General Veg oil in my Ducato Diesel

[rolandbrindley]

Cooking and other veg oils have far too high a sulphur content and the cetane number is also too high. Engines will run on it if diluted with diesel enough but the wear on injector valves and pump components will be severe neutralising any savings you might be getting. In any case it would need to be thoroughly filtered, and you would get through plenty of filter elements which are not cleanable nor cheap to renew. The best thing you can do to get more economy is buy the best diesel you can find, one of the new ones like BP Ultimate, and sell your cooking oil to the factors that advertise for it.

 

[Campers19]

It'll be fine on 50/50.Run a fuel system cleaner with each full tank. Try Booker for veg oil £15 for 20 litres

 

[Schumi2001]

It'll be fine on 50/50.Run a fuel system cleaner with each full tank. Try Booker for veg oil £15 for 20 litres

This is why you probably need to research properly rather than believe a bloke on a forum.

Advice is the cost / risk balance is not good on the direct injection Iveco engines and that blended tanks of diesel and veg lead to gumming up of the top end of the engine.

If you're running a 50/50 mix with veg. oil at 75ppl, you're saving maybe 20% overall on your fuel costs.

Really isn't worth it.

 

[rolandbrindley]

Most people who cut corners such as this one are running old junk and for the same reasons, either they are too mean to do it properly or can't afford it, amounting to the same thing. But for someone with a worthwhile vehicle, or who might be nervous about having his tank dipped by the lurking fuel testing unit, it just isn't worth the doubtful gains.

And do not imagine the fuel testing van is only looking for red diesel, they are capable of doing a proper analysis and if you get caught you will be for the high jump! They will go back to your first ownership of the vehicle and calculate a probable fuel usage and base their excise claim on that, plus the fine you will also get to pay. Think again!

And while you are thinking about it don't forget the exhaust emissions testing vans can now do random roadside stops, I think the fine for the kind of emissions veg oil might produce will be into 4 figures.

 

[Schumi2001]

Sorry, but that's just wrong, too.

If you're using (or producing, if you're making proper bio diesel rather than just bunging veg. oil in your tank) less than 2500 litres / year, then you're exempt.

The only caveat is that you need to keep records of use of bio / veg oil for 6 years.

 

[rolandbrindley]

Here in Almeria the traffic cops take a very dim view of adulterating fuel with red diesel, or veg oil, paraffin and any other tricks. I had my mixer tank dipped quite regularly on the A7/E15 near our concrete plant and they usually took some away for testing besides just looking at the colour. If you have ever used anything not legal they can tell, even years later, no matter how you try to clean it out, and you may even get subsequent owners into trouble who are unaware of what you have been up to, and may choose to sue you if you fail to tell them and they get caught for your crimes.

They burst into our fenced-off concrete plant one day and dipped the tank of the Caterpillar 960 which had never been on the road in 20 years, but it carried a registration plate from some previous owner, so they made up a rule on the spot that said it could not use red diesel. You can be sure things in UK are similar and as it's an excise crime they show no mercy. Just so you know you are playing with fire. Get it dead right and they may leave you alone, forget to dot the i or cross the t and you will go to jail without passing go.

 

[Papcina]

I can only speak for my Shogun and my old 94 2.5 Turbo Ducato Motorhome, I've never had any problems at all apart from starting on a cold morning, then I either reduce the amount of veg oil or when it's really cold just use diesel.
The fuel economy is the same, never had to replace any fuel pump seals and it fly's through the emission on the MOT, just wondered if the newer Ducato would be the same, guess I'll just have to try it!
Cheers

hmmm, I would like to hear from this user how was his experience in that 2.5 D engine after few years, since I'm thinking to do the same