Tell me about Biodiesel please!

pulliptears

Namely, will it be ok in an 04 PT Cruiser, 2.2 CRD.

What difference will it make to performance etc, and how do you tell if its good bio diesel?

Just noticed there is a garage near me that sells it, and with OH doing a lot of business miles I wondered if it would be practical.
Thank you

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

Unless your manual specifically states not to use fuel with added biodiesel, it will be fine.

AdrianHi

Get a sample of the bio diesel in a clear plastic bottle. Stand it in the shed for a couple of weeks. When you go back to it, if it is clear, no sediment at the bottom of the bottle, it's good to use, even in cars that say don't use it in the hand book.
I know people using bio-diesel long term in common rail diesel (CRD) engines made by BMW who say definite no to bio-diesel in the book. They are doing it on cars out of manufacturers warranty.
Be aware that bio diesel will clean out crud from the fuel system which will get caught in the fuel filter possibly causing a blockage after a few hundred miles. You need to plan in cleaning the fuel filter after a few hundred miles regrdless of whether you get any blockages or not.
In the winter you will need to go 50:50 with regular diesel to prevent waxing, some people prefer to build up their use of bio-diesel with 20:80 and then 50:50 blends may be moving up to 100% bio-diesel voer a few thousand miles.

crank_girl

I have a 95 mazda bongo and have been advised against using biodiesel at it corrodes some rubber seals or something (I can't recall or pretend to understand the exact details). Are there any 'experts' here that would disagree?

oldagetraveller

Posted before in a similar thread but this is Vauxhall's advice for their Diesels but it's not necessarily correct for all engines. Older non "common rail" types are probably o.k. Too much bio fuel percentage is insufficient to lubricate the high pressure pump in CR systems.

Fuel for diesel engines
Diesel engines must be operated only on
commercially available diesel fuel meeting
the specifications of DIN EN 590.
Since January 2004, some oil companies
have mixed their diesel fuel with up to 5%
Bio fuel (FAME = Fatty Acid Methyl Esters)
like RME (Rape-Oil Methyl Ester). This is in
accordance with the current DIN EN 590
and does not harm the fuel injection
system. The characteristics of a diesel fuel
mixed up with 5% Bio fuel (FAME) do not
differ from conventional diesel fuel and do
not influence the vehicle’s driveability.
Important: Diesel fuel mixed with 5% FAME
according to DIN EN 590 m ust not be
confused with 100% Bio Diesel, which is not
to be used in Vauxhall engines.
The flow and filterability of diesel fuel a re
temperature-dependent.
Diesel fuels with improved low temperature
properties are therefore a vailable on the
market during the winter months. Make
sure that you fill the tank with winter fuel
before the start of the cold weather
season.
Additives can be used with diesel fuels with
winter properties that are guaranteed by
the manufacturer and when using diesel
fuel filters that are heated depending on
the outside temperature.
Diesel fuels must not be diluted with fuels
that are intended for petrol engines.

The relevant information should be in the vehicle's handbook, or contact the manufacturer's technical department for a definitive answer rather than rely on MSE "experts".

crank_girl

oldagetraveller wrote: »

The relevant information should be in the vehicle's handbook, or contact the manufacturer's technical department for a definitive answer rather than rely on MSE "experts".

Vehicle handbook is a no go since it is a Japanese import and my Japanese is worse than my car knowledge.

I wasn't intending on simply following any advice posted here, just looking for other opinions/experiences preferably posted in layman's language so that I might understand it.

Thanks for your input - unfortunately most of it goes over my head. Is mine a non/common rail diesel? Is it saying I should only put in 5% biodiesel?

AdrianHi

crank_girl wrote: »

Vehicle handbook is a no go since it is a Japanese import and my Japanese is worse than my car knowledge.

I wasn't intending on simply following any advice posted here, just looking for other opinions/experiences preferably posted in layman's language so that I might understand it.

Thanks for your input - unfortunately most of it goes over my head. Is mine a non/common rail diesel? Is it saying I should only put in 5% biodiesel?

Yes you have a common rail diesel engine which is not really relevant to this question anyway.
The diesel we use at the fuel pumps can now be up to 5% bio-iesel. What I / we are trying to say is you can do something other than what the book says. The book says no bio-diesel because they don't know what rubbish you might stick in your tank and want you to stick to something that has a quality standard (EN590) that you get from the pump any any garage. The manufacturer does not want any warranty claims because people are using sub-standard fuel.
Go outside this and it is a fairly complex subject because you now need to understand the issues and know how to judge a bio-diesel fuel for yourself. I've told you how to do it above and what the consequences might be (cleaning fuel filters) and dealing winter time (mixing regular and bio-diesel) to prevent the fuel waxing (as in freezing, it freezes at a higher temperature than water).
If you are not comfortable with all this I strongly advise sticking to the standard diesel fuel (EN590) you find at all garages and let someone else worry about quality control.

For what it is worth I gave up the bio-diesel route because it is far too inconvenient for me, I would have plastic containers of bio-diesel cluttering up my garage, no other way to get a supply locally.

Lord_Lardington

I've just switched in the last week. I've done a few hundred miles and it seems fine (not exactly a long term test I know).

I plan to change my fuel filter in approximately 1000 miles in line with the most prevalent advice. It does, I believe, corrode rubber but my understanding is that cars later than 2000ish don't have any rubber fuellines etc. As I say, I can't swear to this but I've read lots of websites and this does seem to be a common theme.

Blueflash_2

I am using SVO (straight vegetable oil) in my 96 Toyota van. The veg oil is in the big fuel tank and I have second small jerry can of mineral diesel. I have 3 Way solenoid valve (bit like in your central heating system) that changed between the veg oil or real diesel.
Real Diesel to start the van, get it warmed up then flick a switch to convert to veg oil. I also have an electric preheater (two glow plugs) that thins the oil before being injected through my old oil pump (Japs copied Bosch oil pump some years ago, which is best pump for veg oil).
Solenoid valve: Tecalemit standard 3 port solenoid valve.
http://www.biotuning.co.uk/ShopValves.htm
Veg Oil Pre-heater: http://www.vow2.co.uk/ordering.htm

tomstickland

I've been considering buying a cheap diesel car such as a 106 and running it on vegetable oil.

caffenero

just anyone know where i can get biodiesel in the lancs or merseyside area, i did a big google search and found nothing, how much per litre are people paying for biodiesel and do you get the same mpg

i have a 2002 gold tdi 130 gt