Mixing used oil with diesel in the tractor.

[ROUSTABOUT]

Anyone mixing used oil in with their diesel to cut the cost? I have old hydraulic and motor oil that I can filter and maybe mix in a quart per five gallons of diesel. We went to $6.40 a gallon today and if I project out the increases to winter plowing season, it looks like I might be shoveling this year.

I've ran half or more for decades.

 

[oosik]

The mechanics shop at the local Kubota dealership has a waste oil furnace. They get thousands of gallons every year. JMHO - you would have to be a pretty big operation to see any financial benefit from a waste oil furnace system.

I use less than 50 gallons of off-road diesel per year. Adding waste petroleum product to my diesel fuel stream simply wouldn't save that much money. Besides - cost to repair could instantly displace any savings.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Speaking of which.. Death Valley yesterday:

 

[oosik]

Midniteoyl. Not a pleasant sight for those who are or plan on doing some traveling.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

A neighbor has an older model Dodge 1 ton diesel truck and he has been going to restaurants around here for the last 20 years and getting their used cooking oil, filtering it and mixing it with diesel, claims he has never had a problem.

 

[dodge man]

What is the injection setup in your Kubota? Is it indirect injection? If it is you would probably be ok running used oil if filtered well. I also know someone who runs used cooking oil in older 7.3 Powerstrokes, he just filters it. He said he did used motor oil for a while but said it was too messy.

Would I burn used oil? Not unless I used a lot of diesel. I burn less than a 100 gallons a year so it’s just not worth it.

 

[5030]

Price injectors and injector pump, dirty oil will cost more...

6000 hours on one M9 and 4000 on the other, always using drain oil mixed with the diesel fuel, never been an issue. In fact both have been in for an overhead adjustment and injector spray test, the 6K one last year the 4K one this spring. Both patterns are fine, pintles are fine, replaced nothing. Valves were out that far either. Steady diet of Rotella T6 5-40 with Archoil friction modifier additive in every oil change.

Your comment is baseless and obviously based on what you read somewhere, not actual practice.

I don't ever pre filter the drain oil either. Comes out of the oil pan into a clean catch container and into a clean 5 gallon plastic tote and from there, into the fuel tank and I let my Kubota spin on fuel filter catch anything of interest. I change my fuel filters, every oil change, never had issue one.

My powerstroke Diesel pickup gets the same deal. Been doing it since new in 97.

Diesels, in general will run fine on a lot of 'fuels' other than diesel actually.

Don't much care what anyone does, I do what works for me and I've been doing it for a long time with no adverse issues.

 

[5030]

Never an issue with Seafoam keeping things clean.

Seafoam original use is for diesel. It keeps the injectors and pump clean. I use it with regular diesel and bio-diesel mixes. Works ever time.

View attachment 749237

Buy it by the gallon jug and I use their GDI cleaner on my car intakes every oil change too. Cleans the intake tract and the catylitic convertors as well. Good stuff.

 

[Reddogs]

Anyone mixing used oil in with their diesel to cut the cost? I have old hydraulic and motor oil that I can filter and maybe mix in a quart per five gallons of diesel. We went to $6.40 a gallon today and if I project out the increases to winter plowing season, it looks like I might be shoveling this year.

Yes, and my friend was boasting about it as the vehicle started to loose power and slow down, and we had to stop and fill up with diesel fuel to get going again.

 

[5030]

Yes, and my friend was boasting about it as the vehicle started to loose power and slow down, and we had to stop and fill up with diesel fuel to get going again.

It was cold right? Probably was coagulating in the fuel system....lol

 

[RalphVa]

Kubota B2601

Diesel consumption should be around 1/4 gallon per hour.

We went to $6.40 a gallon today

$6.40 / 4 = $1.60 per hour for diesel.

I've been posting about my less than 0.4 gph fuel consumption on the B2601 and been getting flack. Now, you post 0.25 gph. Even my little 12.5 kw Isuzu has not been this low.

 

[RalphVa]

Apart from the possible dirt in used oil, I'd be concerned about formation of carbon from the too-heavy fuel. MUCH higher boiling point is the used oil.

I did it in my oil fired furnace years ago, but it was a very simple one and got cleaned once/year (of the added soot that would be from burning the used oil).

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

Never an issue with Seafoam keeping things clean.

Seafoam original use is for diesel. It keeps the injectors and pump clean. I use it with regular diesel and bio-diesel mixes. Works ever time.

No matter how good a product it will not prevent contamination from getting to the injectors or pump.

And most filters are rated at a nominal percentage. An example being “95% of 10 micron” – where the filter prevents 95% of all 10 micron and larger particles from passing through. Or a 20:1 success rate of filtering at 10 micron.

An absolute filter - much harder to find and more expensive, will filter to the specified number of microns.

Basically most filters aren't as good as you think they are. And the far cheaper filter could be a 50% nominal if you read the fine print.

It boils down to cost vs benefit. If your fuel savings are greater than the time spent dealing with waste oil + repair costs + down/shop time. Then that's a win. Otherwise...

 

[5030]

Apart from the possible dirt in used oil, I'd be concerned about formation of carbon from the too-heavy fuel. MUCH higher boiling point is the used oil.

I did it in my oil fired furnace years ago, but it was a very simple one and got cleaned once/year (of the added soot that would be from burning the used oil).

Different process of combustion as in no compression ignition. Anytime you spray the mixture and ignite it, you'll get carbon no matter what. I get that in my diesel fired pressure washer running just diesel. I have to clean the orifice and the ignotor regularly.

With compression ignition (diesel engine), the fuel is injected at the peak of compression heat so it's consumed much more completely.

I'd never run straight drain oil anyway. I mix in a couple gallons of oil with every fuel loaded into the tanks and my tractors hold over 30 gallons each. Considering what ORD costs today, every little bit helps and no worries about disposing of the used oil either.

Like I stated in a previous post, just filled my bulk tank half full and it was north of 2300 bucks.

 

[ruffdog]

With the cost of my injectors at $1000 each and fuel filter at $100, it sure would not be worth the risk and hassle.

 

[5030]

With the cost of my injectors at $1000 each and fuel filter at $100, it sure would not be worth the risk and hassle.

Gold plated or what?

 

[bmaverick]

No matter how good a product it will not prevent contamination from getting to the injectors or pump.

And most filters are rated at a nominal percentage. An example being “95% of 10 micron” – where the filter prevents 95% of all 10 micron and larger particles from passing through. Or a 20:1 success rate of filtering at 10 micron.

An absolute filter - much harder to find and more expensive, will filter to the specified number of microns.

Basically most filters aren't as good as you think they are. And the far cheaper filter could be a 50% nominal if you read the fine print.

It boils down to cost vs benefit. If your fuel savings are greater than the time spent dealing with waste oil + repair costs + down/shop time. Then that's a win. Otherwise...

Well, we better stop running with diesel too with those stats. Diesel itself becomes contaminated and dirty overtime due to the bacterial sludge that can build up. That's worse than the bio-fuels being added in. You might as well park your machine and not even dare use it then.

 

[bmaverick]

With the cost of my injectors at $1000 each and fuel filter at $100, it sure would not be worth the risk and hassle.

WOW, I've never heard of $1K priced injectors. INSANE. You better carry good insurance on that machine.

 

[ruffdog]

WOW, I've never heard of $1K priced injectors. INSANE. You better carry good insurance on that machine.

Yeah....it's called good clean fuel and factory filter insurance. If you want to play, you have to pay.

 

[Raul-02]

Anyone mixing used oil in with their diesel to cut the cost?

Running the stuff you wanted to get out of your engine back through it? Not in a modern diesel. It'd change the injection rate and viscosity of the injected fuel, impact the compression, god knows what else.
For an older engine, you might be able to get away with it.
There is even a "system" for it Simple System Turns Waste Oil Into Diesel Fuel