward biodiesel.

That makes the potential for a wvo/svo conversion much easier. There is lots of CA folk doing biodiesel and WVO/SVO. I think you can buy biodiesel in your area too. Cost more than diesel though.