Bongo Fury

Hi

Ok, think this year we're going to take the plunge and try veg oil in the van. We're not at all mechanical but are members of the AA. I seem to recall reading we might need to change fuel filter after trying veg oil.

Thinking of buying some filters to keep in the van just in case. How many of you oil users have had to change your filter and how quickly after you started using oil did you need to do it?

Cheers.

Sara.

8000 miles and still going without issue (am due to change it routinely but nothing to do with performance). Most of that mileage has had some level of veg oil in there, some of it was 100% (during hot weather and long journeys). During the odd winter journey I've done it still smells vaguely chip shop like but runs absolutely fine.

It varies greatly and what one person experiences may be the complete opposite of someone else.

In the past I've needed to change 2 filters in very short order (less than 1000 miles) and then gone for mega miles without even thinking about it.

I hate to think how long my current filter has been on and I used 50/50 veg oil almost all last year.

PS It is certainly a good idea to carry one with you - just in case.

Because if you do, you will never need it.

roosmith wrote:8000 miles and still going without issue (am due to change it routinely but nothing to do with performance). Most of that mileage has had some level of veg oil in there, some of it was 100% (during hot weather and long journeys). During the odd winter journey I've done it still smells vaguely chip shop like but runs absolutely fine.

Exactly the same for me.

which begs the question which veg oil is best and what are the savings?

Rapeseed is the best one to use. I get mine from a guy fairly local to me (advertises on ebay) for 60p a litre. However keep an eye on the forum as people always post regarding offers in the supermarkets or cash and carry. Tesco normally do offers that bring in down under the £1 a litre mark, so still a lot cheaper than the pump.

So just buy good quality rapeseed oil and mix on 50/50 basis...........but could use all rapeseed if short of cash?

I don't think the quality as such matters, people use waste oil (filtered). I use various ratio mixes depending on how hot it is and the length of the journey I'm doing. Rapeseed is thicker than diesel so will cause running problems at lower temperatures. On our summer holidays I use 100% oil and just fill up before our destination, so that in the morning it starts on a decent diesel mix. You can go the full hog and buy conversion kits to use it all the time. As soon as the cold weather is over I will start on 30-40% mix.

roosmith wrote: I get mine from a guy fairly local to me (advertises on ebay) for 60p a litre.

Is that the one in King's Lynn?

Yep, thats the one Scanner

My filter has never been changed since I bought the van in 2008.

Quite likely it has been in use since the van was built in 1997.

I have carried a spare filter since soon after I started using clean new rapeseed oil about six years ago.

As I'm of the 'if it ain't broken...' school, I haven't disturbed the banjo filter either. I have never had any symptoms of fuel starvation, only a very short period of hesitancy after I tried putting a very small quantity of (allegedly) sunflower oil drained from a can of sardines into the mix. (I did filter out the sardine debris) a after a short chug to the nearest diesel pump all was well again. Never tied that again and also thought twice about adding old engine oil!


Frank

roosmith wrote:Yep, thats the one Scanner

50p/litre now - time to make space in the garage.

Thanks

scanner wrote:

roosmith wrote:Yep, thats the one Scanner

50p/litre now - time to make space in the garage.

Thanks

Ha ha that's good news, as a) I am ebaying lots of stuff and clearing space in the garage and b) I'm down to my last 40 litres! Trip to the seaside one weekend me thinks!

Top tip scanner, as you obviously go to him too, place each container inside a trug or similar for transport, as I had a leaking 20 litre drum from him, which over the 50 miles home filled my company car's boot with oil. That took hours to clean up I can tell you!

I'll either collect it in a Transit or with a trailer.

Anybody else in the Huntingdon area want some and share the cost of collection?

How much are you getting and when are you intending on going? I'd be more than happy to share costs of collection and if you could make detour to Soham on the way back, I'd pay over the odds to save my time