[muns53]

I have the Vegistroke V3 (automated, heated parallel fuel system) on my Excursion and custom VO tunes from Bill in my Gryphon. I'm very, very happy with this setup. The system uses hot engine coolant to pre-heat the alternative fuel, which thins it out for proper spray pattern and full combustion. It also keeps air out of the fuel lines. The automation feature ensures adequate purge of the alternative fuel every single shut-down, so that the next start is always done on diesel. Also, if the alternative fuel tank runs out or the filter plugs or pump quits, it automatically reverts to diesel with no interruption in the engine running.

I believe ATF's viscosity is closer to diesel than cold veg oil or cold motor oil and I've read on various forums that people run it in blends with diesel to fuel Powerstrokes without a lot of issues. With veg oil, if it isn't pre-heated to at least 160*F before it hits the injectors of a warmed motor, carbon will build up and eventually foul the injectors, cylinders, etc. Also, as I understand it, a cold motor has some amount of fuel blow-by and causes the fuel to mix in with the crankcase oil. Not a huge problem with diesel fuel if oil changes are regular, but definitely a problem with veg oil. The crank shaft slapping around in a mixture of veg oil and motor oil will cause a mayonaise-like substance to form in the engine and will quickly toast it. I have no idea whether or not this is a problem with ATF or with mixing synthetics and petroleum-based oils together, etc.

With your current approach, starting on diesel in one tank and switching to ATF in the other when the engine's warm, you're probably avoiding the majority of the cold-start, blow-by issues. But I'm no expert on ATF and I don't know if burning cold ATF will cause injector problems over time.

I apologize for my commentary if it was unwanted and/or unnecessary. In any case, Bill is all over the tuning modifications and I've been running his custom VO tunes for about a year now as happy as a clam.