General: Biodiesel

[echo17]

Hi All

Anyone use biodiesel in their XC90? Any difference in performance?

[craig8661]

wouldnt touch bio with a bargpole allso with your car being quite new with all the electronic gizmo's it prob wouldnt run on it

[Grumpy13]

I am current involved in a two year Biodiesel trial. This is covering all our fleet vehicles from 02 plate to new-reg.

The mix we are using is biodiesel 20 (a 20% blend). It is said to run very similar to normal diesel. Non of the vehicles have had any modification and (so far) all are running well. The only noticible difference is a slight drop in mpg.

Other blends are available but, although cheaper, may have more of an impact on the engine.

[GSMGuy]

Apparently - ALL diesels will run on (proper) Bio.....

MAnufacturers (most) won't warrant though...


I've been running my van on SVO (straight veg oil - Tesco's 56p ltr) for a few months now, and am just building a WVO (waste veg oil) filtration kit, as I can get approx 80-100 ltrs a week FREE!!!!

I am more than likely also going to build a reactor!!! To make good quality Biodiesel that I can use in my car.... Sick and tired of paying approx £450 a month in fuel tax alone!!!

Mike

[D5driver]

Originally Posted by craig8661

wouldnt touch bio with a bargpole allso with your car being quite new with all the electronic gizmo's it prob wouldnt run on it

Are you getting confused with chip fat or veg oil ?

My D5 is running fine on home made biodiesel and i have noticed no difference at all.

[craig8661]

nope was told by reliable person they prob wouldnt run on it but by experionce you are allso there is no set standerd on what the garage can mix the bio fuel from so make sure its a rep company unlike petrol it has to meet a surton standard but bio dont at the min
allso you say you make yours at home do you have a special kit or a home made job if i knew what chemicals was going into it i would prob make it myself allso would a 2002 307 2ltr peogeot 307 run on it

[GSMGuy]

As I said - ALL Diesels will run on Bio - Just that the quality is so variable..

The way I look at it, if you were cooking at home, you wouldn't serve sub standard food - so if you are making Bio at home for your expensive car.....


Mike

[GSMGuy]

Originally Posted by D5driver

Are you getting confused with chip fat or veg oil ?

My D5 is running fine on home made biodiesel and i have noticed no difference at all.

D5Driver

Have you made any mods at all???

You using SVO or WVO to make your Bio??

Wht reactor you using??

Mike

[pete-d]

As I understand it, there are a few issues with all plant oil based diesel alternatives:

1. They are much more acidic than diesel from petrol stations, this can lead to destruction of rubber based fuel lines (on older cars - newer ones tend not to use rubber) and internals of fuel pumps (particularly seals).

2. The fuels tend to have a thicker consistency which can cause problems with injectors, particularly with the high pressures used in modern Common Rail engines.

3. Most veg based bio diesel alternatives become even more dense in cold weather - hence suggestions of mixing with traditional diesel in cold weather and/or having some sort of pre-heating system.

I thought about bio for my S70 and researched quite a lot. I even found a local good quality commercial biodiesel supplier selling it duty paid for 20p a litre less than petrol station diesel. In the end, I decided that paying the best part of £300 to have my fuel pump upgraded, plus the effort of removing the pump and getting it to the specialist, wasn't worth it (it would take a few years at my current mileage to get that expense back) and I'm not prepared to risk trashing the fuel pump on my dialy driver.

There is also the issue of agricultural land being used to produce crops for bio diesel that is either taking food land out of production or reducing the biodiversity of our planet.

In the end, I decided that looking at reducing my carbon footprint elsewhere was a better proposition.

Pete

[GSMGuy]

Correctly and completely reacted Bio should have a PH of 7 - ie neutral... Most cars made in the last 10-15 years have used Vitron instead of rubber in their fuel systems - ESP as the French have been adding upto 20% Bio to their std forecourt Diesel for some time now... And ANY mix will affect rubber..

AFAIK The viscosity of good Bio is equal to regular Diesel, and although it gells at higher temps, there are specific anti gelling additives available.

I am currently running my van on SVO,(straight veg oil) and will be moving over to WVO (waste veg oil) this week sometime, once my initial 200l is filtered properly...

After filling my van with 80ltrs of FREE and enviromentally friendly recycled veg oil, I intend to build my reactor, and start producing my own HIGH QUALITY Bio to use at 100% in my XC90....

I reckon I will save somewhere in the region of £400 a month, once I have recouped the equipment costs - approx 2 months

Mike