The non-profit I work for here in Burlington , VT leases space from the local Ferry Company that operates the ferries that cross the lake from VT to NY. I have over the years gotten to know several of the engineers and mechanics and they have proven to be a wealth of knowledge for diesel related topics. They have also proven to be an excellent resource for free parts and pieces of engines, pumps, tanks, etc. etc., many of which I have employed in my various SVO related projects.

In talking to one of the engineers about a recent SVO project, he mentioned today that they have a large stockpile of used lube oil from their reduction gear transmissions. He says it is 30 weight oil and is totally clean, and that I can have as much as I can carry away. What do you all think about using this for fuel, and should I use the free kerosene I recently scored, or diesel to cut the lube oil with? And in what percentages?

I know many folks are using UEO as fuel, but this seems like a better alternative as it is totally clean. He says it is the same color and clarity as it was when it went into the transmissions. Any advice is appreciated.

If I had this chance I would go for it and mix it 75% diesel and 25% oil.

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1977 300D Lost coolant while someone else was driving
1983 300D Can't run without oil
1985 300SD (gone but not forgotten)
1990 300TE 4matic Sold
1991 Yamaha Venture
1975 Kawsaki 250 triple
1974 Honda 200CL
1951 8N Ford
2008 Wildfire 650C

Yeah, me too. I would filter it first though.

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'83 240D with 617.952 and 2.88
'01 VW Beetle TDI
'05 Jeep Liberty CRD
'89 Toyota 4x4, needs 2L-T
'78 280Z with L28ET - 12.86@110
Oil Burner Kartel #35

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...oD/bioclip.jpg

i would start with 75% diesel and then add
the lube and i would start adjusting from there..

until I got to a point it smoked then i would back off a bit.

Go for it but, do it right.

I've burnt used my lube oil in the past but ceased the practice when I found out that most lube oil filters are barely 25 micron and most of the wear in diesel injection pumps is because of 5-7 micron particles.

At some point , I will build an oil extraction tank with a 'polishing' filter that circulates the retrieved oil through a sub-5 micron filter. Only then will I use lube oil as fuel.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

Cut it 50/50 with the Kerosene and enjoy. Diesel maybe 70/30. Free fuel is, well, free. RT

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When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

All the kero I've seen lately is dyed red. While putting used lube oil will optically obscure the dye, it may still be possible to detect the dye with other means. That said, I'd be reluctant to add dyed fuel to anything because of the possible taxman consequences.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

Thanks for the suggestions. My kero is dyed red, but in mixing it with WVO and other "oils" the red tint generally becomes subdued. I don't think there is much concern around here about burning off-road (dyed fuel) as I know many who do, and most "officials" aren't too interested in dipping the tank of an 83' 240D.

I'm in the process of installing a heated SVO system that will allow me to heat my second tank fuel to 150 -180F. I'm thinking I might try some of this lube oil in the 2nd tank as well in higher concentrations like 80 Lube to 20 diesel.