What can I run
 

What can I run in my 7.3L easily? I'm open to some modifications but what is easiest?


Also, how should fluids be filtered?

Yo trey...man we should hook up and get a centrifuge. Got my wvo system done. Making a batch now, but wish i'd pulled the trigger on a centrifuge. I'm finding the wvo be easiest, that is, if you got a connection with oil. Bio, not down with methanol and i sucked arse at science....my 2 pennies.

Welcome to the Alt fuel forum Trey!

You have two distinct choices. You can modify your truck to run on WVO (Waste Vegetable Oil), or, build a biodiesel processor and do no mods to your truck.

The first consideration is, do you have a good supply of waste veggie oil?

If you have the oil supply you have most of the hard work done already!

Using WVO requires filtering and de-watering of the oil, and about 1-2 thousand dollars worth of truck mods. WVO needs to be heated before you can use it. You have to start the truck on regular diesel, then after its warmed up the engine and the WVO, you can switch over to the veggie oil. When your ready to shut down, you have to switch back to regular diesel until the system is purged of all the WVO. Not a very good way to go if you only take short trips.


Making Biodiesel is not really hard, but does take a bit of care to make GOOD fuel. The truck does not need to be modified at all, and can run either reg diesel, or bio, without any changes to your truck.

You still need to filter and de-water the WVO before you make bio. Basically you mix Methoxide (Methanol and Potassium or Sodium Hydroxide) and heated WVO in a "reactor". Then let the Glycerol settle out overnight. Once the Glycerol is removed you filter and "clean" the biodiesel. Once processed it's ready to put in your fuel tank!

I've been making bio for over 7 years, and 14,000+ gallons. My cost is about $1 PER GALLON...............I'll never go back to dinodiesel!

Sorry, I didn't mean to write a book...............Just wanted to give ya as much info as possible in one thread......

If you have any questions be sure and post them up. We have a lot of great people that are more than willing to help you get started!
Don.

Dont worry about your novel thats exactly what I wanted.

How hard is it to make a bio processor?

Easiest? In my opinion none of it, really. Properly done, both SVO and biodiesel require space, time and commitment.

I spend a little bit of time over at the TDS alternative fuel forum and there's a few fellas over there running what they call W85 (85%WMO and 15% RUG to thin and drop out particulates). From what I can gather, some have success while others have issues. There doesn't seem to be any consensus as to procedure for blending, dewatering, and filtering. Probably since there's so much variablilty in feedstock. It's certainly not something I would put in my truck.

But like Don said, if you narrow it down to SVO (modify your truck), or biodiesel (modify the oil), the final choice will be determined by what type of driving you do most of the time.

Most of my trips are 10 miles or less. Biodiesel is the obvious choice for me. It was pretty nice to fill up my tank in my driveway this morning before work. With the recent drop in the cost of my methanol, my current raw cost to produce is $.72/gallon.

I am looking at Biodiesel over WVO I think. What do I need to do it?

If I can make one on the first try, that has produced over 2500 gallons of fuel over the past 4 years, so can you. (I am currently building one out of an 80 gallon compressor tank with one of Murphys pumps. It will be a production beast.

You can see my crude, primitive processor at the top of the forum where the processor thread is.

Here's a great place to look around and learn the craft:
How to Make Biodiesel at Home

The first one I built cost me less than 200 bucks, and I built it in a day, so not very dificult at all!

Do a search in this forum for "Biodiesel Processor" and you should come up with a ton of threads. I have pics of my first processor in my gallery, but I'm building my third generation model now and don't have any pics yet.

I looked around a bit but couldnt find any real plans for a processor. Do you guys have any plans or links to some?

I am looking at the appleseed design I found as it has the most documentation on it. Is anyone here running something like that?

In the link I posted up above there is a section on the Appleseed. Here it is: Appleseed 2.0 Biodiesel Processor Plans | The Appleseed Biodiesel Processor

Trust me, you should be able to learn everything you need to get started there. Then if you need to troubleshoot batches, you'll get quick help here.

If you read any of my posts in here you can tell quickly that I'm not a big fan of the appleseed. It just has to many drawbacks for me. I use an "open" style of processor with mechanical mixing not pump mixing. I also WILL NOT use a processor that uses a submerged heating element. I use indirect heating so I have 0 chance of the processor catching fire. I also do not "water wash" my bio, I use Magnesol to do my finish cleaning.

Slightly new topic... I am looking for what people are calling a centrifuge filter, but cant seem to find one. Any leads? I'm interested in running ATF, because I can get it and am told it just needs to be filtered, and this is the best way to filter.

Before I was told "only use a centrifuge" I was looking at a 12v pump with a spin on filter element. Would that be okay? What is the smallest micron level I should be looking for?

Just my two cents...

I've been running on a mix of 90% WVO/10% diesel in my front tank and using pure diesel in my back tank to start and shutdown with.

I get the oil from a chinese place, filter it through several layers of landscaping cloth in 5-gallon buckets and then simply pour it in the front tank.

I have no modifications to my truck in anyway, no heaters or gadgets.

And believe me I am putting like 1,000 miles or more per week on this truck with relatively few problems other than the fact it was severely neglected in it's former life as a tool truck for a lumber company.

It literally still has several pounds of red clay in the engine bay and all around the tranny, frame, everywhere.
the dirt has become like concrete and I have been slowly trying to remove it but water-washing/spraying does very little to get it off.

I do plan to add a homemade tank heater and oil pre-heater setup using the engine coolant and probably some kind of small tranny/oil cooler attached to the tank with a cover over it, etc.

Anyway, my point being that it is possible to run on WVO without all that expensive equipment.

I only have $1,100 invested in this truck so if it goes then I have already anticipated that as the whole project was to find a diesel for around a $1,000 and run it on WVO.
Success was hoped but never a parameter- therefore I have lost nothing as the truck has already paid for itself both in the work it has done for me and the savings of probably hundreds of dollars in fuel by using WVO!

However, my truck is also a non-turbo IDI 7.3L and seems better built for WVO than others or many of the newer ones...

"Anyway, my point being that it is possible to run on WVO without all that expensive equipment."

Is it possible? Yes. BUT.....There are several members that have had their engines DISTROYED by using unheated WVO. Not a problem for someone that has very little $$$ invested in their truck, but not something I would do with my trucks...........

What does it take to properly run a WMO system? Other than filtration in your garage what needs to be done?

Waste Motor Oil is not recommended for diesels. Just take a look at a Blackstone oil analysis to see all the "crap" that cannot be filtered out. Nasty chemicals, and heavy metals that will distroy injectors, etc. Not in my expensive diesels!

Ok then WVO?

This system seems to be the one with the most positive results: WVO Diesel Conversion | SVO Grease Conversion | Ford Vegistroke Powerstroke | Biodiesel Conversion

Several of our members have it and have 10s of thousands of troublefree miles.