Has anyone changed their diesel vehicles into biodiesel and was it worth it?

Question

Alternative fuels living green

Answer 1

Some of the farmers in Iowa are trying it with their trucks with mostly mixed results. They are starting to think it's not worth it in the long run. Bio is not always plentiful in the area at this time.... and I understand it takes a lot of energy to produce. It's a nice stab at helping to fix the world oil prices, but it's fizzling out in our community.

Answer 2

You can run Biodiesel in any diesel engine without conversion as long as the vehicle was built after 1997.

Biodiesel is pure waste vegetable oil (w.v.o.) that has gone through extensive filtering and has additives like kerosene, methanol, etc...  The additives help to keep the biodiesel from gelling.  Running this kind of biodiesel requires no conversion.  This is being sold at many pumps in Washington State, across the states, and all over Europe.  Do a search for your area on the internet.  Often major truck stops will have it.  Right now B99 is selling at $3.30/gal and B75 is selling at $3.54 in Washington.  This is better than the $3.65 for petroleum based diesel.  Biodiesel is expected to drop in price as it is becoming more and more popular.  

To run pure w.v.o. that has only been filtered, you will need to make a conversion to your vehicle.  Essentially there will be two tanks in your vehicle and the w.v.o. tank and lines will need to be heated to keep the oil in a liquid state.  I have several friends that have converted their vehicles and swear by it.  The cons: extra tank in trunk takes up space, it's messy, finding used vegetable oil is getting harder and harder to find as this is getting more and more popular, you've got to filter it before it goes in the vehicle (filters can be somewhat costly and need to be replaced regularly but still cost effective compared to diesel prices).  In Washington State some companies are paying restaurants for their w.v.o.

I have a 2005 Jeep Liberty CRD (Common Rail Diesel).  I've been running B99 (99% biodiesel 1% other) every summer and B75 (75% biodiesel 25% petroleum based diesel) every winter for two years now.  No problems.  MPG is the same and power is the same.  The only issue is if you've got more than 50,000 miles on your vehicle and it's been running on petroleum diesel; you'll have to change your fuel filter a couple of times.  This is because Biodiesel will be cleaning out your engine and the gunk gets caught in the filter.  This is a good thing.

My personal choice; don't convert, just buy biodiesel at a pump in your area.  It requires no conversion, still saves money, less messy, burns clean, and someone else does the filtering for you.

If it is not in your area write your local pumps.  If no success then I would convert.  My friends that did convert are paying about $0.40 a gallon with filters etc...  They still switch to regular diesel when they run out because it requires regular trips to several restaurants and time spent to filter.  One restaurant will most likely not be able to keep up with how quickly your burning it so you'll need multiple locations.

If your vehicle is older than a 97'; in the U.S. you'll need to change some of your fuel hoses because biodiesel especially at 99% will eat away at the hoses.  But this is a one time expense.  Talk to your dealer to get the details.

P.S:  It smells different but it smells better than petroleum diesel by far.  I don't mind the smell.

Answer 3

In the UK most diesels smell like Fish and Chip shops. Old oil from fryers goes into the fuel after processing and this appalling smell is the result. I HATE the smell of Fish and Chip shops!!