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Old 08-05-2005, 03:53 PM   #1
MIMF
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Soy Bio diesel

Has any body heard anything about this stuff. I have learned in the last several days that here in Elkhart County, there are several stations that are selling it for $1.99 a gallon.

I'm tempted to try it in stages. Like top off the tank when it is 3/4 full, see how it runs. Then at 1/2 full, I'll top it off again and then again at 1/4 and see what happens.

I just don't know what it will do to the injectors, the fuel filter, mileage, and performance.
 
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Old 08-05-2005, 04:17 PM   #2
Charlie
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Dale-
Biodiesel is a blend of vegetable oil usually made from soy beans and petroleum diesel with maybe a 80 diesel-20% bio ratio. It is suppose to be cleaner burning as it has no sulphur compounds. Willie Nelson has been using it for quite some time in his tour bus and swears by it. Do a Goggle search and you can find considerable info on the net. In the mean time here is a link: http://www.nbb.org/resources/biodies...s/default.shtm

If you use it let us know what the results are. You might want to talk to GM first and make sure you will not void any warranty. As far as I know it is not available in Texas.
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Old 08-05-2005, 04:37 PM   #3
Searchers
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I haven't tried it myself, but have two friends that run it in their Dodge Cummins and claim they get better mileage, plus the engine runs quieter.

Let us know your thoughts on it if you try it.

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Old 08-05-2005, 04:52 PM   #4
Thunderman
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MIMF,
If you give it a try, let us know what you think about it. The closest location for me presently is approximately 50 miles away.
I guess if fuel continues to go up in price there may be many more locations in the future. Thanks!
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Old 08-06-2005, 12:36 AM   #5
MIMF
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I will give it a try and let you all know how it is working.

Hmmm, you think this may wake up the oil companies and give our farmers that feed us a shot in the arm? Change may be on the horizon? I think I like the idea of putting my money back to the farmers instead of the Arabs.
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Old 08-06-2005, 03:14 AM   #6
rlwhit
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We have Bio diesel here but it is 12 cents more per gal.
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Old 08-06-2005, 04:24 AM   #7
Montana_2785
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I have read up on BioDiesel a bit. I don't have any available here but I would be interested in it. BTW: You can make your own.... There are a couple of very good sites that describe it. However, you need do deal with some very strong lye and have a source of enough used cooking oil to make it worth the effort. Full timers need not apply due to equipment needs.

However, what I have learned about USING BioDiesel is:

1) It will tend to clean out your fuel system. You may want to replace your fuel filter after your first one or two tanks full (assuming pure BioDiesel). All the gunk in your tank will be flushed out to the filter. If it is a blend of Bio and normal, then it likely won't matter.

2) It has MUCH better lubricity than normal diesel. That is way better on the fuel pump and injectors.

3) It burns cleaner.

4) Pure BioDiesel will tend to start to jell somewhere near 40 degrees F. So in cold weather, it will need to be blended with normal diesel. Much the same way that normal diesel winter blend is a combination of #1 diesel with #2 diesel.

5) Europeans use quite a bit of BioDiesel from what I understand.

Eric

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Old 08-06-2005, 10:08 AM   #8
FredG
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I've looked into Bio-Diesel also, but the nearest supplier is about 75 miles away and the price per gallon is about the same. They sell B-80 - 80% bio and 20% diesel.

I live in a rural area and see alot of the farmers folding up and sellign their land off. If there was some kind of biodiesel cooperative, it may help support the farmers and keep some of the farm land from being developed.

Fred
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Old 08-07-2005, 03:13 PM   #9
2007dura
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They started selling bio-diesel about 3 miles from me. It goes for about $.15 more than regular diesel. They sell the 20% bio-80% diesel blend. On Trucks a fwe weeks back, he had a kit you could buy and make your own. Think he went to McDonalds, got some french fry oil they were putting out, and turned it in to bio-diesel. It ended up costing about 75-80 cents a gallon to make, not counting cost of kit. Checked out the kit he used on the internet, and it cost $4200 to buy. But if you check around, you can use old water heaters to do the same thing. From what I have read on it, it should be better on the diesel engine than regular diesel. I am going to try it too.
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Old 08-07-2005, 05:07 PM   #10
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I've done some more digging and found out that Biodiesel sold at retail must still include all road and sales taxes. I found a couple of companies that are selling kits to use pure bio (basically vegetable oil) in a diesel. But, that kit requires that the fuel tank and pump be heated when not in use. It wasn't clear if that requirement changes in the warmer climates or not.

Fred
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Old 08-07-2005, 09:59 PM   #11
Montana_2785
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by FredG

I've done some more digging and found out that Biodiesel sold at retail must still include all road and sales taxes. I found a couple of companies that are selling kits to use pure bio (basically vegetable oil) in a diesel. But, that kit requires that the fuel tank and pump be heated when not in use. It wasn't clear if that requirement changes in the warmer climates or not.

Fred
While it is possible to run a diesel on pure vegetable oil, BioDiesel is vegetable oil that has been chemically converted (treated) and behaves more like #2 diesel except that it will still start to gell at a little higher temperature (low 40's I think) than #2 diesel.

Eric
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Old 08-08-2005, 03:30 AM   #12
richfaa
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A local college(Oberlin) did a study on bio-diesel a couple of years ago.Converted a VW to run on the stuff converted from used vegetable oil.,collected oil from fast food restaurants.believe they traveled for Ohio to LA on the stuff. The COST of cleaning/converting the used oil so that it was fit to use was very high and at the time did not think that would be a cost effective alternative. Bio-diesel in a very good idea but will face opposition from the oil companies.It will be an uphill battle but perhaps some day...The new low sulfur law may help...Hope so///
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Old 08-08-2005, 03:33 AM   #13
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I stopped at one of the local stations this am on the way to my office that sells Bio-Diesel. The price on the pump said $2.489!! I drove on thru and stopped at the Speedway Truck Stop on US 33 East, which is just around the corner from the office and topped of the tank for $2.299. At this point, I know I won't have trouble with that stuff!
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Old 08-08-2005, 06:55 PM   #14
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Ford recomends no more then 5% bio!
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Old 08-08-2005, 08:45 PM   #15
Montana Sky
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It is acceptable to use diesel fuel containing up to 5% biodiesel (B5). The final blended fuel must meet the same specifications, ASTM D975-02(Grade low sulfur), as other fuels using in your vehicle and the biodiesel used for making this fuel must meet the ASTM D6751-02 specification. Biodiesel is produced from vegetable oils or animal fat that have been chemically modified to reduce the possibility of damage to your fuel system and engine. Higher concentration (greater than B5) biodiesel-containing fuels or the use of unmodified biodiesel blended into diesel fuel at any concentration is not recommended and could damage your fuel system and engine. SUCH DAMAGE WOULD NOT BE COVERED BY YOUR WARRANTY.
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