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[embed]http://vimeo.com/5188520[/embed]

A refreshingly funny and very well produced video. Good thing I am not this funny or I wouldn't get anything done..
-Leon

I have been thinking, or rather fascinating about how the diesel engine works.  If you are like me; you can't help but visualize the inner workings of mechanical devices.  While driving down the road, I can literally "see" the injectors pumping veggie oil into the compression chamber a little before the piston reaches the top of its stroke...I did a two day road trip a couple weeks ago and the mind wonders...

Anyway, it got me to thinking about some of the workings of diesel engines and the differences between diesel fuel and WVO.  It is a beautiful think how well vegetable oil works in the diesel engine and it still puts a smile on my face every time my truck switches over from diesel to veggie.  However, I never really looked into the properties of the fuel other than the energy content and viscosity.  It is common knowledge that the primary issue with WVO is the difference in viscosity and that pre-heating the oil to 160F is necessary to match the viscosity of d

My first mistake was leaving the house without the roll of paper towel, I had it under my arm at one point but must have set it down before it made it to the truck. Oh well, I was on my way now and no turning back. The focus on centrifuge manufacturing has taken my attention from oil collection and now my supplies have run dry. I was headed to meet up with another local Greaser that had an extra tote of oil for me.

I had met Randy about a year previously when we both spoke to a community environmental group at the College of Charleston. Randy is a retired doctor that started using and collecting oil about six years ago. Starting with cubies then moving on to 55gallon drums then finally to 275gallon totes he has a nice clean shop with about 2000 gallon capacity. Randy's collection method is quite unique in that he actually gets the oil directly from the fryers after hours and replaces it with fresh oil. This allows him to have absolute quality control and ultimately,

Pardon me while I get a little philosophical; fact is, the business part of this website ( The Raw Power Centrifuge) is doing very well and I thank my many happy customers for their show of faith.

However, while the centrifuge and its aggressive pricing has contributed to the WVO community in a positive way, the original purpose of this site was to be a community hub for the development of designs relating to WVO. ie, vehicle conversions, collection systems, filtering systems, ect. The concept is that if the community contributes to the designs, the designs will be Open Source and free to the community. Kinda a “many hands makes light work” and everyone benefits.

Where I am coming from:

Two years ago, when I woke up and told my wife “I wanted to drive a vehicle on vegetable oil” I got on the net to gather information on how to do it. Almost immediately I found two things:

Thursday afternoon, 7pm, dusk, and I just closed the hood to my truck after changing the diesel fuel line check valves mounting on engine heads. One had broken allowing veggie to be pumped into the diesel tank (see last post).

Tomorrow, I was planning a 500 mile trip up to Washington DC to attend the Collective Biodiesel Conference. So, I kinda left it to the last minute..again. I even left it to the last minute of the day, and didn't start the process until almost 3pm. Luckily, since I had done this once before, I had a good idea of the process. To access the front drivers side, you must loosen the alternator mount and push it forward. To access the passenger rear, you must remove the turbo manifold. You should do the front one first to get your wrenches and method figured

For the forth of July weekend, my wife Ann and I decided to go camping outside of Asheville, NC. For the 800mile trip, I ran a batch of oil through my trusty Raw Power Centrifuge and filled up my 90Gallon tank. I had not been doing much driving lately and had a little less that a quarter of fuel in the diesel tank. As always, I brought along a light tool box however normaly it contains a replacement filter; I had used my last filter coming home from the Keys and had neglected to get a replacement. (ominous foreshadowing)

We hit the road out of Charleston, SC Thursday in the midst of the 5pm rush (as usual) but made good time to Spartanburg where we started for a quick dinner. Then things got interesting: When I started the, now hot, truck back up and flipped the veggie system back on. The veggie pump came on as per normal but the diesel pump did not turn off. After a few moments of flipping things on and off

Monday of Memorial Day.

I found myself on a 50' sport fishing boat, anchored, drinking beer and taking in the sun and the passing bikinis. Who would have expected that also on the boat was a senior Cummins Engineer that specialized in fuel system development. We talked, and drank more beer. This is what I gathered from the conversion in respect to WVO as an alternative fuel in diesel engines.

1. Clean it - Literally the first thing he said was that it needed to be clean of solid contaminants. Obviously the fuel needs to pass through the injectors, but he also pointed out that the fuel is also the lubrication for parts of the fuel delivery system. Abrasive contaminants in the oil will cause scoring in the injector and IP parts leading to a costly repair. Also, generally speaking, newer engines have much smaller injector sizes require

I bought a Frybrid 04-07 Dodge Truck conversion and I don't even know anyone with a Dodge truck!

My "Master Plan" is do a series of conversion reviews from the leading conversion builders. When I was getting into WVO it was endlessly frustrating trying to compare the various kits on the market. I intend to change that and, since I don't have any affiliation with any of the manufactures, I don't have any problem saying what I honestly think. Such as " $50 and a trip to the hardware store will get you as far as this kit". Possibly I am pessimistic, but I do think that there are a few out there that are taking advantage of the non technical public. That said, I am starting with one that I feel confident to be one of the best.

Now, here is the opportunity, I can review the kit and parts on my bench and that will provide some value. However, we really need to install it.