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Old 05-02-2010, 01:21 PM   #1
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Wanting to hear from people who HAVE converted

Greetings...

Been cruising around this section for a bit... and mostly what I see are folks posting that they are "interested" in converting their bus...

I would like to get input from folks who HAVE converted their bus.

To explain: I own a 2002 Ford Excursion that I converted to run on WVO about 5 years ago... I'm still running it after 5 years and 80,000 miles of travelling.

I chose the PowerStroke because of the engine's fantastic ability to be converted... specifically, the fuel ports that could be utilized with the fuel rail...

From what I have read, the T444E engine is (essentially) the same internally as the PowerStroke... does it also have the same fuel port design? (Fuel rail runs the length of the heads, with a diesel fuel feed at one end, and a plugged port at the other).

Also from what I have read, the T444E (being a 7.3 Powerstroke) is a little lacking on power when it comes to moving a bus... and at higher mileage, they tend to burn out quicker, as the "smaller" engine has to work harder.

What other engines have been successfully converted?

(And understand that when I say "converted", I also am asking for some distance and time... diesel engines will run on waffle syrup for a short length of time. I want to hear if anyone has done a conversion that is still running WVO after say, 2 years and 10,000 miles or so...)

I'm VERY well-versed in WVO... I'm not looking for the "where do I get filters?" type of info...


Thanks in advance...

Halitosis

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Old 05-02-2010, 06:18 PM   #2
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Re: Wanting to hear from people who HAVE converted

Dt466
9,000 ish miles
3 yrs
10,000ft above sea level home base
Up and over the divide at least twenty times
Started with 257,000 ish miles
Runs smoother than ever!
Searching for Bus #2 (or version 2.0) hehe!
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Old 05-05-2010, 05:28 PM   #3
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Re: Wanting to hear from people who HAVE converted

I think there are quite a few people that come to this site to get data and soak up the experience of others. Once they have converted they move on with the new found freedom of travel. I know 4 or 5 people from Colorado who have converted and are still running veg, but they just don't frequent the site as much anymore. I Am surprised and a little relieved to see that not many have responded. Plenty of fuel to go around!
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Old 05-13-2010, 12:47 PM   #4
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Re: Wanting to hear from people who HAVE converted

I'd like more info on your Excursion setup. Maybe even a few pics.
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Old 12-21-2011, 03:46 PM   #5
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Re: Wanting to hear from people who HAVE converted

I burned about 1K gallons of wvo in one summer, about 8K miles, in a Brazillian Ford 6.6 Liter inline 6 cylinder with bosch inline injection pump. I made my own system, and processed all my wvo on board. I could hold 110 gallons of wvo.

I also burned about 500 gallons in a DT360 with good results.

I think most of the older non-computer controlled 6 cylinder diesels with bosch inline injeciton pumps are good candidates for WVO conversion. From what i've read, inline pumps last much longer than rotory pumps because the inline version is lubricated with engine oil, while the rotory is lubricated with diesel fuel.

examples include: 5.9 cummins, 6.6 and 7.8 liter ford/new holland Brazilian, International DT360, DT466, DT408. Of all of these examples, the cummins gets superior fuel economy.
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Old 03-02-2012, 07:38 AM   #6
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Re: Wanting to hear from people who HAVE converted

I have about 18 or 20K on a Detroit 6-71N. She runs like a dream.
We are leaving tomorrow for about 3000 miles.
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Old 06-01-2012, 01:43 AM   #7
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Re: Wanting to hear from people who HAVE converted

I put over 20k on my navistar 6.9 without a care in the world. Then I ended up sucking up some potassium hydroxide that was left next to the barrels of mineral oil that I meant to suck. it bored out one of my cylinders. The veggie disaster that has nothing to do with veggie. So I switched it out for a dt466. I haven't started running veg yet but will soon. heard good things about it in this engine.
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Old 06-08-2012, 04:08 PM   #8
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Re: Wanting to hear from people who HAVE converted

Dt-466 is what I've been rolling without any hint of problems. Smoother than ever.
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Old 09-12-2012, 10:21 PM   #9
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Re: Wanting to hear from people who HAVE converted

50,000 grease miles
5.9 cummins TC 2000
5.9 cummins dodge ram

Veggie = good if you realize that it is a hobby. Grease runs in a diesel engine, proven time and time again. If it is something that you will enjoy doing it will provide you with experiences you will never forget. If your looking to save money and don't take on a interest to wrench and learn what your motor is all about than any motor/drivetrain combination is as good as another. Things break all the time, if there is a perfect combo everyone would use it. It depends on what your using it for,how well you maintain it, and feeling how your motor likes to be treated. Kinda like a girlfriend I guess, lol. Grease is a strange and wonderful thing for the right personality's, or a nightmare for another.

Recycler how's the grease scene in AK?
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Old 10-20-2012, 09:17 PM   #10
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Re: Wanting to hear from people who HAVE converted

'89 7.3, run about 10k miles on veggie. DIY system, storage and processing onboard.
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Old 10-20-2012, 10:50 PM   #11
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Re: Wanting to hear from people who HAVE converted

Juan-where in Ct are you?
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