Jake's 99 e300d Vegoil Conversion

6 weeks!

2008-04-22T23:15:00.000-07:00

And all is well

I'll have to double check, but we've put about 3000 kms on the car since converting it.

We filled up the diesel tank about 3 weeks ago, we've done 1000 kms since then and we're at half a tank. Normally, a full tank of diesel gets us ~650kms in town and ~800kms on the highway. I think we'll easily get ~2000 kms in city driving.

Notes:

- We had some issues with the Check Engine light, but I took care of that on April 14th making some plumbing changes to the fuel system and putting a new o-ring on the shutoff valve.

- Now that the Check Engine light is off, I have full boost from the turbo. YAY

- As the weather gets warmer, I've gradually decreased the timed "purge" sequence down to 30 seconds. That should yeild higher mileage out of each tank of diesel.

- Roadtrip season is upon us, and I am stockpiling filtered veggie.

It's also worth noting that it's been a long time since I liked a car enough to spend 3 hours doing this:

Fuel plumbing revisited

2008-04-14T00:12:00.000-07:00

Back in January, I mapped out my fuel plumbing according to emails from people with converted cars, diagrams and a series of posts on the Frybrid forum.

Well, everything worked fine except for a couple minor issues. Occasionally, when I was shutting the car off it would rev high for 2-3 seconds before shutting off. Then, when I restarted I would get a Check Engine light, triggered by code po215 (faulty shut off valve).

I thought I nixed the issue a couple weeks ago when I rewired the power supply for the valves and controller. No such luck, the CEL was back in a couple days.

I posted about it on the Mercedessop forum; they recommended changing the o-ring on fuel shutoff valve. Someone there had the same issue and cleared it up this way.

I also posted about it on the Frybrid forum; over there, "Greg" posted that he had the EXACT SAME symptoms after he plumbed his car according to the "unofficial" Frybrid method. He pointed me to a thread where he discussed his plumbing.

So, I replumbed it last night according to Greg's method. I also changed the o-ring on the shutoff valve, so it's hard to say which "procedure" cured the problem. I would have liked to do one at a time, but it's really hard to justify taking it all apart twice.

So, here is how it's now plumbed:

The diesel fuel flow:
1) fuel comes from tank, through fuel heater and into prefilter
2) prefilter to filter “in”
3) filter “out” to Supply valve
4) Supply to SOV
5) SOV to lift pump
6) lift pump to SOV – where the fuel is pumped into the injection pump & injectors
7) Excess fuel goes out the return line
8) Fuel flowing back from the injectors meets the excess fuel from th injection pump. This connection is made at a port on the fuel filter housing. The port in the housing is blocked off (indicated on diagram by the black lines) to prevent being drawn back into the diesel filter.
9) Excess fuel is sent back to the Return valve.
10) From the return valve back to the diesel tank

The Veggie fuel flow:
11) fuel comes from the veggie tank and tees into fuel from the Veg Return valve
12) into Supply valve
4) Supply to SOV
5) SOV to lift pump
6) lift pump to SOV – where the fuel is pumped into the injection pump & injectors
7) Excess fuel goes out the return line
8) Fuel flowing back from the injectors meets the excess fuel from th injection pump.
9) Excess fuel is sent back to the Return valve.
13) return valve to Veg Return Valve. Fuel is then either sent back to veggie tank (14) or looped back into fuel supply (11)

Anyway, the Check Engine light will stay on for a day or two until the code clears, but the car shuts off instantly when I turn the key, whether I'm on diesel or veggie. The car also has all its power back; the turbo boost is limited when the CEL is on. Now that it's working fine, the boost is back.

Check Engine light

2008-04-02T21:58:00.000-07:00

So, I've been having an ongoing argument with my Check Engine light.

Finally figured it out the other day. Here's the scoop: I have my valves and purge timer wired to an "ignition" 12v source. This works fine while the car is running, and works fine when I switch back to diesel, let the car purge and then shut the car off. However, anytime I tried to shut the car off on veggie for a short stop, it would rev high for a few seconds, then shut down. When I restarted, it would give the Check Engine light.

After some presuming and postulating, I figured out that when I was shutting the car OFF, the valves were switching over at the same time... confusing the electronic shutoff valve. This car doesn't have a simple solenoid valve, the ESV(electronic shutoff valve) actually reverses the flow of fuel into the injection pump. Because my valves were switching back to diesel when I was shutting the car off, it wasn't giving the ESV a continuous source of suction on the fuel line.

Solution: I switched to a +12v "accessory" feed for the valves and purge timer. Works great now, and no Check Engine light.

Flipped the switch!

2008-03-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

Flipped the switch at about 10pm on Sunday:

First drive:

First highway run:

First "purge" cycle:

It's been A LOT of work, but it's working really, really well. On Thursday I'm taking off on vacation for 9 days, when I get back I'll clean up the wiring and insulate all the lines under the hood.

Thanks again to everyone who helped me out with excellent advice, in particular Ed Beggs, Craig Reese and Ray Ackley!

Final wiring and testing

2008-03-08T20:47:00.000-08:00

First let me say that I don't have a wiring diagram to post. There's a good reason too: I didn't want to spend 2-3 hours doing a nice version I could show here, only to find out I had issues. Turns out I was right, but I'll explain later.

Anyhow, I've already shown how I made my little spacepod control module for the dashboard. It was finally time to wire in my controller, gauges, switches and indicator lights:

Left to right:
Green switch: Switch to veggie oil
Yellow light: Comes on when you've switched to veggie oil, but the car is still cold. At 50*C, the temperature switch allows the switchover to vegetable oil
Green light: Comes on when switched to vegetable oil
Red light: Stays on during the timed "purge" cycle
Vacuum gauge: Measure vacuum before filters. If vacuum climbs, filters are plugging
Temperature gauge: Monitors fuel temperature
Yellow switch: Controls direction of vegetable oil return: Either back into the fuel "loop" or back to veggie tank.

Here's the mess 'o wires:

Before cleaning everything up, I tested all the functions:

What I found was that my yellow indicator light was triggering a relay in the controller that activates the return valve. That meant that if I switched to veggie oil while the car was still warming up and the yellow light was on, it would actually trigger the return valve, sending diesel back to the vegetable oil tank. No good.

I ended up rewiring the indicator light to get its ground from the Vegtherm, then it worked. I'll post a wiring diagram after it's worked fine for 2 weeks... I've already made 3 changes.

Anyway, once that was sorted out, I tried to tidy up the wires a bit, so they wouldn't snag too easily when I pull it in & out of the dash... something I have to do in order to adjust the purge timer.

Then I slid it into the dash:

As for wiring, here's where I got my 12V "illumination" feed from the light switch. It's grey & violet. There are two bundles of wires going into the light switch, this one came from the bundle on the right. Unfortunately, this one feeds a full 12v, not the "dimmed" voltage... so the gauges are on BRIGHT. I haven't been able to find a "dimmed" illumination feed... if anyone has more luck, let me know.

Here are the wires going to the switching valves, Vegtherm, temperature gauge sender and VegSensor. All wires are easily disconnected in case the intake manifold ever needs to come off (i.e. once a year for glow plug preventative maintenance)

Here are the wires going back to the Vegtherm relay & circuit breaker, then back behind the brake booster, where they pass under the dash (bottom of page).

Anyway, the fussy folks out there (hi dad!) will notice that the wires aren't "tidied up" or sheathed yet. There's a good reason: There's no use wrapping everything up until it's all been working perfectly for a couple weeks. No use spending a whole lot of time making it pretty, if there's still a chance it has to come apart again.

Same thing with the fuel & coolant lines under the hood. They'll remain uninsulated for at least a week. If they are leak-free after that, they'll get wrapped up tight.

In the meantime, everything is secure.

So, we should be ready to flip the switch tomorrow!

Mounting valves & Vegtherm

2008-03-07T22:15:00.000-08:00

I really wanted a nice clean installation. I really like how Ray Ackley mounted his switching valves on top of his intake manifold; I wanted to do the same, but have 3 switching valves to mount.

I decided to build a rack that the valves & vegtherm would bolt up to.

Here is is after bending, welding & drilling. I welded a couple nuts on so the valves could bolt down easily:

I drilled & tapped the intake manifold:

Here it is painted, mounted on top of the intake manifold:

Here's the Vegtherm mounted at the far end. The vegtherm has a fitting at the end with a tempertaure sender and a barb for a vacuum gauge:

Here are the valves bolted on. In retrospect, it would have been nice to have them a couple inches closer to the Vegtherm... would have given me more room around the firewall for the fuel lines. No biggie, it still does the job:

Finishing & mounting the tank

2008-03-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

Finished up the 115 liter tank.

I decided to coat the outside using rubberized rockerguard. Turned out OK. The "cup" you see is a catch at the bottom of the tank, that's where the fuel pickup is. It gets wrapped with heater hose, and also has a drain so I can check it occasionally for water.

You can see the filler neck here... 1.5" exhaust elbow

I welded 4 nuts to the car, the veggie tank bolts to these:

The tank drops in, then slides back. It was TIGHT going in... took 3-4 tries before I could get the hoses out of the way.

As a bonehead, I forgot to get a picture of it bolted in place. I'll snap some more pictures later!

167 emails

2008-03-04T00:06:00.000-08:00

I'm getting close to finishing the Benz... I hope to be running on vegetable oil within a few days.

There aren't many converted e300d's out there, and when I started this project I knew I'd have to scratch around for help and advice. I got some great help on this thread on the infopop forum.

However, there are three guys I really need to thank: Craig Reese (Plantdrive.com) , Ed Beggs (Plantdrive.ca) and Ray Ackley (VoControl.com). You'll notice that I've had links going out to their sites, from the very beginning.

Here's why:

One hundred an sixty-seven emails, since I got the car on January 14th.

Because of the complexity of this conversion, there has been a HUGE amount of time spend figuring things out and mapping out a good, reliable conversion. Without the help of these 3 gentlemen, there is no way I could have gotten this far.

Hats off for their outstanding customer service.

Routing lines, mounting Vegmax & FPHE

2008-03-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

I woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head that didn't hurt, so I stumbled out to the garage, and started finalizing the routing of my fuel and coolant lines.

Starting with the hot coolant. This fitting (A Pex fitting, actually) was drilled and tapped for the temperature switch that prevents me from switching to vegetable oil too early.

Here it is in place:

The hot coolant goes to the FPHE, then to the VegMax. From the Vegmax, it is zip-tied together with the "supply" fuel line, and passes along the front of the car right atop the radiator.

Then it passes around the airbox:

From there it goes through the firewall and back to the tank. I detailed the routing of the HoH lines a couple weeks ago.

From the tank, it comes back to to the front of the car, and splices into the cooling system on the left side, right down by the turbo:

Here it is in place:

I'll back up a few steps and show how the VegMax is mounted. About a week ago I showed where the Vegmax was going and how I made the mounts. It was important that I be able to lift the Vegmax out, so I could drain the filter and spin on a new one.

Here's the mount bolted in:

Here's the VegMax in place:

And here it is pulled out:

It just pulls off the mount, and you wiggle it out around the windshield washer bottle. It's tight, but it works. Changing the filter will be much, much easier.

The last was the return fuel line, going back to the tank. I thought it would be easiest to run it right aling the firewall, zip tied to a steel coolant line. It's very snug, and looks pretty good:

To get the FPHE up behind the VegMax, you have to move the glow plug relay so it sits perpendicular to the FPHE. Here's the glow plug relay as it sits normally:

Here it is pointing straight, giving JUST ENOUGH room for the FPHE coolant & fuel lines:

The glow plug relay has two nuts holding it down. You just have to remove one, and turn it around to make room for the FPHE

Rerouting the fuel plumbing, new O-rings

2008-03-01T23:59:00.000-08:00

Well, after the glow plug fiasco I really needed to make some headway. I thought the best place to start would be replumbing the injection pump.

I won't go into the details of the plumbing again, it's all described here. Essentially, I need to change the fuel flow so that the lift pump is PULLING fuel through the filter, instead of PUSHING it.

So, I took off all the clear lines and VERY CAREFULLY cut off the clear plastic to save the fittings. You want to reuse the fittings, but with good quality fuel line (SAE30r7) clamped on. Good clamps are important too... you want the "fuel injection" ones that wrap right around the hose, not the common band clamps.

Anyway, here's how the fuel line should look, clamped on the fitting:

Notice how the clamp and hose are a moved a bit back from the fitting? That's because the white tab you see has to be able to slide back & forth... it's what clips the fitting to the pump. In the picture, it's pushed it to unclip it. Once in place, that white tab has to be pulled back, and it needs a little room. You'll notice I also trimmed the hose a bit to make sure the white tab can slide by.

Another important tip: This is when you want to change all the rubber 0-rings for the fuel lines. I got the whole set of viton o-rings from fryerpower.com, and also got a length of viton injector return line. By changing these, you're a LOT less likely to have air leaks. Plus, it just makes sense to do this while the intake manifold is off and you've got everything torn apart.

Here's how Jim ships the O-rings... I buy a lot of stuff online, it's always a treat to receive something packaged with care:

I didn't use them all right away, but I'll have them on hand.

Anyway, here's what the fuel plumbing looks like right now:

Confused? Don't be, it's all described here. I still have a couple lines to run, but I can't put them in until the diesel fuel filter housing is tapped & reinstalled.

About that. The fuel filter housing needs to be modified, because as-is, the fuel is PUSHED through. Under vacuum, the fittings would be likely to cause air leaks. For that reason, I need to thread the two left ports to 3/8" NPT and 1/4" NPT to take barbed fittings. Here's a picture of Ray Ackley's car done like that. The port on the far right is filled with JB Weld, to prevent "return" fuel from being sent into the diesel filter.

Anyway, I didn't realize how hard it would be to find those NPT taps. No hardware store carries them, so I'm going to an industrial supply place tomorrow. I did get the "return" port JB Welded:

And to finish the night off, I installed the new Viton injector return lines. A bit awkward, but sure looks better than the old white ones you can see in the back.

So, by the end of Saturday night, this is how the car sat:

I am committed now.

Glow plug disaster

2008-03-01T23:49:00.000-08:00

Had a spooky experience this weekend.

My 99 e300d has the om606 engine. It’s a fantastic motor, but it has one serious issue to look out for: seized glow plugs. They’ve got a really bad habit of seizing up near the tip, and breaking off when you go to change them. It’s not an issue with the threads seizing, it’s the actual body of the plug seizing into the head. Really scary stuff.

Some people go as far as pulling the plugs every year, reaming out the carbon deposits, and putting them back in. Unfortunately, you have to take off the intake manifold to get at them. Seem like overkill? It’s better than pulling the engine head when one seizes.

When I bought my car, one of the major “pluses” was the fact that the plugs had been changed 2 years ago. That meant they were far less likely to be seized.

As part of the vegetable oil conversion, the intake manifold needs to come off to facilitate re-routing the fuel lines around the lift pump, injection pump and shut-off valve. While the manifold was off, I thought it would be wise to pull the glow plugs and ream out the carbon deposits, using a reamer bought on the mercedesshop forum.

So I prepared myself by reading this step by step guide, and sufficiently spooked, I set to work.

Numbers 1, 2 & 3 came out slick & easy. Number 4 was a bit stiff, but not nearly as much as #5 & #6. They all moved though, and I worked them slowly back & forth using penetrating oil. Leaning on the side of caution, I never went over 35 ft/lbs. I figured if I could keep them wiggling at that torque, I'd be all set. I took turns on the 3 stubborn (but not stuck) glow plugs, giving each one a couple back & forths, then to the next one. I was working on other things, so I'd just do it every 5-10 minutes so the metal wouldn't get hot.

Of those 3 plugs, #4 was the one that was moving best. Then, it just busted off at 30 ftlbs. And it busted off at the head, leaving the shoulders still threaded in. Ba$tard.

I was pretty much in shock when it broke off… I wasn't even at 35 ft lbs. The only theory I have is that the threads were messed up and they may have ham-fisted it in there last time, weakening the "neck" of the GP. The "nub" around the hole was a little beat up, and the threads are not quite "right" at the top. Looks like someone had crossthreaded one and then gone back to fix the threads. I don't know how you could crossthread one though.

Anyway, it was back to the mercedesshop forum. I found these two threads describing how to make a puller:

http://alan.mcreynolds.googlepages.com/howtoremovebrokenglowplugs-mercedesom606

http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=109101&highlight=606+%22glow+plugs%22

So, I set to work. First step is to remove the top 1cm or so that has the threads.

You want that part gone, allowing you to pull the seized “body” of the plug straight out. I started with a small bit, and then worked my way up, until there was just a little thin ring of steel left… if you go crooked, you’ll mess up the aluminum head. If you get it straight, you can just pick out the threads with a pic or sharpened screwdriver.

Anyway, I've drilled out the threaded portion of the GP, and unwound the steel threads from the aluminum head. Threads still look OK.

So that left me with just the body of the plug in there. Now I needed to drill & tap the glow plug body, and pull it out. The goal now was to drill a hole about 1-1.5 CMs deep, and then thread it with a tap.

I set a GP in the hole next to it, so I could eyeball the angle. Then I started with a small bit and drilled a hole in the electrode that goes down the middle. Doing that, I could pretty much see if I was wandering. I started with a 11/64 bit, and worked my way up to 9/32.

Then I threaded the hole in the glow plug with a 5/16 tap:

I took a 6” long piece of threaded rod, and screwed it into the glow plug.

Then, I slid a ½” socket over the rod; it seats against the engine head. I then put a couple washers on top of the socket, and then a nut. Tightening the nut against the socket pulls that rod, and the glow plug:

I could feel the resistance, and you can really tell when it breaks free. I took my time, and had it out within a few minutes.

This was easily one of my happiest moments as a DIY mechanic:

One thing I can guarantee: That intake manifold is coming off every fall, and the glow plugs will be pulled so I can ream those holes. Never going through this BS again. I lost a LOT of hair this weekend.

Anyway, that took up the better part of Friday night and Saturday. Once I got it out, I had a stiff drink and a nap.

Saturday night and Sunday, I made some serious progress on the conversion. I'll post the pics tonight.

Dashboard Space Pod

2008-02-26T21:55:00.000-08:00

Every vegetable oil conversion varies in complexity. In my Samurai, it consists of a single 6 port valve, and a homemade heat exchanger for the vegetable oil. Inside, I have a simple toggle switch, an indicator light and a vacuum gauge that sits atop the dash. It looks a bit rough, but hey, so does Sammy.

With the Benz, I wanted something a bit more discreet. It's a complex conversion, with 3 valves, a Vegtherm, a purge timer and an early switchover preventer. It's going to have a couple switches, and indicator lights and gauges to monitor the goings-on.

I didn't want the dashboard to look like the Millennium Falcon's. So when I ran my wires, I pulled out the little compartment above the ashtray to see what I could do.

This is the fellah that came out. The front (real wood, fer frigs sake!) flips open to reveal a storage compartment for ketchup packets, cheap cigars, and small handguns.

Now, my wife will never read this, so lets just clear the air without fear of dire consequences: I'm right, she's wrong. She says I am a packrat and have a serious disorder. An example of this is my inability to throw away carrying cases for tools I used to own, but broke or lost years ago.
Well, who's laughing now, huh?!

A little bit of hackin' and hewin', and a slathering of JB Weld:

And here it is with the switches, lights and gauges in place for a test-fit:

And with the cover back on:

Left to right:

Green switch - select vegetable oil (indicator light on)
Green light - Vegtherm on
Orange light - vegetable oil selected but switchover delayed until 50*C coolant temp
Red light - purge cycle
Vacuum gauge
Fuel temp gauge
Orange switch: Return to tank on vegetable oil (indicator light on)

I still have a bit of work to do. The plastic face needs to be painted, and I need to mount the NADA controller, but I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

more tank work

2008-02-25T19:35:00.000-08:00

Ok, the tank is nearly done. Man, it's been a LOT of work. Who'da thunk making a custom tank might not be an ideal starter project for a novice welder. Good thing I don't take advice, or I'd never get anything done!

The top is now welded on, but I also cut an access hatch and cover... just in case I ever need to open it up and see what's going on inside. I cut the bolt holes for the tank and top at the same time, so they all line up nicely. I then welded the shoulder nuts onto the top panel before welding it onto the tank.

I used Permatex Blue along the perimeter of the opening, and around the bolt holes:

Then I bolted the cover on:

On the top left hand corner, you can make out the fuel pickup & return fittings. It bolted up the same way as the top cover. The pickup sits at the bottom of the tank, in a steel "cup" that Ill show later.

I have no closeups of how the flange was made, because frankly, it would be embarrassing. It works, and it's out of sight. 'Nuff said.

I'm going to let the Permatex cure, then Wednesday night I'll pressure test the tank to find any leaks. Once they're welded up, I just have to weld up a couple mounting tabs and a filler neck, then I can paint it.

Mounting Plant Drive components

2008-02-24T19:59:00.000-08:00

It's REALLY tight under the hood.... really tight.

When I first started scoping things out, I got spooked and thought I'd have to put the VegMax filter in the trunk. I hated the thought, because over time you're guaranteed to have a spill.

The issue with the VegMax is it will fit behind the driver's side headlight, but I won'tt have enough room to drain it when I changed filters. No good.

So, I decided to mount it so that it could be removed easily. When I need to change a filter, I'll just have to unclip it and lift it 6-8" to drain it. It'll also allow me to fill a filter right up, invert the mount and spin the new filter on.

Here's the bracket I made to bolt to the filter housing:

Here's the mount that bolts to the inner fender:

Here's the mount clipped into the bracket:

The mount bolts up to the inner fender, behind the driver's side headlight:

Here it is with the VegMax in place:

I also scoped out where the FPHE will go. Looks like this is a good spot:

Running the lines

2008-02-17T19:59:00.000-08:00

I really didn't want to have the fuel and coolant lines underneath the car, where they are obviously harder to keep warm, but more importantly they are more likely to snag on something and cause a leak.

A few weeks ago I tore apart the interior to see where I'd run my lines.

Well, this weekend I got to work and ran four 25' lengths of 3/8" line. It was not easy... it's 1145PM on Sunday and I just finished up after working at it for 2 days straight. I think it's worth the extra effort though, it makes for a clean installation:

Passenger footwell. Cut the hole and ran the lines through to the engine bay:

Insulated, braced and sealed up:

This piece of sound insulation covers the lines, and then a sheetmetal cover goes right over it. I had to trim the foam to get it to fit over the lines:

Here it is with the footwell panel back in. I've taken a piece of the foam from the bottom of the carpet, trimmed it up and run the lines right down the middle, so the lines have insulation over and under them. There is a brace that goes across the passenger side, with an opening for the rear seat heat vent. I lengthened that opening with an angle grinder. The carpet just drops over this:

Here are the same lines, where they come through the firewall:

Insulated, braced and sealed in:

A heat sheild covers the whole thing:

Back inside, looking at the lines from the back seat area. You can just bareley see that the front passenger carpet is back in. You can also see where the lines pass through the enlarged opening in that brace.

The lines are now insulated, and you can see where I trimmed the foam under teh carpet, to make room for the lines. This took a couple tries before I was able to get the carpet down nice and flat.

The lines then come in beside the battery. I had to enlarge the hole where the positive battery cable passes down by the floor. Before insulating the lines, I had to get the shape JUST RIGHT in order to have the rear seat fit properly. I taped the lines up to get the correct shape, then isulated them:

The lines go up along the door opening, and then pass through to the trunk. You can see the foam grommet that was cut for the lines.

To get the seat to fit over the lines, A bit of the plastic "shell" needs to be cut away, about
6 inches by 4 inches:

I also ran the wires for the fuel valves switch, controller, gauges and indicator lights. From teh engine bay, they pass through a grommet right behind the brake booster:

From the inside, you can see where they come in right above the emergency brake. I ran them in behind the sound insulation pad, where they come out beside the gas pedal. From there, it's pretty easy to pass them up to the center console.

All in all, very awkward, finicky work. I had hoped to do this in a day but it took twice that. However, I didn't want to rush it. For one thing, I didn't want to end up with humps in the carpet or trim that doesn't fit back in properly. More importantly, I wanted to avoid RATTLES. I think there are more fasteners and clips for the Benz's interior than there are in a whole VW. It's time consuming and sometimes frustrating to get them all back in place and lined up (especially when you know two would probably do the job), but it would drive me BONKERS to have rattles and squeaks. When you tear this stuff apart, it's not uncommon to have new, obnoxious noises afterwards.

Once I got it all back together, I took it for a drive and there were none. Success!

Mapping out my fuel plumbing

2008-02-12T23:16:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I described the injection pump plumbing for the e300d. That descibes how the fuel lines between the switching valves, filters, lift pump and fuel shutoff will be changed around.

In these diagrams, I've drafted up how the fuel pumbing for the overall system will work.

(For clarity, the specific IP plumbing has been ommitted.)

Plant Drive parts arrive!

2008-02-11T18:35:00.000-08:00

Got my big box of Plant Drive shiny goodies ... I am TOO excited.

Here's what arrived:

Vegtherm Mega (pictured with relay, circuit breaker and mounts)

I've used a Vegtherm for almost 5 years in my Jettas... you just can't beat electric heat for quick switchovers and stable temperatures. The Vegtherm is the industry standard for 12v heaters... even people who install other manufacturer's kits supplement the systems with a Vegtherm. The Benz 3.0 diesel sucks A LOT of fuel, so I needed a Vegtherm Mega.

VegMax filter:

I have used VW screw-on fuel filters on other conversions, but with the Benz we I needed something that could handle more flow. At 5 microns, this thing will handle 200GPH. Stop and think about that... picture your 40 gallon water heater tank. Now picture 5 of them full of vegetable oil... now picture ALL OF THAT OIL going through a filter in one hour. Impressive stuff.
It is a coolant heated filter, and it mounts with the filter pointing UP, so changing the filter is easy. There's a drain on the bottom that you empty it with, then unscrew the filter. Easy-peasy.
It's also, frankly, a very MANLY filter. It should come with a Man-Card included.

3 Port Switching valves:

Two of them, but I've ordered a third to allow for a purge cycle.

FPHE:

The FPHE uses coolant heat to bring the vegetable oil up to temperature. This provides the majority of the heat to the oil. The heated filter gets the oil warm before getting to the FPHE, and if needed, the VegTherm "boosts" the heat after the FPHE

Controllers:

(left to right):
Vegsensor: turns the VegTherm off at 100*C
Early switchover preventer: Delays valves from selecting vegetable oil until coolant reaches 50*C
Purge Timer: When you switch back to diesel, this timer keeps the return valve switched to vegetable oil for a 30-360 second delay, preventing any vegetbale oil from being sent into the diesel system.

Testing the tank for leaks

2008-02-09T20:34:00.000-08:00

I tested the tank for leaks the old-fashioned way, filling it up with water and looking for drips.

There were 2-3 small drips, which I marked and then welded back up. I also welded in some nice big baffles, which will add strength and stop the oil from sloshing around too much.

I kept track of how much water went in... it had 110 liters when this picture was taken:

Welding the tank

2008-02-03T17:52:00.000-08:00

I took my cardboard mockup out to the garage this weekend, and started cutting and welding steel.

I had never used a metal brake or pneumatic shears, but got a feel for them pretty quickly. I had resigned to the fact that I'd lose at least one digit this weekend, but it never happened... now I regret blowing $8 on a first aid kit. What a wuss.

I'm getting better with the welder too. I'd tack the panels together on the inside, and then run a bead along the outside lip. For the most part, they came out pretty clean. By the end I was laying some presentable welds.

Another final test fit befor I finish up:

I still have to weld in the baffles, the top and the heated fuel pickup on the bottom. I'll plug away at it this week.

There's quite a debate going on about steel tanks and polymerization. I won't be heating the whole tank, so that should help reduce the risk of polymerization. Just the same, I'm tempted to coat the inside, but others are recommending leaving it bare.

Bits & pieces starting to arrive

2008-01-29T18:31:00.000-08:00

My first batch of items showed up today, from Princess Auto. It was mostly tools to build the tank.

However, I did get a set of gauges:

Now, I should begin by acknowledging that "Power Fist" is not the best name in the business. However, I wanted some cheapies just to get me started, and I can upgrade to VDOs down the road. Either way, a completely accurate gauge reading isn't as important as being able to see changes and anomalies when you're driving the car.

About the gauges:

-Boost/Vacuum gauge ($23.99): At first, I was planning on using a Mallory fuel pump on the veggie side, so I ordered a gauge that would show both pressure and vacuum. Turns out I'll be using the stock lift pump, so a vacuum gauge would have sufficed. Ah well, no biggie.

-Temp gauge($29.99): Even though they're cheapies, I wanted them to match, so I bought the corresponding temp gauge to watch the veggie oil temperature. The good news: It's digital, so less cumbersome to install. The bad news: It's in Fahrenheit, which may offend the Benz's metric sensibilities (aside from the fact that it's Power Fist!!!).

I also got a 30" metal bender, and a set of pneumatic shears... so I can start making my tank.

Mocking up the veggie tank v4.0

2008-01-28T18:17:00.000-08:00

After some test fitting of my cardboard mockup, we found it was a bit awkward. It's a big tank, for sure, but part of the problem is the fact that the Benz's trunk is already a bit cramped. The diesel tank is right behind the rear seat, which is exactly where I like to put the veggie tank. So, the veggie tank has to fit in there with the diesel tank, while trying to maintain a reasonable amount of trunk space.

I decided that I'd make it shorter at the base, and then about halfway up, taper out towards the trunk opening. This should allow us to get some larger items in the trunk, and still maintain a 110 liter capacity.

So after much trial & error, here's version 4.0:

I also got some steel to start fabbing up the tank. I'll be using POR15 on the inside to prevent any reactions between the vegoil & steel.

Injection pump plumbing, getting a handle on things.

2008-01-22T14:40:00.000-08:00

In order to map out a conversion, I need to figure out how I can splice in the solenoid valves that are used to switch from diesel to vegetable oil.

I've been sending out desperate emails and howling at the moon for diagrams and descriptions of how the om606 injection pump is plumbed. Again, grease heads have come to the rescue. In particular, Ray Ackley provided me with some very helpful info and anotated pictures (link to his gallery) and also sent me links to a very helpful Frybrid forum thread.

First the fuel goes from the fuel tank to the fuel heater. (funny looking thing in the top right corner)
(1) From the fuel heater to the prefilter screen
(2) Prefilter to shut-off valve
(3) Shut-off valve to lift pump
(4) Lift pump to fuel filter
(5) Fuel filter to shut-off valve (again)

The shut-off valve feeds the injection pump through a port in behind. The injection pump sends fuel to the injectors, but also has a return line where excess fuel exits

(6) Excess fuel goes out the return line, where it meets the fuel flowing back from the injectors (7). This connection is made at a port on the fuel filter housing, where a percentage is drawn back into the filter, and the rest is sent back to the tank (8).

And here's a diagram of the "replumbed" injection pump, with 3 switching valves:

Replumbed
On diesel:
First the fuel goes from the fuel tank to the fuel heater. (funny looking thing in the top right corner)(1) From the fuel heater to the prefilter screen(2) Prefilter to shut-off valve(3) Shut-off valve to diesel filter(4) diesel filter to switching valve
(5) switching valve to lift pump
(6) lift pump to shut-off valve, which feeds the injection pump & injectors

(7) Excess fuel goes out the return line, where it meets the fuel flowing back from the injectors (8). This connection is made at a port on the fuel filter housing. The port in the housing is blocked off (indicated on diagram by the black lines) to prevent being drawn back into the diesel filter, so the excess diesel (9) is sent back to the fuel switching valve, and from tehere to the diesel tank (10).

On vegetable oil:
11) Veggie oil comes from veggie tank
12) To fuel switching valve
5) to lift pump
6) into shut-off valve, which feeds the injection pump & injectors
(7) Excess fuel goes out the return line, where it meets the fuel flowing back from the injectors (8). This connection is made at a port on the fuel filter housing. The port in the housing is blocked off (indicated on diagram by the black lines) to prevent being drawn back into the diesel filter, so the excess fuel (9) is sent back to the fuel switching valve, and from there to a 3rd valve.
The 3rd valve can either direct the fuel back to the veggie tank (14) or loop it back into the fuel supply.

Many thanks to "awmw" from the frybrid forum.

*EDIT* It should be noted that this is not the only way to replumb the IP for vegetable oil. The standard GreaseCar system for e300d's involves a very different rearrangement of IP lines. In their setup, the fuel is PUSHED through filters. More info here:
http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/159605551/m/5911008232/p/1

fuel & coolant lines... mapping out a route

2008-01-20T19:14:00.000-08:00

When you get a car you really like, there's nothing nicer to do than getting out the screwdrivers and pullers, and then tearing the interior apart. That's what I did today.

I really don't want to run my lines UNDER the car. It's low to the ground, and all too easy to fetch up on curbs, cops an bicycle couriers. I don't want to leave a trail when I'm making a getaway.

So, I thought I'd do some exploratory surgery to see if the lines could be run inside the car. The good news is there is a lot of room, and it really looks like I'll be able to do it inconspicuously. Downside is that unlike the Jetta, there aren't any pre-existing grommets in the firewall I can just pop out and use. That means some cutting. No big deal... if I ran the lines underneath the car, I'd have to cut into the trunk anyway.

One of the big pluses is the carpet... in many areas, it has 3+ inches of foam padding, which can be trimmed away to make room for the lines. The only place that looks like it will be tight is around the pillar between the front & rear doors. Even then, it looks like I can squeeze around.

Here are some pics of the driver's side. If I used that side, I think I'd come through right around the steering shaft.

Now, over on the passenger side there's even more room, and the more I look at it, the more I think I'll run them over there. There are no pedals, and the lines would be coming into the engine compartment with more room.

I could fold the exhaust heat shield *just enough* to make room for the lines, then run them up and behind the engine. Lots more room than the other side, and as long as they are protected from exhaust heat, they should be fine there. Sure beats over on the driver's side, where's you'd almost have to pull the intake manifold to get at them.

In the back of the car, the lines can easily run along the inside rocker panel, then under the seat bottom, then up behind the seat back and into the trunk. There is a 3-4" square foam plug I can remove to run the lines into the trunk:

I managed to get the car *mostly* put back together before calling it a night. I left many of the plastic trim pieces and covers off, I figure the more times I take them on & off, the more likely I am to break the clips or get rattles later on.

I've also been engaged in an ongoing email trail with Ed Beggs, Craig Reece and Ray Ackley as we try to land on the best method to do the fuel plumbing. Turns out I might not need that Mallory 140 fuel pump after all. Rays been using his stock lift pump, as have others who've converted these cars.

In other news, Chance got an early-morning run to the vet this AM. He's got a slipped ("popped"?) disc in his back. He's been prescribed painkillers and bed rest, neither of which he finds objectionable.

Tank time

2008-01-19T18:56:00.000-08:00

I spent most of Saturday finishing up my workbenches and sorting through my piles of bric-a-brac before starting on the Benz.

Chris MacKenzie stopped by with his 99 Jetta for a few hours, and we ran his lines from the engine compartment to the trunk. Pretty slick. His car was a collisions "rebuild" so, it doesn't have the airbag trigger along the inside rocker.

Anyway, I finally started on the Benz. Pulled the carpet & diesel tank cover in the trunk, and started mocking up my tank. I want to maximize height to save on depth, because it's already a bit cramped back there. Also had to work around the spare tire. According to my calculations (caution: palmer used a calculator again), this tank will be good for ~115liters.

I still have a couple tweaks to make. It fits in place well, but I had an awful time wiggling it in. It won't be any easier once it's made of steel. I need to shave an inch here & there to make it slide in a little easier. Once the design is finalized, I'll buy a sheet of steel and start cutting. Should be fun.

You'll note that Chance was my special assistant on this task. He's got a sore back and is very cranky. Takes after me.

In other news, people kept calling to wish me a happy birthday. Apparently they forgot that I moved it to July 19th.

Update: Jan 20: I've had a couple questions about what material I'll be using for the tank. Many suggest using aluminum or stainless steel, because vegetable oil will react with mild steel over time. Here's the thing about mild steel for the tank... many people are using the stock tanks in their conversions, and that's mild steel. The difference (I think) is that the tank is coated.

In my Jetta, I had a mild steel tank that was bare on the inside. After a couple years, it did get a pretty gross coating inside... but even then it wasn't plugging filters. Still, I cleaned it and just used Armor Coat to paint it inside. 2 years later, I had the tank out again and there was no film on the inside of the tank, and the paint had held up fine.

For this car, I'll either bring it to a gas tank repair place to have it coated, or I'll use one of the Wurth or POR15 products.

2008-01-17T23:49:00.000-08:00

Started shopping!

As soon as I had the car in the yard, I started mapping out what I needed for this conversion. Early on, I emailed Craig Reece (PlantDrive.com) and Ed Beggs (PlantDrive.ca), because I knew they had a couple of these conversions under their belts. I also knew, from past experience, that they are the go-to guys when it comes to timely, helpful advice. Over time, you learn to "go with what you know". For that reason, I decided to get all my components through PlantDrive.

Here's what I ordered: (Go to the Parts List page for detailed descriptions)
2 3-port fuel switching valves
16 plate FPHE
VegTherm Mega
VegMax filter
NADA controller

I am too excited. I love getting boxes of shiny new stuff in the mail.

I'll be in the garage this weekend, scoping things out. My goal is to map out my fuel and coolant line routing, and mock-up a fuel tank in cardboard

January 15th: New car is home.

2008-01-14T23:48:00.000-08:00

New car! Well, its 9 years old but it's new to us. It's a 99 Benz e300td

Over the upcoming weeks, I'll be documenting the conversion of this car to run filtered used vegetable oil. I'll be posting pictures and diagrams, and describing the process step-by-step. I'll also post videos when it's appropriate. I'll update every Monday. Should be a good read, so check in weekly. I'll be ordering all my components this week, so I'll start next week by describing what's on the way.

Our Jetta was just getting too old for daily-driver use, and I was losing too much time maintaining it. There are only two choices for diesel cars: VW and Mercedes. We didn't have great luck with the last Jetta, and I've heard mixed reports about the newer stuff. Some people have great luck, but then again I've also heard absolute horror stories about the 99+ Jettas & Golfs. A 2-3 year old Mercedes is 35-40k, so that was obviously out of the question.

However, these 96-99 e300d's caught my eye. I love the "210" series bodystyle, and have read glowing reports about their safety and comfort. They had some teething issues the first year or two, so I looked for a 98 or 99. This one was in Montreal. It has 260k, a bit high, but it had all the recommended updates and all service records going back to 99. It also included a full set of spare rims, and a roof rack.

Had the car checked out by a Mercedes specialist in Montreal (Joe Bassili, 514 344-5183) and he found the sunroof didn't work, the windshield was a bit pitted and the transmission had a leak. The seller had the leak fixed on the spot, and I wasn't too concerned about the sunroof or windshield. A deal was struck, and for the price of a Kia with 4 bald tires and a night of hard drinking, we had a 99 e300d.

Drove up to Montreal after work on Thursday. Picked up the new car on Friday, sold the Jetta on Saturday. Spent a couple days tooling around Montreal, then drove home yesterday... about 600 miles. What a great car... really a joy to drive.

I've become so accustomed to diesels being utilitarian and somewhat crude, even in nicer cars like my dad's 83 300sd. A tractor engine in nice pants.

Not this thing. It not only pulls like a train, it actually makes nice sounds. It's snowing very hard tonight, and I only have all season (read: no season) tires on. Had to play around a bit to get in the garage... eventually switched off the traction control to let it "dig" a bit. Holy smokes, it really has a growl. Just love it.

The om606 engine is pretty amazing. Straight six, dual overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder and a crossflow head. Oh, and turbocharged. This is not a tractor engine.

And of course, balance has to be maintained in the universe. Having an awesome newish (for us, that means under 10 years old) car demanded a vehicular penance of some sort. Enter Kate, stage left.

While I was away, Kate filled Sammy the Samurai with gasoline and it died about 10 minutes later on the highway. That was fun for her, and even more fun for me to deal with tonight out in the driveway, in the middle of that weather. Diesel down my arms and snow down my back.

Index of Updates

2008-01-14T09:30:00.000-08:00

April 22: 6 week checkup

April 14: Fuel Plumbing revisited

April 03: Check Engine light

March 9: Flipped the switch!

March 8: Final wiring & testing

March 7: Mounting valves & Vegtherm

March 6: Finishing & mounting the tank

March 4: 167 emails... PlantDrive customer service

March 2: Running lines, mounting VegMax & FPHE

March 1: Rerouting fuel plumbing & new O-rings

March 1: Glow plug disaster

February 26: Dashboard space pod

February 25: More tank work

February 24: Mounting PlantDrive components

February 17: Running the fuel and coolant lines

February 12: Mapping out the fuel plumbing

February 11: Plant Drive parts arrive

February 10: Testing the tank for leaks

February 3: Welding the tank

January 29: Bits & pieces starting to arrive

January 28: Tank v4.0

January 22: Injection pump plumbing, getting a handle on things

January 20: Fuel & coolant lines... mapping out a route

January 19: Tank time

January 17: Started shopping

January 14: New car is home

Links

2008-01-14T09:27:00.000-08:00

Diagrams:
- E300D fuel line diagram
- E300D fuel flow diagram

E300D Conversion forum threads:

-E300D... not a good car to convert?

http://www.frybrid.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9880

http://www.frybrid.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4617

- Finding my car: http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/159605551/m/3751001422
- Looped return: http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/159605551/m/6541023112
- Fuel Plumbing: http://www.frybrid.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7341

- Old vs Newer Benz : http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/159605551/m/7501003181
- Advice: http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/159605551/m/4341004512
- Sceptics: http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=119974

Other E300D Conversions:
Ray Ackley's '98 TD
Gilead Garage e300d's
RoverHybrids '99 e300d (PlantDrive system)

Parts:
- All major conversion components were purchased from PlantDrive:
PlantDrive.com: U.S. customers
PlantDrive.ca: Canadian & International customer
- Gauges: Princess Auto

Vegetable oil forums:
Biodiesel & SVO "infopop" forum

Mercedes forums:
mercedesshop.com forum

Other helpful e300d reading: (not SVO/WVO related)
- EGR delete: http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=168261

Parts List

2008-01-12T23:35:00.000-08:00

All major components from PlantDrive... here's why. Prices are displayed in Canadian dollars.

Fuel switching valves
2 High-Flow 12V Solenoid valves, $135 CAN each: On previous conversions, I used a single 6-port valve. For this conversion, I want to be able to delay the return valve for a timed "purge" cycle. More on that later. Nice thing about this valve is the full 3/8" orifices. Should offer great flow even when the oil is a bit cold.

Coolant Heat Exchanger
16 Plate FPHE Flat Plate Heat Exchanger, $149 CAN: You can't beat coolant heat. It's easy, there's LOTS of it, and it's free. I've designed some pretty wacky heat exchangers over the years, but they always end up costing more, and performing less, than I'd planned. Dad's 300sd eventually got a FPHE, so did my father-in-law's Jetta. My samurai still has some crazy contraption, but that suits its style. For the Benz, I wanted good heat.

Electric Heater
Vegtherm Mega, $99 CAN: As stated above, coolant heat is great. However, up here in the Frozen Armpit of the North, a fellah can lose his favorite extremeties to frotbite waiting for an engine to heat up. Even then, if you dare let it idle for 5 minutes you can often watch the temp gauge drop. Both of these are remedied by electric heat.
I've used a Vegtherm for 4+ years, and I just love it. The Benz gets a Vegtherm Mega in consideration of its 28mpg. It will be thermostatically controlled to switch off once everything's toasty.

Controllers
Plant Drive has some great gadgets for controlling SVO/WVO components. I didn't need to go full bore with something like the VoControl, but I did want some added safeguards.

VegSensor, $15 CAN: This switches the Vegtherm off at 100*C. I've had my Jetta's Vegtherm get a bit too hot after idling for 5+ minutes. With a FPHE providing lots of heat and a looped return, I want to make sure I keep things at a reasonable temperature.

NADA Controller, $149 CAN: A couple neat features that I wanted:
- First, it has a early switchover preventer set to 50*C. So, I can pull out of the garage at -30*C and switch to vegetable oil right away, much to the horror of a couple ninnies at the mercedesshop.com forums (kidding, guys). Although I've selected vegetable oil, the switchover won't occur until I get 50*C coolant temperature.
- The NADA Controller also features a timed "purge" cycle, delaying the return valve's switchover. You adjust the timer as desired, and for that time the return valve will continue to send fuel back through the veggie system. This prevents sending vegetable oil into the diesel tank, and also backflushes the veggie system with a veggie/diesel mix. This means that when you first switch to veggie, you'll actually be starting on a (dieselicious) veggie/diesel mix.

Filtration
VegMax filter, $215 CAN: In the past, I've used an old-style, screw-on VW/Volvo diesel filter. Although it maye have been sufficient in my jetta, neither Ed or Craig thought a setup like that would work for a 28mpg e300d. The VegMax flows a lot of fuel (200gph) for a 5 micron filter. Its design makes for easy filter changes, and it's heated too.

Tank
The tank is going to be tricky. There's not a whole lot of room in the Benz's trunk, especially compared to the VW. In the Benz, the regular diesel tank is already between the rear wheen wells... right where I'd like to put the veggie tank. I really need ~100 liters, that will get me to Montreal without refilling. My plan is to do a cardboard mock-up, and then weld up my own tank. I bought a Lincoln 140C MIG welder in the fall, I'm practically an EXPERT welder now.

Gauges
Vacuum/pressure
Temperature

2008-01-12T10:30:00.000-08:00

VegMax Filter

More info: Canadian & International customers: PlantDrive.ca - VegMax
U.S. Customers: PlantDrive.com - VegMax

2008-01-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

VegTherm Mega

More info:
Canadian & International customers: PlantDrive.ca - VegTherm Mega
U.S. Customers: PlantDrive.com - VegTherm Mega

picture dump

2008-01-12T06:44:00.000-08:00

2008-01-12T06:09:00.000-08:00

Switching valves

More info:
Canadian & International customers: PlantDrive.ca
U.S. Customers: PlantDrive.com (U.S. ones don't have the "Deutsch" connectors)

2008-01-12T05:49:00.000-08:00

16 Plate FPHE (Flat Plate Heat Exchanger)

More info:
Canadian & International customers: PlantDrive.ca
U.S. Customers: PlantDrive.com