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Old 06-30-2009, 05:13 PM   #22 (permalink)
dieselescort
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: upstate NY
Posts: 13

vdub - '86 VW Jetta GL
90 day: 47.64 mpg (US)
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Warm air and fuel with diesels

Quote:
Originally Posted by ebacherville View Post
the idea behind warm air intake is the fuel atomizes better, any one thought about warming fuel before its used by the motor?

This is how vegetable oil conversions thin the oil out for injection so it atomizes better.. they run the oil through heat exchangers that warm the veggie oil up to coolant temp..

Any thought or any one try it?
Many diesel engines actually do this in stock configuration. My 84 Escort (Mazda diesel engine) has an electric prewarmer on the fuel filter housing to do just that, and then the unspent fuel is recirculated through the housing unit before it goes back to the tank to warm up fuel for cold weather climates. There was also an cold weather climate option on this car that was a heater element for the air intake box!

VW TDIs and old diesel Mercedes (I had a 82 240D) also use the recirculation to continually preheat the fuel filters to avoid gelling. I have known a few biodieseler's who installed heater elements in their stock diesel tanks so they could run B100 all winter in the northeast, and it worked well for them. They did not do a SVO conversion, just got the elements out of single-tank conversion kits and did that one part.

Seems like a thermo or disable switch for hot summer months might be good, but otherwise it's a solid practice.

HTH!
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'scort no longer- '86 VW Jetta diesel - biodiesel
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