Running my Vauxhall Astra on veg oil

A question about : Running my Vauxhall Astra on veg oil

I have just bought a 1997 Vauxhall Astra td. Its very clean and tidy and has been well looked after, although the turbo is not working so is a bit sluggish at slow speed.
I can get my hands on an unlimited supply of Wesson green vegetable oil from the canteen at work, they just throw it our every week (approx 60 litres).
Now I am planning on collecting 20/30 litres and bring it home where I will filter it using a J cloth in the garage and then add to my my fuel tank at about a 60/40 mix.
Does anyone know if this will work, will I do any damage and has anyone else tried this with an Astra?
Any tips regarding the turbo would be greatly appreciated !

Best answers:

• check all hoses going to the the turbo, you might have a loose hose or a split in one of them. other than that its probably going to cost you money,maybe try and source a second hand one.
  regarding your fuel i havent really paid much attention to any of this as i dont have a diesel car. the only advice i can offer is learn how to change your fuel filter and do it on a regular basis if you do start using the oil.
• As long as you have no qualms about the possibility of the car dying on you (i.e. it was cheap and you can afford to lose it), then go for it. There are a few forums around that might be able to give you make/model specific advice. Used veg oil will contain some water (not enough to see) compared to diesel. Also, with Winter approaching then veg oil will tend to be more viscous than diesel, might be an idea to have a more 'dilute' mix for the colder months, or even an alternate tank of neat diesel to be sure you're flushing the pipes through thoroughly.
  Anyone moving waste oil should in theory have a 'Waste Operators Licence'. As waste oil seems to have a value now, be careful that the canteen's current oil disposal contractor doesn't get too nosey. I believe the onus is on the canteen manufacturer to ensure waste is disposed of legally.
• I have a 60 litre fuel tank and will just put 15 litres in. I've read that if you have a fuel pump manufactured by Bosch as opposed to lucas it will be more suitable, all I need to do is find out which one I have.
• will be under the bonnet tonight !
• ....and of course you will send the appropriate tax cheque off each month for the fuel duty?
• I believe ideally you'd want a machine like these people sell:
  https://greenfuels.co.uk/
  Which actually converts the oil into proper diesel by cracking the hydrocarbon chains. But older diesels (I understand especially old mercs) can be run on straight filtered veg oil, with some mineral diesel mixed in.
  Only really worth investing in one of those machines if you're doing this with a car that isn't an old runabout I guess.
• In the UK the government have recently introduced a new tax incentive for vegetable oil based fuels. The definition of biodiesel is 'an ester of vegetable oil fatty acid', which includes methyl ester (biodiesel made with methanol) and ethyl ester etc. Also, from a technical perspective, vegetable oil in it's pure form is an ester, therefore it should also come under the tax ruling, but customs and excise consider that because it is not 'diesel quality' it is not elligible for the reduced tax rate. The duty payable on biodiesel is now 28.35 pence per litre (+ VAT), as opposed to 48.35 pence for ultra low sulphur diesel (September 2006). The duty payable on vegetable oil, or SVO, is 48.35 pence. Duty does change regularly, so these figures are not always up to date. More recently, customs have given a ZERO tax rate payable on biodiesel and vegetable oil if production is less than 2,500 litres per year.
  Some people, however, have managed to get the lower rate for their veg oil. Notable cases are Dominic Goodwin of Biomotors and Plymouth biofuels. Dominic managed to persude his local customs team to accept a DIN standard as being proof that his fuel was of diesel quality. Plymouth biofuels went to court over attempts by customs to claim back pay for the difference in the two rates and customs lost the case! The big problem with customs is that their policy seems to vary from one region to another and they dont seem to communicate with each other. No doubt they will solidify their national policy on veg oilers at some time in the near future. But can they reverse their regional experiences, given that one of them is probably now a precedent set in court?
  https://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/customs.html
• Just has a look under the bonnet and on what I believe to be the fuel pump- front of engine between the block and the radiator with 4 small metal pipes going into each cylinder- has written on 2 of the black plastic mouldings "bosch". I could be in business.
  Also had a look at the pipes on the turbo and everything seems fine although there is a big metal plate covering it so there is not a lot for me to see with out removing it. It is very clean under the bonnet with no leaks that I can see.
• Whilst trawling the net for further info I came accros this-
  https://pesn.com/2005/03/17/6900069_Acetone/
  Acetone drastically reduces the surface tension. Most fuel molecules are sluggish with respect to their natural frequency. Acetone has an inherent molecular vibration that "stirs up" the fuel molecules, to break the surface tension. This results in a more complete vaporization with other factors remaining the same. More complete vaporization means less wasted fuel, hence the increased gas mileage from the increased thermal efficiency.
  In addition to increased mileage acetone added to fuel boasts other benefits such as increased power, engine life, and performance. Less unburned fuel going past the rings keeps the rings and engine oil in far better condition.
  How long before I find a site telling me that Buxton spring water can be added to your tank to aid a smooth running engine. Very interesting article though, has anybody tried it?