When we first started with this idea, it was clear that a "big" Diesel engine had to be involved. If it worked (idea) fine, then the purpose to run a fair reasonable 4x4 at a very low cost and with Bio Friendly emissions, would be achieved .
After some quick rides, we soon realized that it was unsupportable to feed this 3.1 isuzo, at the fuel rating cost of 2010, for a normal person. So asked some friends who work in restaurants, for they´r used oil, with the idea of turning many free gallons into Biodiesel, or what ever close we could get to it.
My first try, was with pure used oil from the kitchen, and only with some filter in clothing. By the look of it after filtered, the oil seemed to me a bit too thick so that the engine could run normal, or even start... This because the oil releases fat acids after being burned many times. It gets fatter than it already is. I knew this could be a problem to start the engine in the mornig, once it gets thicker with cold. But after warm the spark plugs some times, it could work. We fill it with aprox 10 liters, and started the engine. The first 5 minutes would be burning the remains of the diesel in the pump, filters and pipes, but the unmistakable smell of french fries in the air, would leave no doubt that we were now running on cooking fluids.
I rushed my self in to the drivers seat, to check if there were any major differences in the behavior of the engine, and to feel the sensation of a completely free ride with a very starving all terrain device.
The car immediately felt a bit slower and less responsive. To be accurate, in a power scale from 1 to 10, being 10 the engine running on normal diesel, i would say it would be around 8,5 and 9. This however, didn´t feel like a bad thing, because the happiness of driving for free, was blinding all my senses. Another thing we soon realized, was that with the same 10 liters of diesel, the car would drive longer. After some reading in the web, we think that this difference is calculated as being 10% less of durability in distance using oil.
