i met this guy at the bio pump filling his van with the good stuff. he says he used to have a 220D and ran it around powered with veggie oil he got from restaurants. he said he used to filter it, let it sit a while to get the water out, and WITHOUT a kit of any kind. he said in the summer these cars are fine on it. in the winter he'd plug it in at work and home to keep her warm.
Clay, do you ever think of doing this? i mean... the stuff is free! i think when i break down and get myself a BETTER 220D, i might experiment with this one.
i realize that the oil is too thick in most climates, but this guy is from bend, or.
i figured you tried it out :). thanks. i will keep this in the back of my mind as my girlfriend's restaurant PAYS to rid themselves of over 20 gallons of oil a week. maybe that can yeild a bit of free motorin' soon.
most appreciated.
hey gang,
I just picked up a 'new' 1976 240 D, to supplement my 'old' 1976 240D that was seriously flintstoning tho still running heroically for 9 years..
I would really like to start with VO or bioD. Is fresh canola still the oil of choice?
can i really honestly just add it to the tank in spring summer?
Recommended ratios?
best,
J
Canola is miles ahead of soy for best product in the tank. Grease cars are able to use pure canola once the engine is hot. Some people have moved the #2 tank to the front and run a gallon or two under the hood, then change over to the rear tank of VO. As long as the rear tank gets heated, it is a year round fuel.
For summer use, as long as it does not drop below 60*f, you are going to have no great issue with straight VO. It will flow and be fine in the tank. Up here in the great north wet, we do not get hot days in summer, so I am pretty happy with a 75% VO tank, and either BioD or #2 mixed. Might work well to alternate tanks of #2 and VO, or every second tank (third?) can be #2. Two tanks VO, one #2. In case there is a cold day in there.
yes you just add it to the tank. Go to wally world or costco, even the local cash and carry grocer and get the 5 gallon oil jugs. A funnel and a strong arm to hold it while it drains. Using waste oil, you really need to filter to 5 micron for the sake of the IP
if you really like your car and you dont want to tkae nay risks, Biodiesle is probbaley your best option. I think waste veggie oil may have long term conserquences.
keep in kind that you cannoit really replace a 200D anymore. I jsut bought a 220D with a dmaged motor and I am going through hell to find a relpacment motor for it.
Biodiesel is a nice clean substnace. If you are going to to be a veggie burner. atleast change your oil every 2500 miles.
or your engine every 100k.
Hi Pierre,
I am also interested in using vegetable oil. I find that canola oil may be too expensive negating the savings of not using diesel at $2.75 a gallon.
Even at Sam's club, canola oil is $4/gallon. In contrast, soy/vegetable oil is $14 for 35l (4.25 gallons).
Is there any benefit to running new vegetable oil? How about Frymax (carefully refined animal fat+ vegetable oil mix?)
W115nut
if you really like your car and you dont want to tkae nay risks, Biodiesle is probbaley your best option. I think waste veggie oil may have long term conserquences.
keep in kind that you cannoit really replace a 200D anymore. I jsut bought a 220D with a dmaged motor and I am going through hell to find a relpacment motor for it.
Biodiesel is a nice clean substnace. If you are going to to be a veggie burner. atleast change your oil every 2500 miles.
or your engine every 100k.
I find having veggie oil as a supplement to standard fuel to be fine to use. I would not do it all the time everytime, but occasional use is not detrimental to engine life.
Any fluid veggie is fine for use in the engines. If you find soy cheaper, then use it. It does not have as many BTU, but that is not really an issue unless you are planning to use a bunch, then it does add up to a real loss of mpg available.
Benefit to fresh oil is fewer sugars and starch in the oil, as well as salts and micro bits needing removal to limit engine damage. Frymax may need more preheating and filtering to make it flow well enough through the injectors and IP. This is where most of the damage is done, since these are precision parts, far more than the rest of the engine.
Filtration and reducing viscosity of the fuel oil will render most WVO usable in an old diesel benz
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Bend is a great place for summer WVO. Hot and dry enough that the flow is good enough to power an old diesel well. Smells good too.
I have used clean VO in Gump with no issues. I do not usually blend more than 5 gallons, since I do not get it in larger quantities. If you are going to use Waste VO, do set up a kit for filtering it. Not in the car, but at home. A tank to fill and let warm up the oil while it settles the larger bits. Of course you filtered with a strainer the really huge chunks. 55 gallon drums are good for this, then you can skim off the top for fuel and make a drain to get the crud out the bottom. Will also let the water settle out. The oil in the fuel tank should be treated with a biocide.
Long term use of VO will result in a little more wear on the engine, as there are sugars and other impurities that build up in the IP and cylinders. If you run the car under loads and keep it hot, you can burn some off, but best is to run a few tanks of #2 and BioD to really strip that stuff off. Then go back to VO. If you fill every week, maybe a tank of BioD first tank of spring, one in July, then again end of Sept. should play draino. Winter driving will be #2, so it will not gel.
clay
1974 450SL Frosch, my little froggy prince, after meeting a bunch of toads
1972 220D - Gump - She was green, simple and ran and ran
1995 E300D - Cleo - Used by the Queen of Denial
POS 1987 SDL - Beware Nigerian Scammers