transitioning from b100 to petro diesel

[new/used golf 2006]

the place where i get biodiesel is no longer going to carry the fuel because of a decision, i believe, by california's air resource board.

we need to transition the car to petro diesel and would like to do so as smoothly as possible.

here are the details that i believe are relevant:

- 06 golf tdi
- we bought it used in '07
- it ran on petro diesel before that
- but ever since it has run on b100 (~110k miles)
- i did have to replace the fuel pump (the one in the tank i believe) in 2012

do you have any advice about how to transition to petro diesel?

thanks.

 

[1854sailor]

Just fuel up with D2. There is no "transition" required.

 

[new/used golf 2006]

Really?

I thought the difference in the lubricity of the fuels causes some gaskets (or fuel pumps) to fail when you do an abrupt transition.

I've heard that they recommend you mix the fuels and change over gradually.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[atc98002]

I won't say there will be an abrupt failure, but more than likely the injection pump may start weeping fuel from seals. Particularly with the age of your car and how long you've been using B100. Any other fuel lines (that aren't metal) may also begin weeping. But it would be gradual and not difficult to resolve.

If your B100 supply lasts long enough, you might reduce the BD concentration over time, say dropping to B50 now, and then next tank down to B30, and so on. However, that would likely only delay the inevitable leaks.

 

[1854sailor]

I won't say there will be an abrupt failure, but more than likely the injection pump may start weeping fuel from seals. Particularly with the age of your car and how long you've been using B100. Any other fuel lines (that aren't metal) may also begin weeping. But it would be gradual and not difficult to resolve.

If your B100 supply lasts long enough, you might reduce the BD concentration over time, say dropping to B50 now, and then next tank down to B30, and so on. However, that would likely only delay the inevitable leaks.

The OP's TDI is an '06, so it is a PD, there is no injection pump that "may start weeping..."

 

[FordGuy100]

Just fill and go. Its the reverse where you see problems.

 

[atc98002]

The OP's TDI is an '06, so it is a PD, there is no injection pump that "may start weeping..."

I will readily admit my ignorance on TDI engines before the CR, as my previous diesel cars were all IDI engines. But the PD doesn't have some sort of engine driven fuel injection pump? What drives the injectors?

 

[1854sailor]

I will readily admit my ignorance on TDI engines before the CR, as my previous diesel cars were all IDI engines. But the PD doesn't have some sort of engine driven fuel injection pump? What drives the injectors?

There is an in tank pump, and a cam shaft driven Tandem Pump ("Tandem" meaning vacuum and fuel combination pump) on the back of the head. The TP boosts the pressure to ~120 PSI feeding the "Unit Injectors", which are actuated by lobes on the camshaft.

 

[atc98002]

OK, then the OP should be in pretty good shape for switching back to D2. Thanks for the info!!

 

[sangretdi]

I too was running B100 in my TDI, the sole reason why I bought a TDI...
anyways, yes, carb seemed to be wiping it out...

what I have done, and you may want to look into it too, is switch over to Propel fuels' "diesel HPR".... they call it "non-bio-diesel" but it's sure sounds like it's "bio-diesel" to me... it's made from recycled tallows and "waste" products, a molecule by molecule synthetic diesel, that burns cleaner and hotter and gives your car more horse power. I don't fully understand the semantics or how the hell they make this stuff, but my car seems to love it. my car doesn't smell like french fires any more, but the HPR smells better than petro diesel. oh, and it's $2.29 a gallon, that doesn't suck!

I haven't been keeping up with the discussion started months ago on here, but seems like many folks were happy with it. there were some complaints about leaking injection pumps, so there may be no way to dodge that bullet (or it may be no issue at all for you). MAtt98 resealed my injection pump just prior to me switching to the HPR, it was completely unrelated to the HPR, and no leaks since switching to HPR months ago.

ultimately i was looking for a plan B to running B100... I guess I look at HPR as essentially running biodiesel and even if it's not sourced locally it's better than burning gooey dinosaurs : )

I'm lucky I have 2 stations near me in san jose. I'm often in redwood city and there's a propel station there as well. i know they have stations in fremont and berkley... maybe sf now?

https://propelfuels.com/our_fuels

good luck!
Mike

 

[B100]

the place where i get biodiesel is no longer going to carry the fuel because of a decision, i believe, by california's air resource board.
we need to transition the car to petro diesel and would like to do so as smoothly as possible.
here are the details that i believe are relevant:
- 06 golf tdi
- we bought it used in '07
- it ran on petro diesel before that
- but ever since it has run on b100 (~110k miles)
- i did have to replace the fuel pump (the one in the tank i believe) in 2012
do you have any advice about how to transition to petro diesel?
thanks.

Were you filling at Dogpatch, or Biofuel Oasis? Both have now switched to selling a blend of 20% Biodiesel and 80% "renewable" diesel. The 80% portion is not petro diesel, but simply the HPR that Propel has been distributing. It's coming from animal fats and some veggie content, made into diesel through BTL process in Singapore. You should feel comfortable filling with the 20/80 blend.

Neither outlet have updated their websites to reflect the change.

And all that being said, you will still be able to buy B100 as a blending stock, but not as fuel you can pour into your car at the site. Call and ask.