Cars that run on veggie oil - advice please

[seadragon]

Hi All,

I am close to buying a 4x4 Diesel that runs also on vegetable oil. How would this work, how do people locate and prepare the oil? I assume I can just put in diesel and nothing else but if I remember correctly from an article I saw on tv a couple of years ago the car has a special filter to cope with filtered oil.

Many of the 4x4'S on this forum I am on tend to run on oil, so I was just curious to get a non-forum members point of view on practicality of oil, also on the ease of sourcing it and the apparent financial benefits.

Many thanks

[Dave Hedgehog]

i run on chip fat

[seadragon]

do you mix the fat and diesel or fat only? sorry for the thick question, i have only owned petrol cars before and this concept is totally alien to me :-)

[AndyCowman]

Depends on a number of things, a 4x4 diesel doesn't mean it will work! Do your research...

For example older landrovers don't like it on Lucas fuel pumps, but the 200tdi with Bosch pumps seem to be ok. I ran my 200tdi on a mix (up to 60 veg \ 40 diesel) for a while with no problems.

In the cold conditions more diesel is needed if mixing, or a good way of preheating the veg oil before it goes into the engine. Again there are expensive conversions or DIY ways.

I got brand new oil from Tescos in Slough in big 25 litre drums, would get a few at a time and get a 5p off a litre on diesel voucher. I have not been able to find anything like this for a fair old while though - but it was handy at the time as saved some money and I was there shopping anyway!

Those who use waste oil may well have a system of filtering it down - basically a series of different level micron filters and making sure they remove water. Some people have a source already, they appear harder to find now as apparently suppliers to chip shops etc now collect waste oil and might offer a discount on new oil. I assume they use it themselves to cut costs!!

You might find it cheaper to get a V8 4x4 and have it converted to run LPG which will be cheap, easily available etc etc

Edited by AndyCowman on Thursday 16th February 19:57

[freecar]

I buy oil from Tesco for £1 a litre, still saves over 40p each one!

I just lob it into the tank in any blend from 50/50 to 100% oil.

People say it'll clog your filter super quick the first time but I didn't find that, I slowed to a max of 20mph the other day and changing the filter seems to have cured it, it took two years of oil mind!