WVO tank vacuum
Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 1:43 am
I'm been running a 81 Rabbit for 6 months. It came with a decent wvo setup and I bought about 50 gallons of filtered veg oil from a guy a month ago. It's been a decent test but I have lots of little questions.
In the last few days I've noticed that I haven't been running proper temps, my thermostat is opening way too early. My coolant was already circulating into the coolant reservoir tank at 125 degrees.
What is the significance of the first long hash mark on the dash coolant gauge after the base line? How far does the needle typically run? I've measured it up to 180 with the needle 2/3-3/4 but down about 1/3 it still measures over 150.
The veg tank in back is a 5 gallon marine tank cut longwise, stainless steel coil inside with hose in hose running to it and welded back shut. One of the fittings also looks like it needed a custom weld. I've noticed vacuum release when removing the cap. At least I think that's what it is. Could it just be pressurized from the heat? If it's vacuum, it's not a good thing on the pump is it? The old ports on the talk for the fuel lines are likely blocked but I wondering if I should keep the cap loose until I install a vent on the tank to prevent the suction build up.
The line used for the veg looks narrower than the diesel line though I haven't measured it's size yet. Wouldn't that also be a constriction on the system especially if I haven't gotten the temps up correctly yet?
The system has the coolant hoses to the wvo tank teed in down by the water pump and up by the line under the heater control box with a 12v pump to circulate. I'm not sure what the best method for this is. The switch burned out on me so I haven't been used the extra pump lately and the heated coolant makes it the wvo tank fine. I'm concerned that if I do use the wvo pump, it may work against the stock pump since their flow rates would be different or I may burn out the wvo pump since it's always handling hot fluid. Is it mainly for use when the system is warming up? Will it harm the stock pump or make the belt slip? Is the stock pump able to handle the extra line circulation fine by itself?
I'll try to get some pics up soon.
In the last few days I've noticed that I haven't been running proper temps, my thermostat is opening way too early. My coolant was already circulating into the coolant reservoir tank at 125 degrees.
What is the significance of the first long hash mark on the dash coolant gauge after the base line? How far does the needle typically run? I've measured it up to 180 with the needle 2/3-3/4 but down about 1/3 it still measures over 150.
The veg tank in back is a 5 gallon marine tank cut longwise, stainless steel coil inside with hose in hose running to it and welded back shut. One of the fittings also looks like it needed a custom weld. I've noticed vacuum release when removing the cap. At least I think that's what it is. Could it just be pressurized from the heat? If it's vacuum, it's not a good thing on the pump is it? The old ports on the talk for the fuel lines are likely blocked but I wondering if I should keep the cap loose until I install a vent on the tank to prevent the suction build up.
The line used for the veg looks narrower than the diesel line though I haven't measured it's size yet. Wouldn't that also be a constriction on the system especially if I haven't gotten the temps up correctly yet?
The system has the coolant hoses to the wvo tank teed in down by the water pump and up by the line under the heater control box with a 12v pump to circulate. I'm not sure what the best method for this is. The switch burned out on me so I haven't been used the extra pump lately and the heated coolant makes it the wvo tank fine. I'm concerned that if I do use the wvo pump, it may work against the stock pump since their flow rates would be different or I may burn out the wvo pump since it's always handling hot fluid. Is it mainly for use when the system is warming up? Will it harm the stock pump or make the belt slip? Is the stock pump able to handle the extra line circulation fine by itself?
I'll try to get some pics up soon.