Jetta TDI Running on WVO

Finally

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +0000

I was finally able to throw the switch a couple days ago on the new system and after a few hiccups with the VOController I can report all is good. I shot a bunch of video during the install so if i ever get the time I hope to upload my install experience.

I started the install on Labor Day and between family time, resting from the work week, and the swine flu I managed to install the system in stages and still drive the car as needed. First I did the plumbing, then the fuel lines (not fun depending on a 4.5g fuel tank, but I don't drive far to work most days) and finally the electric.

I feel this system is more robust then my previous system and is based on my expreience with the original KungPaoJetta. In the end it was a self assembled system that worked best for me - the best parts from different kit makers.

Before I threw the switch with 92,300 miles I made sure to get an oil report. This provides some idea of the state of the engine before the conversion. I do have some concerns about the report but at least I know the issues with the iron and the concern that the oil looks older then it is are not caused by the conversion. This is something I need to pay attention to with the next report. The engine oil was changed before I threw the switch. The car sat for several months after purchase and the engine oil is over a year old.

Here is a view of the engine bay as of today. You can see much but you get an idea of the general lay out of things. As I said I hope to add more information as I have time.

Because of my short drives to work and the time it takes for oil to get hot I do not anticipate switching to vegetable oil that often. This is due to the damage that can occur to the engine if oil is injected into a cold engine. Anyone who has read this plug and/or done their homework knows this is a big concern for anyone who plans on going the WVO route and preserving the life of their engine.

Stuck valve

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 05:41:00 +0000

As I was about to move onto the fuel portion of my install when I noticed that one of my HydraForce Valves wasn't making the "clicking" sound it usually makes for the on/off action. After further review I noticed that the other 2 were not functioning either. Basically they are stick from sitting for 6 months with SVO in them

Currently the plumbing (coolant) on the car is finished and I am driving it normally. I thought I would ask over on the Biodiesel & SVO forums ask if they can be cleaned and if so how. I tried glycerin, PB Blaster & Purple Power with no luck.

Mr. Anderson who I respect quite a bit recently posted a video demonstrating flow rates and more importantly that the Hydraforce valves can leak(the leaking is in the 2nd video)

I don't visit the forums very often but I'm glad I stumbled upon this because I could have installed my valves and had this problem. It also shows how one needs to be on top of the changes and corrections that are being made. Unfortuantely the thread has deteriorated into a war of words

Although Mr. Anderson's valves are expensive ($160+ each)I will want the piece of mind and will have to wait till I get the new valves before I can continue with my install. Someone in the post mentioned Omar's valves he is selling on eBay but I like the idea of a metal housing.

Laying the parts out

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:01:00 +0000

I shot a little video laying everything out. I didn't go into much detail about things - I forgot to mention most importantly that you should get a manual of some type. I did my first install with the Haynes manual pictured right but have since purchased the Bentley Publishing full blown service manual ($100), other then confirming the coolant flow direction I haven't really needed the Bentley version. Just make sure you get the right manual.

I'm hoping to have more detail as I proceed with the install. One thing I found is that during both installs there are many trips to the hardware store and orders to Mcmaster.com. It seems even with most things figured out it is still trial and error for me.

Some notes about the video

I didn't really show all the hose barbs, tees & thread size adapters one will need during the install. For example, if you're gonna do HIH you will need at least 4- 3/4" brass tees. The pile of tubing in the video is pulled from my other as is most of the kit. I also didn't mention the relays, or the fact that you needs two jack stands to get the rear of the car elevated . . .I'm hoping to go into more detail for each section of the install along with a parts list and budget.

Prep, Prep, Prep . . . & more Prep

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:09:00 +0000

I'm very close to starting the install of my SVO system on my '02 Jetta TDI wagon version 2.0. I've had a few things going on so it's been hard to set aside the time (and lack of car) to get started. Looks as though this upcoming week will provide the opportunity. Hopefully 3-4 days max.

Currently I only need a few minor parts that I will get locally at a NAPA store - tried both Pep Boys and Kragen because they were closer today but basically they are a joke for anything serious.

I've read the manual for the VOControl computer I purchased from Plantdrive that I'll be using and it is a very sophisticated system with alot of options to tweak the system. I'll dive more into the setting once I get it up and running.

Other than finding the correct wires for the ignition "on" & "off" it looks pretty straight forward. Then again I've been down this road once before.

The wiring harness (pictured above) is very cool because everything is labeled for it's purpose, this makes it alot easier to hook up.

The install will brake down into 3 distinct areas.

plumbing
fuel
electric.

I've been spending alot of time thinking about the plumbing (READ: procrastination) since this is the part I will start with and is arguably the most complicated. I want to make sure I have everything - once I cut the hoses the car is off the road but if I have to I can drive the car once the plumbing is complete - before starting fuel or electric.

Before getting too far along there are a couple of things to re-remind anyone doing a conversion.

We're assuming here that you have done all your research and are not entering this lightly. Only do the SVO thing if you drive long distances or will only switch to oil on the longer drives (this might be a challenge with a doughnut tank system, plus the thrill of driving for free). Short drives will not generate the heat required to get the oil to temperature. Depending on the ambient temperature and how you drive it could be 15 minutes before you can safely switch. ( ie: I drive 8 miles to work each way, mostly surface streets. This journey takes me about 20-25 minutes. I generally won't switch because by the time I have to purge I haven't used that much oil and I will only be removing diesel from a very small tank through the purging process. If you switch too early you will trash your engine.
Do an oil analysis before you throw the switch. This gives you a baseline for the condition of your engine that you can compare other oil changes to down the road. This is important to have any idea if you are damaging your engine.
Read Eg Beggs additional points to think about

Just wanted to get that out there one more time before we get started.

One last thing I've been thinking about is the capacity of the doughnut tank and not switching over on my daily commute to work. I'll still switch over on the longer drives I sometimes do for work but these currently are few. I started to think that the small tank wouldn't be practical, but I really want to keep my spare. I used to get about a week out of it before refilling - but that was with some veggie driving, but I also purged more diesel than I had to.

There is one mod I can do to the doughnut tank that will increase it's useful capacity. When I originally received the tank I noticed that the fuel pick up tube was too short and not at the best angle for maximum capacity. I spoke to Craig at Plantdrive about it and I just never followed up on it. I ended up jury rigging an extension to the tube to get it closer to the bottom of the tank. I assume it helped but it seems I can still get it closer to the bottom of the tank. If this doesn't provide enough fuel for my new driving habits I will have to switch to a tank that replaces the spare. $$$ bummer

When is a TDI's 190º really 150º

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Tue, 12 May 2009 04:45:00 +0000

When I sold my original Kungpao Jetta I was introduced to a Scangauge II. The fella who purchased my car brought along a TDI head who knew alot about TDI's and had one installed on his TDI Beetle. Basically it is a display that ties into the onboard computer (via VAG-COM connector) of the vehicle and gives you various information- such as instant MPG, RPMs, mile to fill up, etc, and the most important thing for vegheads - water temperature.

What I noticed immediately after installing one in my newly acquired 2002 TDI wagon was the discrepancy between the TDI's onboard water temperature gauge and the temperature the ScanGauge II was indicating. When the the TDI indicates 190º the SG2 shows 150º. The temperature will make it 190º+ but the initial 190º displayed on the dash is incorrect*. Now, to me this is very important if you have a manually controlled WVO system. My previous way of switching over to WVO was to wait until the water temp gauge of the TDI indicated 190º, then a would add an extra minute or two then throw the switch.

One can see the problem here - if 160º is our intended temp. of the oil and the water that is heating the oil is only at 150, then it ain't gonna be at 160 at injection. Not to mention that these temp readings are w/o a WVO system installed so you have to figure it will take longer to reach temp because the cool oil is going to remove heat from the water as the oil is heated (heat sink).

Even if the coolant is at 150º, I figure that the engine is at normal operating temperature and the oil is being injected into a hot engine (injecting oil into an engine that is not at operating temp is a HUGE NO-NO. Getting the oil to 160º before injection helps reduce viscosity, reducing strain on the IP and provides a better spray pattern in the combution chamber.

With an automated system (computer controled such as Plantdrive's or Frybrid's) this all may be moot as the automated systems generally include their own temperature sensor for the engine's coolant. Thereby not switching over to oil until it's temp sensor indicates the coolant is at the predetermined temp.

Of course everything is also relative to the ambient temperature. If it's cool or cold outside the engine will be cooler also.

Here is a video on how to do a clean Scangauge install on a TDI

*I have noticed that the time it takes to get to engine's H20 to 190º is directly related to the intensity with which one drives. Drive mellow and it takes awhile and in some istances never makes it to 190 - settling around 185 or so. Drive agressively or get on the freway and it makes it to 190 and higher much quicker. This is important because if you switch over and the H2O never makes it to 190 your oil might not be at 160.

Gone but not forgotten

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:28:00 +0000

From the start I wanted a TDI wagon but in 2006 when I started down the WVO road they were even more expensive than now. I also didn't want to spend a fortune on an "experiment" so I opted for the lesser expensive sedan.

There are two big reasons & one small one I recently purchased a wagon.

1.) It's better for work. In my line of business I sometimes need to bring some equipment with me.
2.) It's an automatic so my wife feels more comfortable driving it.
3.) All TDI wagons are made in Germany, my Jetta sedan, which runs great is made in Mexico.

So now that I am happy with the results I purchased a 2002 Jetta TDI I found on craigslist agragator foobert's TDI hunt. The car was outside Philly and I had it trucked to CA. In hindsight it was purchased at the worst time - gas prices where on their way down (it took a couple months to negotiate the price and work things out) and TDI's finally being let into California .

My initial plan was to sell the original kungpao jetta and drive the new wagon until the summer when I get my annual hiatus from work. That hasn't worked well, with gas becoming cheap and the kungpao not selling I decided to pull the VO kit off the car and try and sell it as a straight diesel. That didn't work either because as mentioned above the new clean diesels were entering the state and as I noticed on Craigslist a lot of sellers where selling their current TDI to get a new clean TDI. Then there's the economy and to be quite honest other than putting it in Craigslist a few times I haven't tried very hard to sell it because of my work schedule.

I am going to start the process again and document it from the beginning as opposed to starting the blog afterward. It will be a slow initial process as I will only have the weekends until the end of April and I have other things in life that keep me busy.

Although it will be more Plantdrive specific the concept will be universal and the parts are easily exchangeable. I have the advantage of doing this once before.

Hopefully by the end it will be a good instuction manual for anyone looking for a how to and perhaps even a video out of it.

141k and all is well - Latest Oil report

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 03:54:00 +0000

Latest oil report shows everything is good.

Oil had 4000 miles on it when changed. I made sure to purchase the oil with the exact spec as per the owners manual.

First Long drive on Veggie - LA to San Fran

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 06:23:00 +0000

Just did my first long drive on the car since it was converted. Drove a total of 770 miles driving from LA to SF. A couple notes:

Averaged low to mid 40's MPG which includes some city driving in San Fran and some serious sitting in traffic on the 101 (2hours) in stop and go crawling traffic. 770 miles on 18g
Oil temp on road was 210ºF when idling on freeway in 80ºF plus temps. Freeway temp was 180º with VegTherm and injection line heater on. 165º when electric heat was off
Checked engine oil before leaving and checked when returned and no oil burning as far as I can tell.

On a side note I have noticed a quicker rise to temperature since adding the 2nd relay. There is less loss of energy since the power is only traveling to the Vegtherm /ILHs from the relay and not traveling along 25' of 10g wire to the dashboard through a switch and then to the Vegtherm/ILH and in the proces losing some of it's energy through heat (especially at the switch). Of course ambient temperature plays a factor.

What is this stuff in the Vormax?

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 07:28:00 +0000

Car is running good - hence no new posts.

One thing that has been around for a few months now is this stuff at the bottom of the Vormax. It's not the same stuff as I mentioned before as this looks different and does appear to be going anywhere. The only thing I can think of what it might be is is dissolved solids - now obviously undissolved.

Because I heat the oil when filtering, to get it to flow better, I'm thinking that there must be some things that dissolve in the process then re solidify when the oil cools.

The strange thing is that I don't remember placing any hot/warm oil in the tank recently. In the past I have filled the tank while filtering (after checking for water) but now I realize it's best to let the oil settle. Besides I need to log whenever I add oil to the car for tax purposes.

Vormax sediment from Joe B on Vimeo.

I have not noticed any sediment in the bottom of the filtered oil cubees. I do feel it is safe to assume that this same sediment is on the bottom of my OEM tank, unless this stuff settles out as the Vormax cools.

For the time being I'm not concerned because the system is always purged back to diesel so I don't think stuff has had a chance to settle in the shared parts of the fuel system. I can always open the drain valve on the Vormax or remove the clear jar and inspect. The stuff in the main fuel tank (if any) would be another matter

The Racor filter has the same sediment though seems to be much less. Perhaps a long hot drive might clear things up.

Cost of SVO rises too

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 05:38:00 +0000

I went to Costco today and while there checked the price of new soybean oil in a 35lb cubee - $26.89.

$26.89
$3.36 (sales taxes - CA 8.25%)

= $30.25
divided by 4.5G

= $6.72 per gallon
+ ¢ 24.4 per gallon federal road tax
+ ¢ 18 per gallon state road tax

$7.144 per gallon for new unused SVO. And that's not even high-test (canola)

OUCH!

TDI demos arriving at dealers

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:44:00 +0000

Auto Blog Green has a post about the new diesel Jetta TDIs arriving at dealers. The EPA has them rated at 30/41 mpg.

2nd relay added

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:35:00 +0000

Some time ago I added a switch that allowed me turn off the electrical portion of the heater system. By default the Plantdrive kit (at least when I purchased mine) wires the Vegtherm and 6 port Pollak fuel selector valves together on the same switch. To do this a relay is used. I didn't really know what the relay did, I just installed as directed.

Because the Vegtherm and resistance wire I added draw a large amount of amperage one must use large gauge wire for these items. Since a switch is used you must get a very high amperage one. The problem with this is that you end up running 10 gauge wire through out the dash which isn't practical. A relay lets you use smaller gauge wire for the switch portion of the system but yet deliver the high amperage load to the destination (Vegtherm / resistance wire in this case).

As mentioned, the electric heaters and Pollak are on the same switch and hence relay. When I added the separate switch to turn off the electric portion of the system I had to connect it to the high amperage output of the relay. This required using heavy duty (10G) wire to the dash and switch. After I burned out the second switch with a rating of 3o amps I installed a switch with a 50amp rating. This switch worked fine but would still get hot at the connectors and I never fully installed it into the dash because it wouldn't fit as it was too large for the knockout (forgot to take a picture).

After the 2nd switch burned up I posted a question on the forums about finding a 50amp switch and someone suggested I add an additional relay. Today I did that and it seems to be working. I have to post again to see if I wired it correctly since I just mirrored the existing relay. I have to put the wiring harnesses back on

wiring is as follows:

Left relay (original)
red on top is power in from breaker (the thing between them)
green is switch output to fuel selection valve(Pollak / 3 port valves) w/additional 12v supply
black wire ground
bottom red provides high amperage output to second relay on right

Right relay (new)
red on top power in from left relay
black ground
red on bottom is high amperage output to Vegtherm/injection line heaters
Blue is to electric on/off switch in dash w/additional 12v supply

Update: I had to pull power for the 12v switched power supply for the 2nd relay(blue wire) from the diesel/VO switch so that the 2nd relay is only powered when the switch is thrown to VO. Otherwise the relay would be on all the time and I would have to remember to switch it on or off.

There are other ways to do this (see smellslikefries's consol). My system is extremely manual and computer controlled systems are available along with variations on what I've down.

WVO filtering & DeWater setup v2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:38:00 +0000

The video is of my filtering & dewatering setup v2.0. As stated in the video my initial filtering set up had 2 tanks but after doing "batch" processing I realized that I did not need both tanks.

Disclaimer: This is only my take on the SVO filtering/dewatering thing. Do your research and make your own conclusion. I could be totally wrong about this stuff.

Reason for changing to one tank/barrel:

My oil will eventually settle in the cubee if left long enough. Ambient heat will speed things up
Other than storage & settling the 1st barrel is only used when dewatering. Dewatwering 2 tanks takes twice as much energy and is overkill.
Keeping oil in cubees lessens chances of condensation forming and reintroducing water into filtered oil while stored.
new location eliminates chance of rainwater contamination and allows for convenient fill up of car while filtering oil
Living in SoCal there is less chance of spillage in cubees than the barrel due to chance of earthquakes.
Saves my arm by not having to manually pump oil from 1st tank to second

How does it work:

Oil settles in cubees for a minimum of 2 weeks. Since I don't use that much oil it tends to be much longer longer.
After settling, oil is poured through a 10/5 micron double sock filter.
Once barrel is filled it is slowly heated to approx 100º for 4 days using a pipe heater.
After 4 days of heating it is pumped through a Permacool 2 micron canister filter using a 12v pump from Northern Tool. One could use whatever pump you choose.
Oil is processed as a batch and barrel is virtually empty when not in use. Clean oil is stored inside in cubees or pumped directly into car

Testing for water:

This is based on the FryBrid crackle test.

After 3/4 days of heating oil fill up a empty cubee rinse with warm oil to remove any remaining sediment and fill halfway with clean warm oil & shake vigorously. Dump rinse oil into sediment container for resettling
preheat frypan to 320ºf
using a syringe or paperclip gather and drop a small drop of oil onto the hot frypan
Using a magnifying glass quickly examine the droplet for bubbles and/or the sound of crackling.
There should be none or very little. Please see the frybrid page for what is acceptable

MISC

Barrel is elevated to allow for easier draining of sludge when required
Influenced by ecojetta's single tank solution

Pictured right is the draw tube that goes in the bulge hole. I added the "j" pattern. Bottom of tube is approx. 7" off bottom of barrel.

Pictured right is the filter element that I removed due to straining of 12v pump. ecojetta uses the same element but uses a 120v pump. I kept the canister in line because I had already installed it. It is empty now

Diesel Hits new Highs

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Mon, 26 May 2008 21:37:00 +0000

I'm now over $5 / Gallon for diesel. American Public radio's Market Place did a piece on the high price of diesel. Ouch, Sure wish I could drive on the SVO more than I do. Some folks do the Biodiesel thing in the diesel tank but I figure that I am taxing the engine enough with the SVO so i best give it a rest when I can.

New York Times article about new clean diesels coming soon

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Sat, 17 May 2008 15:33:00 +0000

The New York Times has an article about the impending invasion of clean diesels into the US starting this summer. Unfortunately with diesel fuel at record highs ($4.65/G for me) it isn't as great a deal as it used to be. Still a really good article.

Engine oil analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Sat, 10 May 2008 00:24:00 +0000

Just got back my engine oil report. I wasn't looking forward to it because I was afraid of the results based on what might be the case with this whole veggie conversion thing - switching over too early, forgetting to purge, etc.

I don't know too much about the history of the car other than the previous owner told me he used synthetic oil. Ever since I bought the car I have been taking it to a local quick lube place to have the oil changed (every 3000 miles or so - in 2 years I have only put on approx 12k) Although they use Mobil One synthetic I am not sure which one they use I took a guess that it was Mobil One for Diesel Trucks, I will find out.
Update: I stop by my oil place and they use Mobil One Delvac for synthetic diesel applications

Looks as though it is good news as there looks to be no problems. Importantly the aluminum, and iron metals look normal. High metal numbers indicate oil / engine problems. The calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, & zinc are additives and vary from manufacturer to manufactuerer:

From Black Stone Lab's FAQ:

Why are my molybdenum, boron, calcium, phosphorus, and zinc levels different from universal averages?

We do not separate out the various oil brands and grades when we calculate universal averages, so in effect, the universal averages are a mix of all different types of oil out there. Therefore, the additives that are present in your sample will not match those in the universal averages column. Click here to see what all the elements mean and where they come from.

So Far, So Good

They have the mileage numbers mixed up and I will correct on next sample. Conversion was done @ 126k with a total of 137.5 K. Approx 11.5k since conversion.

More about Taxes . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Tue, 06 May 2008 05:28:00 +0000

Saw this article in the LA Times about California Veggie burners and there ignorance of the hauling & tax laws. Nothing new other than the Govenator is in the same boat and hopefully it will be changed. I wasn't aware that they raised the hauling license fee to $300 from $75 - Ouch!

Oil Change - 137, 755

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 06:38:00 +0000

Changed the oil this weekend. I believe synthetic oil is recommended for most VW TDI's. The 2002 that I drive requires an oil with the 505.00 spec. I have been having getting the oil changed at the local quick lube every 3,000 miles or so. Although they use a Mobil synthetic I'm not sure it is the Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel. I think the oil is good for up to 10,000 miles but with the veggie thing I figured I would keep it at 3,000 like I did on my gasoline Passat. It usually takes me over 6 months to achieve 3,000 miles .

I decided to purchase the oil & filter over the net and do it myself. It ended up saving about $10 and got to make sure the correct oil was used, though I did have to spend $20 on the correct oil filter wrench because I couldn't find one locally that would fit. Part of the wrench issue was because of the conversion as the 3 port valves wouldn't let me get the wrench in.

Things on the burner

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:02:00 +0000

137,502 miles

Been a little busy with work but I'm hoping to add some updates soon.

Filtering station v2.0 is almost done.
Some notes/video on current switch over times.
Will change motor oil and send in for analyst .

Time Magazine Article

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:51:00 +0000

Time has an article on the tremendous downside to biofuels - "The Clean Energy Scam".

Deforestation is the biggest problem as natural vegetation absorbs more carbon than croplands:

The environmental cost of this cropland creep is now becoming apparent. One groundbreaking new study in Science concluded that when this deforestation effect is taken into account, corn ethanol and soy biodiesel produce about twice the emissions of gasoline. Sugarcane ethanol is much cleaner, and biofuels created from waste products that don't gobble up land have real potential, but even cellulosic ethanol increases overall emissions when its plant source is grown on good cropland. "People don't want to believe renewable fuels could be bad," says the lead author, Tim Searchinger, a Princeton scholar and former Environmental Defense attorney. "But when you realize we're tearing down rain forests that store loads of carbon to grow crops that store much less carbon, it becomes obvious."

It goes on to say that while biofuels are only roughly 20% more green than conventional fuels, technology and more efficient fuels would improve it to 90%.

There was just one flaw in the calculation: the studies all credited fuel crops for sequestering carbon, but no one checked whether the crops would ultimately replace vegetation and soils that sucked up even more carbon. It was as if the science world assumed biofuels would be grown in parking lots. The deforestation of Indonesia has shown that's not the case. It turns out that the carbon lost when wilderness is razed overwhelms the gains from cleaner-burning fuels. A study by University of Minnesota ecologist David Tilman concluded that it will take more than 400 years of biodiesel use to "pay back" the carbon emitted by directly clearing peat lands to grow palm oil; clearing grasslands to grow corn for ethanol has a payback period of 93 years. The result is that biofuels increase demand for crops, which boosts prices, which drives agricultural expansion, which eats forests. Searchinger's study concluded that overall, corn ethanol has a payback period of about 167 years because of the deforestation it triggers.

World starvation increases because the land isn't used for food as farmers are paid more for the fuel crops.

The lesson behind the math is that on a warming planet, land is an incredibly precious commodity, and every acre used to generate fuel is an acre that can't be used to generate the food needed to feed us or the carbon storage needed to save us.

BioPete of Nashville

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:14:00 +0000

Came across this Blog through Google. Doesn't sound good, as he seems to be doing everything right but his TDI is having starting issues after 18000 miles since a conversion (13,ooo on WVO). I can not find the dates on his posts or what temp he is switching over.

18,000 mile entry

NashvilleBiodiesel.org

Freedom Fuels & Fields of Fuel

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:23:00 +0000

The Yahoo Southern California WVO & SVO users group had a recent post concerning 2 recent BioFilms. Fields of Fuel was an audience award winner at this years Sundance Film Festival. Unfortunately it isn't yet available to view online or rent. It will screen on April 11th at the Beverly Hills Film Festival.

Another film mentioned was Freedom Fuels from 2006 by Mofilms. It is available online and is about 49 minutes long.

Freedom Fuels covers:

Alternative Fuels History
Biodiesel
Ethanol
WVO/SVO

Below is an excerpt about the WVO/SVO movement:

Very Slick VO Tank

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:20:00 +0000

The Plantdrive.ca site (not the US Plantdrive.com site) has a slide show featuring one of their recent Jetta TDI conversions. The thing that caught my eye was a custom tank that the authorize installer made for the customer. I've seen a similar tank on another conversion but if I remember correctly that tank was made by the owner.

One of the main reasons I went with Plantdrive (other than their customer service) was their doughnut tank system. I didn't want to lose my trunk to a tank nor did I want to drive around without the spare tire.

The Doughnut tank has work out well but their are a few drawbacks:

Veggie is stored in the main tank - no problems yet but the tank wasn't designed for it.
No fuel level gauge - again not a big problem. When the car doesn't start on the first try I know it is time to fill up. I've never run out of diesel with the doughnut tank
In the winter it would be nice to have a larger dino tank since I don't switch often. I know with the way I drive that I simply should refill with diesel once a week.
4.5 Gallon tank requires a low profile wheel. A 2 gallon option uses the stock temporary spare. Here are some notes on the 2. This is an additional expense.

As you can see from the picture on the right of my trunk, the tank replaces a foam cutout that normally holds the jack and lug wrench. It also would let me add a HotFox fuel pick up, thereby heating oil as early in it's travel as possible.

Hopefully Plantdrive.com is looking into the possibility of adding this item to their catalog

Single Tank filter / dewater

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:00:00 +0000

Currently I don't use very much oil and the oil I use is fairly clean - used only once. After completing my 2-tank filter system it occurred to me that I could probably have achieved the same thing with one tank. Instead of using the first tank as a storage / settling tank I would (and do) just use the cubees for this.

I came across a post by ecojetta on the BurnVeg forum showing his single tank system. I really like the clever filter sock holder made from plastic drain pipe - is it easy to pour in the oil at that height? He also increased the length of the heater tape to 80'. He dewaters for 8 hours and then uses a motor to circulate oil through a 5 micron goldenrod. Other than the energy expelled circulating the oil it seems like a good idea (does circulating the oil disturb the water that has settled out?) as it would catch more foreign matter. The flat/thinner silver insulation seems like a better way too.

Check it out. He has plenty of pictures and a diagram

Alternator Pulley Failure & wvo = fix it yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Joe B) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 06:09:00 +0000

(136,673 miles)
About 10 days or so ago my car started squeaking at idle. For a day or so it was minor but then got louder. My initial thought was that it might be the water pump since I bought the car used and didn't know too much about the history of the car. The original owner told be that the belt was changed at 80k as required and the more I thought about it he had no reason to mislead me.

Living in California with a TDI means taking the car to a Diesel Guru as most mechanics & stealerships aren't familiar with them - especially with regards to a timing belt (the water pump is connected via the timing belt and one usually does both at the same time since it's so labor intensive). Once I took time to listen to the squeak I first thought it might be the steering pump. In the end the altenator pulley came off which isn't unusual.

Since we were dealing with serpentine belt area, it was a straight forward repair that any mechanic could do. The concern that comes to mind is having a mechanic work on the car after it's been moded to run on WVO. Like most small cars the engine bay on the TDI is cramped, especially with a WVO kit installed. So chances are that something will need to be moved out of the way for a repair. I'm figuring space is less of a concern with the bigger pick ups & Benz vehicles because in the videos/pix I've seen of these conversions there is plenty -o-room in the engine bay.

I decided to replace the alternator myself. I could have just replaced the pulley for $69 but a rebuilt 120amp alternator was $263. The OEM alternator on a 2002 Jetta TDI is 90AMPs. I figured with all the electricity I am pulling for the Vegtherm & line heaters it would be a good thing to upgrade. The only part of the veggie system I had to unhook were a few ground wires. I was able to move the purge valve out of the way without disconnecting it.

Below is a general info video