Hi

I'm new here, and I joined because this seems to be one of the boards where honest discussion of waste oils OTHER than WVO are tolerated or encouraged. There may be yet other boards (if someone wants to suggest in a private message or publically thats fine) but that's the biggest reason for me joining. Since some of the other boards are hostile to this discussion i'd rather not say which name(s) I am there. If someone recognizes a similar theme please don't say anything. :)

My reason is financial economy. I'm a student (or going to be a student/held up due to money so far) and going to be facing a living situation with part time work and school of driving alot more than the average (I can stay with someone for free but theyre 40 miles from school in an expensive city) for an extended time. (going for a master's degree probably in biochemistry and may not be able to attend full time/working as I go)

Because my fuel bill is facing hundreds of dollars per month (not so bad now but I expect the $2/gallon stuff to not last once we go to war with other middle east countries) the payback of some extra work to run waste oils is likely worth more than picking up a second job/working extra hours. (At the point it becomes not worth it obviously i'd stop doing it and run straight diesel.) So i'm here to be talked into it or talked out of it by others who are doing it. :^) Because of certain stupidities with 'obamacare' there's also a strong incentive to stay just UNDER certain income levels meaning that 2nd job could cost more than it makes. Dropping costs to the floor is more important in multiple ways in short. Yet I HAVE to drive/cutting back wont be much of an option.


I'd like to run almost 100% waste oils of some sort. (except for startup/shutdown to purge the lines basically) Even in winter. I'd like to be able to run ANY waste oil I can find since I don't exactly know what I will be able to find or it's quality I'd rather not run waste veggie oils because I hear stories of it RUINING engines from unburnable stuff by 50k (unless some kind of additive or enhanced maintenance can counter this) and i'd imagine it wouldn't store well in large batches. (i'm sure a container of filtered WMO would last for years - i'm sure WVO would turn rancid and clog on-vehicle filters)



What i've read elsewhere basically talks of course of first finding sources, extensive filtering, sometimes centrifuging, possibly a need for dewatering, dual fuel tanks on the vehicle, heated fuel lines (may not be needed for non veggie but probably worth it for anything with a heavier grade), and if there are other steps like how best to verify quality of a batch or supplier i'm all ears. (considered getting some cheap chinese diesel to test run batches in before ruining a big engine for instance - other chemical tests may be beneficial as well though)


I have potentially three different engines i'd like to run them in - a 1.6 liter volkswagen IDI diesel (not the newer TDI's the old ones) possibly with an added turbo, a P7100 12 valve cummins diesel in a pickup for medium work and getting through the snow, and a cummins big cam III in a class 8 semi used as an occasional farm/ranch heavy hauler. Though it's possible extra legal scrutiny or risks with an OTR tractor may make the last a wash. Others have said agricultural or/and privately licensed vehicles face less scrutiny than those doing it "for hire".


Things i'm curious about include where to ask/how to ask for waste fuels, what all can I run (i've heard motor oil, transmission oil, general hydraulic fluid, anything else?), whether different fuels have different characteristics in the engine, whether blending anything has beneficial effects (ie 20% hydraulic fluid in your 80% oil or something), how to make it run better/at all in winter, whether any chemical additives to fuel OR lubricating oil help with the unique challenges of treating my engine as a hydrocarbon garbage disposal, etc. Sorry that's alot of questions but I thought it better to stuff everything into the first post in case people didn't see later followups. :)

Anyone who has done this, or has researched into/wanted to do this feel free to share experiences and examples as well!

 

i have done it and still do when i round up enough oil,

if at all possible, use ATF thinned a little with RUG until it is close to the viscosity of D2. this is the blend that worked best for me

when running WMO it takes between 15 to 20% RUG to get it to D2 viscosity. i dont know what your winters are like but mine rarely drop below 25 degrees. it helps to have a little diesel mixed in to help with the cold starts in the winter, unless you can get your hands on some strong cetane booster for cheep. i hear turpentine is supposed to work good for this

for my set up, the oil and RUG goes into a mixing tank. this is where i check to see that the viscosity is right. i do this subjectively but recommend a viscosity cup for better accuracy. then i pump it into a tank that is about 5 feet off the ground. this tank has a gate valve that i use to meter the mix into a centrifuge. then the mix goes into another holding tank until i am ready to use it. when i fill up i pump it through a cheap whole house 30 micron filter, then into a 10 micron > 5 micron > 1 micron > 1 micron absolute filter into my truck.

you will have to experiment on your rigs to find the right blend that works best. i found that slowly increasing the WMO/RUG (W85) to diesel ratio is the way to go. or run your tank low and try a few gallons at a time adjusting your mix. also always carry some D2 in a can encase that blend didn't work well so you can mix some diesel in there if you can make it to the fuel station.

i have found that there is a sweet spot to the ratio of RUG to WMO. not enough RUG and the engine is sluggish and hard to start and smokes more. too much and hot starts get harder due to vapor lock.

this is one of those things that is hard to do by trying it out cheaply or as a "test first and see". you ether go in all the way or not at all. you dont want to skip out on filters and cleaning up the WMO just to see if it will work out for you. you will only end up with clogged fuel filters, gunked up injectors, stranded on the side of the road or even damaged fuel pump and injectors. so to do this one right you will need to invest in some good filters and other equipment to properly clean and prepare the WMO