Greasecar
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A greasecar is an automobile that has been converted to run on straight vegetable oil (SVO) by installing a coolant-heated auxiliary fuel tank. The vehicle heats up the vegetable oil while burning diesel from the original fuel tank. After about five minutes when the vegetable oil has reached a hot enough temperature, the driver can switch the engine's fuel supply from diesel to vegetable oil. The driver must remember to purge the injectors before shutting the car off for an extended period of time. If vegetable oil is allowed to cool in the injectors it will become too thick to burn properly in the engine and will damage the injectors if repeatedly done over time.
Used vegeatable oil can be obtained for low or no cost from many restaurants including diners, Chinese food, Middle Eastern food, fast food, Mexican food, etc. The vegetable oil must be filtered down to at least 10 micrometres. This can be done through a gravity method of hanging up a sock filter, pouring the vegetable oil through the filter, and allowing it to drip into a bucket.
Straight vegetable oil (SVO) is not the same as Biodiesel. Biodiesel is created through a process called transesterification in which the vegetable is molecularly thinned by mixing in lye and either methanol or ethanol. Any diesel vehicle can use biodiesel without major changes. Straight vegetable oil (SVO) is only vegetable but must be heated before being burnt in the engine.
See also
Alternative fuel cars
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