Shiters experiences with veg oil running.

[Lankytim]

I was wondering how other forum members were getting on with running their ShiteD on veg oil?. At the moment i'm experimenting with my 2.5TD Citroen XM. It's running 100% fresh veg oil- KTC modified soya and seems to be doing pretty well. it's a bit lumpy on start up but has no difficulties even down to 1 degree, which is the coldest i've had it so far. After a minute or so it's running perfectly and seems to actually drive better compared to diesel.

 

Is there anything I should look out for, such as dying fuel lines or pump seals?

 

How are others getting on with the fabled VEG and what difficulties have you come across?

[The Moog]

I too am on 100%. With the same results. Power is rubbish well acceleration but i think that is generally the car. Happily sits at 80 all day though.

 

I do lob a half tank of pump through once in a while thinking it might do some good. Might be all in the mind though.

[CortinaDave]

I ran 100% veg oil from makro in a 1.7TD Isuzu vectra with no problems whatsoever over a good few thousand miles (well, no engine related problems, everything else fell off the fugging vectra but nothing to do with the veg)

 

it was a high mileage shitter though and i was only ever going to be the last owner given the state of it so i had a carefree attitude to potential engine ruination

[Junkman]

I ran my LDV Pilot on Costco 20l drums.

 

 

It ran better with that stuff, than with Morrisons decayed T-Rexes.

[Twiggy]

You may find both these sites interesting/useful:

 

 

http://www.doctordiesel.com/

 

 

http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/index.html

[messerschmitt owner]

I run veg on and off with the two XMs- neither like more than 70%. Still pokey and decent economy.

 

Had challenges with one fuel filter and failing leak off pipes but I think they were problems already there.

[Lankytim]

What do you mix it with? Petrol, diesel or a mystery ingredient? I've heard white spirit is meant to be good.

[Cavcraft]

I ran a BX 1.9 n/a diesel on it for about 10 months and very, very rarely had any trouble. The car ran better, faster and cleaner too, no bullshit.

 

Ran the ZX TD on it which (sadly) caused Cort16 problems when he bought it off me, and for which I'm still embarrassed about and sorry to him for. 

 

306TD: Didn't like too much of it. Lumpy, hard to start and ran a bit 'odd' at times so mostly used it about 35% veg, rest diesel and it wa sok.

 

306 n/a. Still at MOT but I think I've cracked 3,000 miles in it now all on veg without. No bother at all, though we'd changed the heater plugs on it when we first got it so maybe that's helped? Been brilliant and I'm hoping for many more thousands of veg oil motoring in it.

 

FX4 with 2.7 n/a Nissan lump: Oh dear, definitely over-egged that one! Ran like a big bag of bastarding bolts and bollocks as I'd pretty much brimmed it with veg. I think a small amount (perhaps 5-10%) would have been ok, but too much was a bloody nightmare. 

[castros_bro]

Puglet 106 lumpy starting (80% veg) but good running when hot,  dropped off for a "see what needs doing"  MOT at Halfords cuz it's a short walk from work. Got a call 20 mins later, could I remove my car from their workshop as there is a smog of chip fat fumes emanating from the 106 so they are refusing to do the MOT.

[catsinthewelder]

My PSA stuff has all had Lucas filters so I've never used a drop of veg despite buying that fryer to the fueltank book years ago.

 

Research indicates that the Disco should be fine on it so I'm looking for a cheap source of oil.  There is a tank of WVO at work that is pissing the boss off so experiments may start there.

[Inspector Morose]

1996 Xantia 1.9TD Ran on 100% no problems all year. Bit smokey on starting until,warm then no real difference.

 

Izusu engined generator. About 1.3 sized but not sure. Ran without any problems for many, many hours in all weathers.

 

Cummins B in 1996 Dennis Dart. Bit of an experiment. Ran fine for the week of the trial. Again Smokey on start but when warm and in service there was no discern able difference. Made a fuel warmer for that one though due to big tank.

 

1973 Gardner 6LX No problem when warm but being a Gardner, that wasn't often. Smoked like a bastard when off the boil and so experiment halted. No lumpiness but couldn't get the damn thing to keep warm enough unless it was thrashing on long runs.

 

All of the above using KTC veg.

[messerschmitt owner]

What do you mix it with? Petrol, diesel or a mystery ingredient? I've heard white spirit is meant to be good.

it's diesel/veg in mine - tesco veg or sunflower depending on price/availability.

 

I think the rapeseed oil is better than the sunflower.

 

Haven't wanted to use crap engine oil,etc in mine. Occasional dip of petrol in winter to get the juices flowing though (a gallon to a tankful)

[The Moog]

Spoke to soon. Bastard xantia wont start this morning. Smokey idle lumpy if at all. Fuel bulb stays compressed. Bugger

[Lankytim]

Damn! I wonder if a hot air gun on the fuel filter, pump and injectors would get it going?

 

I'm finding it impossible to get hold of waste veg, places either have someone paying to collect it or want certification that you have collected it. As a result i'm on the fresh stuff.

[KruJoe]

Wor kid got himself a certificate for that, IIRC about £130, which is the price of two or three tankfuls of dino-D. As I said in his 306 thread, he has now built his own WVO processing setup from ebay parts. All he needs now is a veg-friendly car on the road...

[meggersdog]

Ran a Xantia TD on 50/50 veg and kerosene  other fuel.

My last Discovery had an inline fuel heater but I never ran more than 75% veg.

Did try waste engine oil with the heater but it left massive carbon deposits on the injector tips causing huge smoke clouds.

Now the weather is a little warmer I'm running 50/50 veg and dino in a 300TDi with no real problems.

 

One thing I have noticed with both the Discoveries is the exhaust smoke.During the day it's fine but after dark if the car is sat at the railway crossing ticking over the headlights of the car behind picks up great plumes of smoke that are not visable in daylight.

[Cavcraft]

Spoke to soon. Bastard xantia wont start this morning. Smokey idle lumpy if at all. Fuel bulb stays compressed. Bugger

 

 

Is it a turbo? I don't know if it's just me but recent experiences tell me the turbo ones don't like it as much as the n/a versions.

[The Moog]

I think that it is the strainer in the tank. Pulled the feed to the grenade off and nowt coming out. So i reckon it is gunkedup. On bonus side found a split hose in engine bay so may have fixed the acceleration woes.

[spike60]

I ran a Polo 1.9D on 50/50 derv and Tesco sunflower as an experiment. It made the engine a little softer when warm and exaggerated it's cold diesel knock. After a couple of months I thought the sump oil felt sticky on the dipstick so stopped the test and changed the oil. I've been told this fits with the cold knock, it's not atomising the fuel as well and unburnt fuel gets past the rings into the sump. For the limited miles the car was doing I wasn't prepared to risk it,

[cobblers]

Ran my 19d mk3 golf on it for a few tankfuls. Drove perfect on 100%, but it turned a slightly weepy drip from the diesel pump into a full on stream of veg, so I swapped the pump and chickened out. Plus I found it a right nightmware to actually get out of the tub into the car on my own without pouring half of it down the side of the car or getting it all over myself.

[MrDuke]

My XUD turbo is fine on 100% veg, although in really cold weather it seems to prefer sunflower. I always carry a spare fuel filter with me though, and can confirm that the in-tank strainer does attract a shocking amount of gunk. My MOT man wasn't remotely bothered that it smelt like a chip shop, either.

[The Moog]

Fixed now as was the in tank strainer. Hadn't been removed before so that it is fair enough.

[DodgyBastard]

I've never tried it on my Renault 18 diesel, Anyone know what pump 18 gtd's use?

[Lacquer Peel]

Not sure, take a photo of it.

[red5]

1998 Polo 1.9 NA didn't like much about 75% in the 'summer' - 50% in winter. Ran about the same. Slooooooow.

 

All of my Fronteras (and there have been a few...) have done ok on 50% as long as fuel heater is working.

 

The proper twin tanked jobby was faultless on veg after it warmed through. Current 2.8 is on 90% odd but deffo needs a warmer - the factory one isn't there either, so it's nowhere near warm enough.

 

I buy mine fresh now from Makro or Tesco etc.

 

http://www.ssldieselparts.co.uk/fuel-heat-exchanger-with-filter-primer-fhea4-p-449.html will help - proper solution is to start it on DERV then switch when the oil is hot enough though.

 

[Lankytim]

Is it possible to take a fuel heater off something like a fronterror and fit it to something else? I've never seen one.

[red5]

Yep. Although the 'best' ones use the engines own coolant, so obviously don't work until the coolant is warmed through. I usually plumb mine into the heather hose(as it gets hot coolant before anything else) on a mix ran vehicle. Makes a big difference. The split systems are a bit tricky, unless you run a small tank and don't mind having to operate a valve (pair off*) to switch from the small DERV to the main oil filled one. The electrically operated ones are nice, especially if  thermostaticaly controlled. Pricey though.

[Cavcraft]

I don't know why people fit fuel heaters to be honest, seems an unneeded expense to me as I've never had any real cold starting problems, at least not enough to worry about a heater.

[jakebullet]

Ran the corsa 1.5td on it for a bit, but eventually couldn't be arsed with the messing n wheelie bin full of empty bottles.

[red5]

I don't know why people fit fuel heaters to be honest, seems an unneeded expense to me as I've never had any real cold starting problems, at least not enough to worry about a heater.

 

They aren't for cold start per se, they are for hot running/clag build up. Be told.