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Biodiesel

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SixPot:
I think the fuel lines issue  is for high % bio ethanol petrol blends such as E85 containing 85% ethanol. Ethanol has a habit of making certain rubbers/plastics turn to mush in high concentrations. It is normally used at 5% into regular petrol in the UK and desn't cause any issues at this level.

The biggest problem with bio diesel, or Fatty Acid Methyl Ester to give it its proper generic name, is a tendancy to cause filter plugging at cold temperatures due to a higher wax content than diesel from a crude oil refinery. It depends on the crop used (palm/soya/rape etc)  to make the biodiesel as to the extent of the probelm. If you are buying it from a pump rather than supermarket shelf then its more than likely already taken care of.

If you do choose to add it from the supermarket shelf because of a good "special offer" deal then apart from informing correct people to pay the duty (cause I know you are all honest and would do so) it is best to add to a tank already containng regular diesel

On the plus side biodiesel tends to have a higher cetane number and it has very good lubricty so doesn't require addition of additve to minimise wear to injector pump etc. Oh and you get to feel smug that you are not so damaging to the environment.

Alot of diesel you buy from regular stations now contains 5% biodiesel and is known as B5 but you would never see the difference as it is covered by EN590 specification for diesel fuel. This is being updated to allow 10% soon which in theory should slightly reduce the price at the pump due to lower duty but I'll believe that when I see it.

Ok I've probably bored you enough now  :lol:

AbyssDJ:
right so basically speaking, if i fill up with biodiesel it wont [!Expletive Deleted!] anything other than the fuel filter? probably needs a new one anyway.

am i ok to use 100% bio, and if so where can i get it from? is the stuff from sun oils 100%? :)

SixPot:
The total list of concerns over biodiesel include;

water separation leading to corrosion and microbial growth
thermal stability leading to sediment and filter plugging
cold flow properties leading to filter plugging
seal compatability

but this isn't anything different to regular diesel. Most are combated through the use of additives put in by the manufacturer

Although I said above ethanol was the big concern for elastomer compatability I have found one reference to it for diesel also since. It is probably down to what crop was used.

all of my landies are old petrol models so there is no chance I'll be using E85 myself or biodiesel so I can't offer advice from experience only what i hear working in the fuel industry

The probelm with filter blocking in cold weather is it can happen very quickly and leave you stranded. Even if you have a new filter.

It is Lekely that those selling B100 at the pump have all these worries  under control as it will be subject to the appropiate specification to ensure it won't knacker your engine. I'll see if I can get my hands on the spec later.

Having said that don't blame me if it goes all goes tits up.

No idea where you can get the stuff though.

Bob696:

--- Quote from: "Horness" ---They're about 20 miles away from me, may give them a try.

On my 300 TDi Disco, would I just need to swap the filters out after my first tank?  At 72p a litre, that would save me £20 a month (average) on fuel, and be a lot greener.

My Disco is about to be booked into Allisport for a stage 3 intercooler - will running this make any differences to the tuning?

May pay them a visit on Saturday.  :wink:

Horness.
--- End quote ---


I have only done about 40 miles on it so far so I can only make limited comments but there appears to be no drop in performance. It may be my imagination but there does appear to be less noise from the engine. The guy on the pump says it is 100% BD and he has heard of only one case where a landy has had to change its fuel filter. Given the price of fuel filters I will probably swop it after 2 tanks anyway just to see what crud it has collected.

abyssdj, regular fuel pump so he can fill your tank (or jerry can)

Sixpot thanks for the info

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