How much does it cost to change an engine to use vegetable oil? can you do that if it a scion xb

Question

i have a scion xb it cost 60$ to fill it and I'm really don't have money so can you do it. and is it a lot. and i want to change it to some thing Else if not vegetable oil can i change it to something elese

Answer 1

Not in gasoline  engines..

Answer 2

if your car runs on diesel you don't actually HAVE to change anything for it to run on vegetable oil, you can just switch the fuel supply. Seriously. It smells like french fries. We did this when I was at university.

You might want to get it tuned differently so that it is efficient, but it will run anyway.

I don't know if that's what your car is, but if it isn't a diesel, then don't do it!  

Answer 3

as above, gotta be a diesel, so no you can't.  If you want to run on straight veggie oil, you'll need a kit costing over $1000.  You'll still keep the original diesel tank and you will have to run on diesel for the first 20 miles.  Then you switch to veggie oil.  But you'll need to run diesel for 2 miles before you turn the engine off.  If you mess up or the veggie oil isn't clean, you are walking until you can get the car into a shop the tear the fuel system apart, maybe a $100 job.

So save a $100 on fuel, can be wiped out by a dirty filter or not switching properly.

Answer 4

You would have to get a starter kit to convert your Scion.  You can either purchase the kit yourself or bring it to a specialized

shop which should run you around $200-600. It is much easier if you already own a car that runs on diesel.  The diesel car was initially made to run on vegetable oil.  

Gas is free if you are willing to get your fuel at a restaurant and utilize their used oil.  You have to be careful and make sure you filter (more than once) the oil thoroughly since bits of food can clot and slowly degrade your engine.  If you want to play it safe you can purchase vegetable oil at a store but a gallon will run about the same price as a gallon of petroleum gasoline.    

If you are using SVO (Straight Vegetable Oil) you have to heat your engine before driving and flush out the SVO when turning off your car.  SVO is viscous and can harden and damage your engine.  It is especially harder cold weather.



Another easier alternative is Biodiesel.

Pros: It is less viscous than SVO so your car can run better on it.  Runs better in the winter (won't harden as bad as SVO).

You can turn on a switch and your vehicle will be able to run on regular diesel if biodiesel is not available.

Cons: SVO is readily available and Biodiesel takes effort and time to make it.  

****NOTE:  You also have to take into account that you have to pay TAXES on any type of fuel for your vehicle.  When you purchase gasoline at a station, the tax is already included.  Each state varies with their laws on taxing alternative fuels.  Some people have been taken to court for tax evasion for not "paying" their taxes on their biofuel vehicle.

Answer 5

No Scion car sold in North America (actually, I think the Scion brand is only sold in USA, they are Toyota's everywhere else) has a diesel option.  You would need to swap engines, and on such a new car, you'd be looking at several thousand dollars on the motor alone, not to mention all the other little bits and pieces need for it to run right.  With labor you're looking at well over $7,000 for a professionally done swap.

You already have a very fuel efficient car, why mess with it?

Hey, just keep your tires properly inflated....HAHAHAHHAHAHHA!

Answer 6

A scion cannot run on vegtable oil or biodiesel. There are only a few diesel passanger vehicles in the US today. A conversion could cost thousands, but first you would have to have a diesel car. Volkswagen had the TDi, and mercedes has a "D" designation on their diesel cars.

But i hardly can see someone driving a diesel mercedes up to mcdonalds to suck the vegetable oil out of the fry'o'lators...

You can get a new jetta with the tdi now, and all the older model vw's had a TDI (Turbo Diesel Injection) engine in them.  

Answer 7

Is the engine diesel?  You can only use vegetable oil if your engine is diesel.  If your car takes gas, you can't use vegetable oil.  To cut down on your fuel use you can drive slower, and plan what and where you need to go.  I get food near where I work because they are close to each other and that way I don't use up more fuel by going home and then going out again for groceries.  Try do do everything in the same area, this really cuts down on the number of times you need to fill up.