Can you really run a car on used vegetable oil?

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   andrewwilliams63posted 13 years ago

   Can you really run a car on used vegetable oil?

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   POWERS1205posted 13 years ago

   Yes, but primarily diesel engines that have a modified fuel system to handle it. I had a customer the other day that was showing me how he modified the intake system to allow the used oil to burn efficiently. That's really the big trick to it. The liquid has to be vaporized well enough to burn and the system designed to hopefull not clog up when it cools.

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   arksysposted 13 years ago

   Yes with deisel engine cars... i know a 1970's model benz that made it from germany to pakistan using vegetable oil about a quarter of the length.

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   how to manposted 13 years ago

   You can actually buy conversion kits to run a diesel vehicle on vegetable oil. The vehicle must be started using diesel. This type of fuel is best suited for those who do a lot of driving. For Vegetable oil to be used, it must be filtered properly and warmed to a certain temperature. Short distance driving wouldn't work very well due to the engine needing to reach that temperature first. Check out some other alternative vehicles such as natural gas vehicles http://www.naturalgas-vehicles.com and solar cars http://www.solarpowered-cars.com.

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   LeisureLifeposted 13 years ago

   Oh, how far we have come...
   
   http://leisurelife.hubpages.com/hub/Aff … Generation

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   homesteadpatchposted 13 years ago

   With some modification a diesel engine can be ran on vegetable oil.  However some problems with viscosity will occur in colder climates (the oil is too thick at low temperatures).  Keep in mind the creator of the diesel engine, Rudolf Diesel, designed his engine to run on peanut oil, and this was back in 1900.  The idea was that a vegetable oil was cheaper than petroleum. 
   
   A gasoline powered engine cannot readily be adapted to run on vegetable oil.  Interestingly, a gas engine can run on the combustion air from a wood fire (wood smoke).  But this is something altogether different, and much more involved.

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