Thread: homemade diesel

Originally Posted by 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.

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?

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.

Originally Posted by 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.

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.

ace is driving a TDI.. not a TD5

Originally Posted by EchiDna

ace is driving a TDI.. not a TD5

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

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

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)

Originally Posted by 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!

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.