# Using vegetable oil as a diesel substitute/additive



## User Friendly (Nov 25, 2021)

Hi

Looking for advice and opinions on using veg oil as fuel 

My buddy, who has converted several vehicles from diesel to used vegetable oil thinks the Mitsubushi engine in my Iseki 150 is designed to run on veg oil without any conversions, as long as the fuel pipes are metal and not plastic 

He also recommended asking around on the tractor forums to be on the safe side 

Thanks


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

User Friendly said:


> Hi
> 
> Looking for advice and opinions on using veg oil as fuel
> 
> ...


I run about 50/50 blend of diesel and 100% peanut oil in the summer when it's on sale in the 2 or 5 gallon jugs. Just prior to C19, that Christmas of 2019, Walmart had the 5-gallons on sale for $3 each. So, I stocked up. 

The issues with veggi oil or other bio-oils is NOT to let them go rancid. Fresh is always best. If you have a cool cellar kept out of the sunlight, store it there. 

Most of the time, the peanut oil is USA made when you read the jugs. 

As for soy oil, much of that actually is imported from Argentina and is costing out farm industry and farm grants huge losses as it's not the soy we grow here in the USA. 400 million gallons of soy biodiesel in 2016 was used alone. It's even higher in 2021. 

Soy does run cleaner than peanut. Peanut gives off a nice smell.  Soy not so much unless you like smelling hair that is burning. LOL 

Unless the other oils are cheaper per gallon, then watch your costs overall. 

Blending works the best as it ensures good starting, good engine running temps, no clogged injectors, no clogged filters and you can store the veggi oil easily.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

That is interesting. I may try some in one of my Kubota's this summer.


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## thepumpguysc (Jan 25, 2015)

Hmm.. a 50-50 mix does sound inviting given the price.. (playing devil’s advocate now) What happens when u go to fill up and the pump says 20-80% Bio fuel.??
Long ago when “alternative” fuels hit the market and people were making their own fuel.. Bosch the leading manufacturer of diesel fuel systems came out w a Service Bulletin “disclaimer” stating that only systems 
w 10% or less A. F. are recommended in their fuel systems..
Basically, ur on your own if u decide to make ur own fuel.. (chicken grease, peanut oil, etc)
And at 10%, the savings aren’t worth it.


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## User Friendly (Nov 25, 2021)

bmaverick said:


> Soy does run cleaner than peanut. Peanut gives off a nice smell.  Soy not so much unless you like smelling hair that is burning. LOL


Yeah, you can smell my buddy comming, like a fish and chip shop 

Looking at oilseed rape (canola?) or corn round here 

You mentioned summer only


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## User Friendly (Nov 25, 2021)

thepumpguysc said:


> Hmm.. a 50-50 mix does sound inviting given the price.. (playing devil’s advocate now) What happens when u go to fill up and the pump says 20-80% Bio fuel.??
> Long ago when “alternative” fuels hit the market and people were making their own fuel.. Bosch the leading manufacturer of diesel fuel systems came out w a Service Bulletin “disclaimer” stating that only systems
> w 10% or less A. F. are recommended in their fuel systems..
> Basically, ur on your own if u decide to make ur own fuel.. (chicken grease, peanut oil, etc)
> And at 10%, the savings aren’t worth it.


The savings for me would be 30 or 40% savings the way diesel prices are here (€1.60/litre)

It would also improve my green credentials, which is important In the sector I'm in, as well as being important to me personally

As to your question about working out relative ammonts of two different substances to achieve a specific percentage, I would use a Pearson's square

🧐


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

thepumpguysc said:


> Hmm.. a 50-50 mix does sound inviting given the price.. (playing devil’s advocate now) What happens when u go to fill up and the pump says 20-80% Bio fuel.??
> Long ago when “alternative” fuels hit the market and people were making their own fuel.. Bosch the leading manufacturer of diesel fuel systems came out w a Service Bulletin “disclaimer” stating that only systems
> w 10% or less A. F. are recommended in their fuel systems..
> Basically, ur on your own if u decide to make ur own fuel.. (chicken grease, peanut oil, etc)
> And at 10%, the savings aren’t worth it.


What era did Bosch mention this? Was it in the past 20 years or much further back? Systems are different over the decades. My 1981 has no issues, but one of those Tier leveled emission engine may have issues.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

I read and absorb but let me tell you what happened to me and what it cost me to fix it and I did all the grunt work myself FYI...

Some years back when people (and the government was raving about the benefits of bio-diesel, the local filling station was dispensing it so I got on board with it. Hell, it smelled good like French fries at the tailpipe and the truck Ford F350 1 ton 7.3 diesel seemed to run just fine on it but what I didn't know was the downside, but I found out.

You cannot let B20 or 30 or 40 or whatever sit at all. It has to be consumed promptly or bad things happen inside your fuel tank or bulk tank for that matter.

I put my truck up for the winter, every winter. It gets garaged, though it gets run at least once a month and I keep the batteries on a tender to keep them topped up and that was all well and good. When I got it out in the spring, I noticed that my fuel gage was acting strangely but I figured it needed a new sending unit, no big deal. Had to hook up the GN trailer and haul some rounds to a customer, again, no big deal, was running fine, everything appeared to be ok. Hooked up the GN, loaded the trailer and pulled out of the farm lane on the road, keep in mind that it's loaded so I had to give it some fuel, more than when it was idling. It fell flat on it's face, stalled and wound not restart. It did after a minute but quit again after about 100 feet.

Got it back (slowly) to the farm. I figured first thing I'd do is change the fuel filter, maybe from sitting over the winter it picked up something (water maybe) but shouldn't have as both tanks were full and I added Power Service too. Full tanks equal no condensation. I popped the fuel bowl cap (7.3's have the fuel bowl and filter as an assembly mounted on top the engine right behind the high pressure fuel pump, anyway I took the cap off and the filter was loaded with this gooey red stinky crap that I found out was algae that grew in the fuel tanks during the winter and is especially prevelant with any bio diesel.

The filter was packed solid. Only ran because at idle, very little fuel was being used so even with the filter loaded with that crap, it passed enough fuel to allow the engine to run. Once I applied throttle, it quit.

Quite a mess actually. I had to pull basically the entire fuel system including both fuel tanks, fuel lines, lift pump and fuel bowl assembly and clean the crap out, replace the lift pump because the algae ruined it, replace the fuel bowl and filter assembly because it was impossible to clean out, replace both in tank sending units as the algae had rendered them inoperative, Still have a 55 gallon drum part full of that junk in the back of the barn. Total bill for all the components and I did all the work myself was just over $1000.00. I if I had had the work done at a Ford garage, probably would have been 3 times that and I was lucky in the fact that none of it got past the filter into the high pressure injection pump or the injectors or the bill would have been probably 3 times that for parts alone.

Needless to say, All that goes in my fuel tanks on the pickup or the tractors or my standby diesel genny is fresh ULSD and a splash of Powerservice. I will never, never use and bio diesel or add anything to my fuel that promotes microbial growth and I do add biocide now as well. After getting bitten hard, I learned my lesson.

Your experience may be different than mine, I just know what I do.


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

SidecarFlip said:


> I read and absorb but let me tell you what happened to me and what it cost me to fix it and I did all the grunt work myself FYI...
> 
> Your experience may be different than mine, I just know what I do.


And that's why I blend 50/50, only use (fresh) peanut oil and only use it in the SUMMER.

Microbial growth is more on the veggi bio vs. the nut bio fuels. I have a PDF study of the performance of microbial growth additives by brands. PowerService came in 3rd from the bottom on the overall chart. I'll have to look for that PDF on the computer some time. Seafoam ranked in the top 10 of the 30+ products listed. The better products on the list were either crazy expensive or I couldn't find them in my stores.

Also, looking at bio-diesel fuels, consider the burn rates; soy is alright, corn runs too hot, peanut oil runs perfect. In the summer, these oils don't solidify so easily. A change of temps overnight below 45F can create headaches. Soy can go colder, but I don't trust it altogether. Just glad we don't use whale oil like 150 years ago. LOL


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## User Friendly (Nov 25, 2021)

What is the deal with veg oil as lubricant

I have some high viscosity bio chainsaw chain oil


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## Hacke (Feb 22, 2011)

User Friendly said:


> What is the deal with veg oil as lubricant
> 
> I have some high viscosity bio chainsaw chain oil


I am not that fond of vegetable oil based chainsaw chain oil. Most types, around here, are based on linseed oil. It reacts (hardens) with oxygen in the air. By time, everything that has been exposed to it gets a sticky varnish-like coating. Dirt sticks to surfaces, helmet, ear protectors, gloves, trousers and the saw itself. It is hard to get the saw clean, especially cooling fins and chain brake. Air filters need cleaning more often. If you let the saw sit for some time, some parts are solid stuck. Chanses are, you ruin the oil pump as soon as you start the saw, todays pumps and drives are made of plastic. Metal parts (like the now not-bending chain) can be refreshed in acetone.

I do not know of chain oils based on other types of vegetable oils, but linseed oil based ones are not to recommend.

Mineral oil is not hardening, it evaporates and leaves very little residue. The saw can easily be cleaned just by compressed air.

I do not know of any grease that is based on vegetable oil, other than castor oil based grease (rubber grease). That is an excellent lubricant, which works great with rubber and plastics.


*** Edit
My knowledge base needed an update. The vegetable chainsaw chain oils are mostly canola oil based today. I was in the business when vegetable oils were introduced, and some years thereafter, and they were a disaster. I have been reading some now, and it seems like they are significantly better today. I have bought a can now and then, but have been disappointed. I think the reason is that I am cheap and did not choose a known good brand. The little chainsaw work I do now means that the saws (and the oil in the cans) are resting for long periods, and I think I will stick to mineral.

I see that Austria has banned mineral oil based chain oil, and forestry certification (FSC, PEFC) means that you are not allowed to use petroleum based oils. This is going on without troubles, so I guess I am just an old ignorant fart. Or was...
***


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

User Friendly said:


> *What is the deal with veg oil as lubricant*
> 
> I have some high viscosity bio chainsaw chain oil


 Not a lubricant, a motor fuel as in diesel fuel. What is bio chainsaw bar oil? never heard of that.


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## User Friendly (Nov 25, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Not a lubricant, a motor fuel as in diesel fuel. What is bio chainsaw bar oil? never heard of that.


I mean using veg chain oil to lube the transmition system 

She has a leak and I'd be conscious of contaminating food producing areas

I have used it to lube my cultivator attachment, as that also leaks lube


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## User Friendly (Nov 25, 2021)

Hacke said:


> I am not that fond of vegetable oil based chainsaw chain oil. Most types, around here, are based on linseed oil. It reacts (hardens) with oxygen in the air. By time, everything that has been exposed to it gets a sticky varnish-like coating. Dirt sticks to surfaces, helmet, ear protectors, gloves, trousers and the saw itself. It is hard to get the saw clean, especially cooling fins and chain brake. Air filters need cleaning more often. If you let the saw sit for some time, some parts are solid stuck. Chanses are, you ruin the oil pump as soon as you start the saw, todays pumps and drives are made of plastic. Metal parts (like the now not-bending chain) can be refreshed in acetone.
> 
> I do not know of chain oils based on other types of vegetable oils, but linseed oil based ones are not to recommend.
> 
> ...


I just use plain cooking veg oil as chain oil, but it does need the occasional hot soapy enema


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

Whatever blows your dress up I guess. Not interested at all.


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