GREASEL DIESEL ENGINE CONVERSION KIT

A company in China is marketing a new system to use straight unprocessed cooking oil as a substitute diesel engine fuel.

RUN YOUR DIESEL ON STRAIGHT VEGETABLE OIL!

The Greasel conversion kit is a ready-to-install kit that will allow you to run any diesel on free waste vegetable oil.
The key to running a diesel on vegetable oil is heat. This is done by a special tank and fuel line, heated with the hot coolant your engine is already producing.
The engine is started and brought up to temperature on regular diesel. When the engine and tank of vegetable oil is warm you simply flip a switch on your dashboard. The fuel solenoid switches you from diesel to vegetable oil and suddenly you're going down the road for free! Furthermore, there is no power loss, a cleaner exhaust, and a better lubricated engine! About 5 minutes before you get to your destination, switch back to diesel to clear the injection pump and fuel lines of vegetable oil.
China Depot
http://www.chinadepot.com/

They are marketing other peoples inventions and think I will be contacted soon from the person who developed this system. Have you heard of this type use of straight unprocessed cooking oil before? Thinking about buying a used diesel engine motorhome and was wondering how this will affect the engine operation. From the ad at China Depot, it seems you start the engine on regular diesel fuel.. use the regular diesel for about 5 minutes and then switch over to cooking oil that has been heated from the radiator cooling fluid from the engine. Apparently there is a heat exchanger in the cooking oil tank. Then 5 minutes before you shut down the engine you are supposed to switch back to regular diesel to clean out the cooking oil from the injector. Would this really work?
The price for the system is $375 plus shipping and handling charges. But one cross country trip at about 7 to 11 mpg on free cooking oil would cost the same amount as using regular diesel fuel at over a dollar a gallon to buy the system. They also sell a 12 volt pump to transfer the cooking oil from restaurants into metal drums which has a filter to get all the food junk out of the oil and the cooking oil fuel system has another filter inline with the engine.
I already know one manager of a local restaurant would give me used cooking oil and we have a KFC and several Chinese restaurants that might let me haul it away for free.
If you know anything about this system please let me know because I intend to buy the diesel motorhome very soon and want to install this cooking oil fuel system if it will not harm the engine. This way I could use cooking oil or regular diesel.

Glenn A. Matlock

A lot of people have been running SVO/WVO for some time now, Check out the forum, there are many DIY ideas that would save the cost that the kit would cost you. Dont forget, you still have to filter your oil well, and ensure that there is little or no water in it. A Diesel engine fuel pump and injectors are VERY precision components, and even a minute amount of crap or water could cause great damage to them. Having said that, as long as you filter well, and leave to stand, you should be OK.
Check out the ways other people have modded their vehicles, and the various ways they filter the oil.--Also, a lot depends on the choice of engine to be modified, DI engines are less suitable than IDI, due to lubricating oil contamination and polymerisation.
The Mercedes engines have proven themselves as a winner using SVO, but Im shure there are many others equally suitable.


HC, At The Advise Div. SWC.

Let me just tell you now that it will probaly cost you more in time to collect and clean the fuel then it would cost money to just go and by diesel. Atleast in the first year anyway.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone that doesn't mind spending there Friday nights behind restuarants collecting fuel...LOL!!!

Seriesly though, I have spent more time then money I have saved but it is worth it to me to know that I don't have to go to the pump. Then again I have always been weird that way.

Some day I hope to actually have an efficient system, atleast where I invest as little time as possible with SVO and biodiesel production and refinement. Lets face it, time is the ultimate comodemy(?) make sure you enjoy playing in the sand box (oil pit) before you commit.

Cheers,

Five minutes can be a long flush time. I wonder where they send the return line. It's probably right back to the front of the pump, that's why it takes so long to flush. Easy system to build and difficult to operate.
This will trap air and make starting hard. It also does a poor job of flushing when done because the fresh diesel coming into the pump is mixed with the stuff you are trying to flush out (as it enters the pump).
I boycott China because of the use of political prisoners as forced labor for many products.
There is an American kitmaker with a better return line setup...Greasecar.
I have read somewhere on this site that Elsbett makes a kit too.

Fatmobile,
Do you get a shorter/faster flush by using a 6 port valve and running a return line to the veggie oil tank? If so do you heat the return line?

I think looping the return line into the feed line is how the Frier to the Fuel Tank recommends to do it.

I've got all I need for the conversion of my 84 VW but haven't ordered the valve... if a 6 port is the way to go for shorter flush time thats what I want to do...

THanks!

Fritteroilcar,
If you are getting the valve from JC whitney, you will notice that the price is the same for both. That is because they are the same. You would be hard pressed to find a strictly 3 valve solonoid as they are usually employed on trucks that go long distances which happen to usually be diesel in need of a return line. And yes, this should dimminish purge time.

Wally II

Hey FritterOilCar,
I don't get a quicker flush by useing a 6 port fuel solenoid. I use two 3-ports.
Looping the return back to front of the pump is one way "Fryer" mentioned it could be done. It is probably the easiest and cheapest way.
Sending the return back to the tank flushes all of the diesel out of the injector pump.
If it is mixed with vegy (as it is with the return to the front of the injector pump system) it allows for quicker switchover. You don't have to wait for the engine to completely warm up because when you hit the switch it's a vegy/diesel mix, which doesn't have to be 175F. The diesel that's in the injector pump mixes with the vegy and is used to warm the engine up. In the summer, this allows me to start in vegy mode. I only shut down with diesel.
Sending the return back to the tank can also cause radical temperature changes in the injector pump. If it's even 32F and you flush all of the cool diesel out and fill it with 175F vegetable oil...that's got to be rough on the pump.
I use two three-port solonoids. They are available at about any auto parts store. Ask for the fuel solonoids used to switch tanks on old GM (newer GMs required a 6-port) trucks with dual tanks. Standard brand (part# FV1) seams to be the one around here.
I've been useing two switches but am going to change to a rotary switch.

Thnk you both for your replies,
The valve I was going to order is linked below:

http://www.jcwhitney.com/item.jhtml?ITEMID=4658

it looks like it just has three ports, which sounds like the way to go for the reasons Fatmobile listed. I'll check out auto parts stores first, better than spending the 12 bucks on shipping.

However, I don't follow how you're using the second 3-port valve? Wouldn't just one be required to get the mix of veggy/diesel in the injector pump? or are you using it to switch pure diesel/and veggy/diesel mix in the line for startup?

Thanks!

The second 3-port fuel solonoid goes on the return line. During diesel operation it sends the return back to the diesel tank like normal.

Hi,
My name is Charles Anderson, I make and sell the Greasel Conversion SVO kit.
I want to reassure Fatmobile that my kits are made in the USA by an American.
I have been running for over a year on SVO, and have personaly converted Toyota, VW, Mercedes, Kubota, Yanmar, and a Detroit 6V92 Turbo bus engine.

The refrence to a 5 min. shut down in Mr. Matlock's message is the basic system, with the return "T"ed" back into the supply side.
This is the simplest and most ecconomical way to do it, but there are other options, with pros and cons to each.

Our 12 gallon model is $375, bigger or smaller units are available, prices vary with size. We also do custom work here in Missouri, and for a big project(buses and such) I will travel.

I also make a special filter that you can put directly in the oil pit and pump clean oil out the other end. Reusable.
I appriciate every ones involvement and wish you the best on your projects.

Feel free to contact me anytime with questions or info. I'm sure you all have learned a trick or two, as have I, and we can only benifit from sharing our knowledge. Even if your doing your own, give a call 417-261-2798.
www.greasel.com
Charliea@townsqr.com
Charles Anderson
Greasel Conversions

[This message was edited by Greasel conversions on 01 November 2001 at 09:25 AM.]

'Preesh the info, Cahrles. Welcome to our greasy little operation!

Greasel, I know I am getting off the original track of the thread, but I was wondering if you or the rest of you have had any problems with wax build up in the injector pump with svo use?

Joe

It's good to hear that you supply an American made kit. First time I've heard of Greasel.
Sounds like you have experience converting a wide range of vehicles. Glad you could join us.
I'm sure we will learn a lot from you.

mines better no hose wth in hose just straight to the pump

Bioman, You selling a kit?

Maybe he's just cheesed off that someone is marketing a kit and he isn't...? How about a description of this "better" setup, or does "the inventor" have a website we can peruse?

Until the weather gets cold enough to need supplimental fuel heating, my Merc 300D currently has the simplest setup - "add veggy oil, start car, drive" .

[This message was edited by Russell on 01 November 2001 at 12:17 AM.]

I am uncertain why, in circles such as ours, some folks harbor negativity and brood distrust. Are we not all in this together, for the betterment not only of ourselves, but the world at large?

The purpose of this forum is to learn and share information for the advancement of this sustainable low-tech technology, not for slander and not for insolence.

That said, the greasel web site is now up and running: www.greasel.com.

[This message was edited by Justin Soares on 31 October 2001 at 04:28 PM.]

[This message was edited by Justin Soares on 31 October 2001 at 04:29 PM.]

Nice, simple site, even has diagrams if you were in the mood to recreate the setup (if you can live with the tube-in-a-tube!). Looks like you'd only need the diesel just before stopping - should have enough diesel left past the solenoid to start and get the system warmed up. Now, all it needs is a price list, then those who *don't* want to copy you may decide to buy one

P.S.- 55gal transfer in <10min! That sounds pretty slick, too!

[This message was edited by Russell on 01 November 2001 at 12:42 AM.]

Prices should be up on www.greasel.com today.
Thanks for your interest and your work on SVO.
I admire you guys doing the cold starts, and 100%
veggie oil all the time.
Your a special breed of cat.
Charles Anderson
www.greasel.com

Hi Charles, I just checked out your site again & noticed that you don't use a thermostat to control when the solonoid kicks over. Do you have to do that manually when the engine heats up? or is there something I missed? For that price I should think it would be included. Just wondering. Looks like a really good setup, otherwise.