Can my car handle biodiesel fuel?

Question

I have heard a lot about how good biodiesel is for the environment, and that it actually cleans the air. I think that it's a really great alternative to fossil fuel, and I want to start using it with my car (a new Subaru Forrester)

However, I've heard that biodiesel can be really bad for your engine if you don't have a relatively new diesel car. Then just the other day I read in an article that it works fine with any newer cars. Please tell me if my car (again, a subaru forrester) can handle it!!

Answer 1

it has to be a diesel engine or you will destroy the engine by trying it.

You can not put gasoline in a diesel.

You can not put diesel in a gasoline engine.

There are a very few specially made engines that can use diesel, gasoline, kerosene, JP5, lamp oil, cooking oil even... but there are adjustments to make when changing fuels in them.

Your Subaru won't handle it.

Answer 2

NO, It MUST be a Diesel Engine. See this video of a live demonstration . The run the car on USED cooking oil !

There are 3 ways to run veggie. All include making the veggie oil the same viscosity as diesel.

1 - process it to make biodiesel, by removing the glycerin by adding methanol and either KOH or NaOH.

2 - heat it with your cars own cooling system which brings it to 180 degrees

3 - Thin it with Kerosene or gasoline - see this great video from Top Gear TV show http://youtube.com/watch?v=gofbsanezps.....

All three work.

On older diesel (1980's In-Direct Injection) you can almost run it straight, after you filter it to 10 microns.

Answer 3

If this is the new Subaru Forrester with the turbo diesel boxer engine it should run well on bio diesel.

http://forums.thecarlounge.net/zerothrea...

Check with Subaru before you fill it up. Many manufacturers will wipe your warranty if you use bio diesel. Not that it won't work it is just there are still some quality issues with the manufacturing process of bio diesel.

If Subaru are cool with it. I would still install a second fuel filter and slowly increase the ratio of bio to fossil diesel. This is probably not necessary but if it where my new car, i would be cautious.

Answer 4

your car is not a diesel to begin with so no don't put any diesel fuel in it

you can get gasoline that has ethanol in it and use that.

Answer 5

Your only concern should be is when your vehicle have rubber fuel lines. Biodiesel can corrode rubber fuel lines. You can have it replced by metal fuel lines though.

Other than that, your engine is ready to take on biodiesel.

Biodiesel can also clean up clogged fuel lines.

Answer 6

Bio Diesel can run in any diesel engine car.  It can not run in any gasoline engine car.  Most trucks on the road are diesel, but probably 99% of all cars on the road are gasoline - your suburu is most definitely a gasoline car and can not be "converted" to run bio diesel.  You need to pursue a diesel engine vehicle like a VW Diesel Jetta, Jeep has put out a Liberty Diesel and there are lots of diesel pick ups.