WVO-SVO users

[paladin1176]

So I finally was able to take old Gritty out and putz around the neighborhood (bald tires in the mud = slightly more pucker factor moments that I like). I run a mixture of 50-50 to 70-30 Pump/SVO fuel and I am getting a decent plume under load. It is HUGE when I first start, evens out reach cruising speed, and it doesn't matter if the engine is warm or not. I also get a continuous cloud if I start climbing a hill and it goes under load. Is this normal? I know that there is less oompf in WVO, so I see about a 10% reduction in efficiency but is the cloud on take off going to be a regular thing?

This might just make me take the plunge and start converting to Biodiesel and get it over with....

 

[Skinny]

Need history of truck/fuel system. Could be an IP failing or improperly calibrated, bad injector, etc.

My new IP in a stock tune will not blow any black smoke unless it is in cold/advance mode and I mat the skinny, then I get a tiny bit of particulate. I would safely assume you should only get a small amount at full throttle unless you touched the fuel screw.

In a Detroit 6.2, I would also assume stay away from any non diesel fuels unless you do your due diligence with filtration and expect to service the IP/injectors early in life.

 

[paladin1176]

History...here we go

Injector pump and all injectors rebuilt by Badger Diesel about 6 months ago
Glow plugs and GP relay replaced 1 year ago - all test fine
Spin on filter mod done
Replaced every fuel line on the top of the motor...going back to the tank later this summer
Haven't replaced the tank sock (yet)
Run Power Service additive - 8 oz in every tank

 

[paladin1176]

Well this is interesting. So I RTFM'd the fuel system and the mechanical pump is supposed to put out between 5.5 and 6.5 psi during cranking. With the new fuel gauge I have installed I arm reading between 9 and 11 in the input side of the filter. I know that over pressurizing the system is a bad thing, but a mechanical putting out double the pressure? I may have to look for a different problem...but at least this tells me that I am getting decent supply from the tank/sock.

 

[Keith_J]

Thicker fuel will increase the pressure drop through the filter. And could increase case pressure in the pump. This MAY compensate for lower energy density or it may be over-fueling. You won't know until you measure pressure at the case.

 

[paladin1176]

At the case? As in measure fuel pressure where it goes into the IP?

 

[fastbuckink]

I've done 3 wvo conversions. I use a dual tank setup on them. Heating the wvo is key so it has the same viscosity as diesel. When the fuel is too thick you see power loss, stalling, filter clogging and worse. My brother snapped the shaft on the injector pump when he switched too early. At the very least install a flat plate heat exchanger on the fuel line. What are you doing to clean the wvo? Whenever i hear someone say they destroyed their tuck running oil, its usually because they don't filter it properly.

 

[paladin1176]

Right now I am just filtering the easy way, once through nylons for big junk, once through a 20 micron pre filter, then into the tank and through the new spin on I have. As much as I like not having to convert to Bio...I am thinking I might have to. Mainly because I can't run my GMC Duramax on it without issues...and I want to be able to fill them both up from home.

 

[paladin1176]

At the very least install a flat plate heat exchanger on the fuel line.

That sounds like a decent idea....got any pics/links to what you run? I don't really WANT to do a dual tank setup unless I have no other choice. I would however be happy with heating up my primary fuel line and running mix WVO/pump.

 

[fastbuckink]

Ill take pictures today. I don't run a flat plate heat exchanger currently, but i have used them in the past.

 

[Skinny]

How many miles are you driving and is it really worth to run on non-diesel fuel? It's one thing to kill a 6.2 diesel IP, I wouldn't be chancing it with more expensive Duramax parts. Just seems like with all the work and extra steps to get fuel, you are taking big chances for little gain.

I would verify the same symptoms on pump diesel and head back to the rebuilder if it persists IMO.

 

[fastbuckink]

The 2 solenoids shown are for tank selection and return line selection.

When set to diesel it pulls from the diesel tank and returns to the diesel tank. When set to wvo it pulls form the wvo tank and returns to the wvo tank. When set to purge it pulls form the diesel tank and returns to the wvo tank to clean out the lines. The fuel system has been re-plumbed. This was done to isolate the filters so I would not have wvo going through the diesel filter. The fuel lines go from the tanks to filters, then to the selecting valve, fuel pump to injector pump.

This is a racor heated filter housing for the wvo.
The heater lines were cut and plumbed to the tank into a heated fuel pick-up then returned.

The stuff on the top of the tank is a no drip connector i use to fill it and the return line is teed into it. The clear tube is just a vent.
It's real easy to do on these trucks because of the room in them. Doing my brothers gmc3500 van was much harder to plumb everything.

 

[paladin1176]

How many miles are you driving and is it really worth to run on non-diesel fuel? It's one thing to kill a 6.2 diesel IP, I wouldn't be chancing it with more expensive Duramax parts. Just seems like with all the work and extra steps to get fuel, you are taking big chances for little gain.

I would verify the same symptoms on pump diesel and head back to the rebuilder if it persists IMO.

Running about 45-50 miles a day 6 days a week. That's just for my regular work, I can end up going to 2 or 3 jobs in a different day and rack up 100 miles fairly quick. Using WVO is great because it instantly halves my fuel costs....provided it works correctly.