[Edited on 1/7/08 by woodster]
A mate at work would like to know can he run his 306 on veg oil without any engine mods .... think there was a tv prog last night ..... do you have to
mix something with the oil ... is it one kind of veg oil ....... i told him you lads would know
[Edited on 1/7/08 by woodster]
the program said certain cars could run straight on unaltered rape seed oil. The van they had running on chip oil had the oil thinned down with a
solvent but they didn't mention which one
Hopefully someone else here is more knowledgeable which wouldn't be difficult
The main problem with Veg oil is that it is viscous and can buggar up injection pumps, most older diesels (not common rail) shouldnt have too much of
a problem with running veg oil.
I know some americans mix veg oil with either petrol or ethanol (5-10% mix) to try to thin it out a little,
Another major problem is it gels at low temperatures, so a heated tank may be needed in winter
Have a read of this
I've run my 1.9 (non turbo) xsara on 50/50 oil/diesel for 1000's of miles no problem. Its a dirty knacker so not bothered what it does to
the car, but there have been no effects at all, well apart from the chip smell 
It take a few more turns to start in the morning, and when its cold
i put a little less veg oil in, but other than that go for it
Just to add, it doesn';t save you that much now though, a couple of yeras ago veg oil from asda was £1.25 for 3 litres, its nor £2.98!!!! Is veg
oil related to crude oil prices
You usually mix it with methanol. You need to filter it first.
Regards
Hugh
quote:
Originally posted by hughpinder
You usually mix it with methanol. You need to filter it first.
Regards
Hugh
Only problem I can see when doing this is you are evading Fuel Duty.
If you register as a private fuel producer, you can make quite a lot (I think its 2500 litres) per year without a lot of hassle or tax. but you would
need to look into it in detail.
I have a mate who makes his own Biodiesel for about 60p per litre tax paid. (and properly registered with Customs & Excise)
Dont know what the costs are now. That was a year or so ago.
Worst case, is they impound and crush your vehicle for not paying the fuel tax.
Be careful and check the legal aspects first.
quote:
Originally posted by MK9R
quote:
Originally posted by hughpinder
You usually mix it with methanol. You need to filter it first.
Regards
Hugh
only if its 2nd hand oil, i.e. from a chippy and been used for frying. I stick it in straight from the bottle as supplied by asda
I think The Veg oil rules have now changed.
I believe low users don't pay duty now.
quote:
Originally posted by MK9R
Just to add, it doesn';t save you that much now though, a couple of yeras ago veg oil from asda was £1.25 for 3 litres, its nor £2.98!!!! Is veg oil related to crude oil prices
You don't need to register as a fuel producer - just crack on up to 2500 litres/year.
On the PSA XUD engines the Bosch pump is what you NEED, if its got a Lucas forget it, it will run but the pump will die - its just a matter of when
(not usually very long).
Although its largely not worth it at current prices if you're buying new oil, and even used stuff (which you've gotta go to a fair amount of
hassle to filter) is in high demand.
Customs take a dim view of certain solvents being put in your tank.
With the PSA XUD engines or IDI Merc's all your trying to do is lower the viscosity so it starts better in the cold (and is kinder on the fuel
pump).
5% unleaded has the same thining effect as using 40% normal diesel.
I ran a veg car for a few months earlier in the year when you could still get oil for ~55p/litre but it was pretty much too much hassle even then (as
it was 1 litre bottles!). If I wanted 20 litre cubees it was an hour round trip and about 75p/litre or locally about 85p/litre. This was back before
normal diesel shot right up but then as someone else said new veg is ~£1/litre.
And the Merc (with my right foot) was only doing mid-30's when I can get around 50mpg from the Bimmer as its faster and handles better....
i was thinking of knocking up some 50% oil 48% diesel and 2% unleaded, seeing how well it mixes in a jar and then testing in the van.
The van's a shed thats getting sold soon, so im not really bothered if it dies. Plus, im spending about £200 a week on fuel so could save a lot.
Just need to find somewhere for cheap new oil in bulk.
ps, anyone know what fuel pump is in a w reg merc sprinter?
To be honest with new oil at ~£1 a litre by the time you're mixing it with diesel at £1.30 and the time it takes to buy it and mix it coupled
with the potential risk of damage its not worth it for the tiny saving.
All in IMHO of course!