All i know about as far as the heads go is that on my 86 300sdl when it was my daily driver during the winter 02-03 there were some 10-20 mornings in MD and i would heat the glow plugs twice then start it and let it run 3-5 minutes b4 leaving and never had a problem. And that was when it had about 290k on it. It has 296 now. But since oct 03 i have maybe put 50 miles on her. But its funny cause right now i am going outside to move her and i know she will start right up.

 

Well, it seems you got one of the good ones and also do all the right things. Like Henry's, yours may still be running fine at over 500,000. Henry once had a small starting problem only because he's burning unheated veggie oil. But as I understand it, he quickly solved that problem and the next day it starter right up.

Even though Kent Bergsma of mercedessource advises to avoid or be very cautious regarding the 86 and 87 300sdl, he also says it's ok to buy one if the head has recently been replaced, or if you know the owner and his/her driving habits. But he also says to have the engine cylinder head thoruoughly checked out before you consider buying one of these models, and don't buy one on eBay!

 

Regards,
John
[/quote]
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.


[/quote]Thanks Charles!

I will try that mixture and see what happens, I have only run it on #2 since I bought it about six months ago. My car is kept in an insulated garage attached to my house, so it is quite a bit warmer than outside ambient. Do I just let the car idle for a few minutes before shutting down? The car runs about 80 c at operating temp, maybe a tad higher in the summer months. It looks like it has standard green coolant in it, I was going to do a flush and fill in the spring. Do I need to replace my fuel lines with synthetic to run #2/kero/wvo? I was going to replace them anyway to run bio, but I may not even mess with bio if I get good results with this. (I live about 3 blocks from 4 gas stations that carry #2) It seems mixing the fuel instead of processing it would save a great deal of time.
I will check out Henry Schuman's website as well.

Thanks Again,
John

 

Well, it seems to avoid those extreme heating cycles, it's best to let the engine idle for a 3 or 4 minutes before taking off, and for 3 or 4 minutes before shutting down...
Veggie oil is a good cleaner, but not nearly as damaging to the fuel lines as biodiesel. Just feel all of your fuel lines, especially the small fuel return lines between the injectors, etc.. If they feel damp and somewhat soggy, then it's time to change them. But merely use regular Mercedes fuel lines...
But, as I said, veggie oil will clean out your fuel tank and lines.... and eventually dump a lot of soot in your fuel filter. Have a spare fuel filter just in case. You'll know it's time to replace the fuel filter when you feel a loss of power.
I drive a 1982 300D T and use the reccommended Mercedes coolant. Kent Bergsma of http://www.mercedessource.com , aka, http://www.greaseon.com advises it's necessary because the plastics used in the radiator need a certain PH balance... otherwise they tend to snap off. If that happens when at speed, then you've ruined your engine.
BTW, you can't go wrong with schumanautomotive and the large number of very smart Mercedes diesel mechanics who hang out there.

 

Hello, I added 2 gallons of virgin veggie oil and 1 gallon of kerosene to 3/4 tank of fuel (probably 15 gallons).
I let it idle for a few minutes to help mix the fuel. The diesel was already in the tank ,so I mixed the veggie oil with
the kerosene and poured it in. After driving a few miles, I noticed it running smoother and quieter. It really made a
difference on the downshifts pulling up to stop lights. I thought maybe it was in my head, but my wife noticed it as well.
The fuels are probably not fully mixed yet in the tank, I'll see how it runs on the commute to and from work tomorrow.
Just wanted to thank everybody for their help, input, and advice. I am new to this, and still a little nervous, but I love
to tinker!!! Now I need to find a reasonably priced source for the kerosene. (I overpaid at the hardware store, but it was a
matter of convenience. It was $7.00 for a gallon). Thanks again Charles for your advice with the aluminum head, I currently
let it idle for a few minutes after I start it, now I will start cooling down before I shut it off. I really don't want to change the head!!

Regards,
John

 

If you look in ur owners manual for summer driving the 300sdl can run 70/30 on diesel/kero and during the winter it can run 50/50 diesel/kero. Just thought i would add that.

One time when my dad still had the car we added what was left id say 3/4 gallon of citronella lamp oil to the tank. Smelled rather good. lol

 

here's a posting in 2003 about the 20% regular unleaded gas ("rug") blend from a knowledgable guy they call kugel, found at this posting group http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?...1&m=867605504:

"I did some more reading last night - extensive reading - in my old Internal Combustion Engines textbook from Engineering school. I was reading about "fuel knock" in Combustion Ignition (CI) Engines, as well and more about Octane and Cetane ratings and their effect on combustion in a CI engine.

I was right about the blended gasoline making my truck easier to start cold - this is from practical experience with emperical data to back it up - but I was wrong about the theoretical reasons for it. I originally thought that the gasoline ignited easier than the VO, thus chemically reducing the ignition lagtime of the blend and starting the combustion cycle in the cylinder at many small points, and propogating the flamefront of the blend. In actuality, the gasoline has a HIGHER SELF IGNITION TEMP than diesel, so it cannot and does not chemically reduce the Ignition Lagtime of the fuel. HOWEVER, it does cause a PHYSICAL reduction of Ignition Lagtime, because it lowers the viscosity (thins out) the VO, thus causing better/more efficient atomization of the fuel spay; this allows the VO molecules to more quickly find oxygen and to ignite.

Also, increasing the CETANE level, DECREASES the CHEMICAL Ignition Lagtime. SO, adding the gasoline reduces the Physical delay, and adding the Power Service Diesel Kleen reduces the Chemical delay (raises cetane rating by 6 ponts), thereby making the blend much easier to start.

Adding the 20% gasoline made a significant improvement in the cold startup of my truck. Adding the Power Service Diesel Kleen made an additional HUGE improvement in my cold startup. Ever since I started adding the Power Service to the Blend, my cold startup cranking times have gone from two cycles of about 15 seconds each to startup on the first turn of the key within 3-5 seconds. This was true, even at temperatures in the low 40*F range.

BTW, my blend stays liquid down to about 35*F, before it starts to gel. A sample, frozen to 0*F will quickly become liquid from just hand heat (skin temp = 95-96*F???).

I might just make it through the winter here without any heat on my system! We'll see!!

Good Vegging and God Bless!!

Kugel

1991 Ford F350 7.3LNA Diesel ZF5/5-speed tranny: Currently running unheated 80/20 Peanut Oil (WVO) [5 micron prefiltered] and Gasoline Mix; removed mechanical lift pump, added single electric fuel "push" pump, back near tanks, after fuel selector valve; looped IJP return line back to Fuel Filter inlet; Injector return lines still go to selector valve and tanks; Fuel Filter Air Bleed tees back into Injector return line. So far, she's running GREAT! 3500 veggie miles and counting!"



since august i've been running kugel's blend in my 3 mb greasers, '81 300tdt, '82 300d and '87 300dt. all run great down to about 40 degrees. they start and run great, sound better than with dino diesel (no nailing), with no discernible difference in power or mileage. i have several thousand miles on each car with no complications except clogged fuel prefilters, which i get off ebay for under $2 per. when temps threatened to get colder than 40, i switched back to diesel. will switch back about easter.

the guy who makes frybrid wvo conversions recommends a 10% rug winter blend even in a 2 tank system, frybrid and others. here's his posting from his forum:

"As winter is approaching I need to bring up the subject of mixing 5 to 10% RUG (regular unleaded gasoline) with your VO. I have done this for the past two winters and have been very happy with the results. I, however, have not done any R&D as to the effects of heating this mixture to 180F, off gassing etc.

Chris" http://www.frybrid.com/forum/showthr...light=unleaded



the most important thing about wvo is cleanliness. get good oil, get it separated, and filter the hell out of it. i filter down to 1 micron, and as stated above, still clog prefilters in about 3k miles.

one other thing i would strongly suggest is heating your injector lines. fattywagons used to sell them but quit. here's an ebay listing for some that clone the fattywagon design: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Injec...QQcmdZViewItem.

we bought one set of these, and intend to make more ourselves for the other 2 cars.

btw, the power services product kugel discusses comes in 2 formulas--a silver bottle and a white one. the silver bottle raises cetane ratings more, but the white one is the winter formula with some gelling inhibitors. iirc, kugel recommends the white bottle in cold weather.

 

Hello all,
From the research I have done, the kerosene is added to lower the cloud point/gel point of the diesel/wvo.
Like mbz300sdl said, the owner's manual for a 300sdl gives you the mixture ratios for kero/diesel. Maybe the
kerosene also thins out the WVO similar to how the unleaded gasoline would. I mixed the veggie oil and the kero
in a seperate container before pouring it in the tank. The mixture was mixed very well, and noticeably thinner than
the straight veggie oil. I let it sit a while before adding it to the car, and saw no noticeable separation between the kero
and the veggie oil. I will probably take Charles Munn's advice, and not exceed 80/10/10 for the cold months. When it starts
warming up, I will start increasing the amount of WVO. I am going to stick with kerosene, but would not be opposed to trying
gasoline possibly. I have a co-worker who was in the marine corps. They had heavy duty multi-axle trucks that were multi-fuel.
They could burn diesel/kerosene/jet fuel, and when they changed the oil ,they poured the used oil in the tank too!!

Regards,
John

 

Truckers in cold climates have long used kero to prevent gelling of Diesel before additives came out. My dad drove a truck since 1976 so i have some background on this.

 

I strongly suspect you're right to use a little kerosene, especially in winter time Ill.... Still, Henry of Schuman's automotive says the new low sulfur diesel fuel will thin the veggie oil nearly as well as kerosene... He says the ULSD seems to be without that oily feel.... much like gasoline.... ( and, regardless of who said what, it would be a cold day in hell, or simply a stupid mistake, before I'd add gasoline to the fuel tank of Bruno, my great, old 1982, 300D T! )
Since I tend to take Henry Schumans advice, this winter I'm burning a 50/50 mixture of WVO and ULSD. But, unlike you, I heat my WVO to 90* just as it comes out of the fuel tank, then and electric pump pushes it up to the engine compartment, through the filter and into another heater which takes it to 150* just before it enters the injection pump.

I consider Western WA, especially on the water, to be somewhat moderate. Yet we just had our first freeze which came surprisingly early and hard ( 26*) and the 50/50 mixture in the clear filters seems to be still very thin, with little to no viscosity.
Still, even though I heat my WVO, if it gets any colder, I'll continue to thin only with ULSD but lower the % of WVO...