As we approach "generator season" in our off grid life style, I though I'd share a bit of how the preps for the new season are going. I've finished most of the hardi plank siding of the generator shack and have spent some time experimenting with the drum of used hydraulic oil. The engine now has 760 hours on it.
But before that lets visit some old issues the first being a very stiff rack. It seems that the WVO I'd run during construction of our home had polymerized on both the inside and outside of the engine. I'd tried acetone to clean it out with no luck. The situation was so bad that the engine would over shoot on RPM's on startup. It looks like that problem was fixed today with a bit of marvel mystery oil and some carb cleaner. The MM Oil cut right through the deposits on the fuel cans so I tried it, last week, on the rack and it helped, but only a bit. Today I doused the rack alternately with carb cleaner and the MM Oil while moving it back and forth and suddenly it penetrated and the rack started moving real easy. Yay!
Last winter I mixed the diesel with 10 to 20% WMO with good results. On starting this year there was a lot of slobber and white smoke. So I added some acetone and MM Oil to the tank and after running it through things cleaned up real nice! Yay number 2! Now that it was running clean it was time to try some of the 55 gal of used hydraulic oil I was given from work. I don't know exactly what kind it is, but it looks to be a clear reddish brown. It was transferred out of the tank and through a 10 micron string wound house filter with no detected residue. I mixed some in a clear 1 liter pop bottle with 50% diesel to see if anything settled and it looked good so in the tank it went. Since there was already some fuel in the tank I'd guess the mix was about 25% hydraulic oil. Ran it a few yours and the exhaust was nice and clean. A test start today went flawless. I will continue to up the percentage of WHO and see how it goes.
Later.
