Veg oil

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dave4x4 said:
I have been running my p38 diesel on a 50/50% SVO mix for about 18 months now without any serious problems. Once or twice the veg oil has dropped straight to the bottom of the fuel tank causing starting problems. Other than that the engine runs well. Actually sounds better. I buy veg oil at 90p/L in 20L kegs from Costco. The savings soon build up.
A lot of the BMW forums recommend using an inline solid state pump like a Facet if you use more than 50% veg oil.
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how many miles is that........ doubt it will do 300,000 plus miles like a proper maintained diesel. there are million mile diesels on the road before major work done
 
Thor1950 wrote:
how many miles is that........ doubt it will do 300,000 plus miles like a proper maintained diesel. there are million mile diesels on the road before major work done
Click to expand...
Assuming that is a genuine question and not the usual cynicism found on this forum, I will give you an answer. I have done about 12,000 miles in the last 18 months on a 50/50% veg oil mix. Doing the sums I have saved about £600. Not a huge amount but worth the little bit of extra hassle. Better in my pocket. Enough for several replacement lift pumps or even a s/h engine.

My engine has done 130,000 miles and has been regularly maintained. I have had it 10 years and I change the oil religiously when it is due. It is a good engine but I don't know any million mile M51 engines. Certainly a few have done 300K+.

Saint.V8 hit the nail on the head. There is nothing new about it. The engine has been around a long time and there is a lot of experience running the BMW M51 engine on veg oil on the continent and in Scandinavia. The older design of indirect injection is much better than the newer direct direct injection for veg oil. The Bosch FIP is perfectly happy to run on veg oil unlike Lucas and CAV.

Weaknesses and downsides? The engine won't start on 100% SVO without some difficulty. The in tank pump (maybe £40?) may pack in on 100% but is easily fixed by using a solid state Facet pump. Many have done it on BMW cars.
There is a German company Elsbett AG that modifies the injectors to run on 100%. I think it is just a nozzle change.

I have taken my injectors out and had them apart for inspection. An easy job (not No.4). Just a simple mechanical mechanism. No detrimental effect I can see.

There may be a case for saying there are (obviously) no diesel additives if you run on 100% SVO but if you buy supermarket diesel it is the same.
I have got all the gear for a twin tank system but I have backed off installing it yet.
 
Last edited:
dave4x4 said:
Thor1950 wrote:
Assuming that is a genuine question and not the usual cynicism found on this forum, I will give you an answer. I have done about 12,000 miles in the last 18 months on a 50/50% veg oil mix. Doing the sums I have saved about £600. Not a huge amount but worth the little bit of extra hassle. Better in my pocket. Enough for several replacement lift pumps or even a s/h engine.

My engine has done 130,000 miles and has been regularly maintained. I have had it 10 years and I change the oil religiously when it is due. It is a good engine but I don't know any million mile M51 engines. Certainly a few have done 300K+.

Saint.V8 hit the nail on the head. There is nothing new about it. The engine has been around a long time and there is a lot of experience running the BMW engine on veg oil on the continent and in Scandinavia. The older design of indirect injection is much better than the newer direct direct injection for veg oil. The Bosch FIP is perfectly happy to run on veg oil unlike Lucas and CAV.

Weaknesses and downsides? The engine won't start on 100% SVO without some difficulty. The in tank pump (maybe £40?) may pack in on 100% but is easily fixed by using a solid state Facet pump. Many have done it.
There is a German company Elsbett AG that modifies the injectors to run on 100%. I think it is just a nozzle change.

I have taken my injectors out and had them apart for inspection. An easy job (not No.4). Just a simple mechanical mechanism. No detrimental effect I can see.

There may be a case for saying there are (obviously) no diesel additives if you run on 100% SVO but if you buy supermarket diesel it is the same.
I have got all the gear for a twin tank system but I have backed off installing it yet.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the answer:) You have taken the proper steps to use the right motor to run on veggie oil. Most don't and just pour it in and go. New electronic injection motors won't do it for long.

A cetaine booster might help you with the veggie oil mix. will give a higher burn rate and a cleaner burn
 
The engine actually sounds better on a veg oil mix. Obviously the burning characteristics of the oil are different. I suspect it is a longer burn because of the range of hydrocarbons in the fuel. It doesn't have the usual diesel "ping". I don't think it needs a cetane booster but I haven't tried it. The car pulls just as well as 100% diesel. I have added injector cleaner but there was no noticeable effect.
 
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