With the advent of low sulphur diesel, would it be a good or bad idea to add a quantity (5% or 10%?)of vegetable oil in with the diesel for injector pump/valves/upper cylinder lubrication purposes?
It burns ok and is cheaper than derv too.
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IMHO it would be a bad idea, the petroleum companies spend millions refining the road fuel, adding detergents, anti-knock agents etc. I don't think vegetable oil would be quite as consistently good quality for a modern diesel engine.
I've done 132,000 miles since May 01, pretty much all on low sulphur diesel, without any fuel additives, and there doesn't seem to be any sign of engine wear yet.
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ULSD is not a problem for modern diesel engines really - they've been designed for its use. If you want to use something as an additive or alternative fuel I would suggest you try to source (or, if you're feeling adventurous, make) some biodiesel. Its high lubricity is a bonus for your engine, while it is much more refined than vegetable oil and therefore far less likely to cause any clogging/coking problems. I've done almost 20k in a VAG TDi on the stuff from new without a hitch, with occasional use of mineral diesel when my supplies ran out.
As I've mentioned in other threads, if you put a tankful of biodiesel into your car after it has done a significant amount of mileage on ordinary fuel, it will clean all the crud out of your tank and deposit it on the fuel filter, so wait until a few hundred miles before the next service so you don't end up changing the fuel filter twice.
Try a search on this site for the threads called "Rix Biodiesel" and "Top Gear and Cooking Oil" for a fair amount of discussion and information. Also take a look at biodiesel.infopop.net as well as www.biofuels.fsnet.co.uk/biobiz.htm for a list of biodiesel suppliers in the UK.
If you're particularly keen on using veggie oil, you need to consider if your engine is direct or indirect injection, as indirect injection is more suited to veggie oil. Rotary fuel pumps and veggie oil are not a great idea. That said, I don't think 5% or less will make a difference in either case, but do some research first starting with the links above.
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