NA5KAR

Hi Everyone. I’m brand new to this forum and I have an interesting question for whoever wants to take a stab at it.
Quick background first … We bought our 2006 E320 CDI at the beginning of this year with 52,000 miles. This is an amazing car and our first Mercedes. Other than replacing the water pump (it failed at 82k), I’ve done regular maintenance and the car runs incredible. We bought this car with the idea of converting it to run on Waste Vegetable Oil. Before you dump on me for screwing up a perfectly good car, I want you to know that I also have a 2001 Ford F250 with the 7.3 Diesel. I have already converted it to run on WVO and it has been a huge success. I did all the work myself (following a plan and with guidance from the WVO community), and it was very easy to do. I have a few thousand miles running on WVO and the truck runs amazing. My wife drives her E320 to work every day, and round trip, puts on about 90 miles. This is why I am interested in converting her car.

Here are my questions. Is there any specific risk to running the E320 CDI on WVO? Does the Diesel ‘return to the fuel tank’ or does it ‘Dead Head’ in the intake? My F250 Dead Heads in the intake. Are there any ‘Electronics’ that monitor fuel that might look at WVO and say, “hey, this is not diesel fuel” and screw up the engine or even performance?

Those are my starting questions. I will do a lot of research before messing with the E320 but I hope this opens some great dialogue on the subject. I look forward to your comments, concerns, and suggestions.

P.S. I respect everyone’s right to an opinion, but if you are on an ‘anti WVO kick’, please find someplace else to vent. Thanks.

lkchris

As if YOU are in charge. Ha!

Why not try searching the forum first--it's been discussed. Also try benzworld.com (if you can stand how slow it is) and search for user drivbiwire.

2slowcdi

Your Ford 7.3L motor is a great motor.
For years I ran Bio Diesel in my 2003 VW TDI and only had one thing that came up , I changed the injection pump seals and that was it.

After getting my CDI 06 I looked in to running Bio diesel and from what I found is with the high pressure that common rail diesels have any impurities that are in the fuel will
for the lack of a better way to put it , the impurities will pressed out of solution.
With that happing the fuel system start ot fail.
This was what was said about Bio diesel.
I have not run anything in my CDI more that B10.

You can find Fred's VW TDI web site will have more reading about fuels www.tdiclub.com

NA5KAR

Thanks 2slowcdi. The feedback I've gotten at other threads suggests that the E320 CDI will eventually fail with WVO and even have issues with Biodiesel. The car is too beautiful and expensive to take that risk. With the great mileage from the CDI, I think we will just continue to enjoy the car on diesel. For long trips, I will definitely use the F250 because I have unlimited access to free WVO and I don't have to feed the greedy corrupt politicians with their excessive gas taxes.

Thanks for the link to Freds TDI. I will check that out. Best of luck with your CDI. It's a great car.

2slowcdi

You will like the CDI when you get to drive it.
The VW TDI people are more gearhead like and with all the after market parts for the VW's they get to play more.

What gets me is diesel should be cheaper than gas , the only thing that cost more is the Fed tax on it.