The truck stop I fuel at has just replaced all fuel tanks and added a B-20 pump . What is the max % of Bio. a 04.5 600 can use . How many filter changes and oil changes will be required if I make the switch to this . I have 43,000 miles . Will I see a big drop in Mpg. and power ?

 

With that new of truck your should be fine. Not much time for gunk to build up in the fuel tank. Keep a fuel filter on hand just in case.

 

bump , anyone ?

 

I'm not 100% sure, so don't quote me, but since the 04.5-06 are pretty much the same (minus the electronic needs for programs, etc), I would think that fuel/oil/lubricant requirements would be the same too and my owner's manual says that a 5% bio-diesel mixture is ok to run in my truck...so I would think the same applies to yourself

Derek

 

Have you looked in your owners manual yet? It says in there. DC said a maximum of B5 for my truck, but I think I remember them bumping it up in later years to B20 - (but maybe that was for govt/fleet trucks and not private trucks). Personally, I've run up to B60 in mine without issue.

Bio is highly detergent, and can clean the existing fuel system - thats why its recommended to have a filter available. But your truck is rather new and low miles, so there hasn't been a lot of time for the fuel tank to accumulate a bunch of dirt that the bio would loosen up. You probably won't have to change out any filters b/c of bio; I didn't. Then again, I don't know about the places where your truck has fueled from either. Engine oil changes don't have anything to do with this discussion.

I can't say my truck saw much of a power or mpg hit with bio - but I only used store bought stuff, nothing homemade. Many many folks use bio every day without issue, but other folks have reported all kinds of problems after using bio, and blaming it on the "bio" alone. There are many variables to those kinds of problems to simply label it as being caused solely due to bio. Some diesel fuel storage tanks have been around for a long long time, and who knows what kinds of "things" live in the bottom of some of those tanks that make into our fuel tanks - thats why our trucks have large fuel filters.

But as they say, YMMV......

There is a fuels forum under the General Diesel Forum, you should go take a look around there.

oh btw, no spaces before comma's or periods.

 

B5 is the limit for current Cummins engines for Dodge. Here is an excerpt from a service bulletin:

So it's the potential amount of water suspended in the fuel that limits it to B5. Anyone with a FASS or the GDP filter kit with the [larger] water separator should be okay for higher concentrations of Biodiesel.

Tony

 

Thanks for all the info. They have this b20 ten cents cheaper.

 

I've been running B10 in my truck exclusively since spring, unless I wind up somewhere that doesn't have it.. Truck has been much happier ever since. I didn't need to do any emergency fuel filter changes or anything.

I figure I gained 1.5 to 2 mpg. I thought for the first while I was driving "carefully" to keep the numbers up, but I stopped paying attention a long time ago. I still check now and then, and the averages are still better than I've seen on reg diesel.

No noticeable power increase, but truck seems smoother and quieter. We've even had our first subzero temps not too long ago and didn't notice any problems.