biodiesel conversions

[turbopete]

as this seems to be becoming a more and more common subject, is there any way to tell if an older engine is suitable or has been converted if required to run on biodiesel? with the ever increasing price of fuel, im considering it, especially when i can get it from a cheap source! what is required to convert them if they havent been done already?

 

[GCLTuning]

You can source oil from the good old local chippy ! you will need some fuel filters and micro filters ... Best to mix with a little diesel


Regards GCL

 

[turbopete]

im aware of that. ive a mate that makes biodiesel from waste cooking oil as there his business. i just wondered if there was anything else i should do with it ideally and what to look for to see if it needs done, if its not compatible! i dont wanna ruin my injector pump. ive got enough fuelling problems! id just like to reduce my fuel bill so i can enjoy driving it a bit more!

 

[Number_Cruncher]

Do you mean biodiesel, which can be OK in older MB diesels, or do you mean vegetable oil, either straight or waste, which isn't?

I know I'm touching upon what can be an almost religious matter, but, from my observations, people who run SVO or WVO don't tend to get far before they have serious problems - see spock505's pistons for evidence;

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=248826

Or, phrased another way, the compatibility of the injector pump is nowhere near the end of the story.

Your MB handbook will give you the fuel requirements for the car, these fuels were tested by MB, and the car was designed and developed to run on them.

It's becoming a hazard when buying an older MB diesel. Has the previous owner being putting anything stupid in the fuel tank? These cars are already extremely environmentally sound, because they are well built and can be kept out of the scrapyards for a long time, and it's a shame to see people ruining them to try to save some pennies on fuel costs.

 

[turbopete]

no i mean ,my mate has a cooking oil business, he collects waste cooking oil and converts it into biodiesel. it smells like a chip pan, gets very thick when cold etc, methanol levels checked regularly by a specialist lab etc. and all is always ok. i dont want to ruin my injector pump, but i can get biodiesel for about 20p per litre less than pump price! hence my question! and i can get anyone near us ie cumbria and south scotland a good deal if they are interested!

 

[turbopete]

incidentally, as regards previous fuel by previous owners, judging by the colour of the clear plastic pipes ive replaced trying to sort my air into fuel leak, id say its been run on red diesel in a previous life!

 

[Number_Cruncher]

>>collects waste cooking oil and converts it into biodiesel

It's the detauls of this process which are critical. What happens to the waste oil?

When you say about being very thick when cold, it makes me think that the fuel is unsuitable.

 

[turbopete]

it gets refined and has various chemicals such as methanol added to it. its tested regularly to ensure its up to a certain standard. i ran it in my zx but i only paid 50quid for the car! i think quite a bit more of the merc and i dont want to wreck the injector pump seals. i know stealers told me my w202 250td wouldnt like it but i wondered about whether this engine was different or not?

 

[Number_Cruncher]

Bosch's position is that the pumps are suitable for diesel only. See;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Diesel-engi...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240690565&sr=8-1

The thing is, your mate's biodiesel *might* be OK, but, pump fuel, barring the odd very rare, and very well publicised and compesated for cock-up *is* OK.

 

[Bolide]

You're asking us to comment on the suitability of a fuel we have no details of for use in a car we know nothing about

Surely you should be asking your mate who makes "biodiesel" as a business?

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[turbopete]

its a new business hes just starting. i thought that maybe someone on here would maybe have had experience with such things, hence why i asked!

 

[HERBIEMERCMAN]

12-01-2009, 05:32 PM
HERBIEMERCMAN
Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: PRESTON, LANCS.
Car: 97. E300.TD. 7 SEAT.ELEGANCE. EST.TOYOTA SUPRA MK4.VECTRA EST. CAR.
Posts: 241



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hi, i registered with HC&EXCISE to use veg oil, designed the pre heat kit and change over to normal diesel for starting etc. i then found out from an educated experienced source that major pump failure occurs and replacement / repair costs put the idea into short term gain long term pain. unless it's an old banger and you intend getting rid once the pump fails. replacement pumps and or repair are circa £1500. the filters suffer and the "o-rings" are nitrile phenolic rubber and will be attacked by vegioil, sucking air and then leaking.in standing traffic the smell is very bad and does manage to enter your car. in winter the waxing is hard to overcome unless extreme lengths are employed to heat all containers and fuel lines. you would be much better fitting a tank where the spare wheel is for seven gallons of red, you need two fuel solenoid valves and a story prepared to say your red diesel fuel tank was for your eberspatcher air heater which has now failed and been removed. i do not do any high mileage so all this is more trouble than it is worth, also if you go down the red route look who is arround when you go to fill your containers.herbiemercman.

 

[simon_wall69]

I've ran mine on biodiesel, wvo, svo and even got it running on lard and dripping.

I would recommend it to someone running a banger but it is worth doing the maths. How long until you save money?

My old W124 cost £600 to buy and I did about 20,000 miles on SVO and WVO, normally without being mixed with diesel. There were issues with fuel seals going but nothing else. If the car got damaged running on this stuff then I had already saved the cost of the car so nothing lost. Long term, there would have been damage as the engine isn't getting the lubrication from the oil as it would from diesel.

The w123 cost £400 and has done about 3,000 miles on WVO so far with no issues.

The current w124 did get its filters bunged up with gunk (not from the fuel - that was filtered to 5 microns) but with, I presume, gunk out of the tank. That cost a few hundred pounds to fix as it had to go to a garage - I was on the M6 at the time.

If you are going down the conversion route then calculate how long it will take to recoup the investment of the kit.

 

[turbopete]

hmm £1500 for a pump? thats half what i paid for the car last year! (pre credit crunch/recession!) on balance maybe its best i run it on proper stuff then! cheers!

 

[SilverSaloon]

i'm coming up to 25k on almost all veg (SVO not waste). i've probably only put in 10 tank fulls of proper diesel over the past year or so.

not had any serious problems (just usual fuel leak/seals etc) touch wood!!

 

[turbopete]

with my luck though i will ruin the pump in a few tankfulls! besids im hoping that if i ever find my air leak it will (hopefully, wing an a prayer etc.) improve the fuel consumption around town if not generally!