homemade diesel

[slippery]

I have been brewing up for 6 months,, travelled 8,000 klms on cooking oil and have had no problems with it, am mixing 10% methanol, to seperate the glycerine I let a brew sit for 24 hrs, I then syphon filter it through a "cav filter" which is 5 micron, I'd rather smell fish and chips than $$$ out of the exhaust.

The starting engine on cooking oil my 1994 defender, it starts normally, I seem to have a small loss of power which I put down to the small amount of methanol being used, so far so good.,,,,,,,,or air filter which I haven't changed for a long time.

By the way I am a pensioner and to buy a new motor is beyond my means, however I find no problems using cooking oil.

[shorty943]

I have been brewing up for 6 months,, travelled 8,000 klms on cooking oil and have had no problems with it, am mixing 10% methanol, to seperate the glycerine I let a brew sit for 24 hrs, I then syphon filter it through a "cav filter" which is 5 micron, I'd rather smell fish and chips than $$$ out of the exhaust. The starting engine on cooking oil my 1994 defender, it starts normally, I seem to have a small loss of power which I put down to the small amount of methanol being used, so far so good.,,,,,,,,or air filter which I haven't changed for a long time. By the way I am a pensioner and to buy a new motor is beyond my means, however I find no problems using cooking oil. What do you think the price per litre difference is. Being a former Speedway racer, I know Methanol is not cheap.
BTW. I run the Isuzu farm tractor in Bio-Diesel from the local SA Farm Fuels outlet, a mate of mine, a B-double driver wont go near the stuff, and he says most of the truck industry is like minded. Mind you a tank refill for him is over $1000 a pop.

[George130]

My understanding is there shouldn't be any hassles but I have never tried it so can't give first hand experiences.

[slippery]

I buy at 20 litres at around $43.00, < BP Depot> I have priced 200 litre drum at around $240.00, $3-00 to $4.00 for caustic soda, I buy used cooking oil for $3.00 a 20 litre drum from the same person as that I know the quality is the same,,so it is around $00.40c per litre to make.

At 10 per cent ratio to cooking oil 20 litres will make something like 190 litres after you seperate the rubbish possibly 10 per cent which sits on the bottom after sitting for some 24 hrs

I live in Townsville, a hot climate so I use 10% methanol to react with the caustic soda, I am reluctant to use 15% + methanol as to avoid any possible damage to rubber seals in injector pump.

As far as I can see after the reaction between methanol and caustic soda, the remaining un reacted caustic settles on the bottom amongst all the crap, so I doubt very little reaches the injector pump.

[shorty943]

40c/ltr? Less than1/4 the corporate price at the bowser. A s/hand Toyo 2.4D is looking pretty good. Maybe even a Turbo job.
Not interested in speed, just want to climb hills a little closer to cruise speed.

Ex-Serviceman pensioner myself, I can empathise with the financial strictures.

Okay mate thanks for the food for thought.

All the best for christmas and new year.

regards shorty.

[George130]

Shorty I and a friend have been reading heaps on the subject and once you are set up its quite cheap and easy. I never started due to my woes this year.

[shorty943]

Shorty I and a friend have been reading heaps on the subject and once you are set up its quite cheap and easy. I never started due to my woes this year.

Oh yeah. I saw the documentary, can't remember the channel, some time back.

Great-uncle of mine, a Kokoda trail vet, had a small "refinery" set up in his garage, used to "retread" his engine oils, etc. Then use it when servicing his Armstrong Siddley Saphire's. He had 3 of them. A 54 ute, his sedan, chocolate and canary in colour, and the aunties car, a sedan, was silver and charcoal. Former Tassie Governor's car.

If the tooth fairy ever comes back, I might get into this myself.

shorty.

[Mulgo]

Here is the handbook:

http://www.jaycar.com.au/ (http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=BE1531&CATID=&keywords=bio+diesel&SPECIAL=&form=KEYWORD&ProdCodeOnly=&Keyword1=&Keyword2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID) - product code CAT. NO. BE1531 - $29.95

[shorty943]

Bewdy, thanks mate.

Shorty.

[tannery]

Slippery..

in melbourne you can get 200L of methanol for $170 ..

I use 20% methanol to waste cooking oil (retrieved for free from some places)
and I use Potassium hydroxide (KOH) rather than caustic soda (NaOH)

manufactured cost of approx. $0.30 per litre.

regards,
biodiesel bob..

btw - first casualty - my generator's fuel line bascially dissolved (was rubber) now replaced with non rubber fuel line!

[shorty943]

Bob, that "rubber" fuel line must have been a nitrile neoprene type. Ethanol and methanol both have a delightfull habit of dissolving neoprene type O-rings and gaskets. That is the reason most the speedway mates use poly- plastic fuel lines.

Shorty.

[Ace]

I have been brewing up for 6 months,, travelled 8,000 klms on cooking oil and have had no problems with it, am mixing 10% methanol, to seperate the glycerine I let a brew sit for 24 hrs, I then syphon filter it through a "cav filter" which is 5 micron, I'd rather smell fish and chips than $$$ out of the exhaust.

The starting engine on cooking oil my 1994 defender, it starts normally, I seem to have a small loss of power which I put down to the small amount of methanol being used, so far so good.,,,,,,,,or air filter which I haven't changed for a long time.

By the way I am a pensioner and to buy a new motor is beyond my means, however I find no problems using cooking oil.

Hi slippery, what equipment do you need to get started? Do you make it in 20L batches, or do you have a bigger container?

I am thinking of giving it a try but not sure yet. How do you actually make it? What are the steps from used oil to finished product?

[Blknight.aus]

not to rain on the parade but make sure all the nasties are out of the bio if your going to use it in a TD5, the injectors are not tolerant of very much and while they'll take a hammering and still "work" they wont be on spec.

Theres also the top injector seals to worry about according to a couple of the other bio fuel forums Im on issues of bio making it into the sump has occoured enough for me to think a cautionary warning about the quality of your fuel and any by products or contaminates that might be in it if your going to put it into a TD5.

But no ones reported any hassles on the old school motors other than initial clogging of fuel filters, lift pumps and strainers And the occasional leak developing at some fuel line union points.

[tombraider]

not to rain on the parade but make sure all the nasties are out of the bio if your going to use it in a TD5, the injectors are not tolerant of very much and while they'll take a hammering and still "work" they wont be on spec.

Theres also the top injector seals to worry about according to a couple of the other bio fuel forums Im on issues of bio making it into the sump has occoured enough for me to think a cautionary warning about the quality of your fuel and any by products or contaminates that might be in it if your going to put it into a TD5.

But no ones reported any hassles on the old school motors other than initial clogging of fuel filters, lift pumps and strainers And the occasional leak developing at some fuel line union points.

Thanks BlkNight.... You saved me a lot of typing...

Adding to this on the TD5...

The fuel pump, lines, injectors all dislike the stuff....

And when compressed to 15k psi it changes properties... Its not nice in a common rail/unitary modern diesel...

Same as bio Petrol is equally bad in modern EFI cars.

[EchiDna]

ace is driving a TDI.. not a TD5

[tombraider]

ace is driving a TDI.. not a TD5


Yes, but just noting for those running TD5s and thinking of doing this.

[George130]

I decided not to risk it in the TD5. Injectors are just to expensive for me to risk.

[dobbo]

Due to the fact I need to change my filters on the 4BD1 in the next week and the next servo was to far to go with the fuel light on I chucked some commercial grade curry scrapings into my tank. The only difference to the car is the smell of the exhaust smells like a Sunday morning dodgy Kebab (talk about the ultimate car for blokes)

[macbac]

Slippery..

in melbourne you can get 200L of methanol for $170 ..

I use 20% methanol to waste cooking oil (retrieved for free from some places)
and I use Potassium hydroxide (KOH) rather than caustic soda (NaOH)

manufactured cost of approx. $0.30 per litre.

regards,
biodiesel bob..

btw - first casualty - my generator's fuel line bascially dissolved (was rubber) now replaced with non rubber fuel line!
you can over come the rubber issue by using nitral hoses and seals, and i would be mindfull of who you tell due to the gov if they want can charge you excises on what you produce.

i had a diesel that i ran on 100% bio and after 40k pump and injectors craped them selfs and all it would do is ideal, 4x4 had only done 80k the cost to repair was over $3000 after that i ran 50/50 bio and diesel 4x4 was still going stong at 140k when sold it.

[graceysdad]

I think with the way the futures looking for Petrol etc, if you still want to enjoy going bush and getting lost out in the never never then the diesel has some benifits, it will take some time to perfect but eventually someone will crack it and come up with the ideal oil mix for a dieso that we can make at home from waste etc, now the idea of an old Series with a Perkins Dieso running on recycled cooking oil has long appealed to me, this isnt new technology, I have seen diesos run on coconut oil but the extraction process makes it undesirable even though coconuts are plentiful up North, so this is an idea well worth following for the future years

[clean32]

I think with the way the futures looking for Petrol etc, if you still want to enjoy going bush and getting lost out in the never never then the diesel has some benifits, it will take some time to perfect but eventually someone will crack it and come up with the ideal oil mix for a dieso that we can make at home from waste etc, now the idea of an old Series with a Perkins Dieso running on recycled cooking oil has long appealed to me, this isnt new technology, I have seen diesos run on coconut oil but the extraction process makes it undesirable even though coconuts are plentiful up North, so this is an idea well worth following for the future years

follow it up now, 14 coconuts= 1 litr oil = .85 ltr bio diesel, or there abouts, the only difrence is boil the water out of it first.

on methanol if you cap your reactour and plum of the gas, you should get upto 50% of your metanol back

[clean32]

What do you think the price per litre difference is. Being a former Speedway racer, I know Methanol is not cheap.
BTW. I run the Isuzu farm tractor in Bio-Diesel from the local SA Farm Fuels outlet, a mate of mine, a B-double driver wont go near the stuff, and he says most of the truck industry is like minded. Mind you a tank refill for him is over $1000 a pop.

if you fill up at SAFE? north adelaide, after hours, theres big rigs lined up for a drink