Bio-diesel?

Question

How can I convert my Nissan Micra (1.5 dci) to accept Bio-Diesel and what can I use as bio-diesel?

Answer 1

Why would you want to? Bio fuels spend more energy making them then they save.They have also raised food prices .

Answer 2

Converting your current diesel vehicle to burn straight vegetable oil is very simple to do.  You will not get quite the power out of straight-oil as you do diesel, but your vehicle will run fine.  There are no modifications needed to the engine.  There are some modifications that may be needed for your fuel system (tanks, lines and return lines).

You can run your existing diesel engine on any vegetable, canola or palm or peanut oil, etc.  This can be fresh or used oil.  In the case of using, say, used oil from a deep-fryer, you will need to screen it, run it through a good sock filter (made for filtering oil), and then it is best to let the oil sit in a container for at least a couple weeks and then syphon the  oil out ("rack" the oil similar to the way wine is racked out of the barrel, by syphoning from the TOP, not the BOTTOM, and leaving any sediments that have settled on the bottom of the container.)

One of the main things you need to understand is that straight vegetable oil should be pre-heated before entering the engine.  This may require a small in-line heater element between your oil tank and the engine, as close to the engine as possible.  You should have a thermostat on this heater to get the oil up to about 130-F.

If you want to run your automobile as a regular get-around vehicle (and especially if you live in a colder climate), you will probably want to keep your regular fuel tank, and add another fuel tank for your vegie oil.  This will require two fuel lines and a tank switch.  And if your fuel pump system has a return line to the fuel tank, it will be slightly more complicated, and you will need to install seperate returns to each tank.  (In this case, your fuel line tank switch will need to be electric and placed at the same point as the return line to avoid much mixing--a little mixing will be inevitable).

The reason for having a dual fuel system is for heating the oil.  In a colder climate, the veggie oil will solidify unless it is heated.  You could install a heater that will plug in somewhere and keep your oil liquid, but that would be a big hassle.  It is better to start the vehicle on regular deisel and run it until it heats up, and use the excess heat to warm your oil.

To heat the oil, I would recommend a vehicle that has an automatic transmission fluid cooler.  You simply splice into the transmission fluid line on its way to the little cooler radiator, and divert it to a heat exchanger in your oil tank.  This will keep your oil warm/hot.  Otherwise, you can splice into the regular engine coolant lines and run a hot line back to a heat-exchanger in your tank with a thermostat to mainatin good temerature in your oil.  In a colder climate, for winter, I would recommend insulating your tank as well, if it is exposed outside your vehicle.

Hope that gives you some pointers.

You are smart to want to convert your diesil vehicle to run on straight oil rather than bio-diesel!

Answer 3

You will need a conversion kit. From http://altenergy.in