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View Full Version : Ever hear of Biodiesel?



coachreed
04/01/2004, 07:50 AM
Was just doing some reading and found this in a magazine... went to check it out online... just thought it was pretty kewl... never heard of it, and never really thought about it before... but... wow, maybe a diesel woulda been a decent idea afterall. ;) Not that I have any second thoughts on my swap... just thinking...

http://biodiesel.com

Coach... I mean Randy (I often forget who I really am) ;)
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MrCrowley
04/01/2004, 09:38 AM
My neighbor grows some of the corn they make it out of. It is not edible, and I dont know much about the processing- but the good news it is a regenerative fuel source instead of dead dinosaurs. I have always wanted my '98 trooper to have the overseas 3.0 litre turbodiesel. with gas prices the way they are now. I wish I could have the same engine the ol' VX sometimes too! the coolest thing about a diesel engine besides torque, fuel efficiency, longevity, etc is they can easily be converted to run off of cooking oil, fry grease, etc. any type of vegetable oil. If i remember correctly all that is needed is a higher flow fuel system and timing adjustment.

omegavx
04/01/2004, 02:08 PM
Every year they use biodiesel here at the State Fair. They run it on all the transportation around the fair grounds (ie: tractors, trucks, etc.) I saw a tv show about a week ago in which they were discussing alternative fuels. The main discussion topics were the current gas/electric hybrids along with hydrogen (new skate board style cars) and my favorite, cooking oil :) Some guy in alaska actually runs his truck off of cooking oil. Anytime he needs a fillup he runs down to the local fast food place gets all their used deep frying oil, filters it and drops it in his truck. They were saying that most engines can be modified to actually use alternate fuels right now. I'm not sure on what type of inpact it would have on hp, torque etc., but with rising gas prices I think it'd be cool to look into alternate fuel sources if its not to difficult to install.

coachreed
04/01/2004, 04:17 PM
From my reading on Biodiesel, when used on a conventional diesel engine that normally runs regular diesel, it will not lose any power or economy... furthermore, any diesel engine running right now can use biodiesel without ANY modifications. Just fill it with biodiesel and keep on going. Also, biodiesel can be blended with regular diesel fuel without any worries. The flashpoint is the highest amongst any diesel fuel and so makes it EXTREMELY safe to store and use. Sounds like an all around GREAT alternative fuel.

Later!

migil
04/01/2004, 04:42 PM
For years Brazil have had cars with engines that run on alcohol they get out of sugar cane. Although I ignore the details on car performance, anything coming from a renewable energy source has to be good!

kpaske
04/01/2004, 06:23 PM
I'm all for alternative fuel, and think that would be the ultimate mod for our VX. Mine just hit 80,000 miles today, and while I'm sure this motor has a lot of life left in it, I'm already starting to think about what I'll do when its days are numbered. A good engine swap that increases performance AND fuel economy (while also being good for the environment) would definitely ensure that I hang onto my beloved VX until it becomes a classic.

coachreed
04/01/2004, 07:17 PM
kpaske-
I guess a diesel swap would be the way to go then... if someone wants to donate a VX, I'll make that my next trick. lol REALLY!

Coach

omegavx
04/01/2004, 08:09 PM
My VX just hit 21,000 so I'm not replacing anytime soon. But, with gas prices on the rise I'm definatlly interested in anyway to modify our existing engine with alternatives. I thought the guy using fast food oil was funny cause they said the exaust smelled like french fries :)

Heraclid
04/01/2004, 08:38 PM
Joe, give Coach one of 'em and he'll do it for ya. :-)

MZ-N10
04/01/2004, 09:19 PM
i have a friend with a car tat runs peanut oil....it smells like roasted peanuts when he drives...its kinda cool...
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MrCrowley
04/02/2004, 04:25 AM
maybe we could find out about the turbodiesel and the possibility of getting the parts here. who knows Canada or Mexico might have received this as an option. Check this out http://www.planetisuzoo.com/articles.htm/87

kpaske
04/02/2004, 07:20 AM
Coach -

I'm not afraid to be a pioneer if the proper research was done. Of course it will have to wait until my VX isn't my daily driver anymore, but maybe someday in the future. ;Db; I know it's been tossed around before, but does anyone know for sure how easily a Trooper or Axium motor would mount up to a VX?

MrCrowley
04/02/2004, 09:37 AM
its an identical motor. The VX is a summarily a stubby trooper with a different body. same 6ve1 motor, tranny, tod, etc. when mine starts to go uot i know that if parts are available easily, I would do the turbodiesel swap unless something else was easier.

azskyrider
04/02/2004, 09:47 AM
So the turbo diesel on that trooper has the same transmission as the VX? So we are talking about a direct bolt on with out adapters? Where can one see specs of the diesel trooper to confirm transmission compatibility? Will this effect car registration when the time comes for emission inspection?

What year trooper or designation on the Vin #?

Y33TREKker
04/02/2004, 06:35 PM
I've always wondered why some of the available alternative fuels aren't utilized more in the U.S., although my guess would be that bottom line economics keep market opposition to them from existing fossil fuel suppliers high.

I actually worked with some researchers from U.C. Berkely a few years back on a Biodeisel project. I provided technical support in a deisel engine research facility where they bought time to measure exhaust byproducts of various fuel formulations in the forms of exhaust emissions and particulate matter. The differences I saw were dramatic (especially in particulates), so the claims that biodeisel would be helpful in reducing greenhouse effect byproducts seem accurate to say the least.

I wonder if refilling the tank at Long John Silvers' would make the exhaust smell like fish instead of french fries? :D

coachreed
04/02/2004, 07:46 PM
Originally posted by Y33TREKker
I wonder if refilling the tank at Long John Silvers' would make the exhaust smell like fish instead of french fries? :D

GREAT! Another dead fish NOBODY can find! DOH! What did I just say, whay was that supposed to mean?! Nevermind.

TTYL!

Coach!

Y33TREKker
04/03/2004, 09:28 PM
I meant to say fish sticks. :)

And I was mistaken when I said the researchers I worked with were from U.C. Berkeley. They were from U.C. Davis. Just wanted to give credit where credit was due.