Xantia on SVO

Unread post by **Old-Guy** » 08 Sep 2009, 16:36

I forgot to fill the tank with diesel before Darling Alistair's extra 2p, and then prices jumped by further 1 or 2p during last week, so by the weekend I was looking at 40L-ish to fill-up at 107 or 108/L - around £65.

Then in our local Sainsbury's on Saturday I saw 3L rapeseed oil at £2.55 (85p/L). That's a serious saving to offset the minor hassle of filling up from (and disposing of) containers. So I bought 10 x 3L as a trial. Even after 'investing' in a bendy funnel (£1.99), I was still £4 up on the deal.

An unexpected trip to Devon on Sunday burnt a lot of that, so on the way back yesterday, we stopped at another Sainsburys' just off the M5 at Taunton for another 30L plus a pack of rubble sacks (£1.49) to stow it in just in case of leaks.

So over the week-end I've spent £51 on 60L of SVO instead of around £65 on DERV.

So far: the Xant ran perfectly - 300 fast miles in 2 days. I'm not sure if it's my imagination but there now seems to be a bit of diesel knock at low revs when warm but there also seems to be a bit more power when I put my foot down.

Does anyone have any typical comparative values - rapeseed oil v. DERV (Shell) - for Cetane numbers and calorific values?

I could put in a Cetane improver to 'cure' the rattle. Do any of the forum veggies have any experience or recommendations please?

The leak-off pipes have never been changed. Is the purgative effect of SVO likely to cause rapid failure?

Oh yes - a new fuel filter ordered today for a change in a week or two and I'm keeping a record of my SVO purchases for the benefit of HMRC.

Finally, although my other half wittily re-christened the Xant 'The Chip Van', there's no smell of anything - no DERV pongs!

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 08 Sep 2009, 16:45

Congratulations.
SVO is slightly lower in cetane/power density, however it's more lubricating which offsets it giving the same if not more power (I managed an extra 5mph on the top speed in Cassy running on veg)

Check the leakoff pipes to see if they're flexible as they harden and fail over time anyway so best to catch them when they've just gone hard rather than when they're letting in air!

Get a costco or macro card and enjoy SVO for about 65ppl.

evilally · Unread post by **evilally** » 08 Sep 2009, 20:12

The knock at low revs is probably down to timing. For perfect running on veg, you should advance the IP timing by about 4 degrees. This will also improve power, reduce smoke and make cold starting easier. You will probably find it very difficult to start as the weather gets colder if you continue on 100%, and possibly it won't start at all.

In theory, you should see an approximate 15% drop in economy on veg, although I've never bothered measuring it myself. Not to mention, you should be changing the oil more frequently. When you factor these things in, I don't see SVO as being worth the trouble at todays prices, I would just go to the pump personally. However, I've done about 25,000 on WVO @ 10ppl

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 08 Sep 2009, 20:13

You will see maybe 2 mpg drop when using high % of SVO. My old car loved the stuff and ran quieter and smoother. I miss that old bus, great car.

Unread post by **Old-Guy** » 09 Sep 2009, 11:31

Thanks for the feed-back guys.

Living in rural Glos, we have a Tesco about 4 miles away, (new Lidl Sainsbury's opening soon) but Cash and Carrys like Makro and CostCo are a 50+ mile round trip.

Until now, I haven't seen SVO cheap enough anywhere local to make the hassle worth-while. For as long as there's a 20+p/L differential, I'll carry on running on SVO adding 20-25% DERV when the weather's cold.

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 09 Sep 2009, 11:41

Old-Guy wrote:Thanks for the feed-back guys.

Living in rural Glos, we have a Tesco about 4 miles away, (new Lidl Sainsbury's opening soon) but Cash and Carrys like Makro and CostCo are a 50+ mile round trip.

Until now, I haven't seen SVO cheap enough anywhere local to make the hassle worth-while. For as long as there's a 20+p/L differential, I'll carry on running on SVO adding 20-25% DERV when the weather's cold.

If your glow plugs are in good nick and you don't plan to start the car and have it sat idling, you may not need any derv unless there's ice on the roads

jgra1 · Unread post by **jgra1** » 09 Sep 2009, 12:06

old guy, if you dont already, peirce the svo bottles with a bradle when they are upturned.. it makes filling up about 10 times faster

J

red_dwarfers · Unread post by **red_dwarfers** » 09 Sep 2009, 12:53

It would be worth talking to your friendly local corner shop who im sure could order a couple 20 litre containers every once in a while.