Svo for long distance trips only.

[bbob203]

So I have an idea to supplement the cost of long distance trips i plan on making over the summer talking several thousand mile trips. If i were to be running SVO or maybe a 80/20 blend no conversion long distance without a lot of stop start/ startups on svo in hot weather. I feel like It wouldn't hurt things to much especially if i was only doing it on tanks that would be burned in a day of continuous driving. I have a conversion kit that i intend on installing at some point or maybe just selling still haven't deceided. My plan is to basically just roll with a trunk full of oil and just fill it up overtime it runs out and truck back and forth across the Us of A this summer. Thoughts.?

[wdkingery]

yeah i got some thoughts on that.

i just did about 3500 miles on varying levels of waste motor oil. i did no conversion; only one tank, no heating that tank, etc.. straight poured it in. i jumped in quite thick; my first run was on 50/50 wmo/diesel. i did that for about 2500 miles, then i had a starting fluid boo boo, so i had to re ring, but after that, i did another 1000 miles, where i ramped up to 80/20 and finally 92% wmo.  now i know wmo and svo/wvo are probably different, so you might salt my experience.

but if i were you, i would certainly do it no questions asked. the worst that will happen is it will begin to run like crap, lots of black smoke, poor performance and lack of efficiency as your injectors coke up.  if you aren't afraid to pull the injectors after your trip and clean the precup and injector tip off, then you don't have much to lose.  and i think most of my carbon build up was from start up, as i had a harder time getting it to fire, and stay lit at first, on straight motor oil.. so it was likely coking considerably during that short time of cold cylinder.  i am now leery of running more than 50/50, because it cokes so quickly, fuel mileage is adversely affected, and you start to lose power.. essentially diminishing returns past 50/50.  so considering you are looking at long distance, i would probably do just this idea, but in laps around your home base, so if it goes wrong you don't have far to trailer it.  but mine never went wrong, except one time as my years-old fuel filter finally clogged, and i began to lose power at speed.  

too long/didn't read: do it around the house for like 1000 miles first, evaluate fuel mileage loss, pull injectors and examine any coking, then decide if you can do it over a distance .

[RustyCaddy]

Some folks run up to 50/50 WVO without short-term problems; 20 parts wvo to 80 parts diesel seems to do okay long-term.

Maybe check out these sites/threads for more info:

http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9751014871/m/6267052153

http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/cfrm/f/898605551

Alot depends on your current compresssion/blowby.

IMHO...if you have a kit it is worth installing it for long distance

[ORCoaster]

WD,  What would you think of adding ATF to you oil that you dump into your tank.  Say 6-8 oz for the 10 gallons?  Besides the expense, which is generally the main driver for doing what you are doing. Don't you think that would keep the coking down?  Can you get a supply of used ATF anywhere?  Transmission shop down the road or across town?

Just thinking on that as I run some ATF and Wax in the diesel I run and yesterday I pulled an injector to try and figure out what was making "that clacking noise"  and found one was sort of fouled.  But only slightly, considering they might have as much as 12K on them now. 

I will be going to WVO in a bit to cut driving costs and will have a dual tank system in the rabbit.  Removed the back seat for the 13 gallon extra tank. 

[CRSMP5]

why not build a 13 gal tank that sits up against the tail light area? this way you can keep back seat and spare tire area?

[745 turbogreasel]

So I have an idea to supplement the cost of long distance trips i plan on making over the summer talking several thousand mile trips. If i were to be running SVO or maybe a 80/20 blend no conversion long distance without a lot of stop start/ startups on svo in hot weather. I feel like It wouldn't hurt things to much especially if i was only doing it on tanks that would be burned in a day of continuous driving. I have a conversion kit that i intend on installing at some point or maybe just selling still haven't deceided. My plan is to basically just roll with a trunk full of oil and just fill it up overtime it runs out and truck back and forth across the Us of A this summer. Thoughts.?

You will be stranded in an awkward spot/s changing out your fuel filter(unless it bypasses ruining your pump like another member recently experienced), then you will have fun cleaning your tank.

[ORCoaster]

CRSMP5  I think you are talking to me man.  I bought an existing 13 gallon aluminum tank from a guy who wanted to put it in the trunk of his Jetta.  It is 39 inches long and does fit across the back of the tail light area.  There are fitment difficulties.  the tank is 10 inches deep from front to back and thus intrudes into the spare area.  I am still debating placement.  I need to get to the spare without removing the tank.  With all the driving I do I don't want to be stranded not being able to get to the spare. 

Second Issue:  Weight distribution.  You know the classic VW Rabbit butt drag look right.  Well I plan on having some spacers installed on the rear springs to give it 2 inches of lift so I might be OK with that.  Otherwise I need to get the tank/weight ahead of the rear axle where some of it gets to the front suspension as well.  Still going to lift the rear.  When I run my winter snow tires which are 70R 14's they do the magic as the front are 60R's

Any suggestions on the tank placement now?  13 times what 8.5 lbs for oil is what about 111 lbs.  That is 1/7 of the total load I should be hauling.  Somewhat less than all the tools I pack around.  Those would go directly over the rear axle, as they do now. 

Oh and the back seat, what the heck do I want that for?  It is a two door which makes it a pain to get in an out of in the first place.  I seldom carry anyone else.  So my car is really a two door, two seater mini hauler. 

[billybobf]

I had one that sat slightly over the spare area, I could still lift out the forward end first.

[clbanman]

I saw pics of one a while back (http://www.greasecar.com/article/tank-comparison) that sat inside the spare tire area, then you could just lay the spare on top.  Good access, and if you needed you could stick it behind the front seat and still use the rear.   Doesn't help with weight distribution though.

[745 turbogreasel]

There is a rareish option tank like that which is a bit smaller, you might even get a mini spare over it.

it does help with weight distribution in 2 ways,;
keeps it low
curved sides keep an entire half tank of fuel from slamming into the side of the tank halfway through a corner...You really feel this with the 20+ gal tank behind the seat in the Benzes.

My Caddy had a 30 gal tank under it, and had airshocks of unknown origin, but probably an American  big car or Camaro + bumpstops moved 2" closer to the axle.   It drove pretty well that way,  and I could load a ton of crap.

[JBG3]

id just build a full switching system and aux tank.  

Also, id stay away from a metal tank.  Did an aluminum tank for a while, and steel before that, and both those materials eventually create polymerization with VO, while if you buy a plastic tank, you dont have that problem.  The polymerization (rubber solid crap that develops) speed is a result of air and iodine content of the VO, and certain metals accelerate the process, so id avoid pouring VO in the stock tank since you will have to clean it at some point.  that *** will develop in any metal tank.  

I put over 40K on a pure VO system and plastic tank in my older car (before it rusted out), with absolutely no problems with the motor, just ran it hot, on a dedicated system built for it.  If you have one already, i say install it and enjoy it.  Can't take more than a weekend to do it I figure

Its the whole penny wise pound foolish debate.  A full system with heated lines and tank and switching stuff cost me a couple grand, but I never had a problem with coking and other stuff with the motor (I pulled injectors and did compression tests at least a dozen times, looked the same as a non VO motor), so I saved money on maintenance, and on top of that, was able to use the setup in the dead of winter on ski trips since it was fully heated, so it was a year round affair.  I started and stopped every single time on pure diesel, so the engine NEVER say even remotely cold VO, hence the no coking.  

Personally, id go with a plastic aux tank though, or a plastic lined metal tank.  I was totally shocked at how there was none of the crap that builds up on the metal on my other tank.  

[bbob203]

i have a used system. Just am nervous about installing it. I have a smallish 5gal aluminum tank that will go under my trunk and hold diesel and im gonna use my stock tank for vo because its plastic also want to manage the weight factor and doing it that way seems like a good idea. I also have a fully automated vo controller. don't know if i will hook it up or not a lot of wires and relays and sensors and such. Doing the svo in tank was just gonna be a temporary summer time only thing until i got the ambition to install my system.

[JBG3]

I say throw it in!     You have it, might as well use it!  You can always put it back to stock

I forgot the VW tank was plastic!     my old car was a MB, and before that an oddball 86 Ford Escort Diesel.

In that escort, I went a little far, and filled the entire trunk with a 25 gallon heated boat tank.  With the stock tank, that gave the car nearly a 2500 mile range between fillups, but that little 50hp mazda diesel was pretty powerless, and way harder to maintain than these nice little 1.6 motors.  Plus the weight of it made a huge difference in the cars ride, I needed to do something else, but sold the whole car to a shoeless hippie and went to a benz.   

(actually, I kind of regret doing that, then next time I saw that incredibly rare car, he had cut a huge piece of the dash out and put some kind of wooden box there, and painted the outside with house paint.  Looked like absolute garbage.  A farmer had bought it off the hippie, and the hippie had put him in contact with me to discuss the setup in the car.)

[745 turbogreasel]

I took my aluminum tank apart after a year in operation, and it was cleaner than any fryer I've seen.  I was pretty surprised.

[ORCoaster]

How about a tank like this:



Installed like this:



Elevated more but this was first check:



Hoses route over fill tube, between body panels, one in rocker panel, other two inside car and will be insulated some as well. 



So far so good but I will need a boat load of brass fittings and they are not cheap.  Looking to install Prefilter, heater, two FPHEs, final Racor filter, solenoids and gauges, also coolant pump and auto shutoff on it. 

About a grands worth of parts but so nice to have dual fuels.  Safety is going back to diesel when WVO shuts down.