Filtering used oil

Allanxantia · Post by **Allanxantia** » 21 Jul 2005, 15:12

Having read on here that you can run on used veg oil, A friend of mine has for an Indian takeaway and they go through about 100 litres a week, which I can get for nothing. What exactly do I need to do to filter it?

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 21 Jul 2005, 15:14

You need a pretty fine filter to get the suspended particles out, a sand filter would be ideal if a little slow. Whatever filter you use it has to filter particles down to the size that your fuel filter will capture otherwise your fuel filter will get clogged pretty quickly.
Obviously you'll have to remember to pay the duty (27.1 pence per litre + VAT).

Post by **RichardW** » 21 Jul 2005, 15:37

www.bio-power.co.uk
tells you all about making bio diesel!

Oscar Too · Post by **Oscar Too** » 21 Jul 2005, 15:48

Make sure your fuel pump is compatible. Apparently roto-diesel pumps react badly to veg oil.

Allanxantia · Post by **Allanxantia** » 21 Jul 2005, 18:22

Well it does have a lucas pump however, I am regarding the car as disposable, having got it for next to nothing, pump out a scrapper will be easy to get hold of anyway.

davek-uk · Post by **davek-uk** » 21 Jul 2005, 18:29

Another good site is http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/forum/index.php

shezads · Post by **shezads** » 21 Jul 2005, 18:37

If you have a lucas pump - then the pump will fail fairly soon. Unless you fit a twin tank system with the veg oil heated. You an modify seals in the pump - but this is difficult.
May be easier to swap for a bosch unit from a scrapyard - that way you can run on vegoil without serious failure.
Probably better to mix with 20 - 30 % diesel though.

AndersDK · Post by **AndersDK** » 21 Jul 2005, 19:25

Best filters which are both simple and effective are the mechanical centrifugal filters.
These were fitted to some cars back in the '60-es and '70-es. I had one of these : a Simca1501S.

Oscar Too · Post by **Oscar Too** » 21 Jul 2005, 19:43

There is a body of opinion that says that the seals on a BX fuel pump are so old they are likely to have perished anyway, and so will be impervious to veg oil. I know some members of this forum have had good experiences. Another school of thought says that the greater viscosity of veg oil causes Cav pumps to break their spindle. Watch this space.
O

davek-uk · Post by **davek-uk** » 22 Jul 2005, 14:44

Having just brought an old BX with a cav pump, is it possible to swap it for a bosch pump? The engine is a 1.9 n/a.

Allanxantia · Post by **Allanxantia** » 22 Jul 2005, 18:22

Will a pump from a TD work? they are mostly bosch, but all the hassle of resetting timing etc.

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 22 Jul 2005, 18:52

The TD pump would work, you'd have to blank off the enrichment pipe to avoid dirt getting in, and you'd have to calibrate (set it up so it gives the power it should without smoking) it for a non-turbo engine too. I think TD pumps are set up more conservatively off boost than the non-turbo ones.
If you change from a Bosch pump to Lucas or vice versa I think the injector pipes will be different.

Allanxantia · Post by **Allanxantia** » 22 Jul 2005, 21:54

Do you get non turbo bosch pumps?

James.UK · Post by **James.UK** » 22 Jul 2005, 22:21

About a year ago I bought some new veg oil from a shop, about 30 litres in total I think it was.. Cost about 40p a litre, and I just kept adding it straight from the can untill I ran out.. It must have been about 70-80% veg oil mix at the end but the car ran better on it performance wise, but was not quite as econimic in terms of miles per litre.. About a 10% loss I think, but the car ran well on it, and it doesn't seem to have had any adverse effects..
I just filled up localy at 91.9 a litre... [:(!] hmmmm time to go shopping again? [;)] heh heh .. [:o)] [:D] [:D]
edit.. Doh.. forgot to say a coffee filter should work ok.. [:I]
.
.

jono · Post by **jono** » 23 Jul 2005, 04:20

Regarding filtration of vegi oil you can always use cotton wool. A 2 litre plastic bottle, cut the bottom off, invert it with the cap off,loosly pack the cotton wool to fill one third of the bottle, suspend over clean container and let gravity and the cotton wool clean the oil. You can make as many as necessary.[:D][:D][:D]
Regards
Jon