Bio fuel
 

Is anyone running Bio diesel in there truck that are still on warrenty? What does DC say about it ? The dealer here sayed they would not warrenty anyting that was fuel related so that could be the whole motor and fuel system. With diesel over 3.00 a gallon here and headed for 5.00 I would like to run Bio but my new truck only has 1700 miles on it so I would not want to kill the warrenty. So I may just put it in storage . Thanks for any help . Pete

Any vehicle manufacturer only warranties 5% bio. Since it seems to be a standard figure between DC, Ford, GM and VW, there's probably a reason behind it. (Yeah, they don't want to stick their necks out.) I'm sure you could use a higher % (I have.) but if they do a fuel test you might be SOL.

Here's some interesting reading from the Cummins site "Cummins' position on the use of Biodiesel fuel in Cummins" -->
http://www.cummins.com/sa/pages/en/c...F080C4A8F00000

One statement sticks out:
"Failures caused by the use of biodiesel fuels or other fuel additives are NOT defects of workmanship and/or material as supplied by Cummins Inc. and CANNOT be compensated under the Cummins' warranty."

You guys are both missing the picture totally, no offense. If you have ANY fuel related problem, it's YOUR DIME! No manufacturer will cover a repair that occured due to a bad tank of fuel, it doesn't matter if it's b5, b100, dino, or mouse-pee. If you put something in the tank that messes up the engine, you are responsible, period. So the real question then is, do you trust biodiesel enough to run it in your engine, or any other fuel for that matter?

I have run up to b50 in my truck, although b20 pay at the pump is going to be more frequent for me now, since one just opened up in my area.


Lastly, your dealer doesn't need to know what's in your tank and I wouldn't say the 'b' word anywhere near them. We all know how the dealerships will try to blame anything they can to deny a warranty claim.... ie. your a/c isn't working? Sorry, you have an aftermarket exhaust, your warranty is void ;)

Can you run mouse pee? Whats the MGP's like?[eyecrazy]

For real though, I would think that commercially blended bio's should be safe.

Now, if you have done something stupid while whipping up batches in your brother in law's basement, it's an ethics mater on the one trying to get warranty coverage......:)

PJ I havent tried it ;) Again though, what fuel you run has absolutely zero to do with warranty coverage.

The Cummins site seems to be really poo-pooing bio. Seems to fly in the face of common "knowledge".

Andy

When you consider that some guys are running used engine oil in their diesel....?

Realsquash Cummins is actually pretty positive in their statements about blends up to b5, and in the end if you read thru the lines you'll realize their stance on anything up to b20 is pretty neutral. They say they haven't tested it extensively(however many years ago they wrote that statement), but in the limited testing they've done they encountered no issues. I'm not sure about common knowledge, but my experience is that I've run b20-b100 in three vehicles now since 2001 and haven't had any issues.

Lee also makes a good point, consider this is an ASTM certified fuel that people are so worried about, compared to running used engine oil which cummins approves up to 5% also..

If ever we needed a national biodiesel incentive it is NOW!

I second that motion!

Would it hurt to run a couple of gallons of filtered WVO with a full tank of fuel? My neighbor goes through at least 10 gals a month....

There is grant money available for starting up biodiesel production from the EPA.

MikeyB

I'm not trying to kill bio here, but unless the manufacturers support the stuff it's never going to take off. From that page:

In addition, from Cummins' fuel systems suppliers, the following issues are also noted: swelling and hardening/cracking of some elastomer seals within the fuel system/engine, corrosion of fuel system and engine hardware - especially aluminum and zinc, solid particle blockage of fuel nozzles and passages, filter plugging, injector coking, higher injection pressures due to physical flow properties - reduced fuel system life, added stress and heat to injection components - especially rotary fuel pumps - increased pump seizures and early life failures, poor fuel spray atomization - reduced fuel economy. Pure biodiesel fuel is not stable and its acid content increases over time which can damage powder metal components.

So how does that make anyone want to run their $40k truck on bio in any concentration? Is bio really not as great as everyone makes it sound? Is that why it's not coming to market with any speed?

B5 is the same thing as running crappy #2 to Cummins. I suspect the only reason they say 5% is ok is due to the fact that straight #2 can probably have 5% of other stuff in it and run fine. So if that 5% of crap in #2 happens to be bio, it should be fine, too. Same goes for the waste oil that people use. You could probably emulsify 5% water in that #2 and it would run fine, too. That's half a gallon for every 10.

That said, I would stick my head out and run B100 all summer long if I could find the damned stuff! The closest place to me is an hour drive, one way, and they only have B11, and the price is the same as straight #2 (B0?). I've heard of a retail place in Batavia, IL that has B100 but that's hours away. If I lived on a farm I'd get the stuff in quantity and store it at home but I can't do that.

Andy

Maybe someone who is a little more computer literate than myself could start a thread where we could sign on some sort of a petition & send it off to the powers that be. doubt it would do any good, but I'd be willing to try:D

Realquash - where did you get this qoute from.. just wondering and would like to read the stuff/article... thanks..