WVO or Biodiesel???

[CrAacKker]

I am researching the 2 different options... WVO system or Biodiesel conversion?? Obviously upfront costs are more expensive with WVO but will save you time and money down the road. I have been looking at the FRYBIRD system for my 03 7.3 stroke...I believe its around $3,500 give or take. Lot of cash upfront but you will be saving alot down the road.

Just curious to see what everyone else is running?? I still need to do more research and save up some cash. I think I want to get my mods on my truck first, but just getting a jump start on the research.

Thanks

 

[CrAacKker]

From reading on some message boards about WVO...I heard bad things about greasecar.com.

 

[rickh]

Biodiesel!
Way safer, no modification to the truck, if you add another diesel veh your set.
If you sell your truck and get another you either have to remove the kit and make it fit on the next one, or buy another kit!
I have seen some pretty nasty WVO that I would not even think of putting in a diesel engine, but that same nasty WVO converts just fine to Biodiesel.
Rick H...

 

[CrAacKker]

Biodiesel!
Way safer, no modification to the truck, if you add another diesel veh your set.
If you sell your truck and get another you either have to remove the kit and make it fit on the next one, or buy another kit!
I have seen some pretty nasty WVO that I would not even think of putting in a diesel engine, but that same nasty WVO converts just fine to Biodiesel.
Rick H...

Very great Points!!

Thanks Man

 

[hheynow]

I have the Plant Drive SVO system. IMO filtering/de-watering WVO is far quicker (hours not days), easier (no need to worry about washing out methanol & lye) and safer...no need for toxic chemicals (Methanol boils at 148*F and lye is caustic), rubber gloves and respirators. Forget about GreaseCar. There are better systems available. I've logged 2K SVO trouble free miles so far and my system preforms great.

 

[JOAT]

From a cost perspective, it boils down to the number of miles you drive, both trip and total. Also, depending where you live, quality of WVO available in your area could also be a factor.

WVO can be a problem in cold engines, so short trip drivers get little use from it. Also, if you don't put a lot of miles on the truck yearly, it could take forever to pay off the initial investment. With proper settling/filtration/dewatering, you can use really nasty WVO no problem. High FFA oils do not affect aluminum, cast iron, or fuel lines, and have less effect on brass/copper than B100

For short trips, and low use vehicles, Bio-diesel is a better choice, as it can be used full time, regardless of engine temp. Unless you have a heated system, it will need to be blended in cold temps, running fuel costs up. Also, unless your oil quality is pretty decent, making Bio-diesel can be tricky. High water content or FFA will make it difficult at best to get good reaction, separation and to wash the fuel. There are 2 stage (acid/base) processes to get around the FFA issue, but water is still a problem.

Doing both, Bio-diesel for warm-up, and WVO for highway, would be the ideal situation if you drive enough to justify a WVO system, IMO

 

[CrAacKker]

I have the Plant Drive SVO system. IMO filtering/de-watering WVO is far quicker (hours not days), easier (no need to worry about washing out methanol & lye) and safer...no need for toxic chemicals (Methanol boils at 148*F and lye is caustic), rubber gloves and respirators. Forget about GreaseCar. There are better systems available. I've logged 2K SVO trouble free miles so far and my system preforms great.

What are some good sites to research the SVO system. What kind of costs are there in buying a system setup ready to go???

 

[CrAacKker]

From a cost perspective, it boils down to the number of miles you drive, both trip and total. Also, depending where you live, quality of WVO available in your area could also be a factor.

WVO can be a problem in cold engines, so short trip drivers get little use from it. Also, if you don't put a lot of miles on the truck yearly, it could take forever to pay off the initial investment. With proper settling/filtration/dewatering, you can use really nasty WVO no problem. High FFA oils do not affect aluminum, cast iron, or fuel lines, and have less effect on brass/copper than B100

For short trips, and low use vehicles, Bio-diesel is a better choice, as it can be used full time, regardless of engine temp. Unless you have a heated system, it will need to be blended in cold temps, running fuel costs up. Also, unless your oil quality is pretty decent, making Bio-diesel can be tricky. High water content or FFA will make it difficult at best to get good reaction, separation and to wash the fuel. There are 2 stage (acid/base) processes to get around the FFA issue, but water is still a problem.

Doing both, Bio-diesel for warm-up, and WVO for highway, would be the ideal situation if you drive enough to justify a WVO system, IMO

Never thought of it like that. I drive short trips. My longest trip might be 50 to 110 miles like once or twice a month.

I need to check this SVO system out?? See what its all about.

Thanks for all the inputs Guys!!

 

[JOAT]

Never thought of it like that. I drive short trips. My longest trip might be 50 to 110 miles like once or twice a month.

Forgot to mention, you can get around the WVO short trip problem by plugging in the block heater. A warm engine would be ready to go on WVO within the first mile, instead of the 8-10 it normally takes to warm the engine.

Still, if you dont drive alot of miles, you'd be better off starting out with Biodiesel. Everything you need to know, from making test batches, to building a processor for $200-400, is at the Collaborative Biodiesel Tutorial