Monday, May 30, 2005

The Downside Of Biodiesel

A Winsted, Conn. man believes a bear tipped over his car and chewed on the fuel tank and fuel lines because the bear smelled the oil inside.
"I knew what it was after," Joy told The Sunday Republican of Waterbury. "I think it's cool that bears do whatever they want."

Joy uses a combination of diesel and vegetable oil left over from restaurant fry vats to power his car. He says it gets 44 miles per gallon.

The car needs to be started using regular diesel because vegetable oil is too thick for the engine to handle. When a gauge indicates the engine coolant is at 90 degrees, it is warm enough to thin the biodiesel and Joy can flip a switch to change fuel tanks.

When the coolant hits about 150 degrees, Joy said there is a sweet smell.

"My neighbor said it smells like cheeseburgers," he said.