... if you are
1. Which Blend, i.e. B20, B50, etc.
2. Have you noticed any power differneces vs. straight diesel?
3. Any mileage differences?
4. any other issues (lubriucation of fuel system, poor starting, things like that...)
5. what do you pay for a gallon of BXX?

thanks

eric

 

1. B2-B10 in the truck, B40-B60 in the VW (during winter B20)
2. Above 20% in the VW I start to "feel" a slight power drop. This corresponds to a very slight decrease in mpg as well.
3. On the VW I lose about 1-2 mpg on B40 and above (47 mpg down to 46-45 mpg), on the truck I haven't ran any tanks without it. I'ld say my truck is getting above average mpg from the posts around here (03-04 555 motors).
4. No issues. Over 40k on the VW running high percentages of biodiesel. Truck has 10000.
5. More than I'ld like. I buy virgin soy biodiesel produced by West Central Soy in Ralston, IA. Buy it through my local coop for about $3.30/gal. I'm planning to start making my own in about a month . . . $0.60/gal. I'm putting my $ where my mouth is and trying to encourage independence from forgeign oil. Our forgeign policy would be so much simpler if we didn't have our ********* in a vise grip controlled by the Middle East.

I noticed that the new Jeep Liberty diesel is being shipped out of the factory with B5. And Chrysler has been testing the Cummins and Liberty at levels up to B20 without problems.

http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/p...ep_Liberty.pdf

http://www.dieselnet.com/news/0409daimler.html

 

I've run b20 in my vehicles since 2001 with zero problems, less stink, and quieter running conditions. b20 or less and you won't lose any mpg or notice any power difference, as mentioned above. Burn the bean!!

 

TDIwyse,

keep us posted on your results on making your own bio diesel. i would think that as the price of diesel gets higher many members on this board would be interested.

the cheapest i have found diesel here in socal is $2.30 and it is going up every day.

thanks for any info you can supply us with.

david h

 

i've run some B20 in my truck. and i'd run it again if it wasn't so much $$$

 

I've run B20 from a local fuel distributor. It runs much quieter and smoother, no power loss that I've seen, nor MPG loss. The D2 they sell is pretty good stuff as well, so the other 80% is pretty high grade as well. It's been about equal or maybe .10 more per gallon depending on the time.

I'd burn it all the time, but the station is out of my way, about 45min from my house. I do make an effort to tank up with it when nearby.

 

My concern with "homebrew" biodiesel is the quality of the end product and wether it will pass the ASTM specs. I've researched enough to find a process that has resulted in German DIN 51606 and US ASTM compliant fuel. It's a 2 step process (acid first phase and base second phase) and I'm planning to have my fuel tested before I use it. Hopefully in 1-2 months I'll have my processor built and some fuel tested.

 

For those of you making homebrew Biodiesel, where can I find information on the subject.

Thanks guys. Excellent information!

Eric

 

What kind of "tankage" is required? I could have that kind of stuff built.

 

Guys, go to www.biodiesel.org for more info. Also www.veggievan.com (org?) is a good site. Journey to forever's site is another resource. The stuff is easy to make.

For guys wanting a good model of a processor, or guys that want to go in on a premade processor - check out www.biodieselgear.com . They've got some sweet setups.

 

Excellent guys.

Lightman - Have you or anyone you know made a batch and ran it in your CTD?

Also for anyone who has made a batch, have you sent any in for analysis (as a check for ASTM compliance)?

Great info!

Eric

 

I went and saw a "water heater" processor this past Tuesday. Some guys near Iowa City built it based upon the "Appleseed Processor" designs at:
http://www.veggieavenger.com/avenger...opic.php?t=332

They had processed one 50 gallon batch already with "good" results. They had not done any professional analysis on the fuel yet, just the simple home tests outlined at some of the sights Lightman listed.

There is a class being held in the Iowa City area at the end of this month on making biodiesel and building a processor and wash tanks. More info can be found at:
http://www.localb100.com/iowa.html

I'm putting together a 5 gallon bucket processor out of scrap I've got and some old beer making buckets. Dirt cheap setup. I'll probably go the water heater approach, however, after seeing their setup.

 

I forgot to mention that I've never seen such an assortment of VW TDI's at one location! One of the "guys" in this group has been running his homebrew in his 2004 unit injector engine for many thousands of miles. The pressures on the unit injectors exceed our common rail pressures by several thousand PSI.

 

Yeah, I use the local CO-OP bio diesel.
No difference that I can tell.
It was actually cheaper than regular diesel yesterday.

 

so how are you guy"s getting around the issue where it says in the owners manual "organically blended diesel fuels,ie bio-diesel, ethanol are not recommended or approved.