one thing about bio is that it will feel different between your fingers (if you get some on you) than #2 fuel and the higher bio the more it will feel like some kind of oil (which it is). It does smell different (sweeter) at higher bio from the exhaust. My own observations from having B20 and B5

 

I want to use biodiesel in a 2006, 6.0 liter F-250. I can get it from a relative who makes makes high quality biodiesel from canola which is highly filtered and carefully titrated during its manufacture. (apparently this is the best biodiesel as it is the thinnest.)

I personally suspect that that some of the problem may be the viscosity or thickness of the biodiesel which if not heated is about as twice as "thick" or viscous as petro-diesel at similar temperatures. Lubrication is superior with biodiesel, so this is unlikely to be a problem.
If I were to heat the biodiesel in the fuel lines to the 180 to 190 degree range buy cirulating coolant around them, the biodiesel would have the same viscosity as diesel at the regulated 80 degree temperature range (if I remember correctly). It seems to me that this would safely allow pure biodiesel to be used without mixing with diesel, as it would have the same viscosity as what my Ford's diesel currently is.

Has anyone experimented with this, or has anyone ran pure biodiesel in a Ford 6.0L diesel? If so, have you had any problems, other than the initial filter problem?

Thanks!

 

This has been done the only problem is a startup in 32 degree weather. Some keep reg #2 in one tank until the other tank is heated then they switch tanks to the bio tank. But be sure you have #2 in the fuel lines/engine before shutoff.

 

I've thought the same thing. If bio is the problem, make bio optimized injectors with 5 holes that are slightly bigger and hastelloy parts. I think the bigger question is what part of the three systems of the 6.0 fuel injector is failing? When Ford says your number 3 injector is bad and finds out you are running b100 and throws a fit, how do know it isn't that push-pull solenoid on top of the injector thats burned up or the slide valve holding back the oil pressure isn't galled and sticking because of antifreeze in the oil? The electrical and the hydraulic systems of this injector shouldn't have anything to do with the fuel. Anybody in the know ever autopsy one of these injectors to see what the problem is? Doesn't Ford have a program they can give you to buzz or heat the injectors to keep that valve from sticking? How do we know that valve doesn't just lock up over time causing the failure? That's something that needs to be answered.

 

I don't think pure bio is twice as thick as dino. (thats biodiesel not DSE or other methods, real biodiesel) Your bio is already heated, it passes through channels in the head on its way to the injectors. I run pure bio in a 6.0, has 165k on it, bought it with 106k on it.

 

I run B100 in my 06 6.0 and have no problems, you just need to make sure the fuel has been made to the highest standards and it has a complete reaction ratio. unreacted oil in the fuel is where viscosity and injector issues stem from.

 

I had to look up plasticize but is that true that Bioi will weaken the injector or seals in it? I'd imagine that they can stand up to a lot more stress that a little bit of chemicals from bio.

 

Probably DID have water in it, and the 6.0 HATES water. It has to do with the extremely tight clearances it was engineered with.

I process oil in a metal tank, with a bung on the bottom for releasing water. The oil also gets heated to boil out any water. The new system will also constantly circulate WVO through the filter as well. Any oil should be filtered and heated really good. If you are serious about using free fuel, build a good system that will filter real good and heat really good.

 

I got my 6.0 in Jan of '06 brand new ordered from the factory. Ran regular diesel in it till I got set up in June of '06. (thanks to this site)
In the first 5 months of regular diesel my EGR clogged twice, after I started running my home made bio I haven't had that problem again. I run home made B-100 as long as I can then start blending as it gets colder.
I got the full 15,000 miles (as per the maintenance manual) out of my original fuel filter and another 10,000 out of the second. The second plugged, I believe from some bad diesel I had to buy when on the road (poor planning, I usually carry extra bio in the bed)
I have over 25,000 on my truck now and not a single problem.

 

I was a diesel fuel system engineer. I have since moved on to another industry. The main issues with biodiesel...I am talking about soy methyl ester (SME) which is available in this country and rapseed methyl ester (RME) which is available in Europe , not WVO... that we wrestled with are the short shelf life and the difficulty in getting the water out of it. The fuel will pick up moisture while in storage.

Biodiesel will basically go bad quicker than petroleum based fuel. When it goes bad solids form which can clog filters and acids also form which can corrode fuel system parts. There are additives which can prolong the shelf life but whatever you do, do not let biodiesel sit around. Our fear was that a farmer would buy a 1000 gallons of fuel in the fall, use 500 gallons and let the rest sit in the storage tank until spring. Then he'd be cursing us because his injectors were ruined.

Biodiesel also emulsifies water better than petroleum based fuel and consequently it's harder for the fuel filter to separate it from the fuel. Adding an additional filter that has a water drain to your system will help. This ability to hold on to water varies greatly from once source of BD to another.

As far as waste oil, don't get me going on some of the crap that people will try to burn...like fish oil

If the SME or RME was fresh and did not have water in it, it worked quite well. Customers told me it made the exhaust smell better. Of course, I found out that gas stations were selling B5 and calling it B20..but that's another story.

 

This thread has alot of good information. I started another thread yesterday asking about Jet A, JP-5 or JP-8. I didn't get alot of responses. We have been using these fuels in alot of the diesels on the airfield (aircraft tow tractors, etc). I am wondering if anyone has used these in the 6.0.

 

If you search, you will find a discussion from several posts concerning their use of those fuels. Tom