Burning crankcase oil?

[LRamey]

I don't know if this is the right forum but just had to ask.

A friend of mine told me yesterday that he ran into a guy that has his own truck rental outfit and rents everything from Dodge's to full size rigs. He told my friend that he as he changes the oil in all these he filters the used oil & then puts it in the tank and burns it with out any problems. Can this be true? I said if it was I'd think everyone would do it. He told me that it wasn't a mix but straight oil. Some how I don't believe him!

Lonnie

 

[roadranger]

Yep- they do it.



Feed company I used to drive for had a machine made by Cummins that would suck the old crankcase oil out, filter it, then put it right back into the truck's fuel tank... let's see, 13 gal. of oil to 275 gal. of diesel.

Saved them lots of time/money trying to get rid of used crank oil on a 25 truck fleet averaging 3500 miles a week.



Next day's trip, though, the truck would be pulling one gear lower on hills till that tank with oil was burned out of it.

 

[RKohn]

Wrong mix... That's only 20:1

I always ran mine through the big truck in 2 or three batches. In the Dodge, I did about 1 quart per tankful. Have's done it since the change to synthetics. Works good to pour on stumps or leaves to get'em burnin hot. Wish I had an oil furnace.

 

[heliopilot]

Here's the scoop Right from Cummins:

Subject: Fuels for Cummins Engines

Bulletin #: 3379001-05

Page 12



Caution: Do NOT blend more than 5% used lubricating oil with the fuel. Do NOT blend other used oils with fuel,such as transmission fluid,gear case oil, etc.



hope this sheds some light for you.

 

[Motorhead]

So using 5% drain oil in your fuel will help lube the VP44? I have an old Franz toilet paper filter that I could filter it thru.

With 1 Cummins(11qts per chg) and 3 MBZ diesels(8 qts per chg), I generate alot of drain oil!!

 

[LRamey]

Thanks Heliopilot,

I really couldn't believe the guy is burning straight oil. I'd think it would ruin something.

 

[LRamey]

So based on the 5% rule, I could use 1 1/2 gallons of oil for every 30 gallon tank.

 

[Steve Roseman]

I usually run 4%(1 gallon per tankful). My current tank is 8% with no ill effects. I hated saving all that oil for someone else's oil furnace. I decided I would do my part for the environment and recycle, plus get some good out of it. It's free energy.

 

[Motorhead]

How do you guys filter the drain oil? Do you find that the fuel filters then don't last as long? I think that it is a good idea!! LET ME KNOW.

 

[John Berger]

OK, this sounds good. I don't feel like doing a search right now, so here's a question. Other than pump lubrication, what other benefits would come from doing this on a regular basis? Any downside?

 

[heliopilot]

Benefits of burning waste oil: cleans up the drain pans, no need to take it to the recycle center, a couple of gallons less of #2 to buy.

disadvantages: None



FYI. in the summer in New England i add a 25%- 40% load of waste vegatable oil to my #2 fuel

In the winter i run what is know as contaminated jet A (contaminated ie: could have traces of water in it).

I add 3-4 gallons of waste oil to a tankful.

Disadvantages: change fuel filters 2 times a yr. this mixture only yields 17-18 mpg highway. . (#2 yields 22 mpg) over 80k miles on this stuff.

ps. yes in the summer time it wreaks of burning french fries, but that doesnt seem to bother the people i tailgate.

 

[Midnite]

Originally posted by Motorhead

How do you guys filter the drain oil? Do you find that the fuel filters then don't last as long? I think that it is a good idea!! LET ME KNOW.

I don't filter mine--I've found that giving it time for the crud to settle out works great (probably even better than any kind of filtering). After I drain the oil I dump it from the drain pan back into the oil jugs where I let it sit for a couple weeks, maybe a month. Then when I go to fill up the tank, I don't dump the entire gallon of old oil in, since the bottom of the jug is pretty "sludgy".



I had no idea that Cummins considers up to 5% waste oil okay--that's good to know!



Mike

 

[mhenon]

Hi all! I'm a new TDR member. Been putting used engine oil in the pick-up from day one. Couldn't see throwing that stuff away and the trucking industry has been doing it for a looong time.

I was concerned about the fuel filter plugging so I have a few spares with me. It hasn't happened yet (only 9000 miles on the truck + 2 oil changes) but I guess it could.

There are some great websites out there about burning veggy-oil. Seems to me these diesel engines will burn darn near anything. The VP44 pumps and lubricity are the main concern so the extra oil in the mix shouldn't hurt anything.

I have been staying with about a 5% to 8% mix. Europeans are running straight vegetable oil in there diesels but it has to be pre-heated.

Anyway, if you find yourself running out of fuel and no stations available, stop in the nearest corner store and add a few gallons of "canola" or "soy" oil. Cold weather is the only problem with these thicker oils so keep that in mind.



Love this truck!

 

[Steve Roseman]

I filter my used oil through an oil filter I have mounted on the garage wall. As soon as I drain, I filter while it's still warm. I also pressurize my container with a little air, oil doesn't flow through the filter very well with just gravity.

Haven't had any fuel filter problems, I change them every 20-25k miles whether they need it or not.

On this current tank of 8% I have run with fuel temps of 10 degrees F. This is straight #2 mixed with the oil and Siloo conditioner of the proper dilution. I have started at 20 degrees F without block heater assist with this mixture.

It hasn't affected my mileage any. If you don't figure in the oil when you fill up, you can make it look like you're getting better mileage .

 

[illflem]

Bosch warranty?

Warranty damage to components of injection pumps arising from the use of unsuitable fuels, even if approved by the original equipment or vehicle manufacturer, are not warranted by Bosch.



Sub-standard fuels include but are not limited to:

-Fuel with poor lubricity

-Alternative fuels RME and PME (bio-diesel)

-Contaminated fuel (eg. , containing solvent, used oil, alcohol, gasoline and JP4 jet fuel)



Pictures of damage here -

http://www.fueladditiveonline.com/bosch.pdf

 

[Steve Roseman]

I am my own warranty station

 

[Midnite]

Re: Bosch warranty?

Originally posted by illflem

Warranty damage to components of injection pumps arising from the use of unsuitable fuels, even if approved by the original equipment or vehicle manufacturer, are not warranted by Bosch.



Sub-standard fuels include but are not limited to:

-Fuel with poor lubricity

-Alternative fuels RME and PME (bio-diesel)

-Contaminated fuel (eg. , containing solvent, used oil, alcohol, gasoline and JP4 jet fuel)



Pictures of damage here -

http://www.fueladditiveonline.com/bosch.pdf

As I mentioned in another thread ("Bio Diesel", in this same forum), that document is extremely vague on what caused the damage in the photographs. In fact, it includes no photos at all showing damage attributable to the use of used engine oil in fuel. Can I make my injection pump fail by using a mix of diesel fuel and used engine oil? Of course I can--I would use an unreasonably high ratio of oil to fuel (and Cummins provides guidelines as to what's unreasonable: greater than 5%), the oil would be really gunky and cruddy, and I wouldn't filter it or allow anything to settle out of it.



On the other hand, will my injection pump melt down tomorrow if I used a 5% mix of diesel/engine oil where the oil had been filtered and/or been allowed to settle out? Of course not.



As long as the oil is not cruddy (ie, properly filtered or allowed to settle out), we have absolutely no documentary evidence that its use will harm the injection pump. However, we have huge amounts of anecdotal evidence, along with Cummins' Centinel system and 5% rule that indicates such mixing is perfectly fine.



Mike

 

[R.E. Miller]

Go on the Cummins website and search for the Centinal System. You will find all of the info you are after. You can spec your new rig with one of these and extend your oil change interval to 525,000mi. The logic behind it (which may seem slim) is that the system injects a small amount of oil into the fuel system, then adds oil back to the crankcase to replenish the additives. I am not putting anything like it on my truck.

Russell

 

[illflem]

The main reason the Centinel System, which involves high filtration, was developed was to eliminate oil changes and disposal, not to gain any perceived benefit from burning used oil. About the only benefit without a Centinal is eliminating disposal, something I've personally never had a problem with. If you want to add used oil go for it, it will probably cause no problems, but little benefit. For me getting $4 worth of "free" low grade fuel every oil change isn't worth the hassle and potential filter plugging problems.

IMO adding used oil is a leftover from the old days when guys also used to add ATF to their fuel, a bad idea. Why mess with it when clean, cheap, easy to use additives made for diesel are available and offer more benefits?



From http://www.chevron.com/prodserv/fuels/bulletin/diesel/L2_qa_fs.htm



Can I get rid of my used engine oil by adding it to diesel fuel?

Adding used engine oil to diesel fuel used to be a common practice. However, it almost certainly results in a blend that does not meet diesel fuel specifications. One or more of these properties may be too high: 90% boiling point, sulfur content, ash, water and sediment, viscosity, and carbon residue. A diesel fuel/used oil blend may not be sold as diesel fuel, and we recommend against using it as a diesel fuel.

In California, addition of used engine oil to diesel fuel is a violation of hazardous waste regulations. Diesel fuel users in other areas who may consider this practice should check for any applicable regulations.

 

[John Berger]

So what would be the pros and cons of adding new non-used motor oil within the specs Cummins recommends?