Actually, Rudolph Diesel (the inventor of the Diesel engine) originally designed the diesel engine to run on rapeseed / peanut oil. But as time went on the oil companys were able to produce the petro diesel fuel at a cheaper cost. But now the costs have turned around and in most gas stations the petro diesel is more expencive than gasoline! To me this just doesn't make any sence as the cost to produce it is cheaper than gasoline!
...and the turn of the key with the brief pause before turning it over has been jokingly said it's a moment of pause as a tribute to 'ol Rudolph.
Very true how the first was built to run on rapeseed / peanut oil.
As for Robert's comment on using straight veggie:
"I don't want to get to much WVO in there sense I'm not useing any way to heat it"...
It's wise not to without a heater, however with the temps this past week (in the very high 90s and into 100)outdoor abm temp, even 100% filtered WVO would work just fine without any issue. Several folks are doing just that this time of year from what I've been reading.
__________________
Computers manufactured by companies such as IBM, Compaq and millions of others are by far the most popular with about 70 million machines in use worldwide. Macintosh fans note that cockroaches are far more numerous than humans and that numbers alone do not denote a higher life form. -NY Times 1991
since I live in HotL'anta ....I figured with using very well filtered veg oil I can run it in my other onboard tank, switching over once warmed up, and back to straight diesel a few miles before switching off.
I would filter after draining off water, store the cleaned oil in a sealed plastic jug, and add a few gallons at a time. If this will not hurt the injectors, I could use the veg 50% of the time on my commuting and save a good amount of bucks.
__________________
Rallys twice a year..Lots of fun, food, and aluminum.
switching over once warmed up, and back to straight diesel a few miles before switching off.
well this is just what the author of the article did...so he estimated 2 cups of diesel for a 160 mile trip...not bad. also mentioned buying fresh soybean oil at costco....12$ or so for a 4 gallon jug...pure clean soy...
Hey, I thought i would get away from work here but I guess not. I designed the "Frybrid" system and just bought a 31' 1976 Sovereign to tow behind my 1998 Dodge/Cummins 5.9 12v truck. I get mileage in the 20's on either VO or diesel. We have converted hundreds of vehicles and sell kits to do so yourself.
I won't bore you with all the details here, this is an Airstream forum, not an alt fuels forum, but I will say this; Do not mix VO with diesel if you want your engine to last. You must have a proper two tank system starting and stopping on diesel, running Vo only after the engine is at temp and the VO can be delivered to the engine at 160F. If you are going to run VO do it properly or do not do it at all or you will be buying a new motor. That said we have converted hundreds of vehicles, one of our forum members just drove from Chicago to Florida and back pulling a 27' trailer (not an airstream) and used less than one tank of diesel on the whole trip. Another client we converted a 1998 Mercedes E300D averages 900 miles per gallon of diesel he buys (since it is only used to start and shut down and he drives for a living). We are currently converting a 40' Bluebird at my shop, just finished a 35' Gillig bus and I myself have a 40' Mercedes bus converted to VO and a motorhome, I am actually buying the airstream because I do not have time to finish the interior of my bus and I want to camp with my 3 year old daughter this summer and fall.
We have done Ford PSD's, Duramax, tons of 6.5TD's, a 2006 Jeep liberty, sprinters, mercedes, VW, Isuzu NPR, freightliners, marine engines, motorhomes, and more pickups than I want to think about.
Vegetable oil is a viable alternative fuel and is at present free if you choose to use waste oil from restaruants, if you buy it new it is still about $1 cheaper than diesel, is carbon neutral, american made, and has less than 2% of the emissions of regular diesel fuel. Not a bad deal all in all.
Thanks for that info. I am hoping to get this going when I get some other projects off the front burner here.
Luckily my commute is short ( 8mi) and diesel is a bit cheaper than rug here, so this will be not critical but should make sense for me when Airstreamin'.
Welcome to our Forum and glad to have you here. Hopefully we all can help with you Airstream projects and enjoyment.
__________________
Rallys twice a year..Lots of fun, food, and aluminum.
What vehicle are you running? My wife drives a 220D Mercedes about 7 miles a day each way and does an average of 5 or the 7 on Vegetable oil. I was driving a VW Vanagon diesel and did 4 or my 5 mile each way commute on vegetable oil each day.
The 1997 is a dificult install for a veggie system, it is the last of the early powerstroke systems and while being a very robust engine, is not simple to convert although once converted does really well. I have a personal friend with one we converted, he hauls a mobile saw mill up and down the west coast pulling 30,000 lbs up and down passes all the time, he now has two years on VO with no issues at all...except an addiction. He is currently converting a genset to VO for his home in Oregon and converting his mill to VO so he will not have to buy diesel to run the business.
I am getting my sovereign tomarrow and can hardly sleep with excitement. It is a rear bath model and in very good shape foe the age (1976) with no floor rot, no dents in the skin and an interior you could eat off. I just can't wait to make it mine and re-do the upolstrey, get rid of the flower wallpaper in the bath and likely replace much of the wood veneer with aluminum. Since we manufacture fuel systems from aluminum I have a full metal shop and can weld, brake or bend just about anything! Any advice on sleeping in this beauty, I am 6'4" and wanted to use the bunks in the middle for my daughter and storage and the couch as a bed for me....
PS. Diesel originally designed the engine to run on coal dust not VO, it blew up and nearly killed him.
As for sleeping the middle bunks are maybe a bit too short for you. Possible that the front would be more comfortable, and you could conside replacing the gaucho with a real ford out sleeper couch in queen size.
The flowery bath vinyl is quite dated, but if its in good shape it is also very retro trendy. But I am one who like to make over to my taste while keeping near the overal style of the original.
You are very well equipped with your shop to do whatever you want to the AS and could come up with some very cool aluminum interior accessorizing.
As for my veggie diesel aspirations,so it sounds as if it will not be as easy as putting clean veg in the rear tank and pre-heating it I guess. I am not in a position to add much in parts at this time, but hope to gain enough knolwledge to make a good decision in the future. It has been interesting to me for a long time, but I just got the truck in June, and am new to the diesel "thing". My son is in his second month of Air Natl Guard training...he eventually will be shipping out to diesel vehicle maintenance school. Yesterday he spent the dayat the base cleaning and messing around with a fleet of F250 and 350s and a few 5 ton trucks.
So by next summer he will be ready to help his dad on our own diesel.
__________________
Rallys twice a year..Lots of fun, food, and aluminum.
Quick question cgoodwin. Any thoughts on the long term effects of VO on the injectors on HPCR diesels? I thought I read somewhere that the soaps and glycerin might have adverse effects on those types of injectors. Thanks!
__________________
CP 9 miles off Exit 399, I75.
2003 GMC 2500HD 4X4 D/A Ext. Cab
Propane Powered Honda EU2000i
Lots of Hot Sauce! Air # 283
Quick Links
But as time went on the oil companys were able to produce the petro diesel fuel at a cheaper cost. But now the costs have turned around and in most gas stations the petro diesel is more expencive than gasoline! 
To me this just doesn't make any sence as the cost to produce it is cheaper than gasoline!
Linear Mode
