Assume I have a constant and unlimited source of veggie oil. What needs to change on the truck to run it?
Assume I have a constant and unlimited source of veggie oil. What needs to change on the truck to run it?
Depends on the vehicle of choice and the state of the oil.
Dr. Boost has a little MB he runs on WVO. every few months he does a write up "Living with a grease car"
He inspired me to do research. I have a 86 Suburban with the 6.2L. I know how i want to do it and have done months and months of research but ive been swamped with work the last 8months so i have not had time to convert my truck.
Im sure Dr. Boost will chime in shortly.
What questions do you have?
Wes
monsterbronco wrote: What questions do you have? Wes
Anything and everything. I need to own a truck and do (gas engine). But I also have a long commute, so I have to have another car just for that. Shortly I'm going to need a truck with more towing capability, and would like to be able to drive it to work also. The only way I can afford to do that would be to buy a diesel pickup and run it on veg oil that I can get for free locally. I know this can be done, but know absolutely nothing about how to do it, or if there are some vehicles better to do it with than others, so at this point any information will be good.
pretty much as long as you get a truck that was designed for the older fuel pre 2006 i think?
of the big 3 there really isnt one better then the other for this. each has been done and each has their own difficulties.
bottom line, find a truck you like and it can be converted.
but budget about 3k for conversion parts and filtering (this is a bit conservative depending on the truck)
the biggest things seem to be filtering really well and heating the oil enough so it can be injected into the motor.
the 2 big companies that make kits are greasecar.com and frybird.com
both sites have forums that have a lot of information.
Wes
Here is the Doc's original posting.
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/living-with-a-greasecar/23610/page1/
There are others out there from him. He does a good job of keeping us updated.
Ok, I guess I'll have to do an update soon....truth is though, it's been smooth sailing.
Bravenrace,
First, there are two major players making kits. Frybrid and Greasecar as was noted earlier. Here's my take on the two (I have a greasecar kit, never owned a frybrid kit):
Frybrid is the freaking top-dog kit. Everything is aluminum, either welded or billet. Lots of thought put into the kit. Artwork. It's also expensive. They start at $1700+ another few hundred for a tank. Chris Goodwin (owner, CEO of Frybrid) has the worst customer service this side of the gallows in the middle ages. There is at least 2 or 3 posts a month on the forum where people are asking where parts are "...Chris, I've called and e-maild you for weeks now. Where is my _? You charged my credit card 6 months ago, I ordered 2 months before that. Where is it?" Seriously, it's actually worse now because he may be getting out of the biz.
Greasecar. Nice kit. The fuel tank sending unit isn't billet but it works just fine. They have good customer service and the kit flat works. They offer aluminum fuel lines, get it. These kits are about $1600 with the tank, and there are options when you order to customize it to suit your needs.
As far as filtering, you can go expensive (I did) or nearly free. The expensive way is a centrifuge. I paid $1000 for mine. Why would I spend a grand when I could do it for nearly free? (Am I going to be kicked out of the GRM community?) Well, because I don't have all freaking day to spend in my garage setting up flow rates, cleaning filters, settling, getting rid of water etc. With my centrifuge I flow about 3 gallons an hour (I could do 5-8 easily), one pass and it's filtered down to .5 microns and is dewatered. Most folks have pumps (I don't need one) to push oil through a filter or two, or three (at as much as $35 each). If you get nasty oil in there (happens all the time) you can clog three NEW (that's $105!!!) in just a few gallons. I can put freaking oatmeal through my 'fuge and it's fine.
If you look into a 'fuge, you want a gravity-fed style, not a pump style. The pump styles need 2-3 passes and the oil is under pressure. If a hose lets go you have 250 degree oil coming out of that hose at high pressure, read nasty and dangerous mess.
If you want to filter the GRM way, do a "cold upflow" system. I didn't do that because you need a bit of oil "in process" all the time and I didn't have that much then. Google it.
Most greasers will tell you not to convert your car 'till you have oil. Not a bad idea. It was harder to get than I expected. Here's my recommendation, go to vista print and get some business cards made. Approach the manager at a good time and explain what you are doing.
Man, I could go on and on. PM me and we'll talk.
In that post above I had 253K on the ticker. Next week I'll roll past 280, the car was converted with 217.
As far as the truck. Converting them is the same diffifulty level but most folks would agree that the 12V Cummins is the best for the conversion because it's just more forgiving, and they last well over 500K, 750K isn't unheard of. There is a few model years to avoid due to pump issues, but that's the second gen.
In closing, research, research, research. Get oil now, even before you can use or filter it. If you end up with more than you need/can handle you can give it away, sometimes even sell un-filtered oil. If you filter it and don't need it, I can get $2.00/gallon around here and it costs me pennies per gallon to filter because I have no consumables, just electricity.
In reply to DrBoost: Wow, thanks for all the information! So the truck itself doesn't need any mods?
Just a second fuel tank, lines and some valves. Basically you are adding a second everything between the tank and pump.
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