So some friends (band) have been touring the US the last 2 years or so, in a gigantic diesel van. And they finally got their dream of running on veggie diesel to work. I got a status report yesterday from Wyomingish.

The kit wasn't too expensive, and the installation wasn't awful. Then, (for those not familiar) you go around to resturaunts and ask for their used grease. You pump that into tanks, past a few filters, and then more-or-less off you go. The van can also run on regular diesel still, so if you can't find grease, no sweat. But if you can, it's free. So anytime you can run on grease, that's another tank you didn't have to pay for out of the Band Fund... they can save in the neighborhood of ten grand a year doing this, if I remember right, and that's figuring 1/2 grease and 1/2 diesel. And they're getting about 400 miles from a (40 gallon) tank, same on both mediums.

They're also getting smart and calling ahead to the venues to see if they use oil, and if so can they hang onto it for a while longer than usual, the band will take it, etc. I recommended printing out maps from fast food websties of locations, so that if you know that like Chik-fil-a uses the good shit (peanut oil), you can aim for them, etc.


Anywho, The shit seems to work pretty well, and the prices / support are coming into line with what almost-average people will bear.

This thread title led me to believe Vin had suffered some kind of Schiavo-level brain injury.

Supposedly everything about this is good except for one particular kind of harmful emission. I can't remember what it is, but I think "bio-diesel" emits an equal or higher level of it than regular diesel.

At least that's a problem it used to have. I'm not sure if anybody ever got anything done about that. I haven't read about this in a while, but I know it's slowly been gaining steam around these parts, especially with band types.

Yeah, he was also initially worried about partially hydrogenated oil at fast food places having too much water in it, but then his mechanic says it works anyway.

The whole thing just seems to be like the wild west - you just sorta find your way as you go.


Vin Diesel doesn't receive brain injuries, he gives them.

Of course, Oregon has bio-diesel filling stations.

Yeah, bio diesel is good and all, (and from what I hear sometimes cheaper than regl'r diesel, yet people with diesel cars avoid it because they don't know what it is) but nothing beats fryer grease, at least in price.

Oh and he's already clogged one filter. I suggested some suitably redneck work-arounds.

A bunch of stinky punk rock kids did that around here except it was a schoolbus. I think they went all over the US.

*dave matthews joke*

My brother had a two month period where he wanted to put a conversion kit in his old vw diesel, but then he got brand new Jetta diesel and decided he didn't want to risk messing it up somehow (he used to have a rabbit).

So now he's on to bio-diesel. And he drives me crazy about it.

Wait, I thought bio diesel was fryer grease.