This is news to me. Learn something new every day. I would like to read the original reference, do you remember where you saw it?

As you can probably tell from my post, I am not a big proponent of using odd fuels. In the one hand, save a buck a gallon on fuel, and on the other hand, maybe lose a $10,000 engine. No brainer. But leeching copper out, that's big.

 

Doug, I posted the reference in another thread a few weeks back.

 

I tried looking at your posting titles, and tried searching them for "copper" and "leech" with no luck. Do you remember where it was? Thanks.

 

doug,

here it is:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/4022579/vegetable-oil-as-fuel

I went back and reread the portion and now I'll take my foot out of my mouth. I had it backwards. It's not that the fuel damages alloys, but copper (and I'm assuming they don't mean alloys) used for plumbing in a VO system catalyses and damages the fuel.

Sorry for any confusion or alarm.

 

ya def go with a 2 tank kit or correctly manufactured biodiesel.
true biodiesel is veg oil that has been reacted with methanal to remove the fats from it. true biodiesel is the best for your car and won't cause nearly any problems.
i live on oahu and there is multiple places to buy it. pacific biodiesel sellsB-100 at the76 on nimitz and sand island andB-20 at the 7-11 in aina haina and on piikoi and king. i heard they just started selling it in kaneohe too. there is a place on maui and lots of home brewers on big island.
i drive a 240d and it works but the 300 is def the way to go if you cross any mountan passes freq.

 

"I know some of you on here will hate me and tell me it will destroy my car."

Ron,

I can't hate you. I never met you and you're probably a pretty nice guy. Even though I strenuously object to putting anything but diesel or commercial biodiesel through these cars, the bottom line is that it's your car.

Happy motoring! I hope you enjoy the car so much that after you grenade the engine, you want another Benz and are content to use the fuel it was made for so it lasts for many, many years.

 

"no paying for fuel"

Where do you get your fuel? I can buy veg oil wholesale and it is not too expensive, but no real savings over pump diesel. Do you run around to all the burger joints and get it from them? Around here (DC area) they are no longer giving it away.

I have looked at making biodiesel. Takes a big tank, some heaters, methanol and lye and stuff. Probably not the best for a guy like me who got a C in chemistry. Did you decide that this was too much expense? I would think that it would be better to process the oil myself and leave the car alone.

I don't mean any of this as criticism! The 240 Dog is a fine car and you will have many happy miles and smiles. My first MB was a 180 gas engine, but since I have driven nothing but Dogs (diesels). Currently have a 99 that will likely outlive me.

 

Fifteen thousand- yikes

 

There is actually a division of police on a special assignment in Australia that are solely trying to track down vegetable oil burners because they are evading federal fuel tax. In the States to my knowledge there has not been an legislative action by the government in attempt to tax burners of vegetable oil. As for the EPA, there is so much SH*T put into the atmosphere everyday from things ranging from nuclear plants to gasoline, it is almost an ethical responsibility do something about emissions. With vegetable oil reducing emissions from the tailpipe 90-95 percent compared to diesel, I am sold. With the simple fact the Rudolf Diesel designed the engine specifically to run on vegetable oil because he understood noted the sustainability, I am sol. The EPA is a government agency, you do not want to publicly go against a government agency by telling people you are running vegetable oil?

I am converting to run vegetable oil on a two tank system.

 

Reduced sulfur content is simply a straw man. Burning waste or vegetable/plant oils is actually worse for the environment. You have increased CO and CO2 emissions as well as decreased gas mileage and lower performance. You get an increased carbon build up in your engine and it also damages your lubricating oil necessitating more frequent changes.

It's not a "green" fuel by any means. The only reason you're doing it is because it's fashionable.

Someone who truly thought "green" would stick with diesel and not destroy another engine.