howie story wrote:It seems the best vehicles for conversion to boi-diesel are the ones made in the 1980 - 1990 's . The engines are simpler to convert, with none of the fancy electronics modules and sensors. Not to mention the much lower purchasing cost.
My preference is towards the VW diesels of this era. What are your experiences with conversion of older (pre 2000) vs newer diesel engines to bio diesel?
Hi Howie,
I wonder is you're asking about converting cars to run on SVO (Straight Vegetable Oil) rather than running on biodiesel (chemically converted fats and oils).
Running biodiesel requires no vehicle modifications for cars and trucks newer than about 1994 - older vehicles often have fuel lines, gaskets, and o-rings that are susceptible to breaking down with the use of biodiesel due to its solvent properties. There are now fuel lines and gasket materials that can stand up to biodiesel use. So Post 1994 vehicles are usually easier to run biodiesel in, as no changing of fuel lines is required.
Running SVO requires modifications to the vehicle to heat the oil prior to combustion in order to reduce its viscosity so that it atomizes properly upon injection and puts less demand on the fuel pump. These modifications often include a second tank for the SVO, a heat source for the oil, and valves and themostats to control temperature and flow. Most conversions I've seen are on older equipment, where the warranty has long expired and the engines a bit more forgiving of SVO use.
As I don't enjoy wrenching on my car, I find commercially available biodiesel the right fit for me and my 1987 Mercedes turbodiesel wagon, in which I changed the fuel lines to tygothane.
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