Alternative Cheap Diesel Engine Fuel Sources

Thirteen years ago, when we owned a health food store, an old beat up VW Rabbit, parked in front of our store, and I noticed it had signs and writing on the windows. It said, “This vehicle runs on used vegetable oil”. The gentleman came into the store and I had to ask him how that worked. He was evasive and would not go into detail, but said he used oil from a deep fryer of a “Patate Frit”(french fry) stand. Being a diesel owner at the time, my curiousity was aroused.

The wonders of the internet made it easy for me to satisfy my curiosity and delve into the subject of alternative fuel sources. Trips to the library and a purchase of one particular book called “From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank” and I was on my way. I invested in all the hose and fuel lines with electrical fuel selector valves.

Heat is a necessary component in this venture. Without a heated tank the oil will not reach a combustible temperature. Feeling confident in the alternative fuel system on the vehicle, I decided to test it and made a round trip of 150km. With that being a success, I pushed the system a little harder and with tools in hand, and extra vegetable fuel on board, drove a distance of 1100km return.

The exhaust, when running on WVO, smells like burnt deep fried oil. The emissions are considerably reduced and there is no sulfur. Restaurants are more than happy to give away the oil, as they have to pay, to have it taken away. It needs to be filter down to about 5 microns before it can be used so there will be no damage the injectors or the injector pump. The possibilities are endless, as any diesel engine can run on used vegetable oil. This is a win/win situation for everyone involved.

With over 200,000 kms of driving experience and two diesels that have been converted to run on veggie oil, I have found through trial and error the restaurants with the cleanest oil. Since the exhaust fumes of alternative fuel cars can smell like french fries, next time the scent of greasy fries hits you as you are on the highway, don’t look around to see if there is a restaurant close by, check to see if you are following a diesel car!

By: Deb Wood