WVO in Detroit Diesel Series 60

Have you tried contacting Detroit Diesel?

 

The only way I have heard of WVO being used is having it in a separate , heated tank and the WVO has to be heated to 160 degrees. The engine has to be started on regular diesel until the WVO is sufficiently heated . Then before shutting down the lines must be switched back to regular diesel to be sure all WVO is purged from the lines . This is to prevent gelling . Also , just as ethanol gives less power and mpg than gasoline , WVO will give less mpg than diesel and you'll have 10% less horsepower .

 

There are some really good articles in this month's issues of Fleet Owner and Heavy Duty Trucking magazines regarding BioDiesel, and I think that some of those things may apply to using WVO as well. One of my buddies runs his F250 on WVO and uses a centrifuge to filter the oil, which works much better than running it through progessively stepped filters. You might want to check that out. Cost about $800 for his centrifuge, IIRC. Also, since WVO has much higher solvent properties than petrodiesel, you'd have to replace all fuel lines from the WVO tanks to non-rubber lines. The WVO is very corrosive to rubber. There also some concerns about blow-by, with resultant jellable solids ending up in your oiling circuits, so you'd have to pay much more attention to your oil. Hope that helps.

 

I contacted Detroit and they confirmed the 5% figure. They feel that when you use ANY biodiesel fuel you are asking for trouble. They also said that there are some biodiesel fuels that are good, however, so they were just trying to be cautious.

Further, they said that technically the warranty isn't voided for using biodiesel fuel. But that within the standard warranty is a clear reference to "issues arising from bad fuel aren't covered by warranty". I checked with Cummins as well and they essentially have the same position as Detroit except they say they will allow up to B20 "unless it causes problems". Thanks for nothing.

I would get ahold of your local DD distributor and ask them if you could send in a sample of the brand of biodiesel to be tested so that perhaps DDC could approve it. This is a big hassle, so I decided not to worry about it. BUt you may choose to try that route.

 

biodiesel or veg oil in large amounts will cause coking of injectors, ring lands, ect... it will also eat the rubber causing hoses seals ect to fail prematurely. you can change the hoses and seals out to (crap forgot the name now) well you can change them to the none rubber type...lol and they will live fine...

you need to change your engine oil more frequently since some of the wvo will migrate to the oil pan.

yes you need to start on diesel then switch to wvo and purge before shutting down.

seperate preheated tank, injector line heaters, heated filters, ect... all doable... don't forget to pay your fuel taxes. and don't forget to get the water out and keep it out. vegetable oil is hygroscopic.

filtering to one micron isn't as easy as you might imagine... it types out quite simply... but when you're out in the garage its a whole nother trick to actually getting it done.

centrifuge works best and coincidentally costs the most to build.

sunwizzard, at a friendly wvo forum has built one that seems to work for him, made from a truck oil filter cleaner gizmo...

I built one from bud's plans (belt driven/electric motor powered) and it works really well.

it'll take you a year and cost about 7k to gain the knowledge and put all the equipment togather to really produce enough to keep a truck running.

and if you're only home for 34 hour resets ??? do you really think you have the time to go out collecting and processing veg oil?

that's my 2 cents. and good luck to ya'

 

Comment on engine manufacturers:
Engine manufacturers will always err on the side of caution. Therefore, new formulations of engine oil, fuel, coolant, filters, etc. are always scrutinized before any engine manufacturers are willing to approve them.

That said, is it any wonder that an engine manufacturer would say the warranty will be voided if you use biodiesel or Waste Vegetable Oil? Look at the first word in WVO - waste!
(Manufacturer - Sure, run waste through our engines! We have a comprehensive warranty that covers it all!) Grin!

One drawback to using Biodiesel is it cleans the fuel system. How could that be bad, you ask? By cleaning the fuel system, the crud has to go somewhere, and that is usually to the fuel filters. If you decide to run biodiesel, carry spare fuel filters, just in case.
But, it also cleans past the fuel filters, so the injector pump, lines and injectors also get cleaned, and that can mean your injectors get some of the crud, too.

The same problems that arose with Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD) can arise with biodiesel. The weak component with fuel systems is the seals, followed by other rubber components, such as hoses.

Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) has issues, as well. Unprocessed, the stuff is thicker than diesel fuel. First and foremost, it has to be filtered. It should also be heated before using it for fuel.

Over the past 3 years or so, I have read extensively about using WVO as a base stock for fuel. I found that I don't have the time to spare to actually go out and collect the oil, filter it, cook it, add chemicals, dewater, and test before I finally use it.

For those who are really interested in using WVO as a fuel or as a base for biodiesel, there are so many websites out there which have a ton of free information. I have personally contacted Charlie at Golden Fuel Systems in Missouri regarding his systems. He has a great, no-nonsense DVD worth obtaining, if you're serious about getting into oil collection and processing.

 

I have an 02 Freighliner Century with a Cummins N14 Select Plus and i have WVO sytem installed. I have had it for about 4 months with no real major issues. I had to change my filters alot at first but i think we finally got that resolved.

I dont use the yellow oil or restaurant oil that most people use because their isnt enough quantity. I found a company that processes Brown Oil or Trap Grease down to sub micron level, filters and dewaters it. Its available in mass quantity, some 50k gallons a month if you really needed it.

It has a higher fat content that yellow oil so it has to be heated more but it has more BTU's so the power is better. Its thicker than #2 diesel so it helps with lubricity. It doesnt have the menthanol and lye that biodiesel has so it doest eat the gaskets and seals. No power loss or mpg loss. I get anywhere from 6.5 to 7.5 depending how heavy i am when im on WVO.

The price of the oil comes out to about $2.99 per gallon included road taxes but now that diesel has came down so much, there isnt as big of a savings as it was initialy. There is alot of logistics involved with converting over and using a WVO system.

The company i went through is PopDiesel.Com. Kevin is one of the owners and knows engines in and out, give him a shout to ask him about your specific engine, he will answer all your questions at no charge, awesome guy.

Tell them Paul sent you, they will hook you up!

Happy Trucking!

 

yep kevin is a good guy...


one small caution... a lack of methanol and lye does not keep the rubber from swelling and turning to goo...

vegetable oil will eat/soften rubber, it just takes longer.