Bio diesel

[bigboack]

HI gang. just been looking into bio diesel and was thinking about swapping to it, I can buy it from a dealer near me for 89p/litre and all i need do is change the fuel filter which i change regular anyway, any body any thoughts or had any dealings with bio diesel. There is loads on the internet but i could do with some input to help me make my mind up.

 

[Nosha]

If you search this site you will see it's been covered many times, the main problems are the quality of what you buy, and of course which diesel engine you have. My 2.2ltr Frontera would run on a 30/70 mix of cooking oil to diesel so I simply added a couple of ltrs of veg oil after filling up, but later high pressure common rail engines do NOT like the thicker mixture. Also over the last couple of years cooking oil is now as expensive as diesel!!!

In the winter/colder weather you will need to make sure your bio has been treated properly or it will thicken and wax and cause problems - you pay your money and take your chance!!

 

[oily]

Nosha, bio diesel is totaly different to adding veg oil
I used to run my hilux on 70% veg oil but like you, found it's dearer than diesel now. Bio diesel is processed oil and personally, I've had so much trouble finding consistant quality bio, I've given up and only use pump fuel now.
Big Boack, why would you need to change the fuel filter unless the bio is going to block it up in which case, steer well clear

 

[bigboack]

Fuel filter.

Thanks oily, just what i read about on one of the websitesit recommends it, The bio fuel is going to be from a reputable dealer,They supply Morrisons apparently as well as others, They make it at Bamber Bridge near preston, its just down the road from me, But there are sites all over the country.I am driving a Talbot Express 2.5TD do you think this would be ok.

 

[derekfaeberwick]

That would have to be your decision.

Unfair to expect someone to advise on a possible mishap.

 

[bigboack]

spose your right.

I would not hold them responsible for my actions though.

 

[tazbabe]

tesco veg oil is down to 84p/litre just now.

absolutely fine for older engines, as you say. my 1988 pajero and our 1990 delica run on it very happily. frequent filter changes, and adjust the ratio according to the weather.

 

[ajs]

tesco veg oil is down to 84p/litre just now.

absolutely fine for older engines, as you say. my 1988 pajero and our 1990 delica run on it very happily. frequent filter changes, and adjust the ratio according to the weather.

older engines only... why

and what's up with red (apart from being illegal)
some clown is selling it from a link on here so it must be OK...right

.. maybe he aint a clown..

regards
aj

 

[Trevor]

I used cooking oil in my Talbot and it developed a leak on the fuel pump seal not long after i started using it.
It is not good for CAV fuel pumps the seals cant cope with it.

 

[888dee]

okay, here's what I know on the subject....

Filter changes,
a change of filter is required when changing to bio/veg as the make up of thr "fuel" is different it can either completely block the filter or cause previously trapped material to be passed into the pump/injector assembly.

New vs old engines
anything running a high pressure pump and generally regarded as NOT SUITABLE for use with veg oil as is is thicker than regular diesel, problem is caused by smaller bore injectors at higher pressure (provide better fuel atomisation) and these clog very easily with the higher viscosity of the oil.

Not all Old engines are suitable!
essentially anything with a Lucas pump CANNOT be run on SVO (straight veg oil), the internal design of the pump means you will, not maybe, blow the main seal and likely others at the same time.

Points of interest/to think about/discuss.
-Kerosene or jet fuel if you will is the next fraction along from diesel and is cheap (~50ppl) runs just like diesel and is not dyed so difficult to detect at the road side (disclaimer: not authorised for road use as you haven't paid "road" duty), can report on one fiat derived 2.5 TD of around '92 vintage which runs very well on kero...
-Red diesel is for "off-road" use only, so if you have a vehicle which could reasonably be used off road then finding "traces" of red in the tank is not unreasonable.

 

[bigboack]

Bio diesel.

ok i have decided to stick with regular diesel as i dont want to damage the seals or turbo. I will just have to thank Gordon Brown for the extra increase in fuel duty. Hey its only 2p extra after all. Will just not have to go as far. Thanks for all who replied to this.

 

[Highwayman999]

ok i have decided to stick with regular diesel as i dont want to damage the seals or turbo. I will just have to thank gordon brown For the extra increase in fuel duty. Hey its only 2p Extra after all. Will just not have to go as far. Thanks for all who replied to this.

+ v.a.t

 

[biodoctor]

biodiesel

I started making my own biodiesel (BD) in 2008 ,last September to be precise,the initial set up cost me slightly over £ 1,000.00 ,so far ,not only have i made all my money back from what i've saved on not paying pump prices, i'm now about £ 150.00 in the black ,i'm lucky in that i don't pay for waste oil ,so my only cost is the chemicals to make the BD and the cost of electrcity to run the processor,it currently costs me about 23p a litre to make ,i nomally make about 90-130 litres each time ,i can honestly say i've not brought any "white" diesel in over a year,if i make BD from liquid oil it stays liquid down to MINUS 3.5 deg c ,if i make BD out of solid veg oil it stays liquid to 3 deg c ABOVE freezing once below these tempretures the BD starts to thicken but once the temp rises the BD liquifys again,i've run for the last year purely on B 100 (thats 100 % BD) with no engine modifications at all,BD cleans all the insides of the fuel system so after the first 1,000/1500 miles i changed the fuel filter,my engine runs quieter now as BD is more oily than white diesel,my emissions are really low, the only co2 that comes out my exhaust is what the plants absorbed when they initally grew.if anybody wants any help or more info,feel free to get in touch,oh i nearly forgot you can legally make 2500 litres per year before you have to pay tax on it.

 

[Deleted member 967]

I started making my own biodiesel (BD) in 2008 ,last September to be precise,the initial set up cost me slightly over £ 1,000.00 ,so far ,not only have i made all my money back from what i've saved on not paying pump prices, i'm now about £ 150.00 in the black ,i'm lucky in that i don't pay for waste oil ,so my only cost is the chemicals to make the BD and the cost of electrcity to run the processor,it currently costs me about 23p a litre to make ,i nomally make about 90-130 litres each time ,i can honestly say i've not brought any "white" diesel in over a year,if i make BD from liquid oil it stays liquid down to MINUS 3.5 deg c ,if i make BD out of solid veg oil it stays liquid to 3 deg c ABOVE freezing once below these tempretures the BD starts to thicken but once the temp rises the BD liquifys again,i've run for the last year purely on B 100 (thats 100 % BD) with no engine modifications at all,BD cleans all the insides of the fuel system so after the first 1,000/1500 miles i changed the fuel filter,my engine runs quieter now as BD is more oily than white diesel,my emissions are really low, the only co2 that comes out my exhaust is what the plants absorbed when they initally grew.if anybody wants any help or more info,feel free to get in touch,oh i nearly forgot you can legally make 2500 litres per year before you have to pay tax on it.

Turning fat into fuel: new guidance

It is now easier to make biodiesel from cooking oil and animal fats, thanks to a new quality protocol from the Environment Agency and WRAP. The protocol explains how you can use fats and oils without waste management controls to make high quality biodiesel. Read more on the biofuel quality protocol.

The Latest advice and guidance for making Bio Fuel is available here NetRegs - Producing your own biofuel

This advice has just been issued today

 

[guerdeval]

If anyone's interested you can get an 'inline' fuel heater from Landrover,could help if you live 'up North'! I ran a Gwagen on 50/50% for years,the only downside was I was always hungry when I smelled the exhaust, how do you filter out the sausages by the way?

 

[biodoctor]

If anyone's interested you can get an 'inline' fuel heater from Landrover,could help if you live 'up North'! I ran a Gwagen on 50/50% for years,the only downside was I was always hungry when I smelled the exhaust, how do you filter out the sausages by the way?

when i get the waste oil home i always strain it through it metal waste paper basket from "staples",as long as there's no big bits ,the rest of the bits come out with the waste product after transesterification's (the reaction inside the processor) has taken place

 

[lebesset]

my 2.8 idTD fiat [ tdi if you like ] runs just fine on a 50% mixture ...haven't ventured further than that

 

[oldiebutgoodie]

I am running at 95% appx. waste veg oil in my vw camper at present - gradually dropping as temps start to drop then at 25% for the winter. No need for all this expensive fancy conversion into bio fuel with these old engines! Just heat to drive off any moisture and filter down to 5 microns.