Cooking oil in TD5

Don't no how much duty as I have only used it off road.
Don't buy a £500 centrifuge use filter socks and heat and settle just the same as veg oil.
Try it first will some new lube oil if you like just to see the results before you spend any money on setting up a filtering system ,because it will crap up your injectors after 60 + litres
It's a waste of your time pulling the injectors to clean the carbon off the tips.

£500 centrifuge filter is a waste of money. Cheap fuel on the other hand is not. Your choice.

So long as petrol content is less than 10% its not a problem. As already said try some out and make your own mind up. I've put more than 600 litres through my new engine with no sign of carbon build up problems. Starts on the key and smokes a little in the winter until the engine is warm. No worse than an engine smoking with worn rings though.

As for duty this has been debated to death previously on this and other forums. Search and ye shall be enlightened. You are currently allowed to make 2500 litres of fuel from "reclaimed oils" per annum without duty payable. It must be for personal use (not commercial) and you can not sell it. You are also supposed to keep accurate records of what you make and use each year. The grey area is that the peeps who drafted the legislation stated "reclaimed oils" and we all know that they meant veg oil and not dino oil but until they change the wording then reclaimed oils covers used engine oil in my book. Fully synthetic oils are neither veg nor dino so once again its a grey area.

The issue with using reclaimed oils it actually very simple (as you say debated at length)

The reclaimed oil CANNOT be a mineral (hydrocarbon) oil. I have had this direct from HMRC. That rules out engine oil, hydraulic oil and the like, I'm not a chemist so unless someone can source a non hydrocarbon oil, it's back to veg!

Anyone who can get away with running any sort of happy fuel gets a pat on the back from me. The rules and the duty are ridiculous.

How does this sound for a set up, for cost and ease of set up.

Pump it out from the 100ltr tub at the garage, drawing from the middle of the tank to minimise the water/antifreeze that might be in it, into 20ltr containers.

Mix with derv to thin it down, rough filter through that stuff you use in the garden to stop weeds, into a water butt, pump or drain it through a 100 micron disposable sock, then through a 50 micron and finish off through a 5 micron into another water butt and then its ready to go straight into the motor.

The oil may already have some petrol in it so don't want to put extra in?

It'll be used in a 300tdi and a 200 tdi.

Does this sound ok?

I started with a gravity system but it is slow. Electric oil pumps are expensive but do the job quicker. I use compresed air at 10psi to move the oil from the storage drums through the filters into 20 litre jerrys ready for use. I have a 100 then 50 then 5 micron filter system that works for me. Its hard to know how much petrol is in the oil so dont add any more. Thin with derv to get the required consistency BEFORE filtering as it makes filtering easier. I often use stale petrol to thin as its not so volatile which is important in a hot fuel system like the TD5.

For legal reasons I should state for the record that "I NEVER USE HOMEBREW ON THE PUBLIC ROADS".

Shifty1962 said:

I started with a gravity system but it is slow. Electric oil pumps are expensive but do the job quicker. I use compresed air at 10psi to move the oil from the storage drums through the filters into 20 litre jerrys ready for use. I have a 100 then 50 then 5 micron filter system that works for me. Its hard to know how much petrol is in the oil so dont add any more. Thin with derv to get the required consistency BEFORE filtering as it makes filtering easier. I often use stale petrol to thin as its not so volatile which is important in a hot fuel system like the TD5.

For legal reasons I should state for the record that "I NEVER USE HOMEBREW ON THE PUBLIC ROADS".

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Cheers Shifty
Would a pump like this work? Rule IL200P Diesel Fuel Transfer Pump 200 GPH 12v
£23 on ebay, and filtered through 3 of these

CAV Diesel Fuel Filter / Glass Water Trap marine boat

oops thats a bit big...... 3 of them at 100, 50 and 5 micron?
Mix it with derv, rough filter into an oil drum, pump it through the filters and into another oil drum and hey presto its usable? Sounds to easy.

Yes the filters will work and are similar to what I use. You may struggle to find 100 and 50 micron cartridges that fit though. My large debris filters have washable stainless filter elements and are plumbed with domestic 15mm copper pipe and fittings. The 5 micron filters are paper element disposable items as fitted to most tractors and diesel plant engines.

Dont know about the pump but most 12v pumps dont have the guts to shift much unless its free flowing or through very small pipe bores which equals slow. You need something that will pump against the resistance of the filters without over heating which gets expensive and is why I use compressed air because most peeps have a compressor.

Thanks. Should i be able to run the 3 filters in line? With a tap inbetween each to isolate them for cleaning.
I'm one of the minority, i don't have a compressor, plenty on ebay cheap tho.

Does it matter if the air line runs to the top or bottom of the drum?

you want to push the oil through the filter's, not mix the oil with air?

john winsemius said:

you want to push the oil through the filter's, not mix the oil with air?

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I admit to being as thick as pig **** when it comes to anything like this Thats why i'm asking what perhaps should be obvious

So thats a compressor connected to the top Feel free to take the **** but could i fit a tyre valve?

Heavy Breather said:

I admit to being as thick as pig **** when it comes to anything like this Thats why i'm asking what perhaps should be obvious

So thats a compressor connected to the top Feel free to take the **** but could i fit a tyre valve?

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Have the air enter at the top, oil exit at the bottom. Sound like you would want constant pressure of 10#. Use a steel barrel lay it horizontal big bung at top little bung at bottom. Use big bung for filling and air supply, use quick fit air connections here. Use little bung for you shut off valve and for your filter system. This way you would have head space for the air to push the oil out. Set your air compressor for 10#psi and let it run and watch it work.Keep tack of the time to run a barrel and then maybe put your air compressor on a timer to turn it off when its done.

john winsemius said:

Have the air enter at the top, oil exit at the bottom. Sound like you would want constant pressure of 10#. Use a steel barrel lay it horizontal big bung at top little bung at bottom. Use big bung for filling and air supply, use quick fit air connections here. Use little bung for you shut off valve and for your filter system. This way you would have head space for the air to push the oil out. Set your air compressor for 10#psi and let it run and watch it work.Keep tack of the time to run a barrel and then maybe put your air compressor on a timer to turn it off when its done.

Click to expand...

This is why i love landyzone, so much help from peeps like yourself and shifty. on the hunt now for a cheapy compressor BUT, if i'm buying a compressor i might as well get one that will run tools as well (just in case i learn what to with em). There's diff hp and diff size tank, would a 2hp with a 50ltr tank be good enough?

Heavy Breather said:

This is why i love landyzone, so much help from peeps like yourself and shifty. on the hunt now for a cheapy compressor BUT, if i'm buying a compressor i might as well get one that will run tools as well (just in case i learn what to with em). There's diff hp and diff size tank, would a 2hp with a 50ltr tank be good enough?

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Get the biggest you can afford it'll pay for it self in time, will last longer

A standard oil drum will stand a pressure of 10psi with no problems. The top and bottom will go slightly concave but nothing to worry about. HOWEVER if you start to get cocky and use higher pressures to pump more oil quickly the drum will bulge and you risk splitting a seam or worse. Dont forhet they are not designed as pressure vessels. Can you imagine 200 litres of crappy old engine oil all over your garage floor? I would also not recommend letting the thing run unattended for the same reasons.

I made up a connector that fits the standard small 3/4" BSP oil drum threading (standard domestic brass plumbing fittings) which lets the air in via a quick connector AND the oil out via a ball valve. I use the large threaded bung in the drum to pour the oil in to the drum. If you're serious then PM me and I'll take some piccies to show the mechanics of how its done.

If you want to filter in one pass then the filters need to be in series. I would not worry about valves between them as when there is no pressure there is no flow.

I'm with John - when buying tools buy the best you can afford. Its false economy to cheapskate and you'll only end up buying bigger or better later on when the cheap ones break. Stay away from the rubbish cheap Chinese stuff as it will not last and is of ****e build quality.

Cheers Shifty you have a PM

Thought id update this thread and show my setup, been running now for 1000 miles now on various mixes and i am very impressed with the savings! I carnt really see any disadvantages to running wmo, other than it doesnt feel quite as pokey as it does on 100 diesel. Something i can live with considering it halfs your fuel bill.

My setup was a quick bodge to get me up and running to see how the car ran, and had most of the bits already. 205 litre drum, common size tyre valve fitted to the top of the tank, and some fittings and copper piping running into the drum. From there copper pipes goes through the twin filter housing into 25l containers.



I do get more soot under load from the exhaust but again a trade off i can live with, going to fit a heated fuel filter housing to try and raise the temps of the oil entering the engine.

Heated fuel filter is probably not worth doing as the fuel system on the TD5 runs quite hot anyhow after a short while. Next time you get home after a longish run feel your fuel tank and you'll be surprised at just how hot it gets. Other than that welcome to the world of alternative fuels.

Ah forgot to mention im running a 200tdi..

I've been doing alot of reading on the 'Black Diesel' and countless reports of it running fine. Only those who haven't tried have said be weary of putting dirty oil & metal in the tank. - Hence FILTER, FILTER , FILTER.

What I can't seem to confirm from anoffical site is the customs. No duty on Biodiesel upto 2500L. But this isn't bio-diesel. Some say yes it's ok to burn upto 2500L other sites say you need to tax it as it's waste oil. (Theiving suites)

Basically I'm convinced on chucking used oil is ok, but don't want to lose a landy if I get dipped. Can any one confirm this?
Going to try it in the 15j before the TD5 gets a blast.

With the filter process, why are you using drums/ tanks. Why not decant waste oil into a 45gal drum, pump it though your filters straight into the jerry can / car?
No mention of water seperation ?

It is classed as un taxed fossil fuel, they will rape you for it, water injection for mileage improvement is taxable too
anything with lucas pump is viscosity sensitive and you can kill them with veg oil etc