Bio Diesel, good or bad?

[robinsonpowerstroke]

I was thinking about switching over to bio diesel, is bio diesel good or bad for my truck? Any advantages or disadvantages (besides the cold weather) to bio, such as MPG?

[randomhero1172]

Bio is alot better in the lubricity department. Better for injectors, injector pump, etc.

Less smelly (Not that i care, I like diesel exhaust)

Less noise

[F350-6]

Are you going to use B99 or a lower blend? Bio does have a slightly lower BTU content so you may notice a drop in MPG's. I lost about 1/2 MPG on mine with B99. With B20 there was no noticeable difference in mileage. Bio is a better lubricator so if you're currently running an additive you can save your money on that by switching to Bio.

The engine does feel and sound smoother and quieter with the Bio. It also has a solvent affect, so if you have any gunk in your tank or lines you may plug a fuel filter. I never had this problem, but it would be a good idea to carry a spare filter with you when you make the switch.

Of course as with regular diesel. If you get a bad tank of fuel it can damage your injectors.

[aklim]

Depends on the price. Can you get it a little less than D2? If so, go for it. If not, I wouldn't. It has less BTUs and will give less mileage. B40 and above I lost noticeable mileage. Other than that, I don't bother with the lubricity studies since they are incomplete at best, misleading at worst. Just my $0.02

[F250_]

When i spent several months runing B20, I saw a drop of 1-1.5 mpg in my truck. Now, I'm only going to use the B20 on about every third fillup so I can stay above the 2% mark for lubricity issues.

[Fat Diesel]

I've run B99 at least 90% of the time for the last year or so. It really depends on the BIO makeup whether you lose any power/mileage or not. Diesel Power mag did a dyno test and actually made more power on BIO than D2. Not anything statistically significant, but it was higher nonetheless.

One thing to keep in mind is if you've added any rubber hose to your fuel system you will eat through it with the B99.

I run it to give money to American farms and business' rather than jerkies like Hugo Chavez and the Crown Prince of Sand. I know, I know it is only a percentage of our fuel comes from them, but Venezuela is like 15% and the middle east is like 15% and I'd just rather give it to folks here at home.

[F250_]

Originally Posted by Fat Diesel

...I run it to give money to American farms and business' rather than jerkies like Hugo Chavez and the Crown Prince of Sand. I know, I know it is only a percentage of our fuel comes from them, but Venezuela is like 15% and the middle east is like 15% and I'd just rather give it to folks here at home.

My thoughts as well. HOWEVER... for me, at least, when my cash flow won't support my principles, I have to look a little closer to home in terms of keeping family necessities taken care of.

I sometimes have to agree with Mel Gibson's charater in The Patriot when he said... "I'm a parent. I can't afford the luxury of principles."

[Fat Diesel]

I hear ya. I'm a little lucky in that the BIO is always cheaper than the #2 around here.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by Fat Diesel

I hear ya. I'm a little lucky in that the BIO is always cheaper than the #2 around here.

The only shop we have here will sell it to you at 70 cents above D2 prices but to get that special discounted pricing, you have to join their co-op for $150 a year. Otherwise it is about a buck and some change more

[Pocket]

You will hear so many mixed reports about bio because of the various standards and practices of bio production/storage/resell/taxes/etc by state. So far, there is no federal law in place that forces bio-diesel manufacturers to meet ASTM standards for production. Instead, bio-diesel is regulated on a state by state basis.

A good quality bio-diesel that meets ASTM standards will usually provide near identical levels of power and mileage as that of #2 diesel. Bio typically has slightly less BTU's, but higher cetane, so it burns quicker, better, and more complete which makes up for the loss of BTU's. Since this is not always the case in every state, you will see people post variances in actually mileage with bio vs #2. A lower grade or quality of bio will cause mileage and power to drop in your truck, and bad batches, algae infested, or other poor stock bio will cause engine/injector/fuel pump problems, same as a bad batch of #2 diesel. In fact, a few weeks ago I filled up at a station that had bad diesel, and my truck ran terrible - lots of smoke, no power, extremely noisy injectors, etc. So yes that can happen anywhere.

Pricing is also a major factor, since some states give additional tax breaks to alternative fuels. This is why you'll see some places sell bio for the same price or less than #2, and others sell for much higher than #2.

On a personal level, I have used bio-diesel in my truck. I have also compared it to running many standard additives in #2 diesel. Bio is the only thing I have ever used that made my truck run quieter. Also when I dropped my fuel tank for the Hutch and Harpoon mods, the tank and pickup assembly were extremely clean. At the time that I ran bio, my fuel mileage did not change, and power remained the same. Not a single fuel additive that I used increased mileage on my truck. This was during the time I lived in South Carolina. Now I'm in Colorado, and there are no stations nearby that sell bio-diesel. So for the mean time, I'm stuck running straight diesel until I get a good supply nearby. I prefer running bio in my truck.

My recommendation is to try it for a while, and see how it affects your truck and your pocketbook.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by Pocket

This is why you'll see some places sell bio for the same price or less than #2, and others sell for much higher than #2.

The place told me that if they wanted to attract more people they would lower the price but at this time, they were happy with the number of clients they had. IOW, we get to charge you more because you are more needy of biodiesel. After all, somebody has to pay for the "No blood for oil" stickers they use to rope you in with.

[jimmyburg]

I use the B-20 every third fill up to keep every thing lubed up, i can tell because the truck runs a little frisky.

[jrciii56]

Curtis,
You were right on about the characteristics of Bio. It all depends upon the quality of the bio that detemines the performance. Here are the standards that the bio should meet.

http://www.biodiesel.org/pdf_files/f...ets/bdspec.pdf

[haulingboat]

Originally Posted by Pocket

You will hear so many mixed reports about bio because of the various standards and practices of bio production/storage/resell/taxes/etc by state. So far, there is no federal law in place that forces bio-diesel manufacturers to meet ASTM standards for production. Instead, bio-diesel is regulated on a state by state basis.

A good quality bio-diesel that meets ASTM standards will usually provide near identical levels of power and mileage as that of #2 diesel. Bio typically has slightly less BTU's, but higher cetane, so it burns quicker, better, and more complete which makes up for the loss of BTU's. Since this is not always the case in every state, you will see people post variances in actually mileage with bio vs #2. A lower grade or quality of bio will cause mileage and power to drop in your truck, and bad batches, algae infested, or other poor stock bio will cause engine/injector/fuel pump problems, same as a bad batch of #2 diesel. In fact, a few weeks ago I filled up at a station that had bad diesel, and my truck ran terrible - lots of smoke, no power, extremely noisy injectors, etc. So yes that can happen anywhere.

Pricing is also a major factor, since some states give additional tax breaks to alternative fuels. This is why you'll see some places sell bio for the same price or less than #2, and others sell for much higher than #2.

On a personal level, I have used bio-diesel in my truck. I have also compared it to running many standard additives in #2 diesel. Bio is the only thing I have ever used that made my truck run quieter. Also when I dropped my fuel tank for the Hutch and Harpoon mods, the tank and pickup assembly were extremely clean. At the time that I ran bio, my fuel mileage did not change, and power remained the same. Not a single fuel additive that I used increased mileage on my truck. This was during the time I lived in South Carolina. Now I'm in Colorado, and there are no stations nearby that sell bio-diesel. So for the mean time, I'm stuck running straight diesel until I get a good supply nearby. I prefer running bio in my truck.

My recommendation is to try it for a while, and see how it affects your truck and your pocketbook.

Nice write up Pocket. I have been running BioD all winter due to the price being .30-.40 cents less than #2. Recently numerous East Texas counties allowed a bill to expire that effectively made running anything over B20 a crime. This in turn put all but one BioD retail stations out of business. The last guy standing is now selling his BioD (made from WVO) for $3.85 per gallon. His station is not on the opposite side of town and now the same price as DinoD in our area.

Despite all the positives, I cannot justify running it at that price. I have been seriously considering home brew. The one major componant I do not have required for home brewing BioD is time.

I would love to contiue to run BioD, but at this time, with these circumstances, it won't happen.

[strokin_it7.3]

I remember when diesel was $2.40 a gallon, i was buying biodiesel (100) for $3.39 a gallon, with a thing you send in at the end of my states promotion for a 50% rebate on all the bio you bought. Well turns out that never happened as funds expired. Gonna have to drive over there again soon and see if the price is still close to that beause that would be a steal now.