Quote:
Originally Posted by tjts1
Your claim of 80-100mpg puts a lot of people off. Its a straight lie and you know it. You can try to justify it any way you want to but the fact remains that you're only getting 22mpg. Whether that fuel comes from a diesel pump or a restaurant is irrelevant. The long term costs of running SVO far outweigh any savings at the diesel pump. I hope you enjoy rebuilding the injection pump, injectors, replacement fuel filters, clogged fuel lines, combustion chamber deposits etc. Its not a matter of if but WHEN it will leave you on the side of the road with a huge repair bill.
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I would challenge your claim that using WVO WILL cause failure of components. It would be better said that poorly conceived and executed WVO systems can cause component failure. Choosing the right vehicle is the most important step. Inline injection pumps as found in early Mercedes are an advantage. Proper filtration, heating and vehicle maintenance will provide you with an economical and reliable mode of transport.
There is of course an investment in equipment and time. But depending on your driving needs, the payback can be tremendous.
I drive considerably more than most people. I travel between San Diego and the Palm Springs area two to three times a week. I burned through almost 800 gallons of WVO in my 1985 190D 5 speed manual Mercedes, non-turbo last year. Diesel hovers around $4 dollars a gallon here. Do the math. I did. That old beater of a car paid for my family vacation to the Caribbean this past summer.
I bought the car for 700 dollars years ago - rescued from the insurance auction when it was rear-ended at 70K miles. It has been running on WVO ever since. It now has traveled approximately 650k miles. Fuel filters are changed along with my oil change. Glow plugs and injectors are changed/rebuilt every two years. Nothing untoward. Mild water/methanol injection keeps the pre-chambers and injectors clean.
The WVO is settled, filtered to 20 microns then centrifuged in an industrial centrifuge which cost me about 1000 dollars years ago. About 10% by volume of regular unleaded gasoline and diesel is blended in to provide fluidity and to pay my share of the road taxes.
This car represents only 1 of 4 Mercedes diesels in my immediate family that run on our sources of WVO though not to the mileage of the 190D.
Is WVO effective for everyone? No. But it is a winning source of Bio Crude for me to run my Benz on.