how long does it take for biodiesel to clean out a engine

[htmauk]

I got a question about the biodiesel cleaning effect on the engine. When you first start running bio do you get a little bit more white exhaust? I have filled the tank with b99 halfway and then filled the rest with D#2. I have a lot more exhaust than i did with the straight diesel. it is really bad when I start it, and then it lessens as the I drive. however I can still see a faint smoke screen in the headlights of the vehicles behind me, even after 30 minutes. I dont have any problem with power loss, and my engine is actually running smoother.

Will this go away over time or am I going to need to check my injectors? I am also still searching for the diesel exhaust smell. I can find any soot and there are no cracks in my pipes. I am going to check the head gasket tomorrow, and the manifold gasket over the weekend. There is also no leaks by the primer pump.

Any other suggestions? Thanks

[M John Galt]

How dirty was the fuel system before using biodiesel?

[addicted56]

The white diesel smoke is just how it burns. You will always have it. Esepcially on start up. It doesn't have anything to do with cleaning out your fuel system.

After a few tanks you may want to look at your fuel filter though. Depending on how many miles are on your truck it may take awhile to completely clean it out. And you may never notice anything at all if it is clean already.

[canucksafari]

After two tanks of B40 I noticed some white smoke. By my fouth tank I had to change the filter. But like M John says, it depends on how dirty your fuel system is. White smoke and lack of power is a sign that the fuel filter is blocked and needs to be changed. In 6 months I went through 3 fuel filters: two because the biodiesel was cleaning the crud out of my system and the third because i got caught with B40 in cold weather. Bad injector tips are not going to give you white smoke. White smoke is caused by uncombusted diesel becuase you have too much air. Often the extra air is coming from a leak in the fuel system which draws air into the fuel or just bad pump timing. Black smoke is also uncombusted diesel which is commonly caused by over fueling (advancing the timing too much) and worn injector tips. It is normal for a cold engine to produce a bit of white smoke on start-up. Likewise, if your hard on the skinny pedal, especially when you haven't reached operating tempeatures, you are going to get black smoke. BTW, black smoke also means excessive EGTs, so back off on the skinny pedal and drop a gear. I still don't have an EGT gauge but my LH mirror does the same job.

[htmauk]

I have only had this BJ since Jan 8th. so I ran a fuel tank of Diesel with some Statron thru it before I put the bio in. I am still trying to figure out the ins and out of the rig. I am especially working on figuring it out since it has a 13b instead of the stock 3 b engine in it. All completely rebuilt in 05.

I am just trying to figure the procedures and what it takes to get the system cleaned out. I am watching my primary ryco filter for signs of debris. I have stand by filters and will start changing them out at the first signs of loss of power/ blockages. If white smoke is normal then I will leave it at that, however it just seems to burn white when I start and then I get about 3-5 big "poofs" of white smoke in the first 5 minutes coming into 2nd gear. Then that dissipates to less white smoke, but still visible.

So that being said I appreciate the advice. I havent worked on any vehicles in a while so it is fun getting back into tinkering around with the rig. I am just trying to figure out how some of the non stock items are going together. For example the BJ40 with a 13b motor, hj45 Radiator. I am sure this is not a big deal but this one was imported from oz so I learning as I go.

I figure I will convert it to front disc brakes after I get everything else figured out. I know there are tons of treads on that so I will keep reading before I do anything on that.

Any advice, hints, rain dances are appreciated. I am sure I will ask a billion more questions. thanks
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[canucksafari]

If you are worried about a biodiesel dirty fuel system clean out, I suggest you put in a Delphie/ CAV filter assembly before your Toyota filter assembly. This should catch any crap before it clogs your more expensive Toyota filter. If you get the one with the glass bowl, you can visually inspect the bowl for water and crud. You can also get assemblies with a primer pump on them to help bleed out the air after replacing the filter.

[htmauk]

I already have the ryco glass bowl filter installed under the rig. I figured I would watch it and make sure there wasnt anything major in there. Thanks for the advice about the CAV filters though.