Problems with runnig straight bio? (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Dec 27, 2005
Threads
85
Messages
920
Location
Northern California
Website
www.facebook.com
I just found a local fuel supplier that has B99 boidiesel. Calif.Air Resource Board is apparentally requiring heavy equipment run a 51% bio/49% red diesel mixture in order to waive the new diesel emmisions reg's. He said i could buy the B99 for $3.75 per gallon(diesel is $4.39 currently). He hasn't sold to anyone who is running it in vehicles so couldn't elaborate. Can i run this B99 straight in my Dodge Cummins and BJ42. Our weather in N.Calif is in the seventies by afternoon. He said he has heard of there being jelling problems in the cold. I have a diesel fuel tank(550 gallon farm tank) that sits outside. It was 33 degrees F this morning. Is this cold enough to cause problems with B99 bio? Minimum order is 150 gallons delievered or i can pick it up by the 55 gallon drum from there store. thanks
 
That is getting close to the gelling point.

You will get mixed views on Bio here.

I have run B100 in my 3B with no issues.

well I have issues with my engine but I am confident they are not fuel source related. If you are going to be running B100 for extended periods of time you should consider changing you rubber fuel lines to a synthetic such as Viton.

Some good info here

good luck with the move....;)

Tim
 
Most everyone agrees that you should be fine running bio in your vehicles. Just, as BillyGHusk pointed out, make sure to change any old rubber fuel lines to Viton type lines. And also make sure to change out your fuel filter after running bio for a while. Some say every oil change for a few, others say sooner than that. It just cleans all the gunk out. You should be good to go.
 
33 degrees is cold enough to cause gelling in some types of fuel. If you are worried about it, run 50-50 with regular fuel. When it warms up, switch to b99.

Keep spare fuel filters with you.
 
Most BioD distributors/vendors will tell you what the gel point of their particular fuel - it varies depending on what sort of oil they used. 33 is certainly in the "danger zone". Biofuel Oasis in Berkeley lists theirs at 36, IIRC.
 
I was running B99 in the summer for the last couple years, and around B50 in the winter in my BJ42. I did not change out fuel lines because I never got a leak. (I also am running the same blends in my Mercedes and have yet to get a leak.) I did change my fuel filter frequently when I first started, but I never noticed a drop in power (but I had to replace my tank with a good used unit out of a gasser, so the petrol diesel crud wasn't an issue).

Both the Merc and the BJ42 seem to run quieter and smoother with bio. You probably know about the lubricity benefits. Bio did seem to smoke a little more at cold start depending on the blend. It does seem to have a little less power.

Yes, the bio producer should have tested their fuel and be able to tell you the gelling point as well as other data. You can over come this by mixing it with petrol diesel or buy putting anti-gel additives in it. Out here on the coast I never had a problem with gelling as long as I went to B50 in the winter, and that was probably overkill.

My experience...

B
 
As mentioned earlier, manufacturers should report gelling temps as the temperature depends on their oil feedstock. As a ROT, when you add more diesel, the gelling temps will drop from their reported number. Supposedly, with anything <20% biodiesel, the gelling point is that of the diesel itself.

I haven't done this test myself but you can test your fuel mixtures by throwing them in the freezer (or outside if you live in the north country) with a thermometer and watch for the temperature when it begins to look cloudy.

Jeff
 
I have no problems running pure biodiesel, even in the winter.

Living in British Columbia, the winters are pretty cold - but, there is no problem starting in -5, -10, conditions.

This is vegetable oil reacted with Methyl Hydrate and lye then raised to the boiling temperature of Methyl Hydrate, where the Methyl boils off and Super Saturates the solution which changes its Ksp so that the impurities cannot exist in the solution, and then glycerin will form on the top with other impurities, and then is ready to be filtered.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom