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Old 08-27-2008, 05:39 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Near Portland, OR
Posts: 21
Year: 1979
Coachwork: Crown
Chassis: Super Coach
Engine: Detroit 6L-71 Turbo
Best Engine for WVO??

I'm looking for a School Bus to convert into a band-mobile/house. I've heard that the best engine for a WVO conversion is a Detroit Diesel because of it's lower pressure fuel injection. Is this true?

Could a rebuilt Cummins 555 work just as well running WVO or will the high-pressure injection daunt the life of the engine after the conversion?

All of this is entirely new to me so ANY tips even unrelated to WVO are much appreciated!
Thanks,
Coop

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Old 08-31-2008, 04:56 PM   #2
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Location: near flint michigan
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Re: Best Engine for WVO??

i don't have any experience with one, but have read multiple times that the cummings "tirple nickle" (555) is nothing but a boat anchor. If you already have a bus with that motor in it, i'd keep the engine in it. Not really worth the money or effort to re-power a bus in most cases.

i have also read that DD 2 stroke diesels are very happy running wvo with one significant advantage over other engines.....each injector has it's own built in injector pump. If one or more injectors fail the engine will continue to run. And DD are prob the cheapest engines to buy parts for. All the engines in each series use exactly the same parts. So a 6v71 uses the same injectors, pistons, rings, heads, etc as the 6v71, 8v71, 12v71,and 16v71.

i know that cummins 5.9, international dt series, and brazilian made ford 6.6 and 7.8 liter engines are very happy with wvo. All of these engines have inline bosch injector pumps.
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Old 09-08-2008, 01:02 PM   #3
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Location: downriver, detroit mi
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Re: Best Engine for WVO??

if you have to pay for waste grease, see if they will filter it for you before they put it in the container for pickup. the grease is liquid (hot) when they drain the frier and most resturants filter their oil several times before they replace it so they have the apparatus to process it for you.
basic grease filter funnels are available from the resturaunt supply houses at reasonable cost, they look much like an oversized coffee filter on a wire stand.
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Old 09-08-2008, 04:38 PM   #4
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Near Portland, OR
Posts: 21
Year: 1979
Coachwork: Crown
Chassis: Super Coach
Engine: Detroit 6L-71 Turbo
Re: Best Engine for WVO??

So we bought a bus and are diving headfirst into the WVO conversion. It's a 1979 Crown Super Coach with a Detroit 6-71 Turbo Diesel. The guy I bought it from said it is supercharged as well...is that even possible?

The engine is in the middle and the bus has a big compartment in the rear, perfect for veggie oil tanks. My plan is to have a series of three 55-gallon drums in the back; #1 for dirty oil straight from the restaurant, #2 for oil filtered through a 20(or so) micron filter, and #3 for oil we have filtered through a 5 micron filter. From tank #3 the oil will go to a larger, stainless steel tank we'll mount under the belly of the bus. This tank will have a water jacket (or internal hoses) which we will connect to the coolant system to warm the oil.

After the last tank I'm assuming we will need another fuel pump. Where should we put the switch between the two fuel tanks (Diesel and Veggie)?

Any suggestions or advice?

Thanks,
Coop
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Old 01-13-2009, 09:10 AM   #5
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 15
Re: Best Engine for WVO??

I am in the process of looking at buying a bus for our scout troop. I emailed a man on craigs list about a bus he has for sale. He said the Ford 6.6 diesel engine can burn waste doughnut oil straight in the regular fuel tank. "Just pour it in and go. If you run out, fill it with diesel". Is doughnut oil different? I had no plans to use waste oil but hearing this from him makes me want to try it. Our church group has some sort of "fry" ( ie. fish fry, chicken fry, etc.) almost once a month to help raise funds and we have had problems disposing of the waste oil in the past. If I could just pour it in our bus that would save money AND eliminate a disposal problem at the same time!

Is there a difference between doughnut oil and oil from chicken or fish frying? It seems from reading the posts here that some oils have to go through a lot of filtering before they can be used. The guy has been selling buses for a long time and sounds like he knows what he is talking about. I don't know anything about the Ford 6.6 diesel engine. Is it a good engine?

Thank you
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Old 01-13-2009, 03:11 PM   #6
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Posts: 82
Re: Best Engine for WVO??

I would say that the difference isnt in the oil, it is the contaminants in the oil after frying. Filtering and dewatering is done to get back to just the oil removing the cleansers, food particles, suspended water, etc.

All things being perfect, he is correct. If the oil was very very clean with no water in it and it was hot enough that it wouldnt solidify, yes you could just pour it in and go. If you plan on going that route, keep extra fuel filters handy. Also, what happens if the temps drop and you have this mix of diesel and oil mix in your tank?

Some argue this point, but my humble opinion is that you want to plumb an entirely separate fuel system getting as close to the IP as you can. That way, if something clogs or goes wrong, you can switch back to diesel and none of your diesel fuel system is clogged with whatever caused the problem. But...this is my humble opinion from research, not experimentation.
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