Geminidawn Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 I just managed to sell my Freelander 1.8 Petrol and I have been offered a 2.0L Diesel at a reasonable price the only way I'll take it is if it'll run on vegetable oil or bio diesel easily enough without too much messing around. Anyone got a good idea about this kind of thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Bean Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 Do you want to run on a mix of diesel and veg oil or do you want Straight Veg Oil (SVO)? I understand that a mix should be ok as long as you change the fuel filter often but i'm not sure about running on SVO without some extra mods... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geminidawn Posted October 2, 2010 Author Share Posted October 2, 2010 Do you want to run on a mix of diesel and veg oil or do you want Straight Veg Oil (SVO)? I understand that a mix should be ok as long as you change the fuel filter often but i'm not sure about running on SVO without some extra mods... Thanks,I'm not that fussed really anything to cut down the running costs. Just according to someone who knows more about engines than I do said that not all diesels are suited to bio or other fuels and he wasn't really sure if a '00 Freelander Diesel was one of them. So I decided to post a thread here to see if anyone else knew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Bean Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 I have not tried myself but from what i understand the more newer common-rail Turbo Diesel engines run at such high fuel pressure that the viscosity of the veg oil is too thick which causes the problems. You might find some more infomation in the tractor Defender/Series forumsas its more commonly used on their rigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisW Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 There are quite a few forums dedicated to alternative 'Bio' fuels and these would be a good place to start, one I have used is here Just to clarify terms Bio Diesel is a Bio Fuel Straight Veg Oil (SVO) is a Bio Fuel Waste Veg Oil (WVO) is a Bio Fuel BUT WVO and SVO are not Bio Diesel Bio Diesel is supposed to confirm to EU standards and has similar characteristics to diesel From what I've read and experienced, Common Rail diesels do not like either SVO or WVO either straight of blended with diesel. Older diesels tend to be more tolerant and if it is an indirect diesel engine these are better. Direct injection engines however can suffer with piston rings gumming up especially if you are doing mostly short journeys or during cold weather. The diesel pump also is an important consideration, some do not like veg oils while others are fine. The Bosch VE pump as fitted to some LR and Peugeot diesels is supposed to be particularly good with veg oils but others can be problematic. I have run a 50:50 mix of diesel and SVO in my Frontera 2.8 TDi which has a Bosch VE pump and it runs OK, cold mornings were difficult but have gone back to straight diesel as didn't want to chance any ring gumming (its a Di lump) problems as it spends most of its time on Green Lanes just ticking over. Have recently found a limited supply of Bio Diesel and have just run 80 litres through my Frontera and am reasonably happy with it, it only cost me 50p per litre and performance and starting were indistinguishable from straight diesel. It does not however have any anti waxing agents mixed with it so come winter will need to find something to stop it waxing up. I don't have a LR but am actively looking to buy a Freelander 2l diesel and am planning on running it on Bio Diesel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Bean Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 I don't have a LR but am actively looking to buy a Freelander 2l diesel and am planning on running it on Bio Diesel Do you plan on buying the "L" - Series then instead of the Td4? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geminidawn Posted October 4, 2010 Author Share Posted October 4, 2010 Just to clarify terms Bio Diesel is a Bio Fuel Straight Veg Oil (SVO) is a Bio Fuel Waste Veg Oil (WVO) is a Bio Fuel BUT WVO and SVO are not Bio Diesel Bio Diesel is supposed to confirm to EU standards and has similar characteristics to diesel Fantastic, you learn something new every day. I believe you can make you own "Bio Diesel" though, out of used filtered vegetable oil and a couple of other additives. I spoke to a guy once who did just that, but he said the effort wasn't worth the savings. With modern fuel prices I'd say that's no longer the case, kinda wish now I paid more attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisW Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Do you plan on buying the "L" - Series then instead of the Td4? Yep, looking for the latest L series I can find, keeping my 2.8 Frontera for lanes and pay n play, Freelander will be for everyday use plus muddy fields etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisW Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Fantastic, you learn something new every day. I believe you can make you own "Bio Diesel" though, out of used filtered vegetable oil and a couple of other additives. I spoke to a guy once who did just that, but he said the effort wasn't worth the savings. With modern fuel prices I'd say that's no longer the case, kinda wish now I paid more attention. You can make your own Bio Diesel from WVO or SVO, the process uses Methanol and either potassium or sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) which are mixed together, added to the veg oil and heated to allow the reaction to take place, it then has to have the waste products removed and washed then dried, you can buy the kit to do the process but there are loads of instructions on the internet on how to make a suitable rig, try this one, no pictures but covers what you need to know. Biggest problem for most people is getting hold of WVO, most commercial food places buy their fresh oil and their supplier takes away the old stuff but if you have a contact for WVO then you could make your own Bio Diesel for less than 40p/litre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Bean Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Any fuel used to power a vehicle on the public highway must pay duty/tax on that fuel at the appllicable rate. If you don't its really no different than using Red Diesel in the eyes of the tax man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisW Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Any fuel used to power a vehicle on the public highway must pay duty/tax on that fuel at the appllicable rate. If you don't its really no different than using Red Diesel in the eyes of the tax man. IIRC when making your own Bio Diesel there is an allowance of 2500 litres a year before duty must be paid, if you are buying Bio Diesel from a manufacturer then they are liable to pay the duty to HMRC so would be included in the purchase price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steerngo Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 I used to run a rover420 l series and 200tdi rangie on veg oil+diesel, but added a heated fuel filter housing from a rover old rover 218d/ pergeot 205d. it warms with the hot water of the cooling system worked well for me hot or cold weather ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRecklessEngineer Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 ChrisW is absolutely spot on. Any diesel *should* run on good quality bio diesel. The trouble is if you buy it, you are never sure of the quality. I make my own and it is of a high enough standard to run my fussy common rail Volvo. My costs (including buying the oil @ 10p/l) amount to fuel for 17p/l. A saving of about £2000/year - well worth the effort IMHO. If you are brewing for personal use and not selling, providing you are using less than 2500 litres/year, you are not liable for the tax. My bio, however, will not run the V8 in the landy If you want to learn more, the forum linked by ChrisW early on in this thread has all the information you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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