Beyond Biodiesel
Active member
- 373
- 36
- 28
- Location
- Prescott, AZ
I am not sure why this thread is in alternative fuels, unless the OP is burning alternative fuels. If the OP is burning alternative fuels, then this thread is very relevant here.
I burned vegetable oil blended with gasoline at 80%WVO to 20% gasoline for 10 years last month on a 6.2 n/a diesel engine. In that time I only put 50,000 miles on the engine. At 25,000 miles I noticed significant blowby, and at that time valve impingement. I opened the valve cover and found the rocker arms coated in something that resembled black cottage cheese.
At that time I cleaned up the valve assemblies with pure gum turpentine and elbow grease. I then drained the crankcase, then poured diesel fuel into the crankcase, and started and idled the engine until it got up to temperature, then drained the crankcase, then changed the oil filter, then put SAE 20/40 into the crankcase, then made sure I changed the oil ever 5,000 miles.
Around 50,000 I ended up with the same problem. This time I drained the oil, changed the oil filter, then flushed the engine out with diesel fuel, then put filtered WVO into the crankcase, and idled the engine until the engine came back up to temperature, then drained the crankcase, then changed the filter. I kept doing that until the WVO coming out was the same color as it went in. It took 20 oil & filter changes. I now recommend this procedure at every oil change, and oil changes no less than every 5,000 miles for anyone who is burning unmodified WVO as diesel fuel.
Further findings have shown that diesel engines with turbo chargers have a much longer period before the engine gets sludged up.
Direct injected diesel engines also get more miles, and a turbo charged direct injected diesel engine is going to have the least problem with this black crud.
Also, biodiesel does not seem to cause the black crud problem, so biodiesel is now the method that I recommend for burning WVO.
Investigations into the black crud have shown that the sticky component is primarily made of high melting point triglycerides, plus gum. The black is soot from diesel combustion. Its melting point tends to be 160F, and it is not soluble in petroleum distillates, but is in alcohols, lacquer thinner, pure gum turpentine, and hot vegetable oil. This is why I was successful in removing it by just running successive doses of WVO in the crankcase.
I burned vegetable oil blended with gasoline at 80%WVO to 20% gasoline for 10 years last month on a 6.2 n/a diesel engine. In that time I only put 50,000 miles on the engine. At 25,000 miles I noticed significant blowby, and at that time valve impingement. I opened the valve cover and found the rocker arms coated in something that resembled black cottage cheese.
At that time I cleaned up the valve assemblies with pure gum turpentine and elbow grease. I then drained the crankcase, then poured diesel fuel into the crankcase, and started and idled the engine until it got up to temperature, then drained the crankcase, then changed the oil filter, then put SAE 20/40 into the crankcase, then made sure I changed the oil ever 5,000 miles.
Around 50,000 I ended up with the same problem. This time I drained the oil, changed the oil filter, then flushed the engine out with diesel fuel, then put filtered WVO into the crankcase, and idled the engine until the engine came back up to temperature, then drained the crankcase, then changed the filter. I kept doing that until the WVO coming out was the same color as it went in. It took 20 oil & filter changes. I now recommend this procedure at every oil change, and oil changes no less than every 5,000 miles for anyone who is burning unmodified WVO as diesel fuel.
Further findings have shown that diesel engines with turbo chargers have a much longer period before the engine gets sludged up.
Direct injected diesel engines also get more miles, and a turbo charged direct injected diesel engine is going to have the least problem with this black crud.
Also, biodiesel does not seem to cause the black crud problem, so biodiesel is now the method that I recommend for burning WVO.
Investigations into the black crud have shown that the sticky component is primarily made of high melting point triglycerides, plus gum. The black is soot from diesel combustion. Its melting point tends to be 160F, and it is not soluble in petroleum distillates, but is in alcohols, lacquer thinner, pure gum turpentine, and hot vegetable oil. This is why I was successful in removing it by just running successive doses of WVO in the crankcase.