Cant afford petrol?

[DimPrawn]

As I run 50/50, I avoid the gunking up.

Well looking at the biodiesel sites, sticking more than about 20% veg oil into mineral diesel is storing up engine trouble down the line, otherwise people would have been doing this yrs ago.

Might be worth it if you are running a £500 vehicle into the ground, but over a few yrs, the engine will suffer with using SVO.

[ASB]

As I run 50/50, I avoid the gunking up.

Out of interest how long have you been running 50/50. I would have thought that was going to be quite prejudicidal over extended periods (glaze etc).

As a Pajero it's obviously an import. Is the recommended fuel spec exactly the same in the Japanese home market as it is in Europe?

I must admit I have toyed with the idea for the Landcruiser, but couldn't be bothered.

[Edit: DP got there first. The reason I was asking about the fuel spec is because I believe there is a lot of Biodiesel used in quite high rations in Japan and maybe they use some slightly different components to eas the issues]

[sparklelard]

I've been running bio-diesel for the last month, but I know of people who have been doing this for a least a year with no problems.

[datestamp]

If there is a problem:

One thing that will happen is that your cold starts will begin to deteriorate. Then your filter will probably start plugging. Then your injectors will likely, in time, get coked up. Then the spray pattern will be wonky. Then you'll set the stage for ring sticking, glazing of the cylinder walls, increased lube oil consumption and eventual engine failure

Then it can't be long before somebody invents an additive to sort out some of the problems. A catalyst? An emulsifier? Who knows. But even ordinary petrol had "anti-knock" devised years ago to get over any certain problems. Surely the scientists must be able to come up with some equally terrifyingly dangerous chemical to throw in your fuel tank to get a better bang for your buck?

PS what happened to hydrogen powered cars, they promised us 30 years ago?

[milanbenes]

the answer then appears to be watch this space for more news from Sparklehead

Milan.

[datestamp]

Interesting: Using Vegetable oil as a diesel fuel

[DimPrawn]

Well if I had a diesel and it was well out of warranty I'd give it a go.

Watch for very cold weather as the viscosity of veg oil means trouble starting at high % mix with mineral diesel.

[threaded]

One of my neigbouring farmers runs his truck thingy on stuff he mixes in a bath out in one of the sheds. Gets pretty cold up here, so don't think he has a viscosity problem.

[sparklelard]

As a Pajero it's obviously an import. Is the recommended fuel spec exactly the same in the Japanese home market as it is in Europe?

The engine in the Pajero is the same as the Shogun. The imports have a higher equipment level. The only thing that I had to do was to have the diesel pump fuel seals replaced, as the UK diesel is different to that supplied in Japan.

[AtW]

Well looking at the biodiesel sites, sticking more than about 20% veg oil into mineral diesel is storing up engine trouble down the line, otherwise people would have been doing this yrs ago.

Manufacturers don't mind so long as you follow recommended %-gaes, and I think they recommend to keep at least 50% diesel, so its 50% oil. It should not affect engine at all -- bio-diesel is available officially, but its just very limited in terms of places where to buy.