Running on veg oil

[Rob]

Ok diesel is getting really expensive and it costs about 100 to 110 quid to fill up Now veg oil seems like an attractive alternative due to its low prices (71p from makro). So if i were to run on veg oil what should i be aware of? any mods needed? any parts likely to fail prematurely? what concentration should i run?

I have filled my 80 with bio diesel in spain as it was cheaper and it seemed to run fine, should i expect the same from veg oil?

 

[Paul]

Will tend to clean out the fuel system, so a filter change after the first couple of tanks.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

veg oil and bio diesel are different things with the bio being less viscous than the veg which is one of the main considerations when deciding how to use them. Bio shouldn't need any engine mods for mild climates but veg is too thick to run 100% without modifiying either the veg or the motor. In summer you might get away with a 30-40% veg / 70-60% dino mix. At 50% you're probablyy pushing it a bit for longevity IMO. I also ran 85% veg / 15% ULP without problems but that meant mixing in cans to be more accurate rather than just guestimating as you tip bottles in. Can get to be tedious putting it all together and make you wonder if it's worth the saving after all! If a 30% veg mix makes a worthwile saving I'd go with that but expect to start having trouble finding it in quantity again and the price to creep up as happened last time diesel got expensive

 

[Rob]

Does this mean that i should not run any veg oil in the winter? Also i have heard of leaky seals as a result of using veg oil on modern diesels, does this apply to older simple diesels like the 1hd-ft and older?

 

[Rob]

Running 30% veg oil seems to only yield a £12 saving per tank (even less if i use the a 5p of per litre voucher). Ad the cost of going to makro every time i need a fill, new fuel filter and the very low miles i do in it (apart form the occasional trip to the continent) then it doesn't seem to make sense.

BTW if did go ahead with this idea, is it better to put the oil into the tank first of diesel or the other way round? It would mix better if you put in 25l of oil the fill 60l of diesel i think but this would mean filling with oil on the forecourt, which doesn't sound like a good idea.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

It can be a lot of trouble for not a lot of gain. I think it mixes just fine which ever way round you put them in.

 

[tomrichardson]

i found it to be more hassle than it was worth in the end. also i had starting problems at much above 25% for some reason.
i also had a leaky injector pump due to the higher pressures created by the more viscous veg oil.
cost me more than i saved in the end.

 

[BIG clean GREEN]

I've just tried the veg oil for the first time, I put 18Ltr in and topped rest up with diesel, I was towing a caravan for the majority of my journey and still managed to get 600 km (373mile) on the full tank which is not much less than I would without towing the van. Thing is as tomrichardson said " i found it to be more hassle than it was worth in the end. also i had starting problems at much above 25% for some reason.
i also had a leaky injector pump due to the higher pressures created by the more viscous veg oil.
cost me more than i saved in the end.
i found it to be more hassle than it was worth in the end. also i had starting problems at much above 25% for some reason.
i also had a leaky injector pump due to the higher pressures created by the more viscous veg oil.
cost me more than i saved in the end." Has anyone else encountered any other long term isues with veg oil ?

Nick.

 

[Chris]

Hi Nick, as you know, I run on up to 50-50 and I haven't had any problems. No real difference in economy either. But I do think that you need to be doing a lot of miles to make it really work looking at doing with a preheater etc.

Hope you had a good weekend away.

Chris