i've hear a rumor that if you mix 80% veggie oil and 20% regular unleaded gas you can use that in your diesel instead of heating it or using bio diesel. this doesnt sound like it would work to me, if you have any input please tell me

Thanks

By the way i own a 92 300D just in case you were wondering

 

Good grief, don't do that! Here's an acceptable mix if you don't want to heat WVO or make your own biofuel:

1 Part Kerosene
4 Parts Diesel Fuel / #2 Fuel Oil
5 Parts WVO (Filtered using 3 Micron filter, all water removed)

I've used this many times during the Spring & Summer in my 240D with excellent results. I wouldn't advise using this mix when the weather falls below 55 degrees F. Your call on the Fuel Oil since it is not taxed for on-road use and may land you in trouble.

 

No one knows for sure, but gasolline and diesel fuel are two very different substance, used in very different internal combustion engines. If you feel you need to mix your VO, then use diesel or kerosene, or a little of each. Still, regardless of what anyone believes, you should be very aware that burning veggie oil is in the early experimental stages and that it very well may ruin your engine.

If you decide to use VO, then the mixture % of VO and kerosene depends on your climate, as well as on your belief system. There are those who believe it's okay to burn pure WVO/SVO in indirect injection diesels provided the temperature never gets below 50*. Otherwise they use a mixture of diesel and/or kerosene and WVO/SVO. Others believe one should never burn veggie oil in the newer direct injection diesels because it will very soon destroy them.

Another cult believes it's ok to burn veggie oil in all diesels, as long as it's preheated to at least 150* before delievering it to the injection pump. A subset sect/cult believes it must be much hotter than that, and the engine must always first be started with diesel fuel. That is, before starting the engine must be purged of all veggie oil.

I drive a 1982 300D T and tend to suspect that, if one is very careful, does a Lubro Moly diesel purge evey six months or so, regularly does the Italian overhaul, etc... and lives in a moderate climate, one can successfully mix diesel with VO and burn it in all indirect injection diesels. However, I use a kit from http://www.greaseon.com which heats the fuel as it comes out of the tank, and before it goes into a modern filter/water separator. It also heats it again before it goes into the injector pump. It works fine, runs and sounds better, and gets better milage with the VO mixture.

But first I reseached it thoroughly, thenconcluded, regardless of what any of the so called "experts" believe burning VO or a mixture of VO is experiemental and no one knows for sure if any of the various systems/cults will be of lasting value.

BTW, here's a silly photo show of my veggio oil installation. Bruno is my 300D T, Miss Veggie Fuel Manager is the VO kit, and I'm bbbear. http://photoshow.comcast.net/watch/sq8Tf9aA

 

hey thanks for the advice, but i've also heard another theory (about heating the v/o instead of using a mixture) that instead of feeding the fuel line through the coolant lines to heat it up you can just run it next to the exhaust and maybe wrap it around the pipe. this would heat up much faster then the coolant and it would be easier then cutting into the coolant lines, what do you guys think, would it get too hot or just hot enough... i don't know much about these ideas and cults and i'm on a tight budget looking for an alternate fuel source at a cheap price, i'm leaning more toward heating the fuel so i dont have to buy gas or kerosene or whatever.... any info would be GREATLY appreciated (thanks for the info provided already it's been great)

Thank you all

 

My opinion was that processed biodiesel was better because you check the PH of the oil before and after
the process. After what drrty240D said about the kero/diesel/wvo mix, I would be more willing to try it.
It would be much easier than titrating and processing wvo into bio, but I would be worried about the consistency,
due to the possible variables in the wvo. How long have you been running this mix? Have you had any issues with it?
I am currently building an appleseed processor, but am open to all ideas. Does the kerosene thin out the wvo? Do you have
to upgrade your fuel lines with the kero/diesel/wvo? I am very interested in this concept.
The idea of running my car on straight wvo, heated or not, kind of scares me.....

Let me know your thoughts/experiences

Thanks,
John

 

If i was ever serious into WVO i would titrate it and processing it it b4 it goes into the car but thats cause i have a chemistry background also its cause then there is nothing extra done to the car. My two cents but i will not be running WVO till i have a place to do the work.

 

Wow! I haven't heard that one! But if you live in a moderate climate, I suspect the cheapest way is to heat your veggie oil before it enters the engine by wrapping electrically heated wires around the fuel lines right before they enter the fuel filter and again around the metal fuel lines going into the injectors. Danny or Henry or Brandon, or boneheaddoctor might tell you how to make them on the alternative fuel forum at some old man But you'll still have to thin out your waste veggie oil during the winter.
I live on Fox Island in WA where it sometimes gets below 32* so I suspect I have to do more than that.

Look at my photo show. Notice the gravity fed fuel sump heater, clear filter, and electric fuel pump located next to the spare tire. It's right under the fuel tank so, unless the fuel is gelled, however thickened, it still flows into the heated fuel chamber. If I keep it thinned out with diesel, it shouldn't have a problem feeding into the heat sump and electircally pumping the warmed WVO into the addec fliter/water separator under the hood on the drivers side. I intend to burn a 50/50 blend of WVO and diesel until Feb... I'll once again be burning pure WVO by summer....

BTW, the fuel sump heater and forward heater is made using glow plugs, lead pipe and a small thermostat....I bought mine, but they can be homemade....

Still, I have to add... apparently the 1990 to 1992 MB Diesels often become oil burners between 70,000 and 100,000 miles. That is, the cylinders tend to wear out of round and into ovals. That means that unburned fuel will probably be getting into your crankcase oil.... and veggie oil isn't at all a good thing when mixed with crankcase oil..... there go your bearings.... and so goes the engine....

 

I strongly suspect that a good grade of Biodiesel is far superior to straight veggie oil... But finding a good source of BD is not so easy. Since I have no desire to mess around with lye, methenol, the possibiltiy of fire, personal injury or death, and the various needed stages of Bd, and wouldn't trust the stuff if I did.....then my only options are to buy commercial BD or use veggie oil. But the truth is even commerically brewed BD is suspect because no agency truly monitors the ASTM standards. That said, I'd rather take my chances with veggie oil.....

 

Hello,
I recently performed a diesel purge, so now would be a good time to do some experimenting.
I think I will start with small amounts of virgin vegetable oil, and kerosene, mixed with #2. The climate
here in Illinois is rather unpredictable, so I won't do anything too aggresive. But the engine is healthy, 151,000
pampered miles, so I have no misgivings about trying some different blends.

Regards,
John

 

Provided you keep your auto garaged, or have a block heater, or both, then it seems to me 80% # 2 diesel, 10 % VO and 10% kerosene might be an ok winter blend, that is, if it doesn't get below zero F... I also strongly suspect the injector pump may appreciate the added lubing qualtiy of such a mixture.

Regarding your 1987 300SDL..... Since you have 151,000 on the OD, I assume you are doing all of the right things to avoid cracking that aluminum head... Particularly idling down to cool before you switch off.
According to Kent Bergsma of mercedessource.com, those first Mercedes aluminum heads were weak, resulting in cracks due to extreme heat cyles. Yet they seem to last when allowed to cool down before switching off and if the oil has been changed at regular intervals.

Henry Schuman of schumanautomotive has been a diesel mechanic since 1968. He also owns a 1987 300SDL that has the original head and 500,000 miles on the OD. That's proof that not all of them get cracked heads. Henry lives in a moderate climate and he feels that the older, indirect diesels are built to burn unheated, thicker oils.. that the prechamber insures they are hot enough before being injected into the combustion chamber.... Yet, it seems on colder mornings, even Henry has had some starting problems. The last I heard, Henry was considering putting heated wires on the fuel lines between the injector pump and fuel injectors. I placed a link to info on those lines in a previous post.