Re: The affects of Waste Vegetable oil on TDI\'s
McBrew,
Yes, that's what I was saying, perhaps not very clearly. 1) I've given up on WVO on TDI's, this whole IP fiasco cost me a bundle, and several weeks without my TDI. I wasn't even running WVO, just B100. I intend to baby my new(ish) IP as best I can because there's no new vehicles in my future until I finish grad school...
2) I was thinking aloud about the first poster's problem, that is, B100 in cold climates, WVO issues notwithstanding. So the question is, how do we keep B100 flowing in winter? It seems that there are 2 choices: dilution with anti-gelling dino product, or warming the B100. The poster didn't want to use dino products, wanted to be pure B100 thru the winter.
OK, given the idea that we need to make B100 thin enough to use in close to- or sub- zero temps, we can agree that heating the BD is essential to keep the viscosity low. The Veg-therm before the fuel filter is to prevent clogging of the filter, IE excess strain on the IP. Apparently, if we're talking 25-30 deg's F, it don't take much heat to keep the filter flowing. I can speak from experience from last winter in Eugene, although I can't speak for if the reduced flow thru the filter helped create my IP woes. There are also heated fuel filters available, that should nip the filter clog prob in the bud.
Now let's think colder. Firstly, although I talked about a coolant loop originally, let's be honest. TDI's don't produce enough heat to keep the cabin warm, so the likely hood of sufficient heat to ungel the fuel line is pretty small, especially close to starting. Hence, my heated pickup idea. What to do about the fuel line? Not so sure on this one. I'm leaning towards electric heat for the whole system, the question is what kind of mods will the electrical system need to support all the heating. Bigger alternator? Second Battery? I don't know.
As far as the WVO debate, I would love nothing better than to put some filtered, warmed liquid waste from fryolators in my car, and happily drive around town without a care in the world, laughing at the suckers at the Gas Pump. Unfortunately, my faith in WVO has been shaken. If I can finally have the time, expertise, and cash all available at the same time (not likely for an unfunded PhD student) then I would gladly make a frankendiesel toyota conversion with an IDI engine, then slop in a bunch of WVO. I've even heard people talk about the possibility of putting an old MB 5 Cylinder IDI engine in a toyota truck, because of the famed endurance of the 300D's, using all kinds of junk in place of No.2 diesel. But for a TDI, I think not. Maybe after you pioneers get a couple-hundred thousand miles each without replacing the IP, I will reconsider. My old pump came out completely thrashed, the car wouldn't even start, and the air bubble in the fuel line wouldn't move when I cranked the engine on an 85 degree day in the sun! I saw the pix from the Bosch white paper about what happens to IP's when they use ULSD, my pump doesn't have "a little play", I can turn the pump by hand almost 90 degrees! At this point, I'm inclined to believe the Diesel tech who inspected the new pump before I put it in, in that Bosch used bad materials for the innards of the IP, and that once ULSD comes to the states, we'll see VE TDI's dropping like flies. I'm actually inclined at this point to believe that PD TDI's are a better choice for B100. So even if we're talking only a 50% increase in viscosity, I think that spells real trouble for our IP's, since they tank even with B100, whose viscosity should closely resemble dino.
As of now, I feel like I'm pushing my luck with B100, but if I can't run B100, then consider my newly-repaired golf up for sale immediately.