Oil changes and WVO?
 

I have a two part question.

1) Does running WVO effect the engine oil at all? would I have to change my oil More/less frequently?

2) Can I use a fuel system cleaner or any other additive in a tank of WVO or does it have to be added to petrol based diesel?

The reason for the second question is becouse I have a single tank system (lovecraft biofuels) on my superduty and it seams that after about 10 tanks of oil the truck was a little sluggish. I just filled up with Diesel and put the fuel system cleaner in with that, but I was just wondering if I could have done it with oil.

Cheers:-drink

You are destroying your engine. Get a used oil analysis. It may be the $20 that saved your truck. Best of luck! Meanwhile, you got AAA, right?

OK, Why? Mostly because diesel engine does not make full comprssion until warmed up. During this time, combustion chamber gases are introduced to the engine oil as they leak past the rings. VO rapidly polymerizes in the engine oil and reduces its ability to lubricate. Add to this the incomplete combustion of VO, and ringland becomes coke-land and scores the cylinder walls so full compression is NEVER reached. (notice those increasily slower starts yet?)

I'd wager if ya change the motor oil every few hundred miles - ya might get 20-30,000 miles before destroying engine! Nah, don't think it'll last that long even w/ridiculous oil change interval...
I mean it, good luck. :-drink PLEEEEEEASE post pictures of the carnage. You can save many souls from the same mistakes!

I will post pics if it happens.
 

Jason, Man I'm getting the oil analysis ASAP. Thanks for the input. I am just wondering about all af the posts that I read on the Lovecraft biofuels site before I bought the kit. I mean don't get me wrong I took them with a grain of salt since they were on a commercial site, but wasn't the diesel engine made to run on VO? People on there site stated 100K plus miles with out major problems. What would you suggest that I do now? I was thinking about getting a block heater anyways,would this help? I will post the Oil analysis as soon as i get it. Thanks.

Older engines, like 1980's Mercedes cars seem to tolerate VWO just fine. I think maybe the later truck diesels just simply put out a lot more power per cubic inch, so the internal parts run hotter, hence the ring coking problem.

The only lube oil issue concern that the oil companies have with bio fuels is the different chemicals in the blowby gasses, as mentioned above. Old, high sulfur diesel fuel was also hard on the oil, but sulfuric acid is easily neutralized with metallic salt additives, hence the high TBN of Rotella, Delo, etc.

Yes, the 1800's engines ran on peanut oil, but for how long? By the time diesel engines were commonly used for real work in 1940's trucks, locomotives and ships were all petroleum fueled.

Jim

Unfortunately, Lovecraft is generally regarded as a crook and a liar. Many believe he is the worst thing to ever happen to VO 'industry'. I wouldn't be suprised if ALL the cars they've ever converted total 100k together after their lousy 'conversion'. The truth is, the old Mercedes diesel engine is so tuff and tolerant - they actually may run for quite awhile, even with marginally heated VO and cold VO starts. The guy has supposedly admitted to lying about his claims and flat-out making up stuff that 'sounds good' in order to make a buck off unsuspecting victims. The worst part is he charged some poor folks (often single Mom's) ridiculous prices for his shoddy work and 'converted' cars.

If your truck is a 'deadheaded' PSD, the damage may not be as bad. The 7.3's in particular have proven to be relatively forgiving due to fuel being heated in the heads just before injection. The cold VO starts are where the damage is done.

Read the VO Theory, Resources, FAQ's and Kit Comparison stuff at www.frybrid.com LOTS of 'good' info there w/back-ups to research regarding their claims and system design philosophy. Free dewatering and filtering designs and a forum brimming with very talented contributors - many who have designed and built their own VO conversions.

Thank you for offering to post your UOA report! Be sure to let them (Blackstone Labs are GREAT) know how many miles you've been on VO along with standard mileage on truck and current oil change.

Just to clarify what I said in earlier post - Polymerization is the product of natural degradation of VO. In advanced stages, it looks like chicken-skin and is frequently found 'attached' to oxidants in contact w/VO (like copper and carbon steel). The VO that ends up in engine oil rapidly goes thru this reaction and left unchanged long enough, turns the crankcase oil into a gelatenous mess that resembles cottage cheese. But long before you can 'see' this with naked eye, lubrication ablility is decreased.

Good luck. :-drink

Im a long time Blackstone customer and they are great.

If it is hard to picture in your mind how VO can solidify, think of oil-based paint. It is made from soybean oil, blended with chemicals that accelerate polymerization by rapid oxidation once the carrier solvent evaporates and it is exposed to oxygen in the air.

Also, the original Castrol R racing oil was made from castor bean oil. It was good for one race, that is heating and cooling cycle before it started to gel inside the engine.

Jim

I agree with skyskyjackson. Starting any Diesel with Cold Vegi oil is a big BIG NO NO. I've been running SVO since around 2002 and starting with cold SVO not only will do a number on the engine, it'll be extremly hard to start. Here is a link with more info on Biodiesel and SVO.

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