2003 Golf Vegie for trips

[Lostyankee]

I commonly drive 10 miles to work so a conversion for that miles would take 10 years to pay back & many componants would be replaced by that time. I do not drive this car in the cold months of Wisconsin. But I also drive summer trips of: 8 * 400 miles + 4 * 1200 miles + 2 * 400 miles.
This modifacation (work in progress) is to run vegie for trip miles with very little modification to car.
Using a dedicated coolant loop around the oil filer & under the IP lines between IP & engine, raises fuel temp at the nozzles to 150*F at engine operating temp + 15 minutes.
Insulating the return fuel cooler (automatic trany car), insulating the lines, raised return fuel to the tank 40*F over air temp.
Goal is to warm up engine with almost dry fuel tank, fill tank with enough vegie oil (for 95% of trip one way) filtered to 1 micron absolute & dewatered, blended to V80 with kerosene (allows a fudge factor for weather & emergency starts), drive 95% of trip, add 1 gallon of diesel (purge & startup)& do the reverse on the way home.
In tests this should work to 55*F air temp with out any other modificatons & I believe 35*F is possible.
Vaccum reservoir & long injector return fuel line have been relocated to allow room for the IP heater (coolant line).
Planed improvement: using the heated seat circuit & it's dash munted reostat, tie in a switched heating ellement to heat the coolant loop in an emerency or raise the temp of vegie above coolant loop temp.
Also I plan on installing a duel main filter bypass so I can switch from a used (dirty) filter to a clean one if needed.
Issues so far is the 3 minute electric heating element warm up time on a cold engine and time it takes for the coolant loop to gravity flow enough to heat the IP lines. I will try increasing the ID of the 'hot' side of the coolant loop to 3/4" (other is 1/2" ID) and exposing the down leg to more air flow.
Reviews are welcome.

[tasdrouille]

You need to be really anal for this to work in the long term. Even though a veggie trip now and then might not hurt too much, you can end up with a hefty bill if you don't heat the veggie stuff enough. In this case, more heat is not too much. You need to get the veggie oil as close the the viscosity of straight diesel as possible, that means a lot of heat. Else you'll end up with oil dilution and eventually sludge like buildup everywhere, even with the best synth oil. You'd be a lot safer with straight biodiesel, but you can't switch back and forth between dino and bio, else swelling (biod) and shrinking (ulsd) pf the seals will cause your pump to leak.

[Lostyankee]

Temp:
Vegie oil =s diesel viscosity @ 190*F. Blending to 20% (V80) brings it down to roughly 160*F. My goal is 190*F from the coolant loop & suplimental electric heating.
Oil Dilution:
I agreee & plan on 3000 mile changes on Rotilla. IMHO most dilution is in starting & stoping often. This hazzard should be reduced on trips.

Good point on switching from B100 to diesel & back. I have a degree in Ag. Eng. & listened to speach / paper often quoted on the lubrication effects of B100 / blends / diesel & I use B50 for that reason. Thanks for the review on the swelling issue.

As far as being anal:
I'm a licensed boiler operator & pyrotechnician ... ya, I'm anal when it counts.

[dieselescort]

I had a 03 Golf TDI (totaled!! argh!) which I ran biodiesel on for 40,000 mi. I had the injection pump replaced under warranty because the Fuel Temp sensor (in the top of the IP) kept shorting out and frying. These Bosch pumps are very expensive, and in my experience are extra sensitive to water and particles. Make sure your WVO is de-watered and carefully filtered and settled. Good luck!

[Lostyankee]

Thanks for the heads up on the water issue.
I brew small batches, water wash & settle for two weeks @ 70*F, then filter to 1 micron absolute.
I've never found any water in dregs drained from the fuel filter which is checked every 1000 miles.
Update on the modification: dedicated coolant loop takes 15 minutes after engine is at op. temp to get to 150*F so the gravity flow is not circulating. Looking into increasing the ID of the hot side & or using a pump to improve circulation. Gravity would be nice ... no moving parts, but the nominal sizes available in soft copper tubing limits the gizmo to 1/2" , 3/4" & 3/4" is a very tight fit under the IP lines.
If everything was easy, drunks would rule! Oh, well several have been presidents!!! Rich drunks don't count!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!