7.3 and Waste Vegetable Oil

[TomsBeast]

Originally Posted by MadScience

I've had friends do both biodiesel and WVO conversions on older diesels, including one 7.3 van to WVO. You need to change out _all_ fuel line. If you miss some, it will eventually break down and clog.

The WVO needs to be filtered, which involves multiple containers and pumps.

The long term report on WVO was that while it worked, having drums of gross stuff sitting around in (a cramped bay area) driveway wasn't wonderful.

I seriously considered this, when I was commuting 150mi/day back in 2008 or so, as gasoline prices near me were moving toward $4/gal. After much research on the topic, I came away with a few major concerns, that had me never pull the trigger on it, and bought a 3cyl Geo Metro instead.


1) To make it worth while, you have to be consuming a lot of fuel/week. Then it becomes a serious hobby/en-devour
2) Your garage or side yard becomes a mini-refinery, flammable, stinky

3) Harvesting waste veggie oil slop from the 'round back' area of a restaurant does not appeal to me in the slightest

4) It's not 'free' fuel. By the time you convert your vehicle $$, gin up a 'still' $$, harvest waste oil, and include the cost of consumables methanol (to titrate), filters, fuel to heat while refining the stuff, disposing of the byproducts, it really adds up. Some estimate it costs about $2-$3/gallon AFTER you convert and build a still. Not including your time, which has some cost, no matter how you look at it.



For me, after the novelty of the build wore off, the art of refining would be fun one or twice, but would become a chore. YMMV

[REF]

I’ve run blend variations depending on the time of year B5, B20, B100 in my 7.3 for years, with no known issues or degraded performance, in fact, bio is supposed to help clean things up in the fuel system and have higher combustion properties. Although it’s been known to loosen up any tank sludge if present and gum things up.
For anyone interested in a good read on the trials, tribulations and practicality of running a grease car.

[vandiesel]

I built and operated a bio diesel refinery in my back yard for 9 years. I ran it in 2 vw’s and my 7.3 van. I could make 500 gallons a week. It is all gone now (thankfully). I’m happy to discuss on the phone if you PM me. I had centrifuges for cleaning oil and determined just making B100 was about the same work as making clean veggie and so went that route. It is a significant commitment to say the least. I never had a single vehicle issue from it but the other issues like spills could be a funny book.