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Biodiesel has grown to become a popular diesel fuel alternative

Vegetable oil as a diesel fuel alternative

The concept of using vegetable oil as an engine fuel dates back to 1895 when Rudolf Diesel (1858-1913) developed the first engine to run on peanut oil, as he demonstrated at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900. Rudolf Diesel died 1913 before his vision of a vegetable oil powered engine was fully realized. There is some question of the timing of Diesel's death. Some think it might have been accidental or even a suicide. Since petroleum was soon so inexpensive compared to every other fuel it became the main product used to fuel diesel engines. Polluting diesel fuel became the fuel for the Diesel engine and vegetable oil as a cleaner fuel supply was forgotten. By making modifications to the fuel system, diesel cars today can run on 100% Vegetable Oil.

Learn what a Mercedes diesel conversion consists of

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What are the main differences between diesel and gasoline engines?

A gasoline engine intakes a mixture of gas and air, compresses it and ignites the mixture with a spark. A diesel engine takes in just air, compresses it and then injects fuel into the compressed air. The heat of the compressed air lights the fuel spontaneously.

A gasoline engine compresses at a ratio of 8:1 to 12:1, while a diesel engine compresses at a ratio of 14:1 to as high as 25:1. The higher compression ratio of the diesel engine leads to better efficiency.

Gasoline engines generally use either carburetion, in which the air and fuel is mixed long before the air enters the cylinder, or port fuel injection, in which the fuel is injected just prior to the intake stroke (outside the cylinder). Diesel engines use direct fuel injection -- the diesel fuel is injected directly into the cylinder. Diesel engine has no spark plug, that it intakes air and compresses it, and that it then injects the fuel directly into the combustion chamber (direct injection). It is the heat of the compressed air that lights the fuel in a diesel engine.The injector on a diesel engine is its most complex component and has been the subject of a great deal of experimentation -- in any particular engine it may be located in a variety of places. The injector has to be able to withstand the temperature and pressure inside the cylinder and still deliver the fuel in a fine mist. Getting the mist circulated in the cylinder so that it is evenly distributed is also a problem, so some diesel engines employ special induction valves, pre-combustion chambers or other devices to swirl the air in the combustion chamber or otherwise improve the ignition and combustion process. One big difference between a diesel engine and a gas engine is in the injection process. Most car engines use port injection or a carburetor rather than direct injection. In a car engine, therefore, all of the fuel is loaded into the cylinder during the intake stroke and then compressed. The compression of the fuel/air mixture limits the compression ratio of the engine -- if it compresses the air too much, the fuel/air mixture spontaneously ignites and causes knocking. A diesel compresses only air, so the compression ratio can be much higher. The higher the compression ratio, the more power is generated.

Some diesel engines contain a glow plug of some sort (not shown in this figure). When a diesel engine is cold, the compression process may not raise the air to a high enough temperature to ignite the fuel. The glow plug is an electrically heated wire (think of the hot wires you see in a toaster that helps ignite the fuel when the engine is cold so that the engine can start. Now let's learn about using other types of fuels as a diesel fuel alternative.

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Why use alternative fuels?

  • Diesel engines are uniquely suited to run vegetable oils because the inventor, Rudolph Diesel (1858-1913) originally designed them to run off of peanut oil. Today's diesel engines are not much different from Diesel's first engine. Thus, they are ready, willing and able to run on all kinds of environmentally friendly fuels.

  • Financial: You'll no longer have to pay for fuel.

  • Good for the environment: Reduces emissions. There is a 90% reduction in emissions when choosing to use pure bio fuel over petroleum diesel. By collecting waste oil your reusing a source that would otherwise be disposed of.

  • Help the US economy: SVO can (and is) made domestically using renewable crops, employing farmers and helping the local economy.

  • Political : Help decrease reliance on foreign oil.

  • Scent: Bio fuel exhaust smells good.




    Biodiesel, SVO(Straight vegetable oil), and WVO (Waste vegetable oil) are the three most common used as a diesel fuel alternative.



    Biodiesel is a mixture of vegetable oil, & either Methanol, Ethanol, or Lye. Its made through a chemical process called transesterification "whereby the glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. This process leaves behind two products -Methyl esters (The chemical name for biodiesel and glycerin (a byproduct used in soap). No modifications have to be made to your diesel vehicle if your using biodiesel as a diesel fuel alternative. More fueling stations are becoming suppliers of biodiesel as an alternative to petroleum diesel. Soybean biodiesel is the most commonly found. The majority of Asian restaurants use soybean oil for deep frying. Asian restaurants are the restaurants you should be collecting from because its the cleanest, and best quality.

    SVO is just straight vegetable oil. If you're running mostly vegetable oil as fuel in your Mercedes you'll have to do a Mercedes diesel conversion You can blend vegetable oil with petroleum diesel, but if you add too much vegetable oil it will clog up the fuel filters. The fuel system needs to be converted to heat and push the oil. More vegetable oil can be added to the blend in the summer time because the oil is being heated naturally. A larger filter needs to be added, because the stock fuel filters are too small, and clog very quickly. I was driving a Benz, and was blending with no conversion. One time I was using soybean vegetable oil as a diesel fuel alternative. I added to much veggie oil and it completely clogged up the fuel system. I had to do a Diesel purge to flush out the fuel system. After I did that the car started right up, and ran much better.

    Waste vegetable oil (WVO) has to be collected, filtered, & de watered before being used as a diesel fuel alternative. Filtered vegetable oil is not only free fuel, but your recycling what is normally waste as fuel. Vintage Mercedes diesels are the in my opinion the best vehicles to run alternative fuels in.


    Mercedes diesel engines are practically bullet proof, and will last forever if properly maintained. If your running WVO as a diesel fuel alternative, you'll want to test your WVO for water to make sure your putting 100% vegetable oil into your vehicle. When cooks clean out the deep fryers, debris, and water fall in with the Waste Vegetable Oil. Thats why you need to learn the difference between bad WVO, and good WVO. Collect the good WVO, so you won't have to spend all this time waiting for the debris, and water to separate from the oil. Kerosene, and automatic transmission fluid can also be used as a diesel fuel alternative but I don't recommend it.

    Easily learn how to make electrical waste oil heater kits


    Diesel Mercedes Benz

    If you've never owned a Mercedes diesel before they're much different from other vehicles and take getting used to. You'll have to know what to do if you encounter a problem cold starting a diesel mercedes engine . Diesel Mercedes Benz’s have a vacuum system which control numerous things in the vehicle like the brakes, transmission, power door locks, etc. When this begins to occur, it’s a warning indication to have the vacuum pump rebuilt. You can test the vacuum pump by removing the hose, and checking for adequate pressure.

    Mercedes Hard Shifting

    A common occurrence amongst diesels is the Mercedes hard shifting between gears. . It tends to shift hardest between 1st, and 2nd. Usually this hard shifting can be fixed by having a mechanic make some adjustments.

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    Diesel Mercedes models to avoid

    The 240D model Mercedes Benz diesel accelerates very slowly if it has an automatic transmission. The same with a non-turbo 300TD diesel Mercedes Benz wagon. Inpatient drivers will be honking, and driving around you, especially if your going up hill. If your going to go on the freeway with one of these models Mercedes, stay in the far right lane. Your much better off getting a Mercedes Diesel that is turbo powered.

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    Have you learned enough about using veggie oil as a diesel fuel alternative? Now learn how to check WVO, a popular diesel fuel alternative for water.


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