Vege Car

Kodiak · Since 01 Aug 2005 1114 Posts Slidey

Anyone ever converted a Diesel to run on vegetable oil? I have been kicking around the idea and want to talk to someone that has done it.

Most systems require you to have two seperate fuel tanks, but these guys http://www.lovecraft.com/ have a mod that lets you run one fuel tank and any combination of diesel, vegetable oil, or bio diesel.

da lox · Since 24 May 2007 22 Posts hood river, or

I have a VW Golf Tdi and run 99% Soy Biodiesel in it. You can get that stuff straight from some pumps in Portland and don't need to do any conversions. I've heard that straight veggie oil conversion can be tough in the newer TDi's due to the fuel injection systems. However, its pretty straight forward on older diesels. Also, some people have successfully converted newer TDI's.

Check out these websites:

http://www.enviofuel.com/?p=11
www.gobiodiesel.org

Good Luck!

Bettyboarder · Fri Jul 27, 07 12:08 pm

Jimbo I have a friend who has done it maybe I can introduce you guys. Really cool

Mark · Fri Jul 27, 07 3:41 pm

Mike of Mike's beach fame has done the conversion. His setup looks pretty sweet.

Mike.... care to enlighten us?

synergy12 · Since 31 May 2007 139 Posts Stoked

Ya,

I have a '84 Mercedes 300 CD that I have been running on veg since November of '05, and a 2004 Sprinter Van that was converted in November '06. Since November I have put 13,000 miles on the Van. It is amazing how much more you drive when the cost is almost free.

I run B99 in my main tanks on both vehicles, and yes both are two tank systems. One electric heated oil and the other coolant heated oil. I do not know much about lovecrafts single tank system, though the general feeling has been that two is better. Maybe they have worked out the bugs in this system, and I have looked at it online. I would have to know more about it to form an informed opinion. You can see photos here:

http://rides.webshots.com/album/551646400cLdXHc ('84 Mercedes)

http://rides.webshots.com/album/556331533qrflNi ('04 Sprinter / Mercedes)

Mike

pura vida one · Since 22 May 2007 80 Posts

green eye auto in eugene can hook you up w/ the info, kits, or do the work. i got my subaru converted to biofuel(ethanol) as opposed to biodiesel. they sell kits for it and they did mine in about 1/2 an hour. i run e85 (85% ethanol) instead of unleaded - 105 octane, and cheaper than regular unleaded. more power, slightly lower mileage. i can use unleaded anytime i can't get e85, and mixing the two in the tank is no problem. there are tax incentives for biofuel/biodiesel w/ the state of oregon now, allowing about $200 per person write-off for income taxes. not bad, and it gets you where you want to kite. E85 is sold in portland, and just north of salem, as well as the sequential station here on I5 in eugene. fuck the man, help make change happen even if you continue to drive. E85 emissions do not include sulphur dioxide. And it's produced from corn raised in the mainland US, giving it a much lower embodied energy than fuel imported from places like the middle east. peace

Kodiak · Since 01 Aug 2005 1114 Posts Slidey

Mike,

That sprinter would be pretty sweet.

I have been reading a bunch online about the different systems. The lovecraft thing has been upgraded in the past 6 months or so. I believe they modified the heat exchange system to prevent issues with the extra viscocity of the veg fuel for the one tank system.

Do you run SVO or go to some restaraunt and pick up the WVO? I will have to give you a call sometime.

Ethanol is another thing altogether. I think burning the ethanol itself is no issue for the environment, but overall I am not sure it actually puts less emmisions into the atmosphere when you factor in the elevated cost of producing it. Hopefully they can improve the efficiency of production and distribution of ethanol. I also hate the fact that ethanol as a fuel is driving up food prices. They always find a way to stick it to you Evil or Very Mad

BigR · Since 05 Jul 2005 372 Posts White Salmon Obsessed

Price of corn and corn products have basicaly doulbled in the last year.

have you taken a look at your cereal box prices lately?

KidCorporate · Since 10 Jul 2007 563 Posts Addicted

True, ethanol is in no way the end-all and be-all of our energy problems. The problem with ethanol and hydrogen is that they are not energy sources in and of themselves such as petroleum and solar energy are, rather they are storage mediums. With something like ethanol you are basically taking solar and chemical energy in the soil and converting it to plant matter, and then converting it again back to combustible chemical energy. Each time one of these conversions is performed energy is lost, or at least a large amount of energy is put into changing the energy source around into different forms. Alot of ethanol backers don't understand this, and when you factor in the large part that corn already plays in our economy it really isn't a good resource to put more pressure on. Hopefully this ethanol nonsense will be over soon and we can all drive electric cars powered by our own private windmills...

synergy12 · Since 31 May 2007 139 Posts Stoked

I run Waste Oil in my cars. I pick up at 4 restaurants to keep up with fuel for two vehicles.

registered · Since 12 Jul 2005 1319 Posts tsunami Sandbagger

yeah we wouldn't want to waste our great american diet on fuels , we wouldn't want our fat diabetic kids to go with out coco puffs or make them pay more than a 50 cents for breakfast. If we all drove cars that got good mileage(30mph) we all could pretent to care about something else entirely.

I drive a b-99 run 1980 vw truck to kite spots not for the steez either 50 mpg(up to 65mph) consistantly better than the f350 which almost gets 20 if it stays around 55mph. my 1980 vw gets better mileage than my wifes hybrid plastic electrical contraption.

if I had something fast and powerful I would speed more and get more tickets and probably be terrorizing others trying to have a sunday drive to the beach.

alternative fuels are not for the masses ,the resources are not there. until other options come to speed.

b-99 is some harsh stuff on the rigs it has meltd down fuel lines to a tar mush on my bobcat skidsteer and I don't run over 75% in my f-350 injection pumps are not cheap.

the vw has a new turbo D and rebuilt injection pump with viton lines and b-99 proofed as it can get but I am sure that stuff is eating away at something as it atttempts to clog up another filter.

straight vege oil is a better option but with 5 diesel engines to feed in my fleet (work plus personal) conversions is a big investment.

In portland being a big port, one can buy imported canola new bulk cheap cheap( get the degummed stuff) , way better than pumping some fryers salty watery oil into your rig.

just try to minimize do you really need a big car??? and keep it cleaned out weight is huge in milage as well as speed....

ever heard of smileage. thats the crispy going 55mph` getting 55 mpg on the way to some tastey waves to party .

synergy12 · Since 31 May 2007 139 Posts Stoked

If you know of a place to purchase virgin canola at a good price please pass it on. I have found that bulk canola is more expensive than 5 gallon cubes at Costco. Please enlighten me if you know different.

My experience is that well filtered WVO works just fine, and I have had about 2 years experience to date.

registered · Since 12 Jul 2005 1319 Posts tsunami Sandbagger

think bigger... real bulk 275 gallon cubies minimums off the boat. google it.

do use hydrogenated fryer oil?? salt and cleaners to extend the oils fryer life scary stuff. It will work for sure though.. yep lots of filtering and settling are a must.

try to contact madison farms in echo, oregon , they crush the shit out of canola for oil, they may give you a suplier or sell direct. bulkoil.com
start making inquiries.
I almost went full in straight vege but I can hardly find time for all I fumble with now.

I had three resturuants oils secured and was going to buy the bulk oil to provide them with to use to know quality and then get it from them used to burn in my rigs. that way they would not be using hydrogenated cubes and they would have better fried crap to sell to thier customers, I was goiing to provide canola for the price of hydrogenated soy, but thats work. Crying or Very sad

I wish I had a diesel sprinter.. nice.

Kodiak · Since 01 Aug 2005 1114 Posts Slidey

Good info. I currently run a 200 Izuzu trooper which I think gets a pathetic 12 miles to the galllon, especially with the rocket box on top. I drive back and forth to hood river every weekend which mean I fill up my tank about twice a week. I would love to have a small fuel efficient car, but I also have 3 large dogs and 2 ferrets that I take with me.
A diesel sprinter would be a super sweet car, but unfortunately too much money than I can afford now.

I was looking at something like an old VW van, mercededs station wagon, or possibly an old toyta FJ wagon (those things are super cool).

It would be nice to find a place that sold new oil cheaper than Costco. If I decided to go with the lovecraft hookup then I would have to be very careful to get nonhydrogenated oil, or let it settle out for several weeks. If I am not mistaken the two tank systems can run the stuff, but the one tank can't. Either way it sounds like something I wouldn't want in my car.

Of course the real reason I want to run a car on vege oil is so that it always smells like I am cooking Thumb's Up

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

How much is a bare-bones sprinter van (new or used) these days?

Other good suggestions for diesel rigs? My next car will definitely been a diesel rig.. the gas mileage is just too good, and it would figure that diesel should be cheaper. Also opens up the alternative fuel options in the long run.

Honda has been talking about bringing their ultra clean / quiet diesel engines to the states for years. There was something about a clean diesel law that needed to pass first though. A Diesel Element that got 30mph+ per gallon would be sweet. Very Happy

blowhard · Since 26 Dec 2005 2027 Posts Windward

waste oil is good
By 2015 the gurus think that obesity will be the leading cause of preventable death(sounds like a lot of greasy food)

One of the fleet operators in the Eugene area is using the bio-diesel and the drivers say that filters are replaced much more often
like about every 2 tanks which is 250 gals
or about 500 miles.
The filters for these machines run about $125 each
but they ARE the green company.

The batteries for your smug-mobile (ni-cad)
presently have no recyling or disposal plan
The downwind area in Ontario Canada which the nickel is smelted for these batteries is used is used by N.A.S.A. for moon walks as it so devastated by the 1000' smokestack that spreads the pollution for miles
it's perfect for otherworldy exploration.
But hey it's Canada they are not on the same page as the U.S. when it comes to pollution,, eh?
As per the article in the Orgonian a couple months ago the
Prius is about $3.20 per mile (because the batteries are gone after 100,000 miles)
The Scion X-A is about $.48 per mile because it's cheap and will go 200,000 miles
The Hummer is about $1.48 per mile because it lasts about 200,000 miles
My bet for conservation is a used Honda or Geo , let's not forget the strain on the planet by buying NEW items

so help out as much as possible
there would be so much more fuel for me(ride a bike)

a $5-7per gal. gas tax would end the foolishness quickly (and the economy)

pura vida one · Since 22 May 2007 80 Posts

i added ethanol to this topic b/c many people out there drive cars that take unleaded fuel; i just wanted to throw it out that you can use fuel made in the US, infuse the local alternative economy w/ cash, and make some change away from big oil. companies respond to consumer demand ; if everyone in our country demanded US made veg fuels, we'd get them. as it is, we have to take baby steps.
ethanol is most def a different thing than svo or biodiesel. but it's very much in the same vein as it changes personal consumption habits. this particular change in habits, while still opting to drive a car, is relatively much better than the status quo imo. refinement process included, the embodied energy and total emissions of ethanol do beat standard petro-fuel; long-distance shipping of petrol, refinement, and emissions at the tailpipe make petrol the loser in that contest.
in terms of what is going on with food prices, corn commodities are being purchased by big oil - the real source of rising prices. the lifetime cornfarmer i was talking to yesterday is seeing no gain in the value of his families crop: it's flat for them. we could use other vegetable based sources, more efficient ones, but there is opposition. big oil is sharp and wants to fuck us coming and going fer sher; they're gonna get their profits where they can. a year or so ago, we had one of the world's leading peak oil experts here in Eugene and he made the point that veggie fuel of anykind is only a step - not everyone could biodiesel or svo - the real issue is that we just have to change our consumption habits. buying local and regional products made from local and regional materials reduces shipping/fuel consumption . anyone hating on ethanol should flip over their computers and see where it was made. there are those in the alt community who go so far as to call us biofools. solidarity is key. down with the white corporate pig power structure. all power to all the people.