WMO for fuel in a LML Duramax diesel

[Flyin6]

I am going to start an experiment by running alternate fuels in my 2011 LML Duramax engine

The times demand we explore possibilities for alternative fuel sources looking into an uncertain future where fuel will either be super expensive or become difficult to source. If predictions hold true, people may well be challenged to find diesel fuel.

In the past, we were reluctant to experiment with the Duramax engine with its costly injectors and high-pressure pump. I had replaced the CP4A high-pressure pump in lieu of a CP3 pump which is known as a dead reliable unit as opposed to the failure-prone more modern CP4 pumps. That experiment cost me nearly three thousand dollars for parts and three good days of labor (Since I am a novice, and it was my first time).

I know that new injectors will also cost in the thousands and for those reasons along with diesel fuel in the mid $2 range, there was little incentive to take a chance on screwing up costly parts.

So, no one really messed with the formula. Buu the cheap ULSD and run it. When things like injectors or pumps failed, anty up and pay the piper for new parts.

With fuel between $5 and $6 and rumored to go much higher, now, one can save nearly half the cost of a single injector by running a tank of something else that is, essentially, free.

About a month or so ago, I started running a single quart of ATF in the fuel, straight up. Then I ran two, then I ran two plus a quart of Marvel's mystery oil. My interest was in lubing 135K injectors to extend their life. The scar rating of the ULSD is insufficient to prevent the injectors from simply wearing out.

But while doing so, I can swear, I think the engine became more quiet and just smoother.

[Flyin6]

So I gave it some thought and I think I am going to slowly sneak up on running a combo of fluids which will consist of some diesel, but also other oils. I am trying waste motor oil, WMO initially, since I have a summer's worth in containers stored here and there. I may get into WVO from fryers, but that's for a later date.

I plan to enrichen the mixture with waste products initially and record the results, if any and gradually push more and more "Free" stuff into the big Titan tank

[Flyin6]

So we're starting off. I had about a quarter tank remaining which had about 2.5 quarts of stuff other than diesel in it. I topped it up at 57 gallons, ran it for a short time, then while the engine was idling so that I had a good flow of return fuel sloshing into the fill pipe, I poured in a whole gallon of what turned out to be waste transmission fluid. There is not much difference between trans fluid and motor oil. I believe the trans fluid is something like 20W oil.

Starting off at 136,800 miles with all that trans fluid in the tank I have a ratio of about 2% oil to diesel fluid.

I took it for a drive down country roads for a while, actually on a chore trip, and recorded 18.3MPG. The motor was super smooth and quiet. The exhaust hazed just a tad under 25psi of boost and the color was black. That was really typical for what I have seen for years, so I'm going to say no real change.

I followed that with a trip down the highway with the cruise control set at 70MPH, then made another 10-mile country road drive to my destination. Mileage dropped to 17.5MPG, which is also typical.

To recall, my truck has 4.56 gears, is tuned, and is sitting on 37" tires with a 62mm turbo, CP3 pump, stock injectors, good manifolds, and up pipes and exhaust.

The result of the drive was that nothing out of the ordinary happened. It was just a normal drive, and the engine sounds so smooth, like swiss-watch smooth.

My goal is to quickly get to 5%, then 10%.

Now in researching this, I discovered that until recently, and with a common-rail injector system, Cummins was allowing owners to use filtered motor oil as a fuel supplement up to 15% concentration under full warranty. So, I think there is solid basis to go at least that far.

My goal will be to figure out how to purify WMO to the point where I can run it at 100%

Now, I do know of people who actually do that. They have access to truck stop oil change stations and just filter and refine the WMO in some fashion and run it. I will get a lot smarter on that as we go forward.

Today I saved about $5.50 on the fill-up of $216

[Flyin6]

Right now, I have gallon jugs of oil that came right out of one of my vehicles, so I know it is pretty clean. I am running that through a big CAT fuel filter meant for heavy equipment,

As I improve the operation, I am going to use a variety of technologies to get the oil cleaner doing something like 50 to 100 gallons at a time.

Here's the first resource I'll share. Fuel filter socks that you can also use for rainwater, vegetable oil, paint, fuel or just about anything liquid:

https://www.utahbiodieselsupply.com/bagfilters.php

[JR]

I would heavily filter whatever comes out of another vehicle, especially trans and engine. Seen some nasty stuff.

I have run Soy Oil from Costco at 10% with no issues. Price has gone crazy and is like $8 gallon.

I think someone had/has a bio diesel from waste oil setup someplace, may have to dig deeper on that.

[TexasRedNeck]

https://www.backwoodshome.com/make-your-own-biodiesel-for-80¢-per-gallon/


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[DDS]

FWIW, several years ago, I used to run my LB7 on almost all waste mineral oil with no noticeable affects.

[cj7ox]

So, can you burn both synthetic and dino WMO? Can you mix the two? My short interweb rabbit hole yesterday didn't find any info on that topic.  All the oil change places I know of mix all their WMO, and I'm wondering if that would still be useable if the SHTF. I don't know why it wouldn't be if filtered appropriately, but I am most definitely not a chemist. Just a CDATWAT.

[Flyin6]

Sean, from what I can research, diesel engines will run on a wide range of lubricant oils, even 90w gear oil.

It's about two things. First is filtering to remove contaminants

A set of filters seems sufficient for WVO from fryers, and a pre-filter with filters then a centrifuge to finish it into fuel.

The processed oil is sometimes referred to as "Black fuel."

I ran across one source that stated GM places a sensor in the tank to look for the presence of this mysterious "Black fuel," And does something in the computer to shut down the engine or drive it into a limp mode.

I'm not buying any of that. So, the next and only concern is what effect would this WMO have on modern injectors. Seems to me with the tight clearances the WMO would only help matters. And the injectors are being lubed, and at 30,000 psi, the pump is going to shove anything through the injector anyway.

I may be wrong, but it looks like WMO and WVO is very likely to be good alternative fuel source.

I doubt you will get that recommendation from the government. It may have some negative effects on DEF systems, but I'll bet the reason the government would be against it is they can't tax waste products.

[cj7ox]

Yeah, that's pretty much what I came up with. I just didn't know if there was a difference when it comes to combustion of used synthetic motor oils vs. used crude-based motor oils. Or if combining the two can create any further issues. Nobody seems to touch on that in the interwebs, that I could find. Creating bio-diesel out of WVO seems to be a little involved, especially if you can run down to the local lube-n-go, grab some used oil, put it through a filter sock, and just run it.

[JR]

I would agree, its filtering and viscosity with these new CRFI engines. That is why they use a heater for WMO being thick.

Lift Pumps and CP3/4 pumps are made for pushing very thin oil will not be happy. Shoving it through the injectors my not be the best either.

Sure it may burn but for how long and what cost? Might be as simple as diluting it before use or a heater to this it out some.

[Flyin6]

Yeah, that's pretty much what I came up with. I just didn't know if there was a difference when it comes to combustion of used synthetic motor oils vs. used crude-based motor oils. Or if combining the two can create any further issues. Nobody seems to touch on that in the interwebs, that I could find. Creating bio-diesel out of WVO seems to be a little involved, especially if you can run down to the local lube-n-go, grab some used oil, put it through a filter sock, and just run it.

Something else this reminded me of. Remember reading about the US Army Air Corps raids into Ploesti, Poland? Well, I think that's Poland, but we went there a couple of times to bomb the german refining facilities. Where the Nazi war machine was manufacturing...synthetic fuel for their diesel and gas war machine...

[Flyin6]

I would agree, its filtering and viscosity with these new CRFI engines. That is why they use a heater for WMO being thick.

Lift Pumps and CP3/4 pumps are made for pushing very thin oil will not be happy. Shoving it through the injectors my not be the best either.

Sure it may burn but for how long and what cost? Might be as simple as diluting it before use or a heater to this it out some.

Very good discussion point(s)!
I concur, ULSD is what 5wt oil or something like that. Pumps are pumps and these contactless motors may get warmer, but I doubt they will fail to do their job. The heater may be one of the keys. Like a heating pad placed between the tank and the shield if you have one or on the side somewhere should get the process initiated.
But shortly after the engine has been running, fuel warmed by the engine will be reintroduced back into the tank and PDQ, and things should be warm enough to preclude any big issues.
What I've seen is a setup of like 5 gals of ULSD on a manifold where the engine is both started and shut down on ULSD. Once the engine is warmed, the setup I saw, on a Cummins, was switched to WMO and used exclusively until shutdown when again the ULSD was used to purge the system, preparing it for another cold start.

[cj7ox]

Something else this reminded me of. Remember reading about the US Army Air Corps raids into Ploesti, Poland? Well, I think that's Poland, but we went there a couple of times to bomb the german refining facilities. Where the Nazi war machine was manufacturing...synthetic fuel for their diesel and gas war machine...

Ploesti is Poland.

[Flyin6]

Something else this reminded me of. Remember reading about the US Army Air Corps raids into Ploesti, Poland? Well, I think that's Poland, but we went there a couple of times to bomb the german refining facilities. Where the Nazi war machine was manufacturing...synthetic fuel for their diesel and gas war machine...

Ploesti is Poland.

Well, heck, that's one in a row!
I'm on a roll
Btw, kid is finally out of the field, headed back to graf... Should see him later this year

[JR]

Might be as simple as a heater wrapped around the filter.

I have heard the same, start on regular diesel, run on wmo, shut down on diesel.

[Flyin6]

Might be as simple as a heater wrapped around the filter.

I have heard the same, start on regular diesel, run on wmo, shut down on diesel.

Well, I think as this fuel thing deepens and widens we will all likely be pushing into that corner. Especially is availability starts to come into question.

[JR]

Its more price for me right now. Looking at a tank I can mount on my slide out. Double fuel cap and get cheaper, well into the $7s here, but I can fuel for well under $6 which is still robbery.

[BobbyB]

Ploesti, Poland? Well, I think that's Poland,

Romania.

Operation Tidal Wave 1944

[Flyin6]

Thanks Bobby!
And once again the NCO corrects the officers!

I see no issue with this mixture of alternative fuel so far. The D-max truck continues to start right up, then runs normally, and has not triggered a CEL.

Looking forward, I am proposing an idea to two of my friends. Dave945, I'd extend this offer to you as well, since you are local.

I propose to construct a basic fuel plant in an out bilding on my farm and make my own diesel fuel.

Concept of the operation: After adoption of a plan for the actual plant, those agreeing to it would share in their percentage of the cost for the project. Thirds = 33.3% and fourth's = 25%

The three or four of us would erect a small structure near my barn on a concrete pad. The plant would contain amongst other things, an initial holding tank, then a second "working tank, then various filters and pumps, and a centrifuge capable of around 75-100 gal/hr.. Outside would be another tank of about 1000 gallons where the fresh diesel would be stored and a final filter/pump/hose and nozzle used to fill fuel tanks.

Each person would be obliged to help in the collection of both WVO and WMO from local sources and transport those materials via 300 gal food oil tanks to the farm. The owners would then work during the occasional "Chore day" to replenish the fuel, maintaining it at least 50% quantity at all times. Each participant would have a key to the farm and would simply refuel his vehicle whenever and as often as needed. No further cost such as a fee per gallon would be applied, the owner would simply refuel as necessary. Currently, each owner operates a modern common rail diesel engine in a newer truck which is also equipped with an auxiliary tank. Each truck is capable of carrying from 70-100+ gallons. It is thought that each owner would refuel every three to six weeks depending on need. Estimated fuel usage would be around 300-400 gallons per month. While maintaining at least 50% capacity, emergency fuel would be available for a month or two in the event of a complete supply chain collapse.