Running a diesel on neat vegetable oil.

[Ed]

I've spent the passed morning genning up on this subject. It seems the main problem with running a diesel on SVO (straight vegetable oil), is that at "room" temperature SVO is far more viscous than diesel and this causes pumps and injectors to clog or wear out from over working.

The solution is to heat the SVO up first and then introduce this heated SVO into the engine as fuel.

So, a converted car will have 2 tanks. The main car tank filled with SVO, and a smaller tank in the boot filled with normal diesel. The car is started up from cold and run in the conventional way with normal diesel. The coolant system has been miodified, so that the coolant heats up the SVO tank as the engine warms up while running on diesel. After 5mins or so when the coolant has sufficiently heated the SVO, you then switch tanks to the SVO.

Then at the end of your journey, so as not to leave SVO to clog fuel filter, pump, injectors, you switch back to the diesel to purge the system of the SVO.

Here is a link with pics of a guy who's done it.

http://www.biofuelsforum.com/svo_use...n_mb_300d.html

[Ed]

There is loads of info on the net. There are companies who sell DIY kits for £500. But it seems simple enough that it could be done for a lot less.

[chip]

Yes its getting quite common.

But for 500 quid you can make a kit to convert SVO into Biodiesel, which cars will typically run on with little or no problems, my Tdi A4 Avante for example is certified by Audi to run on 100% Bio

[Charlie_raf]

link does not work mate

[Paul Baldwin]

If you want to run veg oil and dont want any hassle whatsoever buy any car with a peugeot diesel lump thats pre HDI, particuarly with the bosch fuel pump. Just pour new oil straight in the tank and drive. During winter months just thin it out a bit with normal diesel.

Paul.