BIODIESEL vs SVO

Biodiesel and straight vegetable oil (SVO) are not the same thing. They are two different substances that will both serve as a fuel in a diesel engine. When you are shopping for your diesel vehicle, please be aware that you do NOT have to “convert” or modify a diesel car to run on BIODIESEL. SVO, however, does require modifications or "conversion kits", usually involving heaters, to run safely in a diesel engine.

Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil to be thinner than vegetable oil so it will flow in the fuel lines more easily than SVO and can run in any stock diesel engine without any modifications or “conversions” to the vehicle. Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil by chemically "thinning" the vegetable oil into a new substance which has similar flow characteristics to conventional petroleum diesel.

If you want to run your diesel vehicle on SVO, that DOES require modifications or converting the vehicle to deal with the flow and combustion problems caused from the thickness of vegetable oil, especially in cooler temperatures. The conversion usually involves adding heating devises at locations along the fuel system to heat the oil to thin it so it will flow smoothly and ignite properly in the engine.

Biodiesel is already thinned enough to run in any diesel vehicle without any conversions or heaters added to the vehicle.

Contact the blog host, Steve Bash, for info on SVO and conversions.

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