High mileage WVO users? Long term wear differences on the motor?

[jt911]

Any high mileage WVO powerstrokes ?
I would like to get some pros and cons for a high mileage WVO Powerstroke. Engine wear compared to a diesel powered motor.

[TravisT]

I only have about 2K on my SVO system, but I have heard of 3 powerstrokes that had Lift Pump failures after about 3K miles. There have been a few theories why. The only one that I agree with is the possibility that the oil is les viscous when it is at ambient air temp and the lift pump has to work extra hard to pull it. I make sure the engine is good and hot before I switch, and I'd like to install some kind of electric prepump at the tank to push the oil to the lift pump.
I have also read that there may be possibly some problems chemically with the WVO that effects the lift pump, but I can't comment on that. Although, I'd like to learn more about that possibility.

[Lobstah]

I would just eliminate the lift pump all together and go to an electric fuel pump. Pretty common mod on the older diesels.

Lob

[jt911]

The 99 and up models use an high pressure lift pump already.

[ToddT]

How about using a pump to get the veggie to the fuel system, entering after the stock high pressure lift pump. That way, the stock lift pump isn't asked to do anything beyond the factory design. Even if the factory is a high pressure unit, trying to pull a thicker fluid is an invitation for heat and breakdown.

Some on other veggie forums have talked about a purge or backflush circuit. What would this entail on a PSD? How does the PSD fuel system work? As I understand, it has a lift pump to get the fuel out of the tank then a high pressure pump to push it into the injectors.

I hear some go with a high pressure crossover to get equal fuel pressure on both banks of injectors... and a fuel regulator to return excess fuel to the tank. I could see valving this to return each fuel to the appropriate tank. But, do stock trucks have a fuel return line after the high pressure pump?

Thanks for any educatin' you can provide.

Todd T

[roreri]

I was one of the ones with a lift pump problem. I talked to Perry and Charlie at greasel.com about this problem. They asked me if I had run out of fuel any and if there was any air in the veggie line. Well…
I had thought that the solvent effect of the veggie was the issue, and it still may have had some kind of effect on the 100,000 mile lift pump.
But…
It seems that the lift pump doesn’t like to mess around with air at all. I had been having a problem with my temporary veggie tank in that when I had a hard turn to the right the fuel would slosh to the right causing the fuel pickup to suck air. I didn’t notice this for about 1200 miles or so but it’s fixed now, I just don’t turn right anymore. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]

Just thought I would put in my 2 pennies

RoReRi

[TravisT]

[ QUOTE ]
the fuel would slosh to the right causing the fuel pickup to suck air

[/ QUOTE ]


I have worried about this with my tank as well. I'm the kind of guy that likes to run the fuel down to the last drop before I fill up. The nomad tanks don't have any baffles and that worries me. I thought that if the unit sucks air, the engine would eventually cough telling me that there is a problem. But I guess that wouldn't really happen since the fuel filter bowl acts like a reserve during intermittent air suckage.

I'm glad you mentioned your problem. Now I will try and keep the thing above 1/4 tank. I'd like to be able to start over with the project and weld some baffles inside. I'd also like to see a better coat of paint or something inside the tank since mine is only a month old and coated with rust on the inside. Kinda makes the $1000 tank seem not worth it. But no regrets just yet.

[roreri]

I found this issue by just pure luck. I was showing off to some buddies and I popped the hood with the engine running. Much to my dismay, there were little tiny bubbles of air in the Triple Bypass fuel hose. Checked my fuel, had a quarter of a tank, thought I was sucking air from a loose hose clamp. This issue ate my lunch for about a whole Saturday.

RoReRi

[TravisT]

Wow.

See I gotta fix something. My tripple hose, heck all the hoses, are black rubber. None are transparent. And I've thought about the need to change the mixed fuel line from the solenoid to the LP to a transparent like so that I can see it. I need to be able to monitor those things. This will also help to predict total purge times, a little.

So what should we do about this sucking air thing? Think about it. We have to come up with something. I can't easily weld V shaped baffles around the pickup since it is installed. There isn't a such thing as an "air in line" sensor, or a fuel/air sparator, is there?

[TravisT]

One more thing, were you just driving normal or were you hot doggin it with a lot of left hand turns when you started sucking air?

[roreri]

I am in the service business and when a customer calls, they need me soon as I can get there. I do a lot of city and interstate driving back and forth. Interstate I do between 70 & 80 in town I try to get from A to B in the shortest amount of time… sooooo… I guess you could call it hot-dogging, and I’m sure I sling the grease from one side to the other pretty good.

I don’t know how to fix this issue except to put some kind of dam around the fuel intake. Epoxy it down and make small holes in it. Small enough to not let the grease get slung out of the dam, yet large enough to let grease back in when I’m not “getting it” or “hot-dogging”

Did I tell you I didn’t like those little pooping rice burners to get in front of me??? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

So after this long disertation I guess the answer to your question is Yep, probably so, I'm guilty as charged... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/warmsmile.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/warmsmile.gif[/img]