Hi,
I recently bought an Isuzu Bighorn (Trooper) import. Does anyone know whether I can put a percentage of pure Veg oil in with the diesel? If so what are the recommended percentages. I would like to make my own biodiesel at home but don't have the space- hence the reason for wanting to add straight shop bought veg oil.
Many thanks
Dan
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Just so we're not at risk of getting HJ in any trouble, you're going to be reporting your use of veg oil to the taxman, right?
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absolutley. The reason I am asking is that I have recently bought a large car(we need the space-growing family)and want to offset some of the environmental impact that a 3 litre car produces! So it isn't about money!
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Well... from what I've heard you can run a diesel car on 99.9% vegetable oil - you just have to add something to thin it, like a dash of turpentine or something.
I'm sure there will be someone along shortly who can advise you better than me, but as far as I'm aware it's surprisingly straightforward.
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Shouldn't be a problem to use biodiesel - last week I posted a link in the biodiesel thread over in Technical that shows a list of biodiesel suppliers. You can also get it by mail order (details on the same link) although I think it's something like 200 litres at a time. Biodiesel would be better for your engine than vegetable oil, which would require adaptations to the engine for serious use.
I remember that there was a known issue with injectors failing in the Isuzu Trooper. The reason I know this is that a customer of the biodiesel plant where I get my fuel had bought a Trooper and decided to run a couple of tankfuls of biodiesel through it. Some weeks later, he had trouble with the engine (either that it was not cutting out or not starting, can't remember) and the diagnosis was faulty injectors. As soon as this was mentioned, he asked "Is that because I used biodiesel?" and was told "yep, that's the problem alright, the biodiesel has corroded the spray nozzles of the injectors, you put it in so it's your fault and it's going to cost you £1200 to put right".
He came back to the biodiesel plant to raise this, and when I heard about it I checked the CBCB link on this site. Lo and behold, "Seems to be a problem with the injector seals which results in fuel oil getting into the engine lubricating oil, leading the engine to run on its crankcase oil amd making it impossible to stop. Replacement injector kit available but in slow supply." I passed this on, and armed with the information, he went back to the dealer, who admitted that this was the cause of the problem after all and that the job would be done FOC.
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andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
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Thanks for your reply. So, do you think that i could make my own bio diesel by using veg oil with a non turpemtine based mix?
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No, what you will end up with is veg oil mixed with a solvent. Biodiesel isn't just a physical mix of two liquids, but an end product of a chemical reaction, usually between vegetable oil (such as sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, etc) and anhydrous methanol, and you get a glycerol by-product (from which you can make soap, if you wish!). If you want to make biodiesel, it is not enough to mix vegetable oil with a thinner - an actual chemical reaction must take place. The process is called transesterification.
If you use vegetable oil over a long period you risk coking of injectors and difficulties with cold starting (whether or not you thin it with a solvent). Plus, high pressure injection systems such as the PD engines in VAG engines or the common rail systems in other cars will more than likely develop a fault due to the viscosity of the fuel and the residue it may leave behind. Biodiesel is essentially vegetable oil that has had the "heavier" compounds removed (this is a gross oversimplification, but never mind).
If you go to biodiesel.infopop.cc and do a search for the "World Famous Dr. Pepper Technique", then you should find a simple method of making small amounts of biodiesel for yourself. If you do this, it's at your own risk - please pay attention to any safety warnings about handling methanol and sodium hydroxide, as well as fire safety precautions. These are dangerous chemicals and should be treated accordingly.
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andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
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