In cold temperatures, as we have at the moment, crystals can form in the vegetable oil, making it impossible to pump through fuel lines and filters. I sometimes leave a little pot of vegetable oil in the car, so I can see what it looks like when I get in the car in the morning.
The crystals form as the temperature drops at night, but they don't disappear until the temperature rises a few degrees, which can leave you waiting for a warm day before you can use the car.
The trick is to stop the crystals forming in the first place. I do this using a fuel additive called Coldflow 350. I add about 25ml per 10 litres of vegetable oil, and it keeps the fuel flowing.
Even with the additive, the fuel is quite thick, so I also have some electric heating to warm the fuel up on its route from tank to injectors. That way, when it reaches the fuel injectors, it is thin enough to spray into a mist and ignite under pressure.
Tuesday 7 December 2010
Thursday 12 August 2010
Improvements to my veg filtering station
The tap from the bottom of my veg filtering barrel is painfully slow unless the barrel is full so I decided to upgrade. I was using a 15mm beer keg tap (from homebrew shop) but although 15mm seems acceptable the design of the tap itself is quite restrictive.
The tap has now been replaced with a 22mm one, this connects to a full bore 22mm gas tap, which can then go direct into one of veg containers for taking to the car. This is far more free flowing and about 5 times the speed so much less faffing around waiting for bottles to fill.
I have also attached a long length of 19mm bore hose (designed fror KOI carp pond systems) and a cheap trigger mechanism on the end which will stretch all the way to where I park my car, but hook up nicely by the barrel when not in use. The entire setup cost about £22 in total.
Once I raise the barrel up a little higher the hope is that gravity will do the rest and allow me to fill up without the use of a pump. If it fails I will use a 12v pump and run it from the aux battery in the car, so in a roundabout way the veg oil powers itself.
Veg powers car > charges battery > powers pump > refills car with veg > powers car >collects veg from restaurant (powered by veg) > veg gets filtered (by gravity) > pumped to car > powers car > charges battery, oh the joys, its a wonder I get anything else done.
The tap has now been replaced with a 22mm one, this connects to a full bore 22mm gas tap, which can then go direct into one of veg containers for taking to the car. This is far more free flowing and about 5 times the speed so much less faffing around waiting for bottles to fill.
I have also attached a long length of 19mm bore hose (designed fror KOI carp pond systems) and a cheap trigger mechanism on the end which will stretch all the way to where I park my car, but hook up nicely by the barrel when not in use. The entire setup cost about £22 in total.
Once I raise the barrel up a little higher the hope is that gravity will do the rest and allow me to fill up without the use of a pump. If it fails I will use a 12v pump and run it from the aux battery in the car, so in a roundabout way the veg oil powers itself.
Veg powers car > charges battery > powers pump > refills car with veg > powers car >collects veg from restaurant (powered by veg) > veg gets filtered (by gravity) > pumped to car > powers car > charges battery, oh the joys, its a wonder I get anything else done.
Friday 16 July 2010
Retro car show
The Retro Show is at Santa Pod this sunday. Kenny and I will both be there, mostly loitering around the Mercedes 190 stand.
My car is the white 190D, which I have been running on vegetable oil for the past 3 years.
As Kenny mentioned, I've replaced all of my glowplugs with Duraterm ones.
I just got a new MOT and the only work that needed doing was some welding on the jacking points - similar to the work Kenny had done on his car last month.
If you need any car welding done near Watford/North London, I recommend the VIP car repair centre in Bushey. It was particularly convenient for me as it is walking distance from my office.
My car is the white 190D, which I have been running on vegetable oil for the past 3 years.
As Kenny mentioned, I've replaced all of my glowplugs with Duraterm ones.
I just got a new MOT and the only work that needed doing was some welding on the jacking points - similar to the work Kenny had done on his car last month.
If you need any car welding done near Watford/North London, I recommend the VIP car repair centre in Bushey. It was particularly convenient for me as it is walking distance from my office.
Monday 14 June 2010
Another 12 months motoring, passed the MOT
My wagon passed the MOT first time !! It got an advisory on a jacking point, which I promptly got welded up. Jacking points are quite common failure points on 20 year old mercs best to get them done as soon as its spotted.
Another 12 months without having to worry about it.
Steven's 190d 2.5 has had another glow plug failed so he is getting a full set of Bosch duraterms. They seem a good plug which lasts significantly longer than the cheap ones. We normally try to change the plugs in sets as in our experience once a plug goes the rest are sure to follow within a month or 2.
They are currently around £10 each in halfords and £8 on ebay.
Another 12 months without having to worry about it.
Steven's 190d 2.5 has had another glow plug failed so he is getting a full set of Bosch duraterms. They seem a good plug which lasts significantly longer than the cheap ones. We normally try to change the plugs in sets as in our experience once a plug goes the rest are sure to follow within a month or 2.
They are currently around £10 each in halfords and £8 on ebay.
Wednesday 2 June 2010
The wagon is going in for its MOT
I have the wagon booked in for its MOT Saturday. It should be OK I think, I have checked all the easy things and its holding up pretty well. While they are looking at it I will get them to change the tank strainer for me.
I am starting to think about my next trip but need to get the MOT out of the way first.
Fingers crossed.
I am starting to think about my next trip but need to get the MOT out of the way first.
Fingers crossed.
Monday 19 April 2010
Clogged tank strainer, hmm I must get around to fixing it.
The tank strainer ( a small tea strainer type thing fitted inside the main fuel tank), on my 300td has been partially blocked for a while now. The symptoms are that although it runs fine most of the time, when the fuel level gets low (about 1/4 tank) the car starts to loose power and occasionally I have to stop and let it idle for a while as the negative pressure in the fuel lines evens out. Its quite common on old diesel cars and the veg certainly makes it more significant because its thicker. Its easy to ignore though, just keep the fuel level topped up.
I did the job on the 190d (quite awkward) and it would actually be far easier on the 300td apart from the fact the tow bar mountings run across under the strainer so that has to come off first.
I thought I would post about this because others may be in the same situation and not be aware there is a strainer that gets clogged. You can just take it out and scrap it clear or a new one is around £10 I think. Old mercs have 3 filters. The canister filter, the inline pre-filter, and the tank strainer.
If you imagine sucking on one end of a hose and partially blocking the other end. If you suck slowly (normal driving) its fine. If you suck hard for a while (accelerating or going up hill) it will allow it for a while but it will get harder and harder until eventually you just cant suck any more. (forced to pull over). If you now stop sucking and wait (leave the car idling) eventually the pressure will even out and its back to normal again.
This was my journey to work on friday. Its a short journey and because I knew the symptoms from before I knew just to pull in and wait 2 minutes each time. If you have similar symptoms, try filling the tank up with fuel. If it fixes it then the chances are its your tank strainer. I would advise not to ignore it.
I did the job on the 190d (quite awkward) and it would actually be far easier on the 300td apart from the fact the tow bar mountings run across under the strainer so that has to come off first.
I thought I would post about this because others may be in the same situation and not be aware there is a strainer that gets clogged. You can just take it out and scrap it clear or a new one is around £10 I think. Old mercs have 3 filters. The canister filter, the inline pre-filter, and the tank strainer.
If you imagine sucking on one end of a hose and partially blocking the other end. If you suck slowly (normal driving) its fine. If you suck hard for a while (accelerating or going up hill) it will allow it for a while but it will get harder and harder until eventually you just cant suck any more. (forced to pull over). If you now stop sucking and wait (leave the car idling) eventually the pressure will even out and its back to normal again.
This was my journey to work on friday. Its a short journey and because I knew the symptoms from before I knew just to pull in and wait 2 minutes each time. If you have similar symptoms, try filling the tank up with fuel. If it fixes it then the chances are its your tank strainer. I would advise not to ignore it.
Friday 9 April 2010
Waste vegetable oil near Enfield
I collected some waste oil from the take-away near Enfield that rang me over the weekend. It suited me to collect this time as I was short of fuel, but it is a bit out of my way, so I don't plan to visit them regularly.
If you are a registered waste collector and are interested in a regular supply of free vegetable oil in the Great Cambridge Roundabout (Enfield) area, let me know and I'll put you in touch.
I filtered some of the oil last night and it got me to work this morning.
If you are a registered waste collector and are interested in a regular supply of free vegetable oil in the Great Cambridge Roundabout (Enfield) area, let me know and I'll put you in touch.
I filtered some of the oil last night and it got me to work this morning.
Tuesday 6 April 2010
Easter weekend in the Lake District
Steven here, just back from a long weekend in the Lake District.
The scenery was fantastic, especially when the sun came out while we were climbing up Heron Pike.
The round trip was a little under 600 miles by car, including a couple of excursions.
I started with a full tank (55l) and 2 bottles containing 10 litres each - all of the fuel was filtered waste vegetable oil from my local indian take-aways. Nearly all of the fuel was used up, and I arrived home with the reserve light on. The car behaved almost faultlessly (there was a tiny issue with the fuse for the electric windows, but I swapped it for a spare).
While I was away, I got a call from a restaurant in Enfield that has some waste oil to be collected. I'll pick it up in the next few days...
The scenery was fantastic, especially when the sun came out while we were climbing up Heron Pike.
The round trip was a little under 600 miles by car, including a couple of excursions.
I started with a full tank (55l) and 2 bottles containing 10 litres each - all of the fuel was filtered waste vegetable oil from my local indian take-aways. Nearly all of the fuel was used up, and I arrived home with the reserve light on. The car behaved almost faultlessly (there was a tiny issue with the fuse for the electric windows, but I swapped it for a spare).
While I was away, I got a call from a restaurant in Enfield that has some waste oil to be collected. I'll pick it up in the next few days...
Monday 29 March 2010
Waste carrier license renewed, and thoughts on the cost of veg cars.
The time had come to renew our waste carriers license to enable us to pick up the used oil legally. Rather disappointingly Instead of a nice certificate all we got was a 1 page document to print off ourselves. Still it does give our registration number so its all above board.
Last time we paid the extra to have a nice credit card type identification to show people but it didn't seem worth it this year.
The cost for this license was £104 for a 3 year renewal. Works out £17.34 per car per year, beats the price at the fuel pump !!
Given the actual fuel is free this is our only significant fuel cost. Unless you count the 30p per wash for the powder it takes when I wash my filters every couple of months or so. I suppose we should also factor in the extra expense of not getting free crystal wine glasses from the petrol stations we don't visit any more unless we run out of milk.
Last time we paid the extra to have a nice credit card type identification to show people but it didn't seem worth it this year.
The cost for this license was £104 for a 3 year renewal. Works out £17.34 per car per year, beats the price at the fuel pump !!
Given the actual fuel is free this is our only significant fuel cost. Unless you count the 30p per wash for the powder it takes when I wash my filters every couple of months or so. I suppose we should also factor in the extra expense of not getting free crystal wine glasses from the petrol stations we don't visit any more unless we run out of milk.
Wednesday 3 March 2010
Details of my veg filtering setup, including my new plans
I have been asked recently about my filtering set-up. To save me re-jigging it too look right I have decided to just post a link to details I posted on a forum. You don't need to join, you can just view it without.
http://bit.ly/aaJehn
Basically its a 120L barrel with a 7 inch hole cut in the lid. I hang a 5micron filter in it (1 micron when filtering for a trip just to be safe). I pour 20 litres into the sock and then go in the house and leave it to filter (placing a second lid over the first and a brick on top to hold it there. All filtering is done outside. I want it to pass through the filter at the same temperature that it will pass through the cars filter. Otherwise, in my opinion, there is a risk that fats will get through the home filtering which will then get stuck in the cars filter because of the lower temperatures.
As you will see from the thread I am currently working on upgrading so I can let the veg flow direct from the barrel into my fuel tanks. It saves me tapping it into containers and then pouring them into the car.
http://bit.ly/aaJehn
Basically its a 120L barrel with a 7 inch hole cut in the lid. I hang a 5micron filter in it (1 micron when filtering for a trip just to be safe). I pour 20 litres into the sock and then go in the house and leave it to filter (placing a second lid over the first and a brick on top to hold it there. All filtering is done outside. I want it to pass through the filter at the same temperature that it will pass through the cars filter. Otherwise, in my opinion, there is a risk that fats will get through the home filtering which will then get stuck in the cars filter because of the lower temperatures.
As you will see from the thread I am currently working on upgrading so I can let the veg flow direct from the barrel into my fuel tanks. It saves me tapping it into containers and then pouring them into the car.
Saturday 27 February 2010
Where shall I go on my next veg holiday
The fuel tanks are getting low so I have started work filtering the 300L or so of waste oil that I have stored up. I have a bit of a trip to do this weekend but the rest will be filtered and then stored for my next big trip.
Still looking for ideas on where to go. The only limits are I would like to avoid France (as much as possible) and Italy. Its illegal there and I don't want to have to buy too much diesel/bio.
I was thinking possibly Poland, Czech republic, Slovakia or perhaps Sweden. If it wasn't for France in the way I would love to drive to Morocco.
Any recommendations ?
Still looking for ideas on where to go. The only limits are I would like to avoid France (as much as possible) and Italy. Its illegal there and I don't want to have to buy too much diesel/bio.
I was thinking possibly Poland, Czech republic, Slovakia or perhaps Sweden. If it wasn't for France in the way I would love to drive to Morocco.
Any recommendations ?
Friday 26 February 2010
Site updated with more info for new folk
It has been mentioned that for those new to the blog its hard to get an idea of what the project is about and how its progressing, so I have done some work re-arranging the pages, adding pages and adding a 'Story so far' page to help people see the project at a glance. The links are over to the right hand side.
http://www.carbon-neutral-car.com/p/story-so-far.html
http://www.carbon-neutral-car.com/p/story-so-far.html
Thursday 25 February 2010
Oops, still car doesnt miss a beat even when covered in snow !
This pic is a couple of weeks old but I was outside measuring something up to provide info for a mate. It started to snow so I went inside. Obviously I forgot to go back out and finish up so next morning this is what I found !!!
I closed the bonnet, it started fine and got me to work without a hiccup. I have to admit, I was slightly concerned. Running on 100% veg oil !
I closed the bonnet, it started fine and got me to work without a hiccup. I have to admit, I was slightly concerned. Running on 100% veg oil !
No problem in the snow for the seasoned veggie machines
Its been snowing on and off here for weeks and I am glad to report that neither cars have had any problems caused by the snow and the choice of fuel. At the peak I did have to abandon mine as I couldn't get up a hill due to ice but at no point did the fuel cause any problems. It was extremely cold so I thank the coldflow 350 for that. So far its allowed be to run the car down to at least minus 6 degrees without any worry. I am sticking about 15-20ml in with each 10 litre container, then shaking the container for about 5 minutes. It then gets a further mix while in the tank.
My fuel filter is due a change soon, the last change was on the hard shoulder, in the middle of the night, in the pouring rain on a german in Germany on my last trip to croatia which is over 6 months ago, I normally try to change it at least every 6 months.
My fuel filter is due a change soon, the last change was on the hard shoulder, in the middle of the night, in the pouring rain on a german in Germany on my last trip to croatia which is over 6 months ago, I normally try to change it at least every 6 months.
Wednesday 24 February 2010
We are now on facebook
We are now on facebook !!
Become a fan and get updates from the blog direct to your facebook account.
Click here to go to our facebook fan page for carbon neutral car.
Become a fan and get updates from the blog direct to your facebook account.
Click here to go to our facebook fan page for carbon neutral car.
Thursday 18 February 2010
Stevens 190d back on the road with a new diff
I am pleased to inform that after a while off the road Steven's 190d, the white car in the very first road trip is now back in action. The whine from the diff had got worse and worse until it was decided to retire her until a replacement diff could be found. This happened just before christmas when I bought a car that was getting scrapped and used that diff.
We have also had a bumper collection of used oil so stocks are currently high, I really must start planning another veg powered trip !!!
Anyone got any ideas or suggestions ?
Ideas so far have been Iceland although I would probably rather avoid the problems cold weather could cause, Morocco (up through spain), and Malta. We can't go through Italy because its not legal and we will of course have to check with any countries the trip will go through.
We have also had a bumper collection of used oil so stocks are currently high, I really must start planning another veg powered trip !!!
Anyone got any ideas or suggestions ?
Ideas so far have been Iceland although I would probably rather avoid the problems cold weather could cause, Morocco (up through spain), and Malta. We can't go through Italy because its not legal and we will of course have to check with any countries the trip will go through.
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