So, you like running B100 in your PD huh?

1854sailor

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Pay the $, send a sample to a lab and have it tested. If it meets the requirements of ASTM 6751, you will be fine.
 

BleachedBora

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If you're going to run WVO get an old 240D Merc. Throw used atf, motor oil and anything else that burns at it. It'll run forever and you can find them for cheap.

Keep the tdi's away from WVO. Had a common rail customer with a 2013 Passat call me this week and wanted to know what he needed to know to convert it to WVO. *Sigh*
 

Daekar

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Hmmm... so basically what I'm getting out of this thread is, if you are worried about making ends meet and minimizing maintenance required for your vehicle and the associated footprint with said maintenance and replacement part manufacturing that current-gen Biodiesel is not for you. That's really too bad. Hopefully things will improve sooner rather than later.
 

1854sailor

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There is absolutely nothing wrong with "current-gen biodiesel" that meets ASTM 6751. We run up to B99 in the '01 Golf (ALH) and up to B50 in the Passat (BHW).

Hmmm... so basically what I'm getting out of this thread is, if you are worried about making ends meet and minimizing maintenance required for your vehicle and the associated footprint with said maintenance and replacement part manufacturing that current-gen Biodiesel is not for you. That's really too bad. Hopefully things will improve sooner rather than later.
 

seaglf

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as far as I'm concerned the main reason to have a diesel is for the savings in both fuel economy as well as longevity of the engine. So using WVO on a engine that doesn't last long using it is a waste. But maybe a home biodiesel system would be a good idea.

So what I understand is that any engine with a more modern common rail system has such tighter tolerances that the glycerin in the WVO clogs it up. And as far as the photo's in the original post showing some rust in the injectors, could that have been from water that was not completely removed from the oil.

Also if you had a 2 tank system could one of the tanks be equipped with a recirculating system attached to a centrifuge. And would a centrifuge remove glycerin as well as other contaminates.
 

seaglf

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If you're going to run WVO get an old 240D Merc. Throw used atf, motor oil and anything else that burns at it. It'll run forever and you can find them for cheap.

Keep the tdi's away from WVO. Had a common rail customer with a 2013 Passat call me this week and wanted to know what he needed to know to convert it to WVO. *Sigh*
I'm sure the old OM617's would do good on it to! and what about cummins engines? And does anyone have experience with WVO on the Mercedes OM612, as I have been considering that engine for a few engine swap ideas.

I know that this post was originally oriented towards the problems with running WVO in the PD engines, but from What I have been reading on these forums the ALH is better anyway. Am I wrong ?
 

Woodrobin

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Hmmm... so basically what I'm getting out of this thread is, if you are worried about making ends meet and minimizing maintenance required for your vehicle and the associated footprint with said maintenance and replacement part manufacturing that current-gen Biodiesel is not for you. That's really too bad. Hopefully things will improve sooner rather than later.
Daekar,

I have no idea how you got that idea from this thread.

Let's parse this a bit:

1. "Vehicle" is not a generic term equally applicable to all VW TDIs, or all diesel cars.

B100 is not currently approved for PD and Common Rail engines, and barring modifications being made available for the engines or changes in biodiesel formulation, design choices make that likely to continue to be the case. This does not indicate a flaw in biodiesel. Some design choices based on the assumption of petrodiesel use and attempts to clean some of its pollutants don't fit well with some properties of biodiesel (the DPF cleaning set up comes to mind especially).

B100 is perfectly fine for ALH and similar generation turbodiesels.

Impurities in fuels can cause issues, whether the fuel is biodiesel or petrodiesel. Ever driven a gasoline car and bought contaminated gasoline? One of my most expensive repair bills came from such a tank. Stuff happens, as they say.

Non-turbo CDI and IDI engines can run on a huge variety of fuels, including waste vegetable oil and even stranger concoctions. The original diesel engine was designed to run on peanut oil as easily as petroleum.

In order to know what the best, most ecological and economical choice is for your vehicle, specifics are needed. There is no panacea for all applications. For instance, I specifically chose to buy a 2003, and later a 2001, VW Jetta TDI specifically because the engine design would allow me to run B100. If I had a good source for WVO, I might have gone after an old Mercedes CDI. Plan, study, choose is my motto.

2. Things are improving. Currently, for instance, there's a process ready for implementation that can extract lipids for biodiesel from dried sewage sludge. Life giving you s**t? Now you can fuel your car with it. The cost is estimated to be about $0.03 per liter of lipids, as opposed to $0.80 for soybeans. That sounds like an improvement both in ecology and economy to me. In the meantime, crude oil just keeps getting depleted and harder and more dangerous to extract. No poop shortage is predicted in the near future, though, so I think we'll be ok. :)
 
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philngrayce

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There seems to be some confusion here between biodiesel and WVO also. Everyone reading is aware of the difference? The original thread was about biodiesel, though I'm sure the OP feels even stronger (right or wrong) about WVO.
 

greasyrides

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I'm about to hit 100k of biodiesel use in my 2004 with BEW PD, most of that is B100 homebrew. I use a BioPro 190 and check the quality of my fuel periodically. I make sure it is free of water and pump through a 2um water block filter prior to pumping into my car.

In nearly 100k miles, I have had zero fuel related problems. Drive more, worry less.

Make or buy high quality fuel and you will be fine. I think most problems people have are with lower conversion fuels, or fuel that still contains water.
 

bhtooefr

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If you're worried about making ends meet and spending as little money as possible on motorized transportation (while still using a car), 1991-1996 Ford Escort with a manual.

35-40 mpg on regular, very cheap to buy because people don't think of them as efficient, very cheap to fix.
 

bhtooefr

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That's missing the point entirely, because those are priced like they're made of gold, almost all have rusted into the ground by now, they're absurdly uncommon, and parts aren't cheap.

I specifically chose the 1.9 gasser on purpose. Decent (not TDI, but decent) fuel economy, cheap fuel, cheap parts, cheap to buy.
 

philngrayce

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I kmow someone who just bought one for $500. He'll save that in fuel in no time.

There mught be a few Chevete diesels around too.
 
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