Now that I've got a Costco Card, I'm running the audi on 'Bio Blend' fuel - winter ratio is 75% fossil to 25% SVO. Veg oil is 90p a litre from Costco, so a saving of 50p a litre. About 6 quid saving per fill. Based on about 50 miles of use, it seems to run about the same, possibly slightly smoother. too early to tell if there's a difference in MPG. The exhaust has a slight 'chippy' smell about it... trouble is, it makes me hungry every time I drive the thing Next step is to fit a heat exchanger to make sure the fuel is nice and thin all winter. I'm also keeping a diary to demonstrate I'm within the legal limit for bio fuel.
As much as will fit in the car Some of their offers have a limit to how many you can buy, but the veg oil is just the regular price. Bought 80 litres for now.
Started OK on the last couple of cold mornings. I'm cycling the glow plugs twice to give it a bit of extra help. Noticed a bit of blue smoke this morning on startup, but it seems fine when running - probably less smoke than before - guess that's a cold start thing. Just for accuracy of info, this is on a 1.9 TDI 90bhp engine - 1Z engine code. 170k miles, and no specific maintenance done before doing this. Have a new fuel filter to swap in after the first tank or so (advice I've seen on here before), but it was due for a change anyway.
the first time you run veg oil it'll clean a lot of crap out of your fuel system - this tends to lurk in the fuel filter, clogging it. Mike, it'd be worth checking the filter each fill up. Please, keep us updated, I'm seriously considering running my audi on veg oil, with a 70litre tank that should make a significant saving on each fill.
I'd be worried about running it on pure veg oil in the cold weather, which is why I've gone for 20-25% veg oil just now. In the summer I'll turn up the chip portions a bit Will change the filter in a week or so - it was due to be done anyway.
I used to run a 1.7d corsa B on biodiesel it was about 60-70p a litre at the time. It did struggle to start in the cold weather so I did the same and probably had 30% bio in the winter and 70-80% in the summer
in winter i run 95% SVO and 5% petrol plus veggie boost runs great, smells greater 50 per tank saving do it Mike , just get a heat exchanger first
Just missed a heat exchanger on ebay the other night... I bid on it with about 10 seconds to go, but for some reason the bid didn't register. I think your tank must be bigger than mine, but it still sounds interesting.
Mike, having a major clear out here - for the same purpose a few years back I got a coolant heated fuel filter off a Peugeot I think. Basically a big housing for a screw on filter (ancient filter included), 2 coolant connections, 2 fuel connections and a priming plunger. Needs cleaning up, want it?
80litres in the T4 You can make a heat exhanger out of 10mm copper pipe wrapped arround your fuel filter or buy a 50 Heat Exchanger
Where did you get that Brooky? I can't find one for anything like 50 quid. It was a lightly used one of them I was bidding on last week, on ebay.
What do you reckon on these? Uses a glow plug to heat the fuel at/before startup? I'm wondering if this is better, because it can heat the fuel before the coolant has warmed up. Maybe even in tandem with a coolant/fuel heat exchanger - run the electrical one for the first few minutes? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Glow-Plug...059?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item416eb5ea8b Same seller has these coolant ones as well, but they don't look all that clever, tbh - simple ally block design? I'm thinking at the very least they should be lagged to keep the heat in, but maybe it's better to have heat soak from the engine bay into the block? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WVO-SVO-H...971?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item416e1675e3
here's good ones http://www.dieselveg.com/heat_exchangers.htm or this one is what Phatty has fitted on his T4 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fuel-Heat...icle_Parts_Accessories_ET&hash=item4aa02a69e0 and look at this one , my favourite 10mm copper pipe wrapped arround the exhaust http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...wEoiw0AXYyIGoAw&sqi=2&ved=0CHUQ9QEwBg&dur=406
What do you think of the electric ones? Quicker heat for your fuel, or just a way of killing glow plugs by running them for too long?
don't know any body that runs one, the water cooled are free heat transfer . The glow plug ones will use some juice to power them.
These large heat exchangers are out of a gas combi boiler so probably cheaper from a heating spares company http://www.dieselveg.com/heat_exchangers.htm
