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Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: waspy on 05 January 2008, 17:06:28

Title: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: waspy on 05 January 2008, 17:06:28
Hi all.
Has anyone had experience on running a 2.2 diesel on SVO & how they take to it.
I had a Rover 825 with the VM diesel which required no converting, you just mix your quantity & fill her up (75% SVO in the summer)  :)
There's a reputable place near Brum that sells/fits kits & they list the 2.2 as a convert.
Does anyone know of a good place a little closer to Derby's
Any info would be most appreciated.
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: waynebouk on 06 January 2008, 03:42:24
hey i have had lots of diesel cars and all of them i have used veg oil the only problem with using veg oil is the the fuel pump might not manage it as its thicker than diesel and the fuel filter needs replacing more often but its worth it in the end.i never used a converter or any of that heating the oil crap first i just poured it in the fuel tank and away i go on 10p a gallon!! i do advise using a least 50/50 mix in the winter as the oil is a lot thicker but in the summer i just use 100% oil.i would not use oil though in an engine below 2000cc but after that its fine. but be warned if the cops stop you your oppsed they take the car of you. i use oil of the shelf from asda or from cash and carry
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: JamesV6CDX on 06 January 2008, 04:23:17
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be warned if the cops stop you your oppsed they take the car of you.

This is no longer the case, for veggie burners.

1) Under new legislation introduced in July 2007, you are allowed to use a certain quantity (2500 litres) per year of any vegetable oil fuel in your car, with no legal requirement to pay fuel duty.

See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/working_lunch/6288920.stm

Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: JamesV6CDX on 06 January 2008, 04:33:14
Before I got into Omega's, I used to be a Peugeot guy, and between my 405/406, I clocked up over 60,000 miles running on 100% straight veggie oil, with no mods, at all times of year. I used to use "Pura" oil which was about 43ppl from Tesco.

I used to get some funny looks, with a trolley RAMMED with chip oil ;D

The important point to remember, is that the older diesel engines run better on cooking oil - the newer engines with engine management systems, (especially commonrail ones) do NOT handle veggie oil at all well.

It's a well known rule that the "bosch" diesel pump is very tolerant to chip fat, however the Lucas/Cav pumps are much more flakey.

The problem is briefly, that the SVO/WVO has a much thicker viscosity than "dino" diesel. There are several ways to reduce the thickness of the oil to make it combustable in a diesel engine.

You can either add chemicals to the oil to thin it (some people use petrol/thinner/diesel) - OR you can heat it, which reduces it's thickness.

My preferred method is to heat the oil. The best way I find of doing this, is by making a heat exchanger. Basically, the heat exchanger gains it's heat by tapping into the coolant system, and the fuel line coils around it directly before it feeds the diesel pump, hence injectors.

This helps the fuel to "atomise" and you get a much cleaner burn in the engine. The downside of this method is that the engine needs to be warm before it can run on chip fat, so some people opt to install a "starting" fuel tank, of about 5 litres, and install a soleniod so you can switch between the two fuels.

My personal opinion is that if you have an old, fairly worthless diesel car, with no engine management and a Bosch diesel pump, then chuck SVO in there and be done with it.

I'd say IF you have engine management - don't mess with cooking oil as a fuel, this includes the Meega 2.2



Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: IrmscherKris on 06 January 2008, 08:10:50
waynebouk is the man!!!  ;D

 :y
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: Markjay on 06 January 2008, 09:34:29
I think that even under the new legislation you are still not allowed to use veg oil off the supermarket shelf.... only recycled one.  I think this is because base food products such as oil, sugar, milk and bread are somehow controlled by the government (through farmers subsidies etc) to keep the cost and inflation/Index down.... I seem to vaguely remember reading something of the sort, will look it up later....
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: Pitchfork on 06 January 2008, 09:44:25
Ok - so how well will a 2.5 BMW lump run on Veg oil without any modifications?
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: tunnie on 06 January 2008, 10:07:38
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Ok - so how well will a 2.5 BMW lump run on Veg oil without any modifications?

Not very!!

Did you see Top Gear when they had a 3.0 BMW diesel turned it into an Trackday car, run on bio diesel?

After just a few laps it blew the fuel pump. Same for the 2.5, they don't take well to it!

Has to be older ones...
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: Pitchfork on 06 January 2008, 10:50:57
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Quote
Ok - so how well will a 2.5 BMW lump run on Veg oil without any modifications?

Not very!!

Did you see Top Gear when they had a 3.0 BMW diesel turned it into an Trackday car, run on bio diesel?
Don't watch Top Gear (cannot abide Clarkson, although Hammond is OK & a good Bass player as well)
So the BMW engine is not old enough to run on Veg - shame given the thirst of the engine & the rising cost of Diesel
Why when Diesel is less refined than Petrol is is more expensive?
IW
After just a few laps it blew the fuel pump. Same for the 2.5, they don't take well to it!

Has to be older ones...
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: Minispud on 06 January 2008, 11:54:16
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Quote
Quote
Ok - so how well will a 2.5 BMW lump run on Veg oil without any modifications?

Not very!!

Did you see Top Gear when they had a 3.0 BMW diesel turned it into an Trackday car, run on bio diesel?
Don't watch Top Gear (cannot abide Clarkson, although Hammond is OK & a good Bass player as well)
So the BMW engine is not old enough to run on Veg - shame given the thirst of the engine & the rising cost of Diesel
Why when Diesel is less refined than Petrol is is more expensive?
IW
After just a few laps it blew the fuel pump. Same for the 2.5, they don't take well to it!

Has to be older ones...

 Hi waspy, if you do a "Google Search" for either SVO or BioDiesel, you should come across a few very good websites on running on this type of fuel, one of them is "The Devman" and there are people that are running new comman rail diesel engines (Audi - BMW- Pugs etc etc) on SVO, as well as the old BMW 2.5 TD engines. There is a lot of difference between SVO and BioDiesel, all diesel will run on BioDiesel because of the additives you put in it, when you make it.
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: waspy on 06 January 2008, 13:49:21
Thanx Minispud.
I'll have a search, although i've seen the 2.2 Mig listed on a site as being convertable (not rag top)  :D
With my old Rover, just mixed it with whatever % of Diesel & poured it in, sometimes I just poured it in the tank & then topped with Diesel.
For how much the kit costs, it's well worth it, id'e get my £s back in a little over a year. :y
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: Darth Loo-knee on 06 January 2008, 14:24:24
Quote
Hi all.
Has anyone had experience on running a 2.2 diesel on SVO & how they take to it.
I had a Rover 825 with the VM diesel which required no converting, you just mix your quantity & fill her up (75% SVO in the summer)  :)
There's a reputable place near Brum that sells/fits kits & they list the 2.2 as a convert.
Does anyone know of a good place a little closer to Derby's
Any info would be most appreciated.

I work with a guy has a 12 month old VW Golf diesel, I couldn't believe he dares put half diesel half vegetable oil in to his fuel tank... he says it runs no different at all :)

Just smells like a chipshop where ever he has been ;D
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: waynebouk on 06 January 2008, 15:46:50
just read that BBC news article about cooking oil. bloody brilliant but they don't say about how it has very little affect on the environment compared to diesel. Vegetable oil fuels, do emit greenhouse gases when burned, but they are considered carbon neutral because any carbon dioxide emitted was absorbed by the plant during its growing process and counterbalances the emitted CO2. its about bloody time the government did something right with letting this tax go, but how will they know if you've gone over your 2500 litres limit?
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: Minispud on 06 January 2008, 16:03:59
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just read that BBC news article about cooking oil. bloody brilliant but they don't say about how it has very little affect on the environment compared to diesel. Vegetable oil fuels, do emit greenhouse gases when burned, but they are considered carbon neutral because any carbon dioxide emitted was absorbed by the plant during its growing process and counterbalances the emitted CO2. its about bloody time the government did something right with letting this tax go, but how will they know if you've gone over your 2500 litres limit?

 Just don't go telling them  ::) or go into the same supermarket and buy more than 2500 ltrs  ;D ;D
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: Andy B on 06 January 2008, 16:25:41
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....... i just poured it in the fuel tank and away i go on 10p a gallon!!  ......

Where do you buy it from? The biggest veg oil our Tesco has is 3 litre bottles at about 75 p/litre, & when I looked in Costco the big drums of oil there weren't much cheaper. Still cheaper than over a quid a litre I know, but is the slight difference in cost per (Astra ::)) tank really worth it?
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: Minispud on 06 January 2008, 17:10:34
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Quote
....... i just poured it in the fuel tank and away i go on 10p a gallon!!  ......

Where do you buy it from? The biggest veg oil our Tesco has is 3 litre bottles at about 75 p/litre, & when I looked in Costco the big drums of oil there weren't much cheaper. Still cheaper than over a quid a litre I know, but is the slight difference in cost per (Astra ::)) tank really worth it?

Have you done a "Google search" for Veg Oil Suppliers  8-)
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: JamesV6CDX on 06 January 2008, 17:56:09
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I think that even under the new legislation you are still not allowed to use veg oil off the supermarket shelf....

I just read an article which says when it's bought from a supermarket, they consider duty to be paid, so it's OK to use...
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: mark.adams on 06 January 2008, 19:40:31
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I just read an article which says when it's bought from a supermarket, they consider duty to be paid, so it's OK to use...

Do they really charge duty on cooking oil..... geez louise :o
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: JamesV6CDX on 06 January 2008, 19:55:45
Quote
Quote
I just read an article which says when it's bought from a supermarket, they consider duty to be paid, so it's OK to use...

Do they really charge duty on cooking oil..... geez louise :o

They used to charge 48ppl (I think) of duty on every litre as it was being used as a road fuel hence needed a higher rate of duty paying.

Not anymore though...
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: waynebouk on 07 January 2008, 19:33:52
i have a friend that works in asda i give him a £20 for a trolley full of oil
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: Minispud on 07 January 2008, 19:38:35
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i have a friend that works in asda i give him a £20 for a trolley full of oil

 But how many litres was that,  ::)
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: waynebouk on 07 January 2008, 19:41:22
it was about 50 3 litres bottles
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: Pitchfork on 07 January 2008, 19:58:14
So is anyone on the forum running a 2.5TD on SVO??
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: Omegatoy on 07 January 2008, 22:14:22
know of one that runs bio diesel bought from a garage not svo, however the lift pump iin the tank dies easy enough using diesel so svo would probably hasten its demise,   :'(
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: waynebouk on 07 January 2008, 23:40:01
right i had 2.5td s reg gls and i ran it veg oil no probs if your nervous about oppsing engine just do 50/50 mix see how it goes from there
Title: Re: Diesel on veg oil
Post by: JamesV6CDX on 07 January 2008, 23:56:07
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right i had 2.5td s reg gls and i ran it veg oil no probs if your nervous about oppsing engine just do 50/50 mix see how it goes from there

I just cannot advise this on the 2.5 TD engine...