Greasecar?

[James Fitzer]

I'm thinking this might be a really great idea, and I'm considering a conversion.

I like it better than biodiesel because I'm lazy, and don't want to create my own fuel. I think i can set up a reasonably good filtration station in a garage, and there's no shortage of quality restaurants where i could get oil for free.

I'm wondering if anyone else has used this stuff, or has looked into it, and what your thoughts are. Seems to me the conversions at www.greasecar.com are decently priced... but let me know if you've found something that's a better value.

I want to get a truck for carrying my band's gear, and I think i can cut down touring costs by doing this.


Thanks,

James

[Preacherman]

Yeah, but if you drove a greasecar, you'd have to change your username to "TheFonz", wouldn't you?

[James Fitzer]

You owe me a new mouse, as mine has mountain dew all over it now. :-D

Heh. Just kidding. It still works. It's just sticky :-S


Well, While it would be cool to drive a french fry car and say "Heeeeeey," I wanna know what i'm getting into before i do it.


No one has a car converted in this way?

[Stand_watie]

Any idea what "Fitz" means in regard to surnames? I had an RA in college named "Fitzhugh", that was "Fitz" to us. Just curious. The 'Z' makes it sound Germanic to me.

[Stand_watie]

P.S. You haven't run into any reservist 4th ID guys out of Fort Hood have you? My boss was over there in 2003/4. I've got a bunch of Saddam dollars on my dresser, and a brass camel he brought me back.

[James Fitzer]

Fitzer is my last name, and somewheres along the line people started calling me Fitz. Oddly enough, my civilian friends from back home and my military friends both did it.

Good to know they think my name is interesting. As far as I know, from what limited family history I have, my father's family is from Germany.

It became so popular among my friends to call me "Fitz" that my yet-untitled original band is considering using it for a name. I've resisted to high heaven, but the other guys think that it's good Karma to name a band after it's lead guitar player's last name.

"Van Halen... Dokken... and to a lesser extent... 'Znuff"


Kudos to anyone who can identify that quote.

[James Fitzer]

Nah... i'm with the MN national guard, after being out since 2003. Good Ol' contract got me back in when MN failed to meet their recruiting goals, apparently.

[Stand_watie]

Nah... i'm with the MN national guard, after being out since 2003. Good Ol' contract got me back in when MN failed to meet their recruiting goals, apparently.

Well G-d bless you anyway. I imagine it's a hard row to hoe. Generations to come will probably talk about "great-grampa's"  exploits.

[Stickjockey]

Any idea what "Fitz" means in regard to surnames?

IIRC, it's Old English, meaning "son of," much like the Scots "Mac." So, Fitzhugh would be "Son of Hugh."

[Mabs2]

So...
You're the son of Er?

[James Fitzer]

well... if that's what it means, then perhaps i should change my last name legally to : "FitzDouchebag"


HAHAHAHHAHA

Oh, i crack me up.

[Preacherman]

Reminds me of the unauthorized modernization of the old Lear limerick . . .

There was a young man of Cape Horn
Who wished he had never been born.
And he wouldn't have been
If his father had seen
That the end of the condom was torn!

[James Fitzer]

Heh...

Well, i guess i'll get no greasecar advice here.. i woulda thunk that someone on this board had one.

[Antibubba]

WVO-Waste vegetable oil.

For advice that doesn't stray into rumination on the origin of your name go to   forums.biodieselnow.com/

More than ever want to know about grease propulsion.

[Vile Nylons]

Want a serious answer, huh. Used to run a VW Rabbit diesel and heavy equipment with diesels and like them a lot. Never did the greasecar but looked into as much as I could over a bunch of years. French fry grease solidifies when cool. Waxes in it I think. So you have to have a spare tank that you can warm up and keep the grease nice and warm and runny. Some folks have built tanks that they flow exhaust past, like a double wall thing. Others use electric heaters but you have to have a serious alternator to do that. The site you linked to apparently uses a copper loop inside their tank that I presume circulated radiator fluid through it. Couldn't tell because they didn't say what flows through it. Until the grease gets warm you have to run your car on normal diesel and then after a while switch over. So you have to have valving to be able to do that. Fuel lines have to be inside the car too. Winter is the worst.
What kept me from going ahead is the need to gather the stuff at restaurants which is messy as hell because the stuff is a goop rather than oil. Lots of lumps and sludge, like thick and gooey. Then you have to have a place to filter all that and it has to be a heated space. So you have to transfer this stuff from however you collected it to however you intend to filter it. Probably have to do sequential filtering too because there are real big lumps in that goop. At least two if not three passes with finer filters each pass. If you don't do a good job before, your not going to drive too far cause your going to plug your fuel filters in the car. Changing a fuel filter on a diesel can be a bear if you lose prime. Some you can manually pump up, some you have to bleed at various connectors. It can get nasty especially on the side of the road. Not a Vise Grip job. Besides the mess, I couldnt figure how to get rid of all the waste. So i gave up on the idea. But a couple of folks here locally are doing it and are happy [very small town]. The nearest city is Duluth MN and theres a guy doing it there and happy. I read a solar power magazine called Home Power and they write about it on occassion and they have happy greasers. But most of what I've described  have been homebuilt units cobbed together. The kit on the website looks very good but I suspect your going to have to give up your first born for it. And it's going to cost some to have it put in unless your handy yourself. Supposidly the cars run good with slightly less mileage but their exhaust smells like french fry grease.
Hope I havn't bummed you out. I sincerely thank you for your service to our country and to me and my wife. I sleep better at night because of you. Take care and be safe.

[James Fitzer]

Thanks for the info, people... I have been doin some readin the past couple of hours...

What i gather from what I've learned is pretty much what you just said. There are some premade filtering devices available, but they're quite pricey. Add to that the cost of buying a good, low mileage diesel truck and it's sounding like it's not quite a great idea for me, financially.

Bummer. I can't AFFORD to decrease my dependance on mideast oil. LOL

I guess the plan now is get a decent V6 truck for the gear, as there's many newer options in my price range.

Perhaps in a few years, when i can afford a brand new vehicle, the technology will have improved somewhat.

I wish companies still made NEW SMALL diesel trucks.

There used to be diesel toyotas and stuff... My only diesel option if i want a newer, nicer vehicle is a gargantuan monstrosity out of my price range. And the older trucks have ridiculously high mileage.

So maybe i gotta put the greasecar idea on hold for a while... but at some point i will quit wasting money on gasoline.

[Guest]

Related.

Bobistheoilguy :
http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php

Scroll down for BioDiesel :
http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=60

Waste Vegetable Oil [WVO] :
 http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=61

HTH

Steve

[Stickjockey]

So...
You're the son of Er?

Apparently so. Ancestry.com has a bunch of records of Fitzers from Ohio and the UK, but no actual origin or meaning.

Calling Barbara, Barbara to the "Son of Er" thread...

[Antibubba]

I've bookmarked that site, sm-thanks!

[Guest]

Antibubba,

You are welcome.

BITOG - I am not a registered member, though I have used it for a long time as a resource tool. Very Civil and some pretty smart folks over there.  I have met, or am aware of some members, and invited to peruse and join in.

I have used BITOG, and share the link to others for such matters as doing a search for  folks thinking about buy ng new/ used vehicles, and  Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) , User Reviews,  Know problems with vehicles from Intake gasket, transmissions, electrical,  and whatever.

Links from BITOG have provided information on vehicles for folks not having a Chilton's Manual and needing the firing order, or other specs.


Then sometimes I sit back and laugh at the Castrol vs Mobil  or Smart Car vs Corolla debates.  Like gun forums, folks just want to argue, or "hooray for our side".

Some of them characters have a great sense of humor, and downright brilliant in how they respond to "armchair  oil know-it-alls."


Oh suspect some APS, THR, TFL and other Sister Sites - have some members on BITOG as well.


Funniest one, and was pulled, was the 9mm vs 45ACP and  should one use Castrol or Mobil for the syn gun lube.

I wish I had that one...totally brilliant how some of the folks ( and I know who some really are and credentials) just totally blew folks minds.

One example

"Well, Sperm Whale Oil always worked in my Hand Ejector,  getting caught in the bathroom by mom with that whale in the bathtub was embarrassing as all get out".

Then the poster revealed they were female , not male and totally baffled the younger bunch as to what a Hand Ejector was and did whales really have oil made from them.