The Diesel Stop banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

anyone try burning used motor oil for fuel?

83K views 67 replies 33 participants last post by  Xeonpony 
#1 ·
I have been running 25 % motor oil in a massey tractor when its warmer out. Works good. I can't tell the difference except for smell. Truck has 2 tanks and am thinking about filling one with 25% oil. Might have to use the same ideals the vegetables oil burners use.
 
#2 ·
Dude

There is a lot on here about that. Do a search on here or search on oilburners.com to see what they say.....there are differing opinions on this subject....

Thad
 
#3 ·
I sure as heck wouldn't, unless it has been throughly filtered and heated to get any moisture out. What with the cost of IPs, injectors and filters, let alone the wear on the engine.
Like Thad said check it out, I think the opinion is mostly DON'T.

Bill
 
#4 ·
It will burn it but I don't know how smoky it will be. Might stink bad too. Oil has a lower cetane than diesel i think so it might get hard to start. With vegetable oil, we have a 7200rpm centrifuge. It gets a lot of dirt/food out of the oil and any water evaporates immediately and gets let into the atmosphere. Water in fuel is a big no-no for anything you burn through your truck.

Keep in mind that tiny particles of metal from the engine could be in the oil...if you do it i would not do any other filtration method other than centrifuging it.
 
#7 ·
It will burn it but I don't know how smoky it will be. Might stink bad too. Oil has a lower cetane than diesel i think so it might get hard to start. With vegetable oil, we have a 7200rpm centrifuge. It gets a lot of dirt/food out of the oil and any water evaporates immediately and gets let into the atmosphere. Water in fuel is a big no-no for anything you burn through your truck.

Keep in mind that tiny particles of metal from the engine could be in the oil...if you do it i would not do any other filtration method other than centrifuging it.
mixed motor oil has HIGHER btus than diesel no question about it. you have two tanks so one can be pure diesel for easy starts. have run wmo for quite a while with no more smoke. Filtering and common sense are key. Have run 100% in summer with no ill efects. Most make all kinds of comments but have never tried it. Water is more of a problem with wvo than wmo.
all i can say is it works.
 
#5 ·
Last winter I burned 50% used motor oil, 50% pump diesel through my diesel escort (yes that's right, I have one haha) because it's a giant POS and I wanted to experiment. I ran probably 4 tankfuls through it without a single hiccup. I swear it ran better, but keep in mind this thing is pretty worn out to begin with. It wasn't even straight used motor oil- it was a combination of 15W40,10W30, gear lube, hydraulic oil, trans fluid, etc etc. I got it from work, and whatever we change we dump into this big chemical tote to store it.
That being said, I would not advise you burn it in any vehicle you care about. I would be nervous about all the wear particles running through your IP and injectors.
 
#8 ·
I said cetane not BTU :p

Diesel fuel has more calories than vegie oil. NO MORE FRYING WITH DIESEL! Bad for your health!

My cousin runs straight wvo and doesnt smoke a bit. A little surprising that yours does not smoke like an old gasser thats burning oil. Maybe its because its mixed with gasoline in the gassers and does not really get burnt. I run atf diesel mix in my dozer and it runs fine. I might not do it in a brand new engine but when in my life am i gonna have a brand new engine :D
 
#10 ·
I said cetane not BTU :p

Diesel fuel has more calories than vegie oil. NO MORE FRYING WITH DIESEL! Bad for your health!

My cousin runs straight wvo and doesnt smoke a bit. A little surprising that yours does not smoke like an old gasser thats burning oil. Maybe its because its mixed with gasoline in the gassers and does not really get burnt. I run atf diesel mix in my dozer and it runs fine. I might not do it in a brand new engine but when in my life am i gonna have a brand new engine :D
yes i saw cetane and that was correct...
i get my mixed oil from diesels being maintained. Engine runs quieter and stronger with wmo. have experimented quite a while with old and new diesels. No ill effects so far. I highly filter and use a heat exchanger. I filter to 5 microns. cleaner than pump fuel just not clear thats all.:thumbsup:
 
#9 ·
91diesel, the difference in smoke between a gas motor and a diesel is probably the fact that gas engines have lower compression, relying on spark ignition to combust fuel. Diesels utilize compression only (obviously). Diesel and oil are much more impervious to spark ignition than they are compression. Make sense?
 
#11 ·
Yup makes sense. So the oil in a diesel will burn a lot more thorough than in a gasser because the engines meant to make heat to combust. I was working on a 6 cyl gas yesterday, wouldnt maintain a good idle. Got a headache from all the gasoline fumes. I really dislike gassers. Even EFI isnt alright with me :disappointed:


You can call me anthony if you want to :)
 
#12 ·
been doin it myself for quite some time now,,,,i too filter it first and am quite picky on where i get mine,,,if i dont know whats in it i wont use it,,then i put a lil bit of vegetable oil in it,,,,exhaust doesnt smell then,,,also a lil additive here and there,,,which is some anti gel and cetane booster and jus a tad of acetone,,,,seems to run a hellava lot better,,,,have run bout 50% in summer but am bout 25%now,,,,,fires right up ,,,,even when it was 26 f below las week,,,,but i plug it in in the morning for bout an hour before i start it,:thup:
 
#14 ·
Soupdog you got a nice blend going there. I too use acetone and a few other additives but Im cheap so I run a higher mix. I like your add a little veggie for the smell diff..may have to try that cause veggie is definately a different smell.
I can start with 100 oil but i usually use the back tank which is pure diesel to start then switch to my mix. Heats up faster than diesel normally and is quieter running. Oh i normally run a 90/10 or 85/15 mix
 
#13 ·
I had an old diesel VW rabbit that I would burn the used oil out of my jeep in, never had a problem. I think it would have burned coal if I could have figured out a way to get it through the injectors. :lol:
 
#15 ·
i have been filtering my umo with filter bags from vegpower.com i filter it just like my wvo and pour it into my tank with no illness to my ip or injectors yet. if you dont have a wvo set up and want to run umo i sugjest if you have a stock fuel set up to:
1. get your hands on some hose clamps and more 3/8 ID fuel line like 3-6 feet (i like the clear stuff its nice!)
2. take a hack saw and cut you metal fuel line after the stock fuel heater and before
your diesel filter.
3. hose clamp your new fuel line to your cut you just made and run it over to the upper radeator hose that comes from the water pump. run it around the that water hose until you are almost out of fuel line and hose clamp the other end to your "in" port of your filter. this will act as a ghetto heat exchanger and boost your fuel temp and make the wmo thiner.
 
#16 ·
i have been filtering my umo with filter bags from vegpower.com i filter it just like my wvo and pour it into my tank with no illness to my ip or injectors yet. if you dont have a wvo set up and want to run umo i sugjest if you have a stock fuel set up to:
1. get your hands on some hose clamps and more 3/8 ID fuel line like 3-6 feet (i like the clear stuff its nice!)
2. take a hack saw and cut you metal fuel line after the stock fuel heater and before
your diesel filter.
3. hose clamp your new fuel line to your cut you just made and run it over to the upper radeator hose that comes from the water pump. run it around the that water hose until you are almost out of fuel line and hose clamp the other end to your "in" port of your filter. this will act as a ghetto heat exchanger and boost your fuel temp and make the wmo thiner.
skunk i just bought a heat exchanger and have it sitting on the inner fenderwell. Water circulates through it and fuel does as well so my fuel is being heated before injection just the same as you were doing:sneaky:
 
#17 ·
I have never attempted it, but for those of you who want a heat exchanger, you could simply use your stock in-radiator heat exchanger for your automatic transmissions. Of course, if you still use it for the tranny, you'd have to reroute it to an auxillary cooler only, which has its own side-effects, but worth a shot, and most likely cheaper and easier.
 
#18 ·
Just a thought...you could use an aux trans/oil cooler, only attatch it to the engine side of the radiator so it would get heated by the air flowing thru the rad.
 
#19 ·
That would work, but not very efficiently- after all, its original design goal was to wick away heat, not soak it in.
 
#20 · (Edited)
#21 ·
i have been burning used atf for 18 months in a di my friend is burning it in a idi for a year i run 50 to 75 percent year round just had my head off no more carbon than any diesel it looked clean pm me if you have any questions i have pics of the piston and head
 
#22 · (Edited)
Most make all kinds of comments but have never tried it. Water is more of a problem with wvo than wmo.
all i can say is it works.[/quote] and that right thar is a fact--if some find the truth--theyll be doing it---i started doing this over 4 yrs ago--and showed at a rally doing it--in mich----those there didnt laugh--but asked many questions----and for those that like to blather--your injectors will stand 10 microns--and the ip 5 microns---guess what the fuel filter on your truck is--i aint tellin--find out for yourself--oh blathering ones----
 
#24 ·
jus got me some filters from friend,,kinda look like a big sock ,,,he uses em for veggie,,,,am gonna do it with my used motor oil,,,,been using old levis,,,,leg tied up,,,,,takes long time like that,,,but filters good,,,,but anwayz thanks for for info,,,,knocks some of the cost down of drivin the ole hoss
 
#25 ·
I was spending 600 month on a gasser now im spending pennies to run the same mileage with the diesel....
 
#26 ·
vegpower.com has filter bags for cheap!
 
#27 ·
I have bags but went back to water filters. made a progressive filter by putting a few together then just pump through it.
 
#28 ·
am wondering something,,,went to a menards in norfolk ne the other day and seen kerosene on sale,,,,what am wondering is after i filter my used (hot) i heat it first oil with the vegie bags can i cut with kerosene to thin it out,,,i know it gets pretty thick when cold so am wondering,,,would still use my special blend of acetone ,,,a lil veggie and some antigel ,,,someone giv me some advice
 
#29 ·
Sounds like a good mix.... I dont do wvo but i have. kero as a cutter works but i hear that too much is drying to seals so im no expert there. I havent had any porblems though. theres a whole section of WVO on this site. well its alternative but most talk is wvo. The wmo people are just doing and only talking when they need to heheheheheh. acetone as a friction surface reducer is usually 2oz at 10 gallons. Lots of off board info on this.
 
#30 ·
mix in some howes diesel treat from napa. helps alot!
 
#31 ·
I dumped some in a few winters ago. I put it in the wrong tank, and instead of about 25% concentration it was about 75%.

Warmed up it ran great, but cold it romped badly. It had a lot of trouble idling and idling down. I blame this on the viscosity.
 
#32 ·
yep makes it tough to get through the fuel filter:nono:
 
#34 ·
yep makes it tough to get through the fuel filter:nono:
if i was runing umo or anything but diesel through my diesel filter id wrap the filter with soft bendable copper in the winer especialy. wrap it tight and cut your heater hoses and insert a Y or T fitting out the engine to your copper coil and back to the water pump with a 2nd T fitting . if you start on diesel and let it warm up and then switch tanks that will give you thicker fuel a warm up and keep it from cloging your one and only filter. i do it on my waist oils filter. works great! im planing on doing the same thing with my diesel filter. starting on diesel then when my engine get to about freezing temp swithing to my rear stock tank and runing B100. then when my waist oils tank is up to a hot temp switch to waist oils. then when its time to turm off end up back with diesel! i just need to start brewing bio!
 
#33 ·
no dont get me wrong i am usin used motor oil,,,have access to a lot of it and am wondering about just cutting it with kero instead of using diesel as i have been,,,i just add a lil veggie for the smell,,,it the exhaust doesnt smell bad if i use a lil veggie,,,but the most i use is is used motor oil,,

,so if i used umo and kero it would take care of the drying i 'd think,,,jus wanna try it
 
#36 ·
skunk yes your plan works
mgraveman you are also correct... heat exchanger is much more efficient and less headache to install. If the fuel temp is too low and the viscosity is higher then its tougher to get it through your filter. Youll feel like the filter is clogged. If you havent experienced that then good for you. When the ambient temperature(regular outside temperature) is up its not such a big deal. Have run 100% wmo in the summer to test. It works but I still cut it so I am "officially" using diesel and "adding " wmo if you get my drift:lol:
 
#37 ·
skunk yes your plan works
mgraveman you are also correct... heat exchanger is much more efficient and less headache to install. If the fuel temp is too low and the viscosity is higher then its tougher to get it through your filter. Youll feel like the filter is clogged. If you havent experienced that then good for you. When the ambient temperature(regular outside temperature) is up its not such a big deal. Have run 100% wmo in the summer to test. It works but I still cut it so I am "officially" using diesel and "adding " wmo if you get my drift:lol:
oh--your using a high concentration---of fuel "additive" ,,,,,works for me..
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top