I was recently given some 5 gal drums of old used cooking oil, it seems that it is a waste product from fast food outlets, it is normally collected by the oil suppliers when they make a new delivery but some of them charge for disposing of it.

Anyway I had been reading about running diesel engines on cooking oil so I thought I'd give it a go. First I tried it in my diesel lawn tractor, it has a 750cc Yanmar vee twin diesel motor and the 25% that I first added to the tank seemed to have only good effects so I increased the percentage by running it nearly out and then topping it up with the cooking oil. I guess it's running on a little over 90% oil to about 10% diesel now and it's still performing very well.

The really good effects are that it seems to run a lot smoother and the high pitched engine rattle that you always get from diesels has lowered in pitch so that it is a lot more pleasent on the ear. The power doesn't seem to have been affected at all.

Next I started adding it to my diesel polaris, so far I'm up to about 50% and I'm getting all the same good effects of a smoother running motor and lower pitched engine noise. I have been very careful to test it for any power loss as I thought that might be more noticable at the higher speeds that the quad operates at but so far it is still climbing the hill outside my farm at the same speeds on full throttle as it ever did. I will be increasing the percentage next time I top up the tank and hopefully the benefits will just increase with the proportion.

To make the oil useable you have to first filter it just to make sure there are no bits of chip or batter left in it, then you need to add about 3% white spirit to thin it down a bit other wise I've read that the injectors can get a bit gummed up, then it can be added to the tank in whatever proportion you like, even neat. It's eco friendly, seems to make the engines run better, has better engine lubrication properties and costs nothing. What more could I ask?

 

Sound cool keep us posted on long term bassis and I'll keep eating french frys for ya

 

Awsome!

 

I know a person with a VW Jetta that has been running that oil for over 100 000 kms now...I laughed at first but now it seems to be a cheap alternative for him!

 

Runs better, sounds better, but I'm always wanting some fried chicken when I ride my quad[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Diesel engines will run on soybean oil also I am told . The only problem is starting them , you must get them going on diesel . (If anyone knows more or indifferent information please tell me , I am here to learn )

What kind of used cooking oil are you using ? Canola ? Peanut oil ?

This is interesting .

Rick

 

From all my research it seems that the actual kind of vegatable oil isn't at all important, which is just as well as most fast food outlets will buy whatever is cheapest so I haven't got the foggiest idea exactly what variety I'm dealing with. The lower the viscosity the better obviously but that can be adjusted by adding white spirit. I was worried about the spirit seperating from the oil but after leaving some of the mixture in a clear bottle for a month there was no sign of this, so I guess it's not a problem.

As far as starting a cold engine in cold weather is concerned, I have read that there can be problems due to the lower octane rating but obviously at this time of the year I haven't experienced them yet. I may have to mix a higher proportion of diesel with it in the winter, but then our winters seem to be getting warmer all the time.

I have read reports of a smell of fish and chips from the exhaust of vehicles run on cooking oil but I haven't detected it yet despite the lawn tractor having a forward mounted exhaust. To be honest fish and chips would be a lot more pleasant than diesel fumes anyway.

 

There are companies like this one that can provide you with more info...

http://www.greasel.com/

 

Thanks for the informative link .

Rick

 

Thats an awesome discovery.