Bio-diesel-anyone...anyone...

[dom1986ck30]

Aloha My "PEEPS"!!!

I was wondering if anyone has any experience or knowledge with Bio-Diesel. I recently pulled up to a fuel station to purchase diesel. I was one the phone and filled up my M1008 6.2 DETROIT with fuel. Then drove away, (It had a quarter tank of fuel prior to this.) I drove home about 15 miles. -- I woke up this morning and got in it to go to work and noticed a funny smell. Like burning plastic. I kinda was worried. Thought maybe the fuse panel was on fire or melting. So I drove away and chanced it... -- when I got to where I was going, (another 15 miles,) I noticed at the coffee shop that my receipt for fuel from yesterday said Bio-Diesel. Hmmm... so I called a friend. He said I need a conversion kit for that. I explained to him that I just thought since its a "Green" pump handle at the fuel station, along with the fact that I was on the phone, I thought nothing of it. He asked if it was running o.k. I told him that I noticed a slight loss of power going up my usual hills. But,... I noticed a better pressure reading. I noticed the temperature was over 10 degrees cooler when pushing up the hill. And best and noticeable of all, fuel mileage. I have honestly gotten over 28 miles per gallon. -- So to any of you "Peeps" out there that have any input to this, please reply. I am very weary of continuing to put Bio-Diesel in my truck. Especially since I do not know enough yet. Conversion kit etc. I truly believe that it could be damaging in one way or another. This 6.2 Detroit was built in 1986. Keep it the same spec for the fuel recommendations/standards of that time. I am just curious, Mahalo.

 

[doghead]

It might kill your IP, it might not.

A hui hou

 

[frank8003]

Maybe is doesn't get cold in Halaiwa.
Maybe a 3 micron filter is what one would need.
Did you read all of this?
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/forumdisplay.php?73-Alternative-Fuels

 

[ssdvc]

Aloha Dom,

I think the stuff you filled up with is a blend, perhaps 10-15% bio. Given the climate, I don't think you'll notice any difficulties and you don't need a conversion kit to use that type of blend. Conversion kits are used when you choose to use straight bio, like fryer oil.

That said, pay heed to what Doghead said. There is a loss of lubricity when using any type of bio product, so you'll need a lubricity additive (you should use one anyway).

 

[dougco1]

Aloha My "PEEPS"!!!

I was wondering if anyone has any experience or knowledge with Bio-Diesel. I recently pulled up to a fuel station to purchase diesel. I was one the phone and filled up my M1008 6.2 DETROIT with fuel. Then drove away, (It had a quarter tank of fuel prior to this.) I drove home about 15 miles. -- I woke up this morning and got in it to go to work and noticed a funny smell. Like burning plastic. I kinda was worried. Thought maybe the fuse panel was on fire or melting. So I drove away and chanced it... -- when I got to where I was going, (another 15 miles,) I noticed at the coffee shop that my receipt for fuel from yesterday said Bio-Diesel. Hmmm... so I called a friend. He said I need a conversion kit for that. I explained to him that I just thought since its a "Green" pump handle at the fuel station, along with the fact that I was on the phone, I thought nothing of it. He asked if it was running o.k. I told him that I noticed a slight loss of power going up my usual hills. But,... I noticed a better pressure reading. I noticed the temperature was over 10 degrees cooler when pushing up the hill. And best and noticeable of all, fuel mileage. I have honestly gotten over 28 miles per gallon. -- So to any of you "Peeps" out there that have any input to this, please reply. I am very weary of continuing to put Bio-Diesel in my truck. Especially since I do not know enough yet. Conversion kit etc. I truly believe that it could be damaging in one way or another. This 6.2 Detroit was built in 1986. Keep it the same spec for the fuel recommendations/standards of that time. I am just curious, Mahalo.

That smell must be burnt sugarcane they made the Bio from. And without sounding dumb, What's a Peeps?

 

[98G]

That smell must be burnt sugarcane they made the Bio from. And without sounding dumb, What's a Peeps?

 

[teletech]

I ran 20-100% biodiesel in my 6.9IDI motor for about a decade. The only issues I had were when I started it dissolved a lot of old junk in my fuel tank and I had to change my fuel filter after a few months and I think my fuel return hoses got softer a bit faster.
As you observed, lower temperatures, slightly less power, a different smell, and a quieter ride are all quite typical.
The cetane rating is different for bio, so it changes the engine timing. You can get a lot of the power back if you alter the timing, but then you have something that is tuned wrong for petro-diesel. Lubricity varies a bit depending on who made the fuel and from what.
I know there is a risk of shortened pump life, eroding hoses, and injector clogging but I ran many tens of thousands of miles, finally quit driving the truck after I blew a head gasket (YMMV).

 

[gimpyrobb]

I have not run any in my 6.5, but my deuce likes it a lot.

 

[Skinny]

It sounds like you are confusing bio diesel (especially commercially made at a pump) to WVO which requires another heated tank and to switch over once the engine is running and fuel is up to temp. I don't see any bio in my neck of the woods but I agree, it probably is a blend which most newer engines will take up to somewhere around 10-20% from the factory. I highly doubt an older mechanical diesel would care either. If its straight bio, it sounds like you already got your answer above.

 

[ken]

Back about 10 years ago when fuel was 4.75 a gallon I ran B100 everyday for about a year. With no failures. Bio is a great solvent. There is a good chance it cleaned your injectors. Giving you the better mileage. There are less BTU's per gallon than Dino Diesel. This results in less power and mileage. Once you return to diesel you should see better mileage. There is a good chance the trash in your fuel tank came loose and will soon stop up your fuel filter. You might want to keep one handy. Cranetruck in the deuce section is a expert on it. He made his own biodiesel and taught me a lot.

 

[Drock]

These are old mechanical diesels. They will run on anything ending in the word "oil". I've tried it myself just to see. So far a gallon of vegetable oil, and I run 2 cycle oil every other tank. The vegi oil smelled a little funny, but actually ran stronger with slightly better fuel economy. The 2 cycle oil seems to add a little power, but can be a little harder to start on cold mornings. So long story short 1 tank of bio diesel wont hurt anything, and in fact may clean it out a little.

 

[The FLU farm]

Used engine oil (properly filtered, of course) also works great. To a point - when mixing it up to 40% with diesel it was hard starting and smoked.
Noticeably better power (more BTUs) and a much smoother running engine resulted with lower mixtures, and 7% is deemed perfectly safe. About 15% was the sweet spot, as I recall.