The Toyota Landcruiser Owners Club

Seb · * Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Posts: 12 Location: Harrogate

I'm thinking of converting my 4.2 VX to run on veggie oil using a german kit (2 tank system). Has anyone done it already, are there any pitfalls to watch out for??? Feedback appreciated. Confused

:Seb

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billybear · ** Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 58

I am sure a lot of people will tell you not to do this because it will destroy your pump and injecters but that is not the case.On top gear they added a bit of white spirt to used veg oil and it ran fine in a car engine,though prolonged use like this will cook your injecters after about ten thousand miles.The white spirit makes the oil thin enough to be used without clogging filters as does the system where the oil is heated first to make it flow better but after time this also will produce problems.The best way to make your cruiser run on veg oil is to remove the fatty acids from the oil and filtering it afterwards to remove water and soap deposits,it really does work.I know a lot of people who run there 4x4s on used veg oil and have done for years without any problems if you follow the instructions to convert the oil this way,there are many web sites that tell you how to do this.You can make good fuel for about 50p a litre and that includes tax that you have to pay to customs and excise if you want to run your car legally.If you can get a source of free used veg oil it is worth doing,if i hadnt seen this with my own eyes i would also not believe this possible .

lucky · Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 15:59 Post subject:

You can use up to about 50% vegoil without causing any real problems. Above this, you really need to go the whole hog and manufacture proper biodiesel which is time consuming and takes a fair amount of space. and you need to get lye and a source of decent quantities of white spirit.

You would also be best fitting a fuel heater before the fuel filter so that you don't get any problems with the thickness in the winter.

All that being said, as Billybear says, there are a lot of people running vegoil either mixed with diesel or properly manufactured bio diesel. Remember the diesel engine was original designed to run on vegoil not on petroleum diesel.
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Gloucestershire 4x4 Response
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billybear · ** Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 58

20 litres of veg oil 4 litres of methanol 100 grammes caustic soda makes a good fuel it is very important to filter and wash the fuel after it is made to remove all the water,caustic,soap and methanol as they are corrosive.You can wash the fuel simply mix 50-50 with clean water the water will sink to the bottom with all the waste particles you can do this 2-3 times and your fuel will run in a engine with no problems.People in usa.germany,france have been doing this for years with no tax penalties put upon them by there goverments because the emisions comming out of there cars are much less than normal diesel,if our goverment was interested in making the country less polluted all they have to do is not tax veg oil,but thats not in there interest is it.When the oil in the world runs out veg oil is a good option you will see fields of rapeseed all over the country but one thing wont be any different,THE TAX THEY WILL PUT ON IT.

Seb · * Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Posts: 12 Location: Harrogate

Thanks billybear & Andy, the german system I'm thinking of using (ATG) preheats the veg oil to 70 degrees centigrade via a heat exchanger plumbed into the cooling system then it goes through it's own filter before it hits the fuel pump. You start up on ordinary diesel & only switch to veg oil once the engine is warm & 2 mins before your journey's end you switch back to mineral diesel to purge the fuel pump/injecton system of veg oil so it doesn't sit there & chrystalise (important in cold weather particularly I'm told). You have to have a small diesel start up tank in your boot as the main tank is the one used for veg oil. I was told all this would eliminate the need to add anything to the veg oil to thin it as the veg oil only kicks in when the engine is warm & is purged before you turn it off. Does it make sense to you both? I got all this from www.dieselveg.com but not being in the business I thought I'd put it to the forum to see what those in the know think. Thanks, Seb Question

billybear · ** Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 58

HI SEB
The problem with that system is that it does not change the propeties of the oil it just thins it so it runs through the pump and injecters better,the oil still contains the fatty acids which over time will build up deposits in the system.People i know have tried all different ways to run there cars and the best way is to remove the fatty acids and then wash the fuel.You end up with a fuel that is the same grade as bio diesel and perfectly safe to use.If you look on the web at different sites you will find that heating the veg oil up works but does have its drawbacks.If you can get a supply of oil have a try am sure you will be pleased,even paying the tax on the fuel you still make a big saving.I know some people would not dream of putting veg oil in there cars but seeing is believing.Good luck.

Seb · * Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Posts: 12 Location: Harrogate

Thanks Billybear, does the fatty acid build up problem apply to using fresh veg oil as well or just the used cooking oil? Thanks alot, Seb

billybear · ** Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 58

HI SEB
Yes fatty acids is part of the chemical make up of vegetable oil new or used thats why you have to alter it chemically to remove these so the oil is almost 96.5 pure ether.Everybody whose interested in making fuel has there own way of going about it this seems a good route to take,if you decide to go for the two tank system let me know how it goes.Pehaps someone might have this system fitted to their car and they can let you know of any reliabillty issuse with this system long term.

Seb · * Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Posts: 12 Location: Harrogate

hi billybear, I think I'm going to go ahead with the german ATG 2 tank system having done alot of reading on uk, german & canadian websites re the pros & cons of all fuels including normal low sulphur diesel, biodiesel, straight veg oil etc. Will post back to this thread to let you know how it goes. In the meantime thanks for all the info. Seb Mr. Green

billybear · ** Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 58

HI SEB
Been looking at the system you are getting and i think they heat the oil up to a higher temp to avoid problems that exsisted in the past,other systems did not heat the oil up to the correct temp perhaps that is the reason they had problems with the fatty acids in the oil.The germans have been running on veg oil for years so they must know what they are doing,i am sure that they would have come across any long term problems by now.You will soon reap the rewards when fitted.The only problem is will the goverment put more and more tax on veg oil if everyone switches over to it just like they did when people started to buy more diesel cars,the price of diesel used to be cheaper than petrol know petrol is cheaper.Goodluck with it KEEP ME POSTED.

Towpack · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 17:29 Post subject:

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Phil

1998 HDJ80 Amazon VX 4.2TD
2004 Yamaha R1 (Sold)
2011 Ducati 1198SP (Sold)
2012 kawasaki ZZr1400
2002 Honda XR650R (BRP)- STOLEN GRRRRR!!!
2010 Husaberg FE570....YIPPEEEEE!!!!
2003 GT XCR3000
1995 Border Collie-Passed away 23-5-2011

Seb · * Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Posts: 12 Location: Harrogate

Hi Billybear,

Have had the ATG 2 tank system fitted & it seems to work fine, I honestly can't tell any difference between running on diesel or the veg oil. As well as the heat exchanger there is also a thermostatically controlled electric heater to keep the veg oil at the right temperature/viscosity before it hits the pump. Also if you have forgotten to purge before switching off there is a buzzer to remind you when you turn off the engine. The exhaust smell is not really any where near as bad as the sceptics would have you believe & I'd rather smell cooking than diesel exhaust anyway. It's early days so will let the forum know of any probs with this system if I get any. Seb Laughing

all the way to the bank (so far!)

DaveN · ******* Joined: 14 May 2005 Posts: 1190 Location: Sweden

Do you use new veg oil? If so, how much does it cost, and where can you get big quantities from?

Seb · * Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Posts: 12 Location: Harrogate

Yes it's new rapeseed oil. Asda do it in 20 litre barrels apparently so I'm going to check it out. So far I've got it from tesco's, sainsburys, morrisons etc. at £1.25 for a 3 litre bottle which is about 42p a litre. You can easily get 20 X 3 litre bottles in the bottom half of a shopping trolley. I've been looking at wholesale suppliers but to be honest the large supermarkets seem to be practically as cheap and are all over the place which is more convienient for me. However if I find a good source I'll post it and hope that anyone else will do the same too.

Towpack · Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 0:14 Post subject:

How much did the conversion cost?
_________________
Phil

1998 HDJ80 Amazon VX 4.2TD
2004 Yamaha R1 (Sold)
2011 Ducati 1198SP (Sold)
2012 kawasaki ZZr1400
2002 Honda XR650R (BRP)- STOLEN GRRRRR!!!
2010 Husaberg FE570....YIPPEEEEE!!!!
2003 GT XCR3000
1995 Border Collie-Passed away 23-5-2011