Biodiesel

[cbelk]

Hello everyone! I am a new member on the Dodge Ram Forum site. I am looking to purchase a Ram 2500 so that I can convert the truck to run on filtered grease.

The reason I am looking at the Ram 2500 is because of the Cummins engine. However, I am now finding out that it can't be "turbo" and it can't be "indirect injection."

Most of the trucks that I have been looking at with the 5.9 have both. Is there any ideas out there for a make, year, and model that does not have this?

 

[Stangshcky12]

All cummins have had direct injection
You'll want to look into a Fass fuel system or air dog if you are running biodiesel, especially in a VP truck
Y
You may come across no intercooled 12v's

Biodiesel is pretty nasty stuff and isn't for new diesel enthusiasts in my opinion
He'll I don't want anything to do with it

 

[ParrotHead FA]

I don't know much about biodiesel, but I have heard tell of (and seen on the 'net) quite a few ppl burning used motor oil in their diesels. I have even run across a couple vids on the internet of someone running used motor oil in a second gen Ram. Basically the thing that all have in common is that the oil is collected, strained through several layers of cheesecloth to remove any particulate matter, and then thinned by using a couple quarts of mineral spirits to about 5 gals of oil. The one ram video even showed the guy draining the oil from the truck when he did an oil change, straining it and adding some mineral spirits, then pouring it right into the fuel tank & then starting and driving the truck. Another common theme I have heard from ppl doing this type of thing is, it dosen't work too well when the temperature gets below 50 degrees unless you have some sort of fuel system heater, I guess the used oil gets too thick to pump through the injectors in cold temps. Otherwise I have heard that in warm weather, it runs fine in most diesels, although it may be a bit smokier and produce a little less horsepower. Know a guy down here in south Florida who runs and old chevy diesel on used oil he collects from a shop where he works, seems to run and drive just fine, and he says he saves a lot on fuel costs.

 

[Stangshcky12]

It is easier on older diesels(such as second gens) as their injection systems are much simpler and don't see nearly the pressures a common rail system do

The factory filtration doesn't even meet the filtration specifications Bosch designed for

 

[B-g-K]

^^ agreed. It has to be an old low tech diesel. The tolerances on newer injectors on common rail systems are crazy to achieve high pressures.

 

[cbelk]

Thanks for the reply's everyone.
What would be some older generation diesel's?....possibly before 2002?
Are there any Ram's 2500's that are not Turbo out there and what years are they typically made in?
I am looking at taking my vegetable oil grease from the fryers in my restaurant and treating and filtering them so that I can run them through my engine.

 

[WhiteExpress]

Your best bet if you want to ruin, I mean 'run' a cummins on filtered crap will be a 12valve. 98 and prior.

The VP (24V) and Common Rail Cummins will not play nice with it. B20, maybe, B100 doubtful, veggie oil? No, just no.

I had an '03 Jetta TDI that I looked into converting. I ran it on B20 instead.
It was 'readily' available to me, and the car responded well to it, mind you, it was a simple injection setup similar to that of a 12V.

 

[LaurenMagnum360]

i had two tanks on my old 87 f350 6.9L diesel.

the front was always filled with straight diesel, and the rear was mixed with used motor oil, transmission fluid, mineral oil, kerosene, heating oil, etc (whatever i could find, would go in there)

i modified it by cutting a hatch in the top open, and looping a large piece of 5/8" copper pipe throughout the entire tank, and welded it back up, allowing the pipe to exit through a 5/8" firewall plug i pressed into the tank, then rtv siliconed around it. The pipe then ran up to the engine bay and was plumed into the original cooling system.


so i'd start the truck on diesel, and let it warm up like normal. then when i was ready to go, i'd switch to the rear tank and be on my way. when i arrived at my destination, if i was going to be longer than an hour before i returned to my truck, i would switch back to the front tank, and run it for another 2 minutes to free the system of the oil mixture from the rear tank.

hope i provided some insightful ideas.

 

[rowdyram]

There is a huge dif. between bio and used fryer oil. if you plan to make true bio you can run it in any cummins though frequent fuel filters are a good idea being prone to algae growth. However the production is very dangerous and emits toxic gas. used fryer oil on the other hand lacks lubricants and solvents needed to lubricate newer systems with tighter tolerances but mixed with standard b5 will work