Anyone thinking of useing bio-diesel?

[STE-MAL]

The other day I carried out a routine six week inspection on an M.A.N truck. It was a 2004 TGA 460A D28 common rail.
Now these vehicles are inspected every six weeks and the fuel pre-filter is checked and cleaned every twelve weeks. The pre-filter is their to catch any large debris before it reaches the main fuel filter, as the fuel filter is only changed every 100'000 km's.
Anyway, this vehicle had been running on bio-diesel for six weeks. The picture below shows a pre-filter (on the left) at a nine week inspection running on regular diesel. The one on the right shows the same filter after suffering six weeks of bio-diesel.
And the fuel filter housings were so swollen they could not be refitted. By the way these should last the life of the truck.

Image000.jpg

[gnhuk]

Jeez.................... Had they filtered the chip fat before putting it in the tank?

[STE-MAL]

Originally Posted by gnhuk

Jeez.................... Had they filtered the chip fat before putting it in the tank?

No mate! That was straight from the fryer. LOL.
And it stinks like a chip pan fire!!

[MissDMeanor]

What is the difference between bio-diesel & the old-fashioned one?

Presumably it is more environmentally friendly??

[STE-MAL]

Originally Posted by MissDMeanor

What is the difference between bio-diesel & the old-fashioned one?

Presumably it is more environmentally friendly??

Bio is cheaper. It's cooking oil and in my opinion it's crap. It is the same as diesel but it is not as refined.

[MissDMeanor]

Originally Posted by STE-MAL

Bio is cheaper. It's cooking oil and in my opinion it's crap. It is the same as diesel but it is not as refined.

Judging by the state of that filter and the fact that it had to be replaced rather than just cleaned I would be very dubious about using it in any vehicle. What other long-term damage is it doing to the engine, I wonder.....

[Alec Dawe]

Originally Posted by STE-MAL

Bio is cheaper. It's cooking oil and in my opinion it's crap. It is the same as diesel but it is not as refined.

No good for me then, as I'm terribly refined!!

I tried a tank of Bio-diesel in my Saab when I had it, cough, splutter and stink, and only about 34MPG.. 42MPG on 'real' diesel.

[D5driver]

Originally Posted by STE-MAL

Bio is cheaper. It's cooking oil and in my opinion it's crap. It is the same as diesel but it is not as refined.

You have got confused with WVO.

My 2001 S60 D5 done over 10,000 miles running bio. It stopped 3 times and i was expecting it. And my car never smelt like a chip shop.

[D5 Monkey]

Originally Posted by MissDMeanor

What is the difference between bio-diesel & the old-fashioned one?

Presumably it is more environmentally friendly??

Depends what you call environmentally friendly.

It saves on the burning of fossil fuels but then, to cope with increasing demand we will end up with less and less rainforests as the develloping world rush to supply our needs. Lucrative!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_oi...l_as_Biodiesel

Tim

[RoyMacDonald]

Originally Posted by MissDMeanor

What is the difference between bio-diesel & the old-fashioned one?

Presumably it is more environmentally friendly??

Diesel is made from mineral oil and biodiesel is made from vegetable oil.

There is a big query on whether it is enviromentaly friendly. Run a search on the New Scientist Enviroment Blog web site to see what I mean. Among things said are...Uses more energy than it gives...Takes valuble food production land from poor third world populations.....Highly carcenogenic particualte emissions.