Running oil for fuel in Powerstroke 7.3L

[IowaOffRoad]

Posting here rather than general 4x4 or tow rig tech due to wanting PSD specific responses, mod can move if you don’t think it fits.

Taking a trip in June, pulling my wheeler with a 1997 international bus with the T444E ( basically a PSD with Navistar specific externals and electronic controls). Fucking Biden fuel prices has led me to wanting to burn some clean, light prototype engine oil (think 5w20 or lower viscosity). It’s perfectly clean, never used. Has unknown additive package but was intended for modern engine crankcase usage.

How likely is this to leave me and my family stranded hours from home? If it was a pure mechanical engine I’d have no worries, but has anyone had issues with this on a HEUI system? Planning to run 50/50 if I do it to get the cost closer to TRUMPFUEL(tm).

 

[Projectjunkie]

How many tanks do you have?

I intend to run a 95 psd on wmo, but I'll run one tank clean diesel, and one tank mix of wmo and diesel or gasoline, start it on clean diesel and warm it up, then switch to the oil, a few minutes before shutdown, switch it back to purge the lines.

If you have a single tank, I'd make a small batch and run it locally before taking off

I'd also want to be able to deal with whatever came up, meaning a jug of clean fuel, a tank to drain your mix, hoses, pumps, etc

On pbb hybrid46/71 or something had a great thread about burning pull in a 7.3 excursion, then a 7.3 mdt, worth looking into

 

[IowaOffRoad]

One tank. Might plumb in a portable boat tank to have start/shutdown pure diesel like suggested. Planning on going full retard by loading one of the drums of oil in the corner of the bus to top the tank off with. Last time we made this trip 2 years ago, …(checks notes)… I burned 88 gallons of diesel in 600 miles for a 6.8mpg economy figure. Thought if I subbed in the oil I would be able to get the cost down around where we made the trip last time.
Not looking to take the time to make more drastic changes than maybe a couple of tee fittings in the line due to time constraints and the fact we are probably selling the fucking thing after this season due to insurance companies either not wanting to insure a bus converted to RV or insurance companies not wanting to write a stand-alone policy We’ve used it 6 times in the last three years, which is fine for the $260/yr we currently pay but not paying much more than that or switching all my relatively low-cost home and vehicle insurance over just to get a policy on a stupid bus. Watch for upcoming 4sale post

 

[Gdogg]

I have a 7.3 and the only fuel I'll run is clean straight diesel fuel, injectors are too expensive. Back years ago during the crash when diesel fuel went up to $4.50-5.00 I knew guys who tried WVO and it worked but one guy trashed a set of injectors so it didn't save him anything. It you do run the oil let us know how it works out.

 

[IowaOffRoad]

I have a 7.3 and the only fuel I'll run is clean straight diesel fuel, injectors are too expensive. Back years ago during the crash when diesel fuel went up to $4.50-5.00 I knew guys who tried WVO and it worked but one guy trashed a set of injectors so it didn't save him anything. It you do run the oil let us know how it works out.

Suppose it would have made a difference if it’s not waste oil but brand new oil? I’ve always doubted just how clean some people are getting the used stuff myself. IMO if it’s still black as the ace of spades it still has soot in it, and therefore abrasive.

 

[Tiha]

I don't know about the powerstroke but I ran some in an IDI.

Filtering, centrifuge was the most important. It took so long to get the oil clean enough I gave up. There is cost in producing cheap fuel. My wife and son were burning it so I never got to enjoy it. I couldn't make it fast enough. The more I made the more they drove all over for no reason.

We have a 250 gallon used oil barrel at work. I would set up an old use EFI intank pump, push the oil through two filters and then a centrifuge. It would take days to get 50 gallons of used oil clean enough.
At least clean enough to me.
We would start it, check it every couple of hours. Usually had to swap at least one of the filters out every day. Clean the centrifuge. It was a lot of work.

Never had injector problems or anything like that, but then I probably cleaned the oil better than most.

I bought the centrifuge, if you don't figure in that cost, then you only had filters and that was about $80 to make a drum of fuel.