Running my Vauxhall Astra on veg oil

worried_jim

I have just bought a 1997 Vauxhall Astra td. Its very clean and tidy and has been well looked after, although the turbo is not working so is a bit sluggish at slow speed.
I can get my hands on an unlimited supply of Wesson green vegetable oil from the canteen at work, they just throw it our every week (approx 60 litres).
Now I am planning on collecting 20/30 litres and bring it home where I will filter it using a J cloth in the garage and then add to my my fuel tank at about a 60/40 mix.
Does anyone know if this will work, will I do any damage and has anyone else tried this with an Astra?
Any tips regarding the turbo would be greatly appreciated !

goldspanners

check all hoses going to the the turbo, you might have a loose hose or a split in one of them. other than that its probably going to cost you money,maybe try and source a second hand one.
regarding your fuel i havent really paid much attention to any of this as i dont have a diesel car. the only advice i can offer is learn how to change your fuel filter and do it on a regular basis if you do start using the oil.

Volcano

As long as you have no qualms about the possibility of the car dying on you (i.e. it was cheap and you can afford to lose it), then go for it. There are a few forums around that might be able to give you make/model specific advice. Used veg oil will contain some water (not enough to see) compared to diesel. Also, with Winter approaching then veg oil will tend to be more viscous than diesel, might be an idea to have a more 'dilute' mix for the colder months, or even an alternate tank of neat diesel to be sure you're flushing the pipes through thoroughly.

Anyone moving waste oil should in theory have a 'Waste Operators Licence'. As waste oil seems to have a value now, be careful that the canteen's current oil disposal contractor doesn't get too nosey. I believe the onus is on the canteen manufacturer to ensure waste is disposed of legally.

worried_jim

I have a 60 litre fuel tank and will just put 15 litres in. I've read that if you have a fuel pump manufactured by Bosch as opposed to lucas it will be more suitable, all I need to do is find out which one I have.

mikey72

worried_jim wrote: »

I have a 60 litre fuel tank and will just put 15 litres in. I've read that if you have a fuel pump manufactured by Bosch as opposed to lucas it will be more suitable, all I need to do is find out which one I have.

Yes, Bosch is ok, Lucas will die.
Look at http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/fuelsdatabase/database/index.php for some histories.

worried_jim

mikey72 wrote: »

Yes, Bosch is ok, Lucas will die.
Look at http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/fuelsdatabase/database/index.php for some histories.

Great site! I found this-
A Opel Astra 1.7D has done 60,237 miles on veg oil!
and someone is running Winter 20% veg. Summer 80%veg. It seems the common consensus is that as you've already mentioned above don't do Lucas. I have no idea what I have yet but I guess if the car was manufactured by vauxhall in the UK then it will be Lucas and if it was built by Opel in Germany then it will be Bosch.
I will investigate further as there really is an unlimted supply of used oil at work just sitting there.

Have also just discovered that the car has a fiited working Cobra alarm system, I found the fob in the glove box and it works, just that the fob is broken to the extent you cant attach it too a keyring. I have found the manual with the serial number so I may be able to get a replacement- remote central locking would make my life a lot easier.

goldspanners

worried_jim wrote: »

I have no idea what I have yet but I guess if the car was manufactured by vauxhall in the UK then it will be Lucas and if it was built by Opel in Germany then it will be Bosch.
I will investigate further as there really is an unlimted supply of used oil at work just sitting there.

its not as simple as that. have a look at your fuel pump, it will either have bosch marked on it or lucas,its this simple!

or if your really not sure then you need to find pictures of the bosch pump or find one on another astra to match it.

worried_jim

will be under the bonnet tonight !

EdGasket

....and of course you will send the appropriate tax cheque off each month for the fuel duty?

mikey72

EdGasket wrote: »

....and of course you will send the appropriate tax cheque off each month for the fuel duty?

Don't need to anymore for a small user.

bryanb

mikey72 wrote: »

Don't need to anymore for a small user.

I believe you refer to biodiesel regarding tax. Used veg oil is not biodiesel. perhaps a call to HMRC would clarify the tax position.