CONVERTING DIESEL CAR TO RUN ON VEGETABLE OIL!!

[Merlin]

DH is seriously considering this as a green and more economical fuel source.

Anyone done it?

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Dp's brothers car runs on corn oil ,well 50% Diesel 50% corn oil mix

Pelvic - do you know if he had the car 'professionally' converted or was it DIY?

He didnt have it converted professionally no he just bungs it in .Dp says that because it is Diesel it works ina totally different way to petrol so no need to convert.

Thanks

We did this with our old Range Rover

Dh got all the info he neededfrom www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk

Saved us a fortune until I managed to write it off

We now have a heck of a lot of bottles of Asda veg oil and nowhere to put it!

Will send dh on here if you want more info - he knows a fair bit about either which engines are suitable or what's involved in converting them

hth

Thanks Bobsmum will get DH to check out that site.

Remember you must pay the duty on the veggie oil

We have a VW Golf TDI thinking of converting - can your DH offer any help?!!! Thanks.

You only start paying duty over a certain mileage/amount according to Dh Katymac.

Bobsmum's DH probably knows more - we are in the early stages

You don't pay any duty if you use less than 2,500 litres of veg in any rolling 12-month period - this is permitted personal use. Basically it costs HMRC more to collect than they make from collecting from all the small users, so they let it pass.

In fact, if you use less than 2,500 litres a year you're not even required to keep any records - although personally when I was doing it, I was keeping receipts just to be on the safe side.

Thanks for that BobsDad. Did you convert yourself or get it done somewhere?

How far will 2500 l take you?

Whether or not you do any kind of conversion, or use biodiesel or straight vegetable oil (SVO), depends on the engine in your car, its fuel pump and whether you want to risk damaging it.

We had a 10-year-old Range Rover, indirect injection, non-turbo engine (a BMW M5 engine, in fact), with a Bosch fuel pump. This is a good combination for just chucking veg straight in the tank, although in practice there are other factors that come into play due to the higher viscosity of the oil compared to petrodiesel, especially on cold mornings.

Direct injection engines, turbo-charged engines, and Lucas fuel pumps are not good for running with SVO.

Ours was not happy starting from cold on more than about 20% veg oil in the tank, except in summer and the more temperate days of spring and autumn. The best we managed, in the height of summer, was a 50/50 mix.

How far 2,500 litres gets you will depend on your annual mileage and your car's fuel consumption. It will do about the same on veg as on petrodiesel, if not very slightly better.

Research this very carefully (not just on the WWW!) Go to some independant garages/dealers who sell similar cars and ask them about the conversion process. Also, ask your insurance company if your premium will change once converted. You may need to give them proof that it has been done by a qualified mechanic.