diesels only need 2 things to run from WVO

1. WVO has to be kept hot
2. WVO has to be filtered like hell

My 7.3 truck ran off WVO in -30 below winter using tanks and hoses from the dump.

I did make a rat's nest of heating hoses running all over the fuel lines though.
Dont think theres a way to avoid this

I filtered the WVO many times using home-made filters that filtered through newspaper, screen , pantyhose, coffee filters, anything really. Using the newspaper filter last. (i'm not sure exactly what "micron" newspaper filters the oil too, but i just used it, and it seems to work. Takes forever though.

The tank that the oil sits in had a tap on the bottom to let any water out after heating up a little, although never had much in it.
it does not cost thousands of $ to get her going on WVO, and its the best idea cause its free.

 

Thanks for the info.

I take it your rats nest of hoses are coolant lines from the radiator? How do you address cold starts with this set up? Or are you starting and purging with #2?

Is your 7.3 a PSD or IDI? Any pump or injector issues?

 

Let us know how things go after 20, 30 ,80 thousand miles

 

well, unfortunately, i had to park the old 7.3 2 years ago cause the tranny is gone(wont come out of 3rd), and theres just too much rust to justify fixing it anymore.
There is about 20000 KM's on it from WVO though, and this summer, i went and got it running sitting in the field just for the hell of it, after a little "warm up" smoke, she ran fine. (NOt on WVO)
MY uncle gave me a chebby, and now i'm saving for a new PSD.

Cookie:
I had to start on #2 diesel. ITs almost impossible to get heating tubes on the injectors as they go in the block, and if the block is -30, the oil isnt gonna be warm when it gets squirted in there. If you had a helluva block heater, and a heater in the oil tank, and an electric coolant circulator, you could probably start it on WVO, but its easier to just start it on diesel, warm it up, and switch over. In the winter, it takes a long time for the WVO to get hot, especially the tank(mine was 90gal) but even only 1/4 full it still took forever (45 mins) (I always waited for the very bottom to melt, and then drove)
So, to be more practical,instead of letting the truck run forever, get an electric heater for the WVO tank, and plug it into the block heater cord, so when you plug in the block heater, the tank heater comes on. An idea i had, but never did, was to use the exhaust to heat the tank.

That would probably work good, especially when its really cold out. Also, i'm not sure how hot the exhaust would be, but if you could put the WVO fuel line inside the exhaust, that would be even better. I used the coolant idea becuse thats what everyone else on the net does, but mabye the exhaust heat would cause the oil to burn in the line.


Well, my point is that, if you live somewhere cold, Biodiesel is gonna need heating, and if your gonna mess around with heating, you might as well just burn free WVO.

 

So, whats anyones thought of putting the WVO lines in the exhaust pipes?

BTW, i'm not an expert mechanic, i have never even torn down a diesel, I just figured that the oil burns when hot, keep oil hot.

Also, keep fuel+heating line wrapped in insulation. I used foam pipe insulation wrapped in electric tape. You could probably use pool noodles wrapped in duct tape.

DO NOT use copper for WVO systems. it reacts. Use steel. I used old steel oil furnace lines.
The coolant line runs through a steel pipe going throught the bottom of the WVO tank.

My WVO tank had a 2" pipe coming out of the bottom, with a ball valve. You'd be surprised how clean you can get WVO with newspaper filters.
My newspaper filter was basically a bucket with the bottom gone, with a layer of chicken wire, screen, then newspaper sheets, and then a piece from another bucket to slide over holding the "filter" on the bottom of the bucket. Before using this filter, i used anyhting i could find to get rid of bigger particles.

 

I would think the exhaust pipe would be to hot. You might run the risk of melting your fuel lines.

 

use steel fuel lines... ???

 

That would be a lot of work. There are a lot of good water heater setups that would be easier to install with out replacing all of the rubber fuel lines with steel.

 

it only has to be steel on the portion that runs through the exhaust.

Its only an idea, you have to have more money and time than i do to get it "perfect"

 

Why not coil the steel lines around the exhaust? Like maybe a 1 foot section of the turbo downpipe

 

I have planed of changing to WVO this summer when I can afford it. I hav thought about using the exhaust for heating. I have not thought about wrapping some tubing around the exhaust. Thanks for that post. I have the 1988 F-250 XLT Lariet with the 7.3 nonturbo and I was wondering if anyone knows if I need to upgrade the fuel lines for the heat of the WVO passing through. If you can help, thanks.

 

no need for tubes...........I got 3 block heaters on my fuel tank...run them off a 2000 watt inverter so they stay on until I unplug them when parked for awhile....got an air operated oil pump with inline filter......go to local restaurants and pump directly from their vat to my fuel tank, inline filter stops all the crud, block heaters go to 250 degrees max if I need them....don't need to purge diesel because my veggie's always hot enough...don't use veggie on metal fuel tanks though, it will react with the metal and get flakes in the system, use plastic tank

 

If you were at all close to the engine, the exhaust pipe would be way to hot.
My downpipe temp goes over 800 degrees when I am pulling a hill with a load.
Comes out exhaust manifold at 1100+ degrees.

 

Currently and where I will be most of the time when I start WVO I will not have any ac power availible but I plan on having duel alternators and two 850cca batteries mounted in the rear with the second alternator to power them (or however it works out that I install the other alternator and batteries for better performance). How hot is too hot and how cold is too cold for WVO. Thanks for the information on the metal tanks. Will the origanal fuel lines be able to handle the high heat or do they need to be replaced and will heated diesel hurt anything even if it is used for a short time (preheating the WVO and engine for WVO use). Thanks.

 

What if the lines were wrapped around for a short distance about halfway throught the truck for preheating. If it the WVO gets too hot it could have some time to cool before a Vegtherm at the injectors. Could that work? If there is no answer to this question, this summer I might do an experiment with a fuel pump, temp. gauge, and some oil. To me it seems like using exhaust and electric heaters would be easier than coolant. Also another idea, running a pump and alternate WVO lines to circulate the WVO from the tank around the exhaust as a means of preheating the tank. Have a temp gauge in the tank to know when to engage the pump to the exhaust for preheating the tank. Just an idea that came to mind. Thanks.