Thread: LURCH WAS VERY THIRSTY TODAY......

Whereabouts was this servo Tony????????

<span style="color:blue">south strathfield......on the hume highway.....it was one of the budget type ones...
and across the road from a mobil.....

just next to the overpass of homebush bay drive or whatever its called....</span>

If vege oil is esterfied and refined properly, it should be excellent, with a lubricity (for the pump and injectors) much higher than dead dinosaur juice.
It's the raw vegie oil, or the partially refined stuff that's suss.

G'day Tony,

It would have been more expensive if you'd run out on the Harbour Bridge...

Have you checked your handbook? Mine says expressly not to use biodiesel.

Regards
Max P

Originally posted by Tusker
G'day Tony,

It would have been more expensive if you'd run out on the Harbour Bridge...

Have you checked your handbook? Mine says expressly not to use biodiesel.

Regards
Max P

That's what mine states too Max... funny about that! Is this going to pose any future problems for us do you think?

<span style="color:blue">i knew i had enough to get back....just.....

i just thought there would have a big sign informing the public of what we are actually buying....
not that ****y little bit of paper stuck on the bowser.......




i only put $20 in....not much fuel for twenty these days.....
i will need to put more in today......if i can find some dollars..... ops:

the point is...if someone pulls off that little bit of paper...how will the consumer
know what he is purchasing.....?
how do we know we havent been buying biodiesel up until now....?</span>

Don't you just love Wikipedia?

I'm sure someone else will know better, but I thought that the problem with biodiesel is that it rots older gaskets and fuel lines. As my mechanic explained it, low-sulphur diesel does something similar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiesel

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>Biodiesel can be mixed with petroleum diesel at any concentration in most modern engines, although it has the disadvantage of degrading rubber gaskets and hoses in vehicles manufactured before 1992. Biodiesel is a better solvent than petrodiesel and has been known to break down deposits of residue in the fuel lines of vehicles that have previously been run on petroleum. Fuel filters may become clogged with particulates if a quick transition to pure biodiesel is made, but biodiesel cleans the engine in the process. It is therefore recommended, to change the fuel filter 800 miles after switching to biodiesel. In a study at a U.S. military base, a biodiesel blend was used as a replacement for heating oil at housing on the base. Due to the solvent power of biodiesel, residues that had been present in fuel tanks for decades were dissolved. The particulate component of the residues caused repeated clogging of fuel strainers, requiring repeated replacement, cleaning, and in some cases installation of higher capacity filters. Due to the relatively smaller surface area and service life of fuel tanks in motor vehicles and mobile equipment, filter clogging is less prevalent but still a factor to be considered.[/b][/quote]

and this:

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>Two real-world issues involving the use of biodiesel

There are a number of different feed stocks (methyl esters, refined canola oil, french fry oil, etc.) that are used to produce biodiesel, but in the end they all have a few common problems.

First, any of the biodiesel products have a problem of gelling when the temperatures get below 40°F (4.4°C) or so, depending on the mix of esters. At the present time there is no available product that will significantly lower the gel point of straight biodiesel. A number of studies have concluded that winter operations require a blend of bio, #2 low sulfur diesel fuel, and #1 kerosene. The exact blend depends on the operating environment: successful operations have run using a 65% LS #2, 30% K #1, and 5% bio blend. Other areas have run a 70% LS #2, 20% K #1, and 10% bio blend or a 80% K#1, and 20% bio blend. Factors in choosing a blend include volume, component availability, and local economics.

The second problem with biodiesel is that it is hydrophilic. Some of the water present is residual to processing, and some comes from storage tank condensation. The presence of water in biodiesel is a problem for a number of reasons:

* Water reduces the heat of combustion. This means more smoke, harder starting, less power.
* Water will cause corrosion of vital fuel system components: fuel pumps, injector pumps, fuel lines, etc.
* Water, as it approaches 32°F (0°C) begins to form ice crystals. These crystals provide sites of nucleation and accelerate the gelling of the residual fuel.
* Water is part of the respiration system of most microbes. Biodiesel is a great food for microbes, so the presence of water accelerates the growth of microbe colonies which can plug up a fuel system. Biodiesel users who have heated fuel tanks therefore face a year-round microbe problem.
[/b][/quote]

Cheers
Simon

Originally posted by Omaroo
That's what mine states too Max... funny about that! Is this going to pose any future problems for us do you think?

If its biodiesel only in the future I'm sure someone will come up with an additive. If its needed.

I'd have thought the potential problem was in the quality of the stuff itself. How do we know that biodisel meets the specs. Whats the diesel equivalent of octane - cetane or something?

It can't have the same flash points or burn characteristics. With all the trouble the TD5 goes to to heat the fuel etc for consistent performance & pollution control, I just can't see bio as being beneficial in the long run.

Then again, the TD5 is a world engine - designed to run on the crappiest diesel anywhere on the world market. Maybe it is tolerant. I don't know. But I'm sticking to the handbook recommendation.

Regards
Max P