First Biodiesel fill up!

spartan

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2011
Location
MI
TDI
05 Passat Wagon
I just topped off my tank today for this first time using biodiesel. I went to this station http://www.bioblendfuels.com/about/, lucky for me it is only about 25 miles from my home and about 12 from where my wife works. I put about 6 gallons of B99 in the tank and 5 more in a "diesel" can. The B99 is made from canola and is good until +29*F, which I was pretty impressed with. I just bought the car the weekend before last so I have only filled it up one other time, but there were no bio stations around when I needed it. I know for this area I feel lucky to have access to this station so close. And just because here is a pic of the new wagon...

 

psd1

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2011
Location
OR
TDI
2006 Jetta 2013 Passat SE 6Man
Good luck with the Bio. Personally I would'nt have jumped straight to B99 this time of year...especially in WI and I certainly wouldnt reccomend it much longer unless you cut it with D2. It would be interesting to see what kind of MPG's you got compared to D2, but you have'nt had the thing long enough! Enjoy the car!
 

Walley

Active member
Joined
Aug 22, 2011
Location
Northeast Ohio
TDI
03 and 04 Jetta Wagons
Congratulations from a fellow newbie (and veteran creeper). I agree with psd1. Be careful with the B99 this time of year.

You also might want to consider reading up on what switching back and forth between ULSD and Biodiesel can do to the seals in your injector pump and the preventative measures. Some of the true veteran members can probably help out by posting a link here. Otherwise, you should be able to find something by searching the forum.
 

MichaelB

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2009
Location
SE Wisconsin
TDI
2014 Passat SE DSG
"The B99 is made from canola and is good until +29*F, which I was pretty impressed with."
I buy my biodiesel from this place too. Wisconsin is BIO scarce. Now unless that operation has recently changed their feed stocks they were using bacon grease. Not canola. Not good for cold temps.
 

spartan

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2011
Location
MI
TDI
05 Passat Wagon
Someone at Bio-blends confirmed that they are using a canola base now. It is als written on their pump. And I should have been more clear, I added 6 gallons of B99 to my tank which was already filled with D2, so I am probably running more like B30.
 

3516ACERT

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2010
Location
Maryland
TDI
2010 JSW
6 gallons of B99 into 8 gallons of D2 will give you B42. I made a simple spreadsheet formula. D=(A*B)/(C+A)

D= %bio (x)
C= ULSD in gallons (8)
B= %of bio added (99)
A= Bio in gallons (6)
6*99/14=42.43
 
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B100

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2003
Location
Berkeley, Eastbania
TDI
2003 Golf
6 gallons of B99 into 8 gallons of D2 will give you B42. I made a simple spreadsheet formula. D=(A*B)/(C+A)

D = %bio (x)
C = ULSD in gallons (8)
B = %of bio added (99)
A = Bio in gallons (6)
6*99/14 = 42.43
Is the '05 tank capacity really only 14 gallons? My 2003 Golf tank holds 17.5 gallons (w/ ventectomy).

Going with 17.5 gallons, he would have had 6/17.5 = B34 in his tank after filling with six gallons of B99.
 

SoTxBill

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 14, 2000
Location
its not the base, its the additives!!
TDI
13 passatdsg 10 jetdsg, 09 jetdsg, 2006 jetdsg, 2001Jet, 96passat, 86jet, 81 jet, 78pickup all vw diesel.
great.. just sell it after a year and before the pump shells out.

or run b20 forever.

opinions may vary, results are forever.
 

tdisky

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Joined
Jul 14, 2004
Location
Middletown, Rhode Island
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL (hers)
great.. just sell it after a year and before the pump shells out.

or run b20 forever.

opinions may vary, results are forever.
I wouldn't worry about the pump shelling out. It's an '05, a PD, if you will. I ran up to B100 in my PD for 90k miles, and by all accounts it's still going well. Are you planning on running B20 in your CR?
 

spartan

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2011
Location
MI
TDI
05 Passat Wagon
Yeah my tank is more like 17+ gallons. I have some of the extra B99 that I bought sitting in a glass jar in my garage so that I can tell when it actually begins to gel. And the previous owner just put in a new lift pump, so that should be covered :)
 

tikal

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Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
Southeast Texas
TDI
2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)
Is the '05 tank capacity really only 14 gallons? My 2003 Golf tank holds 17.5 gallons (w/ ventectomy).

Going with 17.5 gallons, he would have had 6/17.5 = B34 in his tank after filling with six gallons of B99.
Wow! I have a 2002 Golf and I do not think I can squeeze in more than 17.1 gallons.
 

psd1

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Aug 4, 2011
Location
OR
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2006 Jetta 2013 Passat SE 6Man
I have some of the extra B99 that I bought sitting in a glass jar in my garage so that I can tell when it actually begins to gel.

How goes the B99 experiment, my guess is that the fuel in the mason jar is pretty stiff by this time of year.
 

loganbmx4gt

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Joined
Apr 14, 2011
Location
Jackson, TN
TDI
97' Passat (1Z), 02' Golf
How goes the B99 experiment, my guess is that the fuel in the mason jar is pretty stiff by this time of year.
That's a pretty safe bet, but depending on the feed stock depends on how long it held out.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 4, 2010
Location
Columbus, OH
TDI
2003
The B99 in WI may have been a mistake. Aside from the cold, I read that there are few BD stations there and presumably even less with B99. B20 is a good choice for both those reasons. I keep a 2 gallon of B99 in my trunk, that way if **** hits the fan I can mix it with 8 gallons of D2 and that will get me pretty far.
 

Lug_Nut

TDIClub Enthusiast, Pre-Forum Veteran Member
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Jun 20, 1998
Location
Sterling, Massachusetts. USA
TDI
idi: 1988 Bolens DGT1700H, the other oil burner: 1967 Saab Sonett II two stroke
Grammar constable on patrol!

... I read that there are few BD stations there and presumably even less with B99. B20 is a good choice for both those reasons.
That's fewer with B99, not less.
And besides, there only need be one B99 station for each five carrying B20.;)
 

spartan

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2011
Location
MI
TDI
05 Passat Wagon
How goes the B99 experiment, my guess is that the fuel in the mason jar is pretty stiff by this time of year.
The B99 that I got started to gel around 28*F. The pumps said 29*F so they are pretty close. I have since used a couple of tanks of B50, and am now using B20. I still need to get some of that in a jar and see when that begins to gel.
 

Lug_Nut

TDIClub Enthusiast, Pre-Forum Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 20, 1998
Location
Sterling, Massachusetts. USA
TDI
idi: 1988 Bolens DGT1700H, the other oil burner: 1967 Saab Sonett II two stroke
Hey Jon. What blend are you running currently?
B33 or so since Sunday (it's been down near 0F in the mornings). I was at about 1/4 tank of B50 and added 5 gallons of ULSD. Now that it'll be in the mid-20F range for lows over then next few days, I'll put in about 5 gallons of B99 on top.
 

p_ferlow

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Feb 17, 2006
Location
W. Vancouver, BC Canada
TDI
09' Jetta TDI Revo tune 6spd, 01' F250 7.3L "tuned"
Yep, in my experience the bio I make from Canola can go below freezing without gelling up.

The astm fuel I used to buy before I made my own was bacon fat based and went solid like a soap bar at only 48degF (9degC).

If I worry about it (doesn't go below freezing here often) I'll add a bit of diesel to the tank and some of this http://www.powerservice.com/dfs/ works great.

On the older TDI's (~2000 vintage) it was a good idea to replace the o-ring in the injection pump which was prone to leaks if you flip-flop between bio and petro diesel. Not sure how the PD fairs.
 

kcfoxie

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2007
Location
Raleigh, NC
TDI
'12 6-spd JSW
I ran B100 in my 06 PD for 85k miles, and the pump never gave out. After 85k miles I started using just whatever I could in the car, but never had a fuel system issue with it.
 
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