Adding used motor oil to your fuel

[ikold]

I have read that Cummins is developing a new engine system which will require no oil changes. The engine will send a small portion of the engines oil to the fuel tank where it will be burnt off. At every fuel up you will add oil and thus the system will remain full of clean fresh oil and all you will ever have to change are the filters.



My question for the group:



Can we derive any benefit by adding some of our used motor oil (that we have laying around from our oil changes) to the fuel tank, and if so at what sort of quantities and what sort of benefit can we expect ? better mileage ? surely better lubricity for the fuel pump ?



Just thought I'd throw that out for the group to chew on!



Jon:--)

 

[DEZLPWR]

Someone's smoking some serious wacky tabacky!!

That's the craziest thing I've ever heard... . Please tell me you are joking! Where did you read that?

 

[Goddard]

non for me thanks! i get rid of oil because it is dirty and i don't think i want to put that s!@# through my injection pump! just my 0. 02 worth. lats see what everybody else thinks. :-{}

 

[R.ebel]

Actually its a Cummins approved process Detailed in service bulliten 3379001-05 titled "Fuels for Cummins Engines".



According the the bulliten you can mix up to 5% used engine oil with #2 diesel. They talk about using a special pump in the service bulliten to ensure that the oil and fuel are well mixed. Engine oil only. No gear lube, hydrolic fluid etc.

 

[Shooter]

Not in my engine!!!Oo. Oo. Oo.

 

[DEZLPWR]

I think I'll stick with my good 'ol Stanadyne, thank you...

 

[Whitmore]

I read this a year ago!

on the Cummins web site and believe it or not it is proving out to be a grand idea because this will eliminate the maintenance issues of changing the oil, the oil will always be of the same quality and will never differ, I understand it pulls oil at a very slow rate and there is a make up or day tank that will supply the new stuff, I wonder if the motor is on level control ?? If I remember right they are doing this in Germany. So other than just changing the filter its all done. Interesting technology... ... ... . Kevin

 

[MikeR]

Yeah, nothing new about this system. I heard about it back in '98. A (very,very) small amount of crakcase oil is drawn out, filtered and mixed with your fuel to be burned off as you drive... consumed as a fuel, not meant as a lubricant or additive.

There's a fresh oil tank that automatically supplies whatever amount was taken out, so all you do is keep the oil tank topped off.

 

[mimprevento]

Lawn Mower???

I thought you only mixed gas and oil in two stroke lawn mowers- will the new trucks have a bottom blade attachment and a rear mulcher????

 

[Bob Cochran]

Actually large companies with fleet full of LARGE trucks have been doing this for years. Oil is considered hazardous waste and the amount of used oil they have it si expensive to dispose of so they have been burning it. Is it good or bad? I have no clue but it don't sound good old contaiminatied oil~~~

 

[RKohn]

Shhhhh!!!! Don't Tell Anybody....

BUT I"VE DONE IT!!!!



Sorry for the long post, but I did it in the big truck and the little truck ain't no different. Burnt some leftover kerosene once too. (Not sure if I'm gonna burn the synthetic yet, but I haven't needed to change it so far. )



It's amazing what a diesel will burn and you don't have to go to the recycling center to drop off your used stuff. (Never had a chance to play with one of those old multi-fuel military motors, but I understand they'd run on anything that burned, alcohol, gas, Jet-A, or bunker-C. )



I wouldn't add more than a couple of quarts to a full tank at a time especially in the winter, just cause it's a little heavier.



Everything is well filtered in each system and contrary to what some people will tell you, you're not gonna hurt the pump by adding more oil. The only stuff that's gonna die prematurely on these motors is the electronics(Thanks DC. ) or something that was poorly designed (Can anybody say lift pump?) or wasn't 100% to begin with (It ain't a perfect world and the do build trucks on Friday. ). These motors will take a lot more punishment than most of us will ever put them through, except maybe Steve, Kat or HVAC.





Ok boys, I've said it. Take your best shot, but you better have some knowledge, facts, and personal experience to back it up.





79K and closing in on the big one fast... . BOMBS away!!!!!





Oo. Oo. Oo. Oo.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

I don't think it's such a bad idea except that it will probably shorten the life of your fuel filter considerably. It probably isn't very good for a VP44 but certainly the P-pumps won't be harmed by dirty motor oil at all.



As far as burning I've seen a lot of people post that oil doesn't burn and there is no thermal value to it. That is something I don't agree with, I belive it does burn and whatever burns obviously produces heat/power. If you look at the flashpoint of some oils, it is around 450F. This is the temperature the oil becomes volatile or burns. Unless your engine is cold the temp in the combustion chamber will far exceed 400F at full compression and will certainly exceed it one the fuel begins to burn. Plus with the injection system, the fuel/oil mix is atomized pretty well so it will burn better. Also remember diesel is somewhat like a light oil.



I think the consensus of oil not burning in the combustion chamber is a bit of gasser mentality, oil doesn't burn in a gas engine. . it smolders and smokes, because the compression is far lower, and it is not finely atomized at all by the carburetor or injectors.





Vaughn

 

[Excessive Force]

DRAIN OIL.

A few years ago when i drove a transport there was a large fleet owned by a semi trailer manufacturer that i delivered to. When i brought them a load of fuel ,before i unloaded they would bring out barrels of drain oil and dump them in the tank . They had a filtration system they ran the oil through before they put it in the drums. I almost I TRIED TO BY-PASS THE CUSSING FILTER the first time they did it !:--) I guess they had been doing that for a few years,but i don't know if they still do. Definately not for me.

 

[DEZLPWR]

Wouldn't dirty oil in the fuel plug up the injectors?

Just a thought... .

 

[dan_gilson]

Yep, the fleet guys have been doing this for years. Just filter the engine oil and put it into the tank at a set ratio. I seem to remember 1:20. They have already paid for the oil and gotten the use from it. They can get a little extra by buring it. I bet it would even help better lube the pump.



I have also heard of some other oils being used like used cooking oils. Again, small set ratios.

 

[diesel DOG]

I can see burning it but try changing bath water a little at a time, not for me:--)

 

[The patriot]

Years ago, when I was an owner operator guys done this all the time. They did it with their oil change oil, not quite the same, but same results... . burning the old engine oil.

They told me to just be sure you dump the oil in a clean container, then strain it through a cheese cloth.

I never did it myself. I just went through the hassle of getting rid of 56 quarts of dirty oil.

Eric

 

[CAT 385]

At work we get fuel delivered @ 5000 gallons at a time. The other day I saw the delivery guy dump in about 10 gallons of old motor oil in the tank. I don't run this in my truck but we run a lot of heavy equipment out of it and no problems.

 

[RBeard]

BEEN RUNNING IT AT 5% FOR 60K WITH NO PROBS. AND IT DOES A GREAT JOB OF DARKENING THE FUEL THAT HAS THAT DARN RED DYE IN IT.

 

[speedracer]

Centinel

It's called the Centinel system. It's an option on some if not all of Cummins big truck motors. It wouldn't bother me at all. I would be more comfortable with the amount of engine oil being mixed was accurately controlled by the system. I probably won't be adding any to my pu's tank by hand. If I was getting a new big truck and was getting a cummins engine, I would seriously consider the Centinel system. It can be a pain to find the time and the place to get the oil changed on the big truck when you're on the road.