What kind of fuel are you using?

[the_experience03]

It's funny. When I first started looking for a bus I wanted a gasser with a 4 or 5 speed. I figured I could fix a gasser myself since that's what I have experience with and the 4 or 5 speed would be just about bulletproof. Now I own a diesel with an AT545

I guess it just comes down to personal preference, but as I read I quickly learned that a diesel was probably the best bet in terms of mileage and such. I won't use the bus often, but when I do it will be for long distances. I also like the resale (not that I ever would sell it) value of a diesel. There is no doubt in my mind that I will get what I paid for it should I ever decide to sell.

As for the auto....well.....a 4 or 5 speed is hard to find. On top of that, I drove a buddy's bus (he bought his the same week as mine coincidently...we had not talked about it previously) up Minnesota's infamous Highway 38 from Grand Rapids to Marcell. It is a narrow, windy, hilly road frequented by logging trucks mostly. In 14 miles it goes around 10 lakes (we are the Land of 10,000 Lakes after all). I got so annoyed with shifting that crashbox and 2 speed rear after that one trip that I decided that I would have an auto. I've never looked back.

For as much hate as people seem to have for the AT545, it's not a bad tranny IMHO. It was used for well over a decade and for millions and millions of skoolie miles as well as in other medium duty trucks. Sure it has its flaws, but they are reliable and hold up. When they give up the ghost they can be replaced cheaper than the 4L60E in a half ton Chevy truck. On top of that, anyone can drive a rig with one. Anyway...enough ranting....

 

[lapeer20m]

In 14 miles it goes around 10 lakes (we are the Land of 10,000 Lakes after all). .

Michigan has more than 11,000 inland lakes, and more shorline than any other state in the lower 48......and 1/5 of the worlds fresh water.....


ok, i feel better now

 

[the_experience03]

When your state is bisected by something called a "Great Lake" I hope you have a lot of shoreline .

I'm not sure what the actual definition of a lake is in Minnesota, but I believe the actual number is something like 15,000 lakes. Land of 10,000 Lakes just sounds better.

 

[theorganicautomobile]

cheap veggie kits

The simple veggie kit for my bus includes:

svo tank - found at the dump. A Jaccuzzi sand filter tank.

fittings - $30 only for fuel

solenoid valves - $140 One supply, one return

fuel line - $30

wire - scavenged from bus accessory lighting

switch - $4

filter - $12

filter head - $17

fasteners - $10

TOTAL $243 Canadian And it works great!

 

[lapeer20m]

that's great!

 

[timecrash]

Mine runs on propane. Awesome way to go in my opinion compared to diesel (buck a litre) and gas (little more than a buck a litre). My bus is roughly 7m long with a 350hp Chevy Manual.....the same they push the bigger buses. so it uses a lot of gas, but accellerates pretty quickly for a bus. Anyways! back to propane.
I bought it when prices were about 45 50 cents Canadian a liter, but they rocketed to 65.9 right after i bought it. so im paying through the nose in my opinion. On the bright side, i have mileage comparable or maybe a little more than an Ford F-350 pickup, diesel or gas. So im about twice the size, and can compete.
Propane itself burns cleaner, and leaves less soot and carbon material, extending engine life, has a higher octane value, its cleaner burning (no sulfur, low C02) and burns so hot, it heats the bus really fast (it'd call that our own 'Canadian Dream').
One thing i do need is better fuel efficiency....anyone got any suggestions on conversion, like adding gas or diesel to the mix?

-T

 

[Grizzers]

Currently I am using diesel but hope to convert to WVO as time and funds permit.

 

[recycler]

wvo filtered through 10 micron into bus wiith electric pump then 5 micron heated filter prior to engine. Super smooth at the high end, a little chuggy at the idle but relatively the same power. A small drop in mileage but at 8miles per gallon and 150 gallons of wvo who's counting right. 3000 wvo miles this summer lots of mountain passes and i still have the same diesel i left with in the tank(have since topped off). word

 

[Ray_WA]

I am living on a 76 international full size bus I have morphed into a micro brewery and traveling the states.

The micro brewery puts out the fuel I'm interested in!! Got pics of your setup?

-Ray

 

[TikiBus]

How do you keep the beer and sediment from mixing while you are going down the road? I am bidding on a bus tomorrow that I am planning to convert to a microbrewery. What are the legalities of that, can one serve homebrew from a bus and charge money for it?

 

[Ray_WA]

How do you keep the beer and sediment from mixing while you are going down the road? I am bidding on a bus tomorrow that I am planning to convert to a microbrewery. What are the legalities of that, can one serve homebrew from a bus and charge money for it?

The short answer is... NO!!

You can make a certain amount each year without any licenses. I think 200 gallons. But if you plan on selling it you need to be a licensed brewery/winery. If you plan on selling it yourself in your own "establishment" then I'm sure you'll need licenses for on-premise alcohol sales.

What you do on an amateur level and share with your friends (for free) shouldn't be too much of an issue.

That being said, I also wondered how you deal with the sediment, etc. I don't see how you'd get quality product in a moving vehicle!! But sometimes it's not about quality!

-Ray

-Ray

 

[millertyme]

just got my bus, and am planning the conversion to veggie this spring. i have a 98 dodge 2500 that i did a test burn with last fall, and it worked great. so, i am planning on the conversion for the bus. i am going to have a second tank built to fit the drivers side. 24"x12"x as long as i want - almost.
i have plans on a heat exchanger mounted on the frame, as well as a heated filter, tube in hose fuel line, and a tank heater. it will all be using prestone for heating. 2 seperate 3-way valves, so i can change the supply, then after a pre-determained time, switch the return so that the tank contamination will be kept to a minimum. I have a good supply of oil, so i hope to have a free summer of travel.

 

[firemanbud343]

Just got my first Skoolie. She's a diesel for now but I work at the world's leading company in making fryers, and they have offered me ALL the oil I can handle. It's wvo. but I'm also lucky that I have acsess to the best filtering stuff on the market.

 

[C00LR]

Ok let me start off by claiming to know absolutely JACK about diesel engines and WVO and converting them from one to another. So... possible stupid question coming...BUT I will ask anyway...
If you have a diesel engine and convert it to run on WVO. Say your on a trip and dont know where to get the WVO but there is a truck stop right there and you need fuel. Can you just fill your tank with diesel and keep on truckin? Is it ok to switch back and forth?
Isnt running Biodiesel the same as running WVO? Just that someone else is doing the filtering for you right???

 

[C00LR]

Re-reading the previous post from Ben2go I think I might be able to answer my own question in that yes you can use either one?

 

[Branden-SKO]

Diesel fuel additive: A++

So my engine, the classic Cummins Triple Nickel that everyone likes so much as an older diesel, has a tendency to almost stall when one goes from pressing the accelerator to quickly braking, as you might exiting the highway. I've figured out how to "feather" the accelerator so as to not starve the engine, as this is what seems to be happening. My mechanic says it's something to do with how the fuel supply is supposed to be more gradually reduced by something that is worn by age and somewhat expensive to access/replace. Well, I had stopped using diesel fuel treatment, thinking it wasn't really going to do anything for me. WRONG. I started using it again and it changed the performance of the engine pretty dramatically. Smoother, and rarely wants to stall anymore. Lubrosity or somesuch increased, supposedly mileage, too. I'm sure there are several acceptable additives, but I'm using Standyne now:
http://www.stanadyne.com/view.php?id=45

Branden

 

[M1031]

Re:

I wonder if anyone has tried using biodiesel. In my skoolie dreams, I dream of using a clean fuel without too much conversion hassle; biodiesel might be the solution.

Paul

If you use used veggie oil, the animal fats will eat the fuel pump and any other metal parts up within a year or two from conversion. I know because I had an M109A3 Shop Van and ran veggie guts and that was the end result - along with a $2K repair bill. My Deuce was a multi-fuel capable of running on anything, and she did! However, the acid in the animal fat can be bleached out with a combination of water soluable chemicals. Flip side being you cannot get all the water out of the fuel. This creates fuel injector problems. Water has a nasty habit of turning into steam when above 212*F. With injectors being 800*+ when at temperature, the steam tends to blow them apart. Trust me I know this first hand as well. I learned quite a bit from the veggie fuel guys. These reasons and many others are why veggie oil is not an easily marketable idea and still remains in the R&D stage.

 

[M1031]

Re: Diesel fuel additive: A++

So my engine, the classic Cummins Triple Nickel that everyone likes so much as an older diesel, has a tendency to almost stall when one goes from pressing the accelerator to quickly braking, as you might exiting the highway. I've figured out how to "feather" the accelerator so as to not starve the engine, as this is what seems to be happening. My mechanic says it's something to do with how the fuel supply is supposed to be more gradually reduced by something that is worn by age and somewhat expensive to access/replace. Well, I had stopped using diesel fuel treatment, thinking it wasn't really going to do anything for me. WRONG. I started using it again and it changed the performance of the engine pretty dramatically. Smoother, and rarely wants to stall anymore. Lubrosity or somesuch increased, supposedly mileage, too. I'm sure there are several acceptable additives, but I'm using Standyne now:
http://www.stanadyne.com/view.php?id=45

Branden

Try adding Prolong Engine Treatment in the crankcase. Also blend in Marvel Mystery Oil in the fuel and the cylinder heads will thank you for decades to come! Lucas fuel treatment will lube the fuel pump since the refineries took out the main ingredient of Lucas in their diesel fuel about 10 or so years ago.

 

[The_Stuff]

very interesting topic.

I have a couple diesels. one my liteace, other my bus.

so other then filtering the oil, what does one have to add to it for it to run like diesel?

 

[danielm-SKO]

very interesting topic.

I have a couple diesels. one my liteace, other my bus.

so other then filtering the oil, what does one have to add to it for it to run like diesel?

Heat.

Maybe some #2 diesel also depending on how cold it is.

I've run an old cummins 6bt for 300K miles on wvo, Mecedes 617s on wvo for many thousands of miles. The key is good filtration and dewatering. Time is your friend. I collect using a 40 gallon sucker (old water htr), dump it back at the ranch and let it sit for a week before I pump from the top. From the settling tank, it is pumped using a small blck chevy oil pump driven by a cordless drill, to an elevated drum with a large fabric cone filter. I let it sit in that tank after it has trickled thru the filter for a couple of days. Then I drain the bottom inch off to collect any water that has settled and into another drum.
It sits there for a da or two and is then pumped thru a 10 micron filter to a clean fuel holding tank. I have two of these 55 gal tanks which I fill the vehicle from. I never pump from a tank that has been stirred up. Always let it settle and pump from the top. A hot skillet test is done to test for suspended water.

It sounds complex but I spend no more than 1 hour a week on the process. I mostly run wvo in the summer time, a blend when it starts to cool below 60f and diesel in the winter. Been doing this for many years.
We're hoping to get a bus converted and on the road running wvo by next summer. Still shopping for the right diesel bus.
Found a good one but the seller has title issues.

Anyone coming thru north Texas needing some wvo let me know. I can pretty much always spare a few gallons and there's a place to camp at the ranch.