bio deisel

[daveg]

I have got the 1995 terrano and wondered if it can be run on bio-diesel or is it not possible . is it worth it if you can. I am looking at a petrol maverick at mo also and am thinking of converting to lpg also any thoughts good or bad.....

dave

 

[(RIP) PLANK]

I have lloked into this a lot and owned several LPG vehicles and on the basic mechanics of it i would not ever use bio diesel until it is a mainstream thing and is a bit better developed.

LPG on the other hand is brilliant and I can't recomend it higly enough the only downside being the cost and or trouble of the conversion.

Thats my opinion but I am sure there will be others!

 

[Terranosaurus]

I had a lpg maverick and now have a tdi Terrano. I run the T2 on Bio when I can get it runs fine. They're probably about the same cost to run but I bought the Mav already converted. IMHO unless you're doing lots and lots of miles doing a conversion just isn't economic.

The bio I buy is fairly expensive as bio goes it tends to track the cheapest diesel price around and is 10p/l cheaper - thats got to be worth it in my book, if you can get it cheaper even better.

 

[extreme-4x4]

when i went to brighton 3 weeks ago
the deisel was 6p cheaper in tesco than the garage selling bio deisel the price didnt drop on the bio

 

[ikonos]

I have been running my 53plate terrano on a twin tank system for a year now :lol: it runs 50/50 used veg oil in the
main tank and 100% when the car heats up its well better than bio
no mixing no rotting of fuel lines pumps ect and cost wise you can
convert the terrano for under £380 if you want pm me and I will tell you what stuff
you will need.

scotty

 

[(RIP) PLANK]

veg oil seems a better option to me!

but currently is more exspensive than diesel, requires more frequent oil changes due to dilution in the sump!

and is no better for the environment!

so not wishing to sound rude, Im not sure of the point of it all

 

[Deleted account DD]

Interesting stuff Ikonos.

I've been using SVO to great effect. @75p a litre for this months stock compared to the cheapest diesel around here @99.9p a litre that's the sort of savings that would have queues out of a garage forecourt!!!!

I do usually run it on a 50/50 mix one tank full then next tank 100% diesel . Also keeping an eye on it to avoid exceeding the 2500 litres tax free :wink:

I did research the cost of pre heaters etc but I found they weren't really cost effective at that mix even with a decent saving of at least 20 odd p per litre.

Did you do it as a project or on economic grounds? I would like to hear your thoughts.

 

[ikonos]

I got the 4x4 on economical grounds, do a bit of caravanning, the wife wouldn't let me get it unless i could do it for next to nothing. 2500 litres rougly equates to 48 litres a week. I use roughly 25 litres if i am lucky, you do though have to be registered with sepa for the uplift and transporation of waste vegetable oils. The reason I decided to go for waste was because i am getting it for free. I don't use a preheater as they draw the amps out the battery. I use a heat exchanger, when i do a filter service. I half fill the fuel filter with redex and diesel, this cleans the pump and everything out on the 50/50 side. The Nissan terrano has the best type of engine for running veg oil, used or unused, as it has an indirect injection engine and combustion takes place in the cylinder head vortex chamber. Thus reducing the risk of any unburnt fuel to cause coke and also wear and tear on the engine. I researched this tons before i decided to take the plunge. I do oil changes but it usually on a 5 month basis. The build up of veg oil in the sump occurs mostly in direct injection engines, as the injector is directly above the piston head. If the fuel is not sprayed and heated properly this causes coke which wears away the piston rings, allowing the sump oil to rise.

 

[floyd500b]

Does anyone know anything about LPG assisted Diesel engines (i think i read an aricle in a LR mag once - cough)- Sorry boy's prior to getting my Nav I had considered going down the LR route

IIRC there is a small squirt of LPG in with the diesel - help improve power, torque & mpg - i think

Your thoughts?

Graham

 

[(RIP) PLANK]

I have heard that it is not worth the efort as it is a fairly small fuel saving and an exspensive conversion, but i'm sure others on here will know better.

 

[floyd500b]

I have heard that it is not worth the efort as it is a fairly small fuel saving and an exspensive conversion, but i'm sure others on here will know better.

I'm glad to know i didn't just imagine it though :lol:

 

[elty001]

bio

there is a place near me in ripley,derbyshire that does the deisel lpg kits.can't remember the name off hand but i will have a look to see if they have a website for you to look at floyd.

 

[Deleted account DD]

Ikonos, thanks, bit short of time at the mo, I would like to draw further upon your knowledge :wink:

Floyd, I defo remember reading about LPG for diesels when I was considering switching to diesel from petrol where sticking with petrol and getting LPG on board was an option. I seem to recall diesel engines don't lend themselves very easily to it though its not impossible but is extremely expensive..........as in why on earth would you do it :wink:

Any idea how much elty? Like most things they may well have come down in price now.

 

[daveg]

deisel/lpg

from my research with deisel/lpg conversion , it is a larger mix of deisel , i think. it has be a while since i looked in to it. I have had petrol lpg and it is more lpg than petrol, so with lpg prices it far more cost effective. you just have to justify the conversion. I paid £1000 for my last conversion but that was on a discovery.

dave

 

[Deleted account DD]

£1000 !!! lot of miles needed to recoup that.

On the bio diesel thing we've just had a memo round at work yesterday telling us not to use bio diesel as its causing problems in the fleet and manufacturers will not support warranty claims if its detected. If I recall correctly it said problems inc injectors pumps and unions.

Our fleet has all sorts in it inc Vauxhall, Ford, Volvo and VAG to name just 4.

Quite worrying.

 

[Terranosaurus]

That was on the radio yesterday its the big leasing companies who are passing the info down the chain and it was specifcally about the B30 (30% bio content diesel) that Morrisons are now selling. Remember all diesel in the UK now has 5% bio content and that is being increased to meet goveremnt targets of 10% in the next couple of years.

Its just the manufacturers trying to get out of warrenty issues (as they always try to anyway) - in Germany there are 1000s of fuel stations selling 100% bio (because it is legislated that they have to) and the manufacturers are honouring warranty claims regardless of what fuel has been used. The french manufacturers are also honouring claims in the UK regardless - funnily enough theresa lot of Bio in france too.

 

[Deleted account DD]

Slippery manufacturers again ?

When we were talking about it (as non scientists) we couldn't come up with any ideas why it would be a problem except perhaps higher water content and shorter service intervals?

The most wacky suggestion but I dont know enough to dismiss it was traces of methanol in the brew were rotting things :? wierd.

I think we have a few Renault vans. It would be interesting to see if theyre included in the memos directions :!:

 

[Terranosaurus]

I was talking to my bio supplier yesterday having just heard the artical on Radio 4 and in his opinion one of the problems is there is no UK (or europewide) standard for Bio diesel so it can contain excess water, soap, methanol etc. Manufacturers can sell anything they want unlike with other fuels.

 

[Deleted account DD]

So the methanol could be there, I dont know how its done but isnt it "cooked out" ?

I can quite see how excess detergent could screw things up and block injectors and what have you. A fair few of ours are pretty high milers with stop start work.

I didn't know it wasn't regulated though.

I was considering trying some, the plan has just changed :!:

 

[ikonos]

Most of the problems that occur with bio is getting it right on the small manufacturing front. each batch of oil has to be tested and treated accordingly with the right amount of chemicals which are potentially explosive. It is hard to get the neutral balance and the methanol assiting catalyst for burning. rots pump seals, fuel lines, catalytic convertors and so on. excess glycern if not removed properly i.e. polished blocks pumps, injectors, fuel lines etc. It is just not worth the hassle and the risk for small producers. The diesel engine was designed to run on diesel, paraffin, oil, white spirit.