Convert your car to run on cooking oil?

[Charger1973]

 

http://desmoines.craigslist.org/car/400769695.html

[Mopar440+6]

You can only do a vegetable oil conversion on a diesel vehicle. If you read up on the history of compression ignition engines you will eventually learn that Rudolph Diesel designed the first working diesel engine to run on peanut oil. Early model diesel engines can be converted to run straight vegetable oil fairly easily and the early MB diesels seem to be a very popular choice for such a conversion. Theres tons of information on the web about it. Do a search on it if you've got a couple hours to kill...

[Troy]

I really hate the claim that it's "free". First you have to buy the parts for the conversion, then you have to actually convert the car, then you have to buy all the equipment to refine the oil, then you have to find sources of "free" oil, then you have to go pick up your "free oil", then you have to buy a bunch of chemicals and mix it all up, and then you can put it in the car. As fun as it is to smell like french fries while driving it would probably be a decent ride using regular old diesel fuel (and paying for it). Maybe I'm just lazy?

Troy

[DodgeChargerNeeded]

Yeah sounds like a big hassle to me, I'll keep going to the gas station

[Charger1973]

Strange. 

[aussiemuscle]

Covered on mythbusters !?!

[terrible one]

The guy that owns the machine shop that I use has an 80's or late 70's Benz and runs it on used motor oil (yes, it is a diesel). I never really talked to him about it, but he has like a tank of it in the back and he starts it up on the regular diesel but then switches the fuel supply to the motor oil and runs it on that. It's weird but it DOES work. 

[SirNik73]

 

I think is funny that i found this post. for a second i thought I was on mercedeshsop... I own an 84 300SD. its a great car. and I'm active on the Mercedes forums. and i see these threads all the time. everyone and his mother are buying the older Mercedes diesels in order to convert them to run on veggy oil. its actually kind of sad. most older Mercedes are in need of work, just like our chargers, but people buy them and don't do the repairs and redesign needed to run on veggy oil. I hear of about one car a month that is a perfect car, but the injection pump is dead due to veggy oil. very sad.

it is possible to run the engine on veggy oil. but the conversion required to the car is extensive. you need a second fuel tank, and you need to keep the veggy oil heated so it doesn't jell up. you have to start the car on diesel. run it til the veggy oil is hot, then switch tanks. then before you shut it off you have to switch back over to diesel so that the oil doesn't jell in the pump while the car is off. you also have to filter the oil very well. the last thing you want is to have chicken butt to plug up your injection pump.

Owning a Mercedes diesel I've meet people who have done this. and I've looked into it myself and it is way to involved for me. the risk of loosing the 23 year old car that i love and was my grandmothers car... its just not worth the risk to me. I love the diesels, great cars.