SVO in tdi

[xud9te]

Hi,

I used the search function to try and find the answer to this question but couldnt find a definitive answer..

Can TDI's be run on straight rape oil?

I was always under the (mis)conception that TDI's could not be due to the higher injection pressures and the higher viscosiy of the oil being a problem, that TDI's would need a heating system to make sure the oil comes through at above 80 deg c to keep the viscosity low enough.

Having read a few posts where people are having no problems in even PD engines  with SVO it seems this is not the case?

I was interested in building a mTDI style engine soon and wondered if it would be possible to use up to 100% rape as I do in my IDI.  I assume that the M pump still has to make the high pressure needed to open the TDI injectors, so surely the same problems may apply to the mTDI engines as the original TDI?

What am I missing here?  :?

[Ziptar]

Yes they can and do quite well on it. I converted my 03 TDI back in 2004. Ran it on WVO for ~60,000 miles. I'd still be doing it if it wasn't the car accident I had in July 2005, put me on light duty so no WVO hauling and processing. I built my own single tank kit, at the time there were no TDI kits, we weren't even sure a TDI would run on WVO.



This thread sort of ended up being a build thread for it.

The only two conversion makers I'd trust with a TDI is Elsbett or Plant Drive. The conversion I built was comprised from parts from both.

When I built my kit there were no TDI kits available. I worked with Craig from PlantDrive on parts and the design, he helped allot. I got parts and knowledge and he got a Guinea Pig.

For lots more info check out the SVO Discussion Forums It is the oldest and best source of information out there IMHO.

[RabbitGTDguy]

that is a very clean looking setup! Very nice. I've seen a few systems that are very messing (and very homemade!)

Joe

[xud9te]

Wow!  That is a serious setup there!  Its amazing to think that just back in '04 the technology and market still hadnt really emerged.  What a pain that once you got it all sweet that there had to be an accident, sod's law.

It looks like the system is designed much for heating the oil and changing over from derv to SVO?  Can the fuels not be mixed in the tank and run like the IDI's or is it imperative that the oil is not introduced until it is above a certain temp?  For example, could you start the engine on SVO if the temp was 5 deg c outside?  What is the function of the huge CAT filer?

Thanks for the links, ill digest them as I have time.

By the way, what is the cost of 1 litre of the cheapest rape oil over in the US at the moment?  And the price of 1 litre of derv?

Cheers
Greg

[Greasecar]

Actually, Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems has been offering TDI conversion kits since 2001 and we have sold over 1500 for TDIs alone. The kits even come with a 45 min installation DVD.

We have TDI customers with over 200K miles running on vegetable oil without problems.  Running vegetable oil as a fuel is not for everyone and when using waste cooking oil the user must remember that they  are in fact burning food waste and need to take proper precautions.  Check out this link for info on oil selection and filtration: http://www.greasecar.com/article.cfm?aid=19
More info can be found at : http://www.greasecar.com

[OM617]

Just be sure to use a proper two-tank system.

Single tank "conversions" are a waste of money and do nothing at all until the engine is hot.

[19Delta]

I spoke directly to a research engineer at Southwest Research Institute.  He indicated that SVO usage shortens the life of the fuel pump and he did not recommend it.

[jtanguay]

I spoke directly to a research engineer at Southwest Research Institute.  He indicated that SVO usage shortens the life of the fuel pump and he did not recommend it.

if Ziptar payed 1$ per litre and his car averaged 5.5L/100km for his 100'000km (60'000 miles) of wvo use, then the fuel cost would be $5500.

minus cost of the installation and diesel cost lets shave off $2000 from that.  $3500 saved in fuel cost.  how much is a new injection pump again???  or even a used one?  how much longer will his injection pump have lasted?  at that point who cares if the pump will have a shorter life... just buy a spare with all the dough you've saved  :lol: who knows if the pump will even die before the car rots out?

[the caveman]

TDI"s work great on wvo. Jury's still up in the air about the pumpe duse. You can see in ziptar's pic that the real key to any of these installations is the 12v heater- called a vegetherm. If are in a warm enough climate you can get away with a 1 tank system, but you want to drive on wvo when it gets cold you must have a 2 tank and preferably heat the tank also. One small issue to deal with on a TDI any diesel with the return valve in the fuel filter is to have 2 valves so the return doesn't flow through the filter on a purge so that the filter doesn't get full of wvo , which then gels up in the filter overnight and clogging it.  I'll probably get flak about this one but if you were going to have  1 tank i would have a way to shutoff the heat exchanger when driving on diesel.Wvo and svo have to be heated, diesel fuel shouldn't. If you do convert and are worried about clogging your iinjectors, just put in bigger nozzles, and use some good quality biodiesel.

http://www.ecoauto.ca/

[jtanguay]

apparently some guy has logged quite a few miles on WVO in a PD...  considering you can buy a used PD head (complete) for around $1000-1500 it is the price of a used injection pump, and would cure any failures due to malfunctioning injectors.

[the caveman]

There are a few companies who have converted PD's , mostly in europe but some here also. I haven't had the oppertunity yet,but am looking forward to tackling one.

[19Delta]

http://www.swri.org/3pubs/ttoday/Spring01/technics.htm#Ryan