I was looking in the manual and it says i can not use more then B5 which i dont understand does anyone use B100 and not founding warrenty.

moving to alternative fuels..

I use B50 to B80. I just kinda pour it in, and guess the ratios. The more the biodiesel, the better it runs.

GM is a doofus. Easy to pull the woll over its eyes. I am not worried about warranty denial trouble b/c of BD.

RonJT has many miles on B100 or real close to it.

Just like anything else, make sure the B100 is good, dry, completly reacted fuel before pouring it in.

Good luck!!!

I use B50 to B80. I just kinda pour it in, and guess the ratios. The more the biodiesel, the better it runs.

GM is a doofus. Easy to pull the woll over its eyes. I am not worried about warranty denial trouble b/c of BD.

RonJT has many miles on B100 or real close to it.

Just like anything else, make sure the B100 is good, dry, completly reacted fuel before pouring it in.

Good luck!!!
What he said:ro)

Mannytranny,

Do you buy or make yours? If you buy, where do you get it.

If diesel prices keep going the way they are we will be at 3.00 a gallon in no time and we'll be at the price point where making bio diesel will be more profitable. I'd like to use it but don't know where there is a reliable quality trusted source I can get it near me.

Sure wish the refiners would start making and selling it.

...Sure wish the refiners would start making and selling it.

Big oil is just starting to get into the renewables game. Of course, most (including I) see this as a bad thing rather than a positive thing.

why is it bad

why is it bad

Lack of competition. Oil refineries are complex, expensive, and difficult to operate. Therefore only a handful of companies have the ability to own/operate them. Those few companies can pretty much set wholesale gas/diesel prices at whatever they want. Biodiesel and ethanol production is a threat to this status quo. The more big oil can stifle competition from independent producers, the longer they can maintain the status quo.

Mark, I buy it from a place out in the Coachella valley. leoco.com. The fuel is theoretically ASTM spec. But I did get 3 drums of bad biodiesel from them last time. They swapped them out with fresh barrels for me. Just get a good look at the fuel before it goes into the tank, and all should be good.

The guy Ive dealt with was Jim. Good guy. Ide bet that right now you can get it in drums cheaper than diesel. They have delivery trucks all over, and they were kind enough to meet me. I buy several drums at a time, so I only see them 2 or 3x a year.

There is a DOWNS CFN network in Corona. They said that they are planning on adding a bio pump at their cardlock. Not sure when, but Im sure it will be very expensive.

BrianTeel, I would consider it bad too because oil companies have proven themselves to be a dishonest bunch. Ide love nothing more than to wipe the slate clean of them.

Mannytranny,

Can you pm me the address and info? I could always stop on my way out to Glamis.

Thanks, Mark

I'm paying $2.99 a gallon for BD in Tacoma,WA. #2 is $2.60 it keeps getting closer. I normally fill 10 gallons od BD and the rest of the way with #2. :ro)

Hey guys, can anyone tell me what's the scoop with this bio-diesel? If this is not the correct thread to ask, I will ask it in another area, but I'm totally new to the use of bio-diesel, Minnesota has 1 new plant producing up to 65 or 70 million gallons per year of bio-diesel, they passed a bill to be mandate for bio-diesel.
What do the ratings represent, what do I need to think about the differences? Can I run my FPPF total power and FPPF cetane Boost like kennedy's special mixture? I appreciate any info, this is totally new to me. Thanks!

Additives that are not made specifically for BD, arent any good with it. There is really no need for additives with BD (B100, that is). I assume that additives with biodiesel mixtures are just fine. Biodiesel has much greater lubricity, and better cetane than diesel. Biodiesel is the best additive.

B20 is 20% biodiesel, 80% diesel, and so on.

The only problem with biodiesel is cold weather properties. Biodiesel is made from many different sources, and each has its own cold flow characteristic when it comes to winter time.

To find out more, and where to get it for cheaper, look at biodiesel.org.

also, shelf life is an issue. manny, do you get 4 months before it begins to break down ?

also, you will have to check/change your filters often, especially in the beginning as bio can loosen deposits or have more junk to filter.

these are things to consider as well

although big business getting into the act may drive prices up, availability will increase though and prices in most areas are not cheaper than regular #2.

Manny,

What is the cost of the Biodiesel your purchasing?

We just saw a .20 cent increase in B-100 pricing. It's now up to $3.19 a gallon. This pisses me off. Just because oil is $68 a barrel shouldn't warrant an increase in B-100. Isn't that the point of a homegrown product? It's price should be independently driven, not mirror the D#2 pricing. I've already written the supplier APP of Tacoma and let them know that I'm pissed. I've supported B-100 at there pump for 4 months now, and was watching the price gap close between D#2 and B-100. I think this is a kick in the nuts to trying to launch this product and bring the Semi's and long haulers on board. Just my .02cents

Unfortunately, that is capitalism at work. It is pure economics, they can charge more for biodiesel because regular diesel is more expensive.

[QUOTE=mannytranny;662914]. . .

The only problem with biodiesel is cold weather properties. Biodiesel is made from many different sources, and each has its own cold flow characteristic when it comes to winter time.
. . . QUOTE]


I saw a post somewhere a while back by aguy in Alberta (IIRC) who used B50 in the winter time. What about anti-gelling additives for BD ??


anyone??

From GM directly, I found out at an alternative fuels conference I was at. Their issues come from the fact that anyone can make biodiesel and run it, but it may not meet the ASTM spec. Because of this, if you run a fuel that damages the engine in any way, they will not be responsible for it. You voided your warranty. With B5 the bio is diluted enough that even with bad bio mixed in, there should not be any issue. They are already running B20 and B100 from, commercial producers, in their lab engines. Now for some good news... CARB (California Air Resource Board) should be announcing soon that all Diesel sold in California will be B5 starting sometime next year. This is there answer to the issues they have with ULSD. Also, the American Lung Association is going to start a campaign to replace all diesel sold in the US with B20.

Once the supply system for bio is solid and the quality is reliable, then all car manufactures will support higher blends up to B100.

According to what I read, biodiesel is more costly to produce than conventional diesel when the cost of planting, harvesting, and processing the plant matter (typically soy beans) is factored in - this was just in the news a couple of weeks ago. I suspect that adding a more costly to produce addative (like biodiesel) to regular diesel will do nothing more than raise the price of fuel even higher. I'm all for the benefits; cleaner air, save the planet, hug a tree, all that stuff - plus it's kinda cool that you can make your own with some PVC and an old water heater if you want. ;-)

If you want to know more, check out http://www.biodiesel.org/

Trippin, I am just talking with leoco.com. I am expecting it to be around 2.90 fully road taxed. That is with my drums going back for the core deposit. 3.15 if they sell me the drums with the fuel.

Deadeye, It really depends on what your feedstock was. I have had two samples of BD from the same maker have significantly different cold flow points. The B99 I get now seems to want to jel at 35-40F. It clouds at 65 or so.

biodiesel.org has a real in depth and interesting cold flow report on their site right now.

CARB (California Air Resource Board) should be announcing soon that all Diesel sold in California will be B5 starting sometime next year. This is there answer to the issues they have with ULSD.

Where did you get wind of this?

Where did you get wind of this?

My source said that B5 looks to be the best answer to the low lubricity problems they are seeing in ULSD. I know a lab is currently, if it is not already done, testing the lubricity of ULSD to see how it affects long-term wear on engines compared to #2.

Also in response to another post, B100 is currently priced lower than #2 diesel. I was talking to a distributor in SoCal the other day.

On another note, people need to be less concerned with the costs involved with making it from virgin soy and pay more attention to the fact that the amount of land needed to replace 100% of all diesel used in the US would require a very large chunk of our agricultural land. That is one reason the uptake of biodiesel is so slow. The more soy they convert to diesel, the less soy that gets used for other things. Remember the soy plant is considered one of the most versatile plants because it has many uses. The next big push in biodiesel seems to be to produce it from algae. It yields more oil per square acre than any other source.

cscoman;
A professor at Univ of New Hamp has an article on the internet about a study of transferring all vehicles to diesel and what it would would take to move over to BD. This was an analysis. Result was that all fuel needed for vhelicles, if they were all diesels, could be made for less $, including capital investment, from algae grown on 15,000 acres. His study made a lot of sense. Algae farms are smaller and less expensive than soybean farms and algae will re-grow every two to three weeks. Depending on the type of algae, oil is more than 50% content. I will try to find the link at home tonite.
deadeye

Here is the link Deadeye (I have it bookmarked).

http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_alge.html

It was 15,000 square miles, though, instead of acres. Really a good study, but I think the money numbers may be a touch optimistic.