Info on Elsbett one tank system in a Mercedes 300D Turbodiesel??

[ericbecky]

I've got my eye on a 5cyl 1983 Mercedes 300D Turbodiesel that has an Elsbett one tank veggie oil system already installed.

For the life of me I can't find a good place where there are a lot of users talking about this setup. There doesn't seem to be an Elsbett forum that I've found. (As opposed to the other two-tank systems made by frybird, plantdrive, etc)

Does anyone here have any experience or first hand knowledge of running the Elsbett system in cold weather like here in Wisconsin?

My plan would be to blend the WVO with diesel in the winter since it is a one tank system. I would also be running a block heater for easier startups.

I know enough about WVO/SVO and biodiesel at this point.

For now, I'm looking for more first/second-hand experience, feedback and tips about keeping the car running well with the Elsbett system in the colder climates.

[ericbecky]

Well, I took the plunge and purchased the Mercedes today.

Looks like I'll have my own adventures to share with others.

But in the meantime, I'm still open for suggestions and advice from the peanut gallery.

[bennelson]

Hey Eric,

I didn't see this post until just now!

I am also interested in Bio-diesel, potentially upgrading it to a WVO system as well.

Hows your car running? Got Bio in it yet?

-Ben

[ericbecky]

It has about 114,000 miles and is running good now. It was initially bogging down a lot and getting fuel starved (as in every few blocks!).
I had the gas tank purged, and put on new filters for the fuel. The previous owner had some not so great fuel in it. Looks like it was not filtered enough perhaps?

The clear primary filter does catch some bits of stuff but I can easily take the filter off and blow it out and then put it back in.

Here is a link to some exterior shots of the car for now.

Picasa Web Albums - beczip - Mercedes

The car is in overall good shape and a good percentage of the accessories actually work.
Pretty good for ~$1,100.

I want to "get to know" the car a bit before I start adding in veggie oil, so for now I am just running dino-diesel. This way I reduce the number of variables in case the car stops working.

Since this is a single-tank Elsbett system, in winter I would run a blend of WVO and diesel (straight diesel in very cold weather), slowly switching back over to only WVO once the temps increase in the spring.