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The idea of converting your car to run on vegetable oil might call to mind hours of greasy frustration under the hood of your car. While the greasy part is inevitable, the frustration need not be! This page will give you the instructions you need on How to Convert Your Car to Run on Vegetable Oil.
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Introduction
- Although biofuel stations have been popping up across the United States, there has been increasingly heated debate over both the feasibility and the environmental effects of mass-produced biofuels. So if you're looking for a definite way to reduce your carbon footprint, converting you car to run on vegetable oil—often referred to either as Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) or Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO)—might just be the best option to make your driving as ecofriendly as possible.
Can You Convert Your Car?
- Unfortunately, vegetable oil conversion is not a universal solution:
- Only diesel engines can be converted to run on used vegetable oil.
- Also, conversion is not simply a matter of pouring vegetable oil in your fuel tank. The engine may start, but driving your car with SVO in the existing diesel tank is a problem for emissions, fuel efficiency, and engine health.
- The conversion process will involve a lot of tinkering with the insides of your car.
- Even though all the steps can definitely be done in your own garage out of relatively common parts that you can pick up in a store or junkyard, the process requires a fair amount of automotive know-how and can often go wrong.
- If you're ready for the challenge, the remainder of the guide will instruct you on how to convert your car to run on vegetable oil.
Equipment Needed
- Unless you are an experienced grease monkey and know all the ins and outs of your car's engine, the easiest way to make sure you have all the parts you need is to purchase a fuel conversion kit, many of which are readily available from online retailers such as:
- Certified installers are available for these kits, or you can also try to find an experienced installer near you through the Biodiesel & SVO Discussion Forums.
- The cost of these kits may be off-putting, and that's before the installer fees, so it can be much cheaper to acquire similar parts from an automotive store and make the necessary modifications yourself. The key components for SVO conversion are as follows:
- SVO Fuel Tank
- Size and shape are up to you, depending on your car's configuration.
- Tank material is equally flexible, although some research has suggested that copper (and this includes alloys like brass or bronze) may react badly with your SVO fuel.
- If you're short on ideas for your fuel tank, you can tap into the creativity of the SVO conversion community for many resourceful solutions.
- Heat Exchanger
- The SVO sitting in your new tank needs to be heated to at least 160°F before it becomes thin enough both to be pumped to your engine and to burn with similar efficiency as diesel. This can be done in one of two ways:
- Recycle heat from your engine by rerouting the engine coolant line directly through the SVO tank.
- Fit your tank with a separate heat exchanger.
- Although heat exchangers designed specifically for SVO systems are available from specialty retailers like Arctic Fox or PlantDrive, they are common parts that should all work similarly well.
- SVO Fuel Lines
- Avoid rubber fuel lines. SVO is a strong solvent and will dissolve rubber over time.
- Synthetic fuel lines like polyethylene or metal fuel lines (that, again, aren't copper-based) are both reliable and easy to find.
- Fuel Selector Valve
- A three-port solenoid valve or a motorized fuel selector valve with at least three ports (any unused ports can easily be sealed) will let you switch between fuel supplies on the fly.
- As with heat exchangers, specifically designed valves are available from specialty retailers like Frybrid, but selector valves are commonly available in auto parts stores.
- Fuel Selector Switch
- Any simple On/Off switch will do. Selector valves will often be sold with one.
- SVO Fuel Filter
- Just an ordinary fuel filter, except that this one will exclusively filter your SVO fuel supply.
- Fuel Line "T" Connector
- A commonly available automotive part.
Step 1: Install Your New Parts
- While conversion kits will include the specific instructions for their particular set of parts, they will involve the same general processes:
Assemble SVO Fuel Tank
- Install your heat exchanger into the SVO tank.
- Both rerouting engine coolant lines and installing a separate heat exchanger will involve opening and resealing your SVO tank.
- Secure the secondary tank in your vehicle (typically in the trunk).
- Fasten your outgoing fuel line to the tank and run it through to the engine area, but do not yet attach it to anything.
Reroute Fuel Lines
- The next few steps can be a little confusing to visualize even if you're comfortable under the hood of a car. Two successful SVO converters have put up general diagrams of the SVO fuel system you will be installing, and it would be useful to both study them before beginning modification as well as refer back to them during the process:
- Alter the existing fuel system to accept your two separate fuel supplies:
- Detach the fuel line between the original diesel filter and the injector pump.
- Attach the SVO fuel filter to the fuel line running in from the secondary fuel tank.
- Attach the output from the diesel filter to the default input port of the selector valve.
- Attach the output from the SVO filter to the secondary input port of the fuel selector valve.
- Attach the output port of your selector valve into the injection pump, placing the T connector between them.
- Reroute the existing fuel return line to feed directly back into the injector pump:
- Detach the fuel return line that currently connects the output of the injector pump and the diesel tank.
- Reattach this output line to the T connector that you placed between the selector valve and the injector pump input.
- Install the fuel selection system:
- Place the selector switch on your dashboard where it will be easy to reach while driving.
- Wire the selector switch to the fuel selector valve under the hood.
Step 2: Run Your New Fuel System
- Running on SVO does not mean that your original diesel fuel system will never be touched again! Always remember:
- Start your engine initially with your original diesel system in order to warm up your SVO tank.
- Before you turn off your engine, switch back to diesel fuel for a few minutes in order to clear out the SVO from your engine.
- Forgetting to do so will clog the engine with cold oil, and you will need to reheat the engine until the oil can move freely once again.
- Give your car regular check-ups.
- Vegetable oil will push out carbon deposits from your engine, so it is especially important to pay close attention to your engine in the first few months of using your SVO system.
- After a few months, make sure to:
- Clean your fuel injection system.
- Clean your engine pistons.
Conclusion
- Converting your car to run on vegetable oil requires a significant upfront investment of time and money (most likely both), but after completing your conversion you have made it past the biggest hurdle. With proper care for your engine—especially in the first few months after installing your SVO system—you can keep your car running reliably green and wave goodbye to your old, petroleum-dependent lifestyle. Being greasy never felt so good.
