I stopped at Speedway truck stop a long I-75 in Brichrun, Michigan to fuel up. I noticed while fueling my truck that it was bio-diesel I was putting in the tank. I have owned diesels trucks for a long time and never paid much attention to the fuel I was putting in, but after reading this forum, after buying a new Ford f-350 I have been more concerned with the fuel I am adding. I guess the question I have is, is it OK to use bio-diesel or am I better off looking for a better grade of fuel. I have been using 16 ounces of Power Services Diesel Kleen on every fill up

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Our trucks are ok up to B20. Also, I never see regular diesel anymore... it's always some sort of B fuel. Mostly I see B15 and B20, and at a Shell station it is listed up to B5. Too bad I don't live near that one... The best thing I would suggest is to fill up at high use stations.

 

Most, if not all ULSD diesel fuel sold is most likely a biodiesel blend. Fuel can be sold from a B2 to up a B5 blend without being labeled as such on the pump. But not saying that all fuel is a blend...

So most use a low dose biodiesel blend and have no idea they are. Like Chad said, our trucks are good up to B20. It adds lubricity for the CP4.

 

I don’t see anything in that picture indicating bio fuel and would be surprised if “speedway” had it.

but anyway, b2 or higher had better lube value than any lube additive

Bio diesel has less btu so depending on how much you have you are getting less ho per gallon

bio fuel attracts water moreso than regular diesel

bio fuel produces less nox than regular fuel

bio fuel if sits for a long time and has water in it will grow algae faster than regular fuel

bio fuel if sitting for a long time will develop brown tar and that tar can gum up your cp4

in days gone by it was thought that bio fuel would be a good cleaner of your fuel system due to the latent methanol in it from the bio fuel conversion process.


me personally would go out of my way to run it as long as I was certain it would not sit in my tank for a while.

 

What Fritz said has merit... when it comes to moisture, biodiesel is more of problem than petro diesel... especially if the truck sits.

 

There were 2 pictures I took today during fill up. This is the second one.

 

Just found this article from 2013 about biodiesel labeling at the pump.

From there;

"The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates pump labeling within four categories; B1-B5, B6-B20, B20+ and B100. FTC biodiesel pump labels are blue in color. Orange labels denote the broader category of biomass-based diesel which could also include renewable diesel."



Another article here.

From there:

"Biodiesel, Biomass-Based Diesel, and Their Blends

Labels for biodiesel and biomass-based diesel and their blends must be printed in black on a light blue background.

For biodiesel blends above 5%, but no more than 20%, the label must disclose the percentage volume of biodiesel followed by the term “Biodiesel Blend,” for example, “B-20 Biodiesel Blend,” or simply state “Biodiesel Blend.” Either way, the label also must state “contains biomass-based diesel or biodiesel in quantities between 5 and 20%.”

For biodiesel blends above 20%, the label must disclose the percentage volume of biodiesel followed by the term “Biodiesel Blend,” for example, “B-70 Biodiesel Blend.” The label also must state “contains more than 20% biomass-based diesel or biodiesel.”

For 100% Biodiesel, the label must state “B-100 Biodiesel” or “contains 100% biodiesel.”

For biomass-based diesel blends above 5% but no greater than 20%, the label must disclose the volume percentage of the biomass-based diesel followed by the term “Biomass-Based Diesel Blend,” for example, “20% Biomass-Based Diesel Blend,” or simply state “Biomass-Based Diesel Blend.” Either way, the label must also state “contains biomass-based diesel or biodiesel in quantities between 5 and 20%.”

For biomass-based diesel blends above 20%, the label must state the percentage volume of biomass-based diesel followed by the term “Biomass-Based Blend,” for example, “70% Biomass-Based Diesel Blend.” The label also must state “contains more than 20% biomass-based diesel or biodiesel.”

For 100% Biomass-Based Diesel Blends, the label must state “100% Biomass-Based Diesel” and “Contains 100% biomass-based diesel.”

[Note: Edited January 2024 to reflect [url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/01/ftc-publishes-inflation-adjusted-civil-penalty-amounts-2024y-asked-questions]Inflation-Adjusted Civil Penalty Maximums.]

October 2016"



So it seems the label you found is correct by the above lined FTC article. You could always go and talk to the person in charge of the fuel deliveries. I regularly buy fuel at a popular carwash chain here in western New York, Delta Sonic. At least a few years back, I spoke with the female in charge of fuel for the station I go to. She stated they get fuel from two different distributors. And they were a B2 through a B5. One was a B5 IIRC. You might be able to find out how much of a blend you are buying by just asking.

And truth be told, water can possibly but not definitely, be a problem in not only the ULSD fuel we buy today, but since most fuel sold is probably a blend of at least B2 to B5, this makes water a more potential problem. Many think that just because they have never had a problem or never see water in their separators or rarely do, that it won't happen to them.

There's two ways to look at it IMO, use a demulsifier type fuel additive or none and keep an eye on the water separator in the fuel or use an additive that breaks water down to the molecular level, encapsulates it with a burnable organic compound to then be sent harmlessly to the combustion chamber to be burned off with the fuel. I've been using K100 since very early on in my truck's life. the only time I drain the DFCM is when I change the fuel filters every 3rd oil change. My truck currently is close to 139k miles.

Now, that all said, YMMV but if the truck sits a lot it's better to keep the fuel tank full and treated. All I'm doing is saying what I do and I make zero claims on what I do is best or the way to do it. I'm just sharing info. take it or leave it is all. Also, too many IMO think modern day fuel is like old school diesel, but it ain't. Yes, I know what they say on opinions. This one is mine.

Good luck with your truck...

 

Most diesel and even home heating oil has some biomass based fuel in it, the OEM fuel filters were designed to handle up to B20. So long as you don't let the truck sit for very long periods of time, there is nothing I would be concerned about running it. Generally speaking biodiesel has better lubricity than petroleum ULSD so that is a bit of a positive.

 

I am probably one of the few that isn't afraid of Biodiesel, been running it in every diesel I have owned and only had 1 gelling issue when I ran it a bit too late into fall and the temps dropped. I buy commercially made B-99 and mix myself every time I get fuel. I only run it in the warmer months and notice hardly any ill effects.

 

Last time I looked into buying a higher biodiesel blend here, it isn't sold in my area... going a little off topic, but have read that the renewable diesel sold in Cali and wherever else, has a lot more cetane than petro diesel...

 

I am in this group, but only by default as I never really paid much attention to the grade or type of fuel I was getting - only ensuring it was sourced from high use outlets that had high turn over.

My truck is not a daily driver and sits for months at a time - however the truck has never seen snow in the ~ 4years I have owned it so no experience with gelling. Never used any type of additive to date.

 

B7 is pretty much standard over here so there’s no choice, but then it’s probably what Bosch uses when developing the CP4.

 

I have always been careful with the Bio in my diesel tanks. biodiesel is prone to microbial growth, including mold, if stored for extended periods, especially when water is present. Biodiesel is a natural food source for bacteria, fungi, and mold, and these microbes can lead to fuel degradation and filter clogging. I think the standard for non bio used to be 6 months in a tank. Now that is when I used to farm and when bio was only a dream. I use Sta Bil if I know I am going to let my truck set for a long period of time, such as months. Just a thought here.

 

I went on the hunt today to local stations to look at there pump placards on their diesel fuels. I only found bio-diesel sold in my area but there seemed to be some differences. At the Sunoco truck stop their pump specifically said diesel #2, 15 ppm sulfur. All other stations never made reference to the diesel being #1 or 2, but pretty much said it was a maximum 15 ppm. All except the Mobile station. It's diesel was called "Diesel Efficient" supposedly advanced additive technology. So is Mobil diesel better than the others? It is a high volume station. maximum

 

When it comes to moisture, biodiesel is even worse that the ULSD fuel it's blended with. Microbes need water to grow and then use the fuel or biodiesel as food. Without water present, no microbes. But I agree with you... and folks think I'm nuts for using K100 to control water but let 'em. If I had a stationary fuel tank, it would be treated with K100 also. I guess it's not just me looking at water as a potential problem, but someone down in the warm south. Better safe than sorry IMHO and it can become even a bigger potential problem in the cold north here, especially for us with CP4 equipped trucks.