engine choking - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

cjc · #1 10-13-2009, 03:57 PM

I've had this 82 mercedes benz 240d for over a month. The previous owner ran it on straight veggie oil down in Southern California. I put a few tanks of diesel and one of biodiesel in it for traveling up to Spokane WA. I then put 5 gal. of clean cinnamon bark oil that I'd acquired along with the car(I have no idea who gave him that stuff) into the tank. Immediately the weather turned colder...I drove around the block and the car proceeded to stop running. I changed the conversion filter and the inline filter. I changed the main filter and added 5 gallons of bio-diesel. All these remedies have improved the situation from the car only turning over to starting but it continues to choke out after less than a minute. I put the car in a garage(outside it is still 40-55 degrees in the day) and have gone out to sit and try to keep it running but it keeps dying.
I've run out of ideas. I'm not a mechanic. I've read a ton on veggie oil and biodiesel and I'm wondering if I just keep trying to start it if it will eventually go again or if I did some kind of bad damage...
p.s. the conversion on the car was done professionally but was, I believe mainly for the temperatures of San Diego. no second tank. I thought I had the temps to still run that veggie oil.
thanks

Necrosavant · #2 10-13-2009, 04:11 PM

i dont know how "professional" a single tank system would be try to run it straight on diesel to clean out the thick oil in injection pump or bypass tank and run in a container of just diesel or diesel purge

vtmbz · #3 10-13-2009, 04:17 PM

Cinnamon bark oil???? This is a car, not a garbage disposal!

Necrosavant · #4 10-13-2009, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vtmbz

Cinnamon bark oil???? This is a car, not a garbage disposal!

hmm, worked well as an air freshener?

ah-kay · #5 10-13-2009, 05:09 PM

It looks like you jump into the Veggie Mobile without thinking it through. You need to be reasonably competent with cars to run a Veggie Mobile in my opinion. WVO can cause clogging and filtering/dewatering is the key. Any mis-step might cause the car to run rough or die due to clogging.

Not withstanding the above, I think your car is sound as you have driven it up from CA to WA. That is a long way and anything bad would have shown up on the trip. 40-55 degree is not cold, we get down to that temperature in the morning here in San Diego and my Veggie Mobiles still starts right up in the morning. I do not know anything about cinnamon bark oil but I would do the following:

1) change all filters, inline and spin on. air filter but not absolutely necessary.
2) use the priming pump to purge air from system
3) Try to purge the fuel line with compressor air from the inline filter end to unblock any blockage at the tank filter ( strainer ).
4) Fill up the tank with diesel, you can drain the cinnamon bark oil first but it may not be necessary depending how full was the tank to start with.
5) fires it up and see how it go.

Good luck.

BTW: you will get some unpleasant posts if you use WVO.

JEBalles · #6 10-13-2009, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vtmbz

Cinnamon bark oil???? This is a car, not a garbage disposal!

Ooooo, cinnimon bark oil? That's not garbage, I like the sound of it. I wonder what the exhaust smelled like

I can't believe it's cheap.

cjc · #7 10-13-2009, 05:36 PM

I suppose if we all knew everything we wouldn't have a forum, eh?
note-The car was running on the cinnamon bark oil when I purchased it and this was left over. Previous owner had been given it by a friend who couldn't use it anymore, perhaps a chef? (any respect for reduce,reuse recycle?) I dried it with a quick-n-dri polymer made specifically for bio-diesel and WVO and filtered it to 5 microns before I put it in the car, though it was very clean.
I would hope that this forum could be accessible to anyone and everyone who is respectful of others and diligently trying to learn.
Please read carefully before you criticize. I'd already done what you suggested except for getting the oil out. Thanks anyway.

ah-kay · #8 10-13-2009, 05:52 PM

Sorry if my post has been mis-construed. I did not mean to criticize as you did not mention the oil have been dewatered and filtered. I do not know the cinnamon bark oil, is it heavy or very viscous? Also I am not familiar with the polymer additive. I use a water/diesel separator in my filtering system AND in the car. There is not many options left. You can do a diesel purge and run the car from a bottle with diesel only as suggested by other members to eliminate the possibilities of bad fuel.

Brandon_SLC · #9 10-14-2009, 01:04 AM

I too would like to smell a car running on straight cinnamon oil. Hmmmm...combine some apple or citrus essential oils, for an even more interesting aroma.

#10 10-14-2009, 09:31 AM

An easy fix would be to run Diesel in your Diesel engine. *note: the name of the fuel matches the name of your engine. your engine is not known as the "run-what-ever-you-feel-like-or-can-find-engine"

pimpernell · #11 10-14-2009, 12:43 PM

I see nothing mentioned about it being used as a fuel for a diesel engine. I can't understand the reasoning behind throwing anything you happen to find laying around into your fuel tank, and expecting good results all to save a buck or two. Only thing I haven't seen on this board is someone trying to put a can of Crisco Lard in the tank!!

Main Entry: cinnamon–bark oil
Function: noun
: a light-yellow essential oil obtained from the bark of a Sri Lankan tree of the genus Cinnamomum (C. zeylanicum) and used in medicine, flavoring, and perfumery—called also cinnamon oil

Diesel911 · #12 10-14-2009, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vtmbz

Cinnamon bark oil???? This is a car, not a garbage disposal!

Garbage Disposal was exctly my thought to; they also stop working when you put enough crap in them.

Does anyone ever give any thought that there could be some Chemical reaction Solidification going on when you put a bunch of different things in your tank; that cannot be filtered out before you put it in the Tank?

Sometimes I get Criticized

But,I do not think I would want everyone to agree with everthing I say either.

lupin..the..3rd · #13 10-14-2009, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel911

Does anyone ever give any thought that there could be some Chemical reaction Solidification going on when you put a bunch of different things in your tank; that cannot be filtered out before you put it in the Tank?

x2 mixing miscellaneous crap in your tank is a baaaaaad idea.

Like milk and lime juice. Each one is very viscous and liquid on its own. But mix the two and you immediately have a curdled thick pasty sludge.

What is the cloud point of this cinnamon concoction? A simple jar in the refrigerator would tell you that. I wonder if the OP conducted any testing at all on this cinnamon concoction? I'm guessing not. Modern gasoline and diesel fuel undergoes an extensive formulation and testing process before it ever reaches the pumps. What makes anyone think they can mix whatever waste crap they happen to find into their tank, and still expect the car to run as usual???

It defies all logic.

My recommendation is to drain the tank, take it all to a hazardous waste disposal facility. Fill the tank full with regular #2 diesel fuel. Disconnect the fuel lines in the engine bay and do a Diesel Purge with two full cans of DP. Then do an oil change on that engine. Who knows what kind of nasty combustion byproducts from the mystery fuel have fouled the engine oil.

kerry · #14 10-14-2009, 01:51 PM

Put a gallon of diesel in a jug, put it under the hood and insert the inlet and return fuel lines into the jug so that the engine is now using the jug as the fuel tank. See if the engine will run. If it does, you know the problem is in the fuel system upstream of the lift pump.

You say your not a mechanic and you don't want people to criticize your non-diesel fuel choices. That is an unreasonable expectation. Many people have been posting on this forum for years and have become aware of quite of number of otherwise good MB diesels reaching their demise from use of non-diesel fuels. So rather than asking people not to criticize your decision it might behoove you to give some thoughtful consideration to people who have had some experience with WVO diesels on this forum.

lupin..the..3rd · #15 10-14-2009, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ah-kay

BTW: you will get some unpleasant posts if you use WVO.

FYI I'm not anti-WVO. Really, I'm not - provided you do it right. Proper two-tank system with heating, correct types of hoses, properly filtered and dewatered fuel, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ah-kay

It looks like you jump into the Veggie Mobile without thinking it through.

^^^ The problem is that this statement seems to apply 99 times out of a 100, destroying a perfectly good engine in the process. People think it is cheap and easy and will save them money. And they're wrong on all counts.