DC on Biodiesel

lkchris

New member
Source: http://www.ai-online.com/Adv/Previous/show_issue.php?id=1480
Automotive Industries Magazine said:
Modern, Clean Diesel Technology Made Better with Biodiesel, DaimlerChrysler Executive Says

by Rob White

Modern, clean diesel engines will be a cornerstone of America's energy solutions, and clean, renewable biodiesel fuel will be critical to the success of diesel-powered vehicles in the U.S. market, a DaimlerChrysler executive says.

DaimlerChrysler will continue to expand its lineup of diesel-powered vehicles in the coming months, at the same time it broadens its programs to educate the American public on the benefits of home-grown biodiesel fuel.

"Diesel will be good for America, and biodiesel makes diesel better," said Loren Beard, Senior Manager - Fuels for DaimlerChrysler in Auburn Hills, Michigan. "Emissions of particulates -- an important issue in congested urban areas -- can be reduced more than 80 percent with modern, clean diesel engines running on biodiesel."

Beard addressed a conference on the fuel savings, air quality, and health benefits of biodiesel in Washington, D.C., today, hosted by capital-area chapters of the American Lung Association and the National Biodiesel Board. Beard reported that B20 (20 percent biodiesel blended in conventional diesel fuel) can reduce particulate matter emissions by up to 15 percent.

Technology advances in the past two decades have improved the power, performance, efficiency and emissions of diesel engines. As a result, today's modern, clean diesel engines produce 80 percent reduction in particulate emissions and 70 percent reduction in NOx emissions at the same time providing 50 percent more power and 30 percent more torque -- which we experience as "pickup" or performance.

DaimlerChrysler will market five diesel-powered passenger vehicles in the U.S. in 2007: Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD sport-utility vehicle with 3.0-liter diesel engine; Mercedes-Benz E320 luxury sedan with 3.0-liter engine and BlueTec emissions technology; and three new Mercedes-Benz utility vehicles, R320 CDI, ML320 CDI, and GL320 CDI. In addition, the Dodge Ram pickup and Dodge Sprinter van are also equipped with diesel engines for the U.S. market.

Beard noted that diesel vehicles have significant environmental and consumer benefits compared with gasoline vehicles:

* An average of 30 percent better fuel economy;
* Up to 20 percent less emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas;
* Increased performance, range and towing capability; and
* Longer life and increased resale value.


According to the U.S. EPA, if the U.S. had a light-duty fleet that was one-third diesel, the country would reduce its oil consumption by up to 1.4 million barrels of oil per day. That is equivalent to the amount of oil the U.S. imports daily from Saudi Arabia.

"Use of biodiesel extends the benefits of diesel technology," Beard said.

Biodiesel significantly reduces overall greenhouse gas emissions from diesel vehicles, because plants absorb carbon dioxide during growth. Tailpipe emissions are also lower with biodiesel.

In addition to its environmental benefits, biodiesel reduces dependence on oil and supports the U.S. agricultural economy.

If B5 (5% biodiesel blended in conventional diesel fuel) were used in all diesel fuel for on-road use in the U.S., it would reduce fuel consumption by 1.85 billion gallons, the amount of fuel made from all oil imports from Iraq.

DaimlerChrysler is promoting use of biodiesel fuel through several programs:

* The Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel, like its predecessor the Jeep Liberty
CRD, will be delivered to customers running on B5 biodiesel fuel.
* The Dodge Ram diesel is also approved for use with B5 fuel. This fall,
DaimlerChrysler will begin testing B20 biodiesel fuel in the Ram with
its commercial, government and military fleet customers.
* DaimlerChrysler is working with Michigan State University researchers,
the U.S. EPA, the State of Michigan, NextEnergy, the Detroit-based
research organization, and the National Biodiesel Board to develop
better biodiesel fuel crops.

"As our President & CEO Tom LaSorda has pointed out, biofuels are proof that at least part of the solution to our energy, environment and national security issues can be homegrown," Beard said.
 

keithwins

New member
I bought my Sprinter used. No warranty. I run 100% biodiesel most of the time. I'll keep you posted.

Right now, I have RSN and slight overheating, but I don't think either has anything to do with biodiesel, both happened before I switched and don't go away when I burn dinosaurs.

BTW, I believe I understand that they can't void a warranty for burning biodiesel, unless they can prove it caused a specific problem. I'm not sure about how that works, and may involve courtrooms which aren't any fun for anyone. Also, I'm talking about commercially made well-prepared biodiesel, you have to be burning good quality fuel one way or another.

Keith
 
L

Llarry

Guest
I bought my Sprinter used. No warranty. I run 100% biodiesel most of the time. I'll keep you posted.

Right now, I have RSN and slight overheating, but I don't think either has anything to do with biodiesel, both happened before I switched and don't go away when I burn dinosaurs.

BTW, I believe I understand that they can't void a warranty for burning biodiesel, unless they can prove it caused a specific problem. I'm not sure about how that works, and may involve courtrooms which aren't any fun for anyone. Also, I'm talking about commercially made well-prepared biodiesel, you have to be burning good quality fuel one way or another.

Keith
I agree, Keith, that there is nothing wrong with running commercial B99. If mine were out of warranty I would run B99.

If I did run B3 or B99 and DC denied a warranty claim, they have much deeper pockets than I; I would be hard-pressed to come up with a mechanical engineer or fuels expert to counter their expert testimony in court -- or in the service dept of my local dealer. So I patiently (not!) wait while the powers that be come up with a standard for biodiesel and while DC ponders whether my engine will run on the stuff.
 

dalemonroe

DaleMonroe
I've run b99 when ever I could get it which was over 50% of the time. With 72k miles on my '06, I've had no trouble with the fuel from major suppliers like SeQuential. I park in an insulated garage and use b99 biodiesel all year long here in Portland OR. To void the warrantee, the manufacturer would have to prove that the fuel was at fault. In that case, the fuel supplier would be liable. I had nonengine warrantee service performed with biodiesel in the tank.

I understand biodiesel fuel dilution can be a problem with newer models, but there are ways to deal with it.
 

jms

Member
For those of you who run B100(99), have you given any thought to heating the fuel filter to improve its efficiency? Racor's website was recommending that at one point.

I'm about to drive cross-country, buying commercial B100 where available. To guard against fuel contamination, I plan to install an additional hefty fuel filter ahead of the engine-mounted filter. It was intended for use with vegetable oil systems, so it can be hooked up with both electric and coolant heat. Wondering whether the extra plumbing and wiring for the heat would be helpful.

Thank you.

Jerry
2003 Freightliner 2500 158" RV
Florida
 

gary 32

07 ncv3 pv
I agree, Keith, that there is nothing wrong with running commercial B99. If mine were out of warranty I would run B99.

If I did run B3 or B99 and DC denied a warranty claim, they have much deeper pockets than I; I would be hard-pressed to come up with a mechanical engineer or fuels expert to counter their expert testimony in court -- or in the service dept of my local dealer. So I patiently (not!) wait while the powers that be come up with a standard for biodiesel and while DC ponders whether my engine will run on the stuff.
I know several T1N owners that run B100 successfully.

I know (3) NCV3 owners that tried B100 and stopped after their first hi pressure fuel pump replacement. One owner tried an extra filter, fuel heater, a centrifuge etc.. :bash:

I ran a few tanks in mine back when #2 was over $5 p/gallon and B100 was $4. It ran no better and got 15% less mpg so I changed the fuel filter and stopped.

If I find B5 I am comfortable and still within MB warranty limitations using this product
 

mofo989

Member
This article seems interesting to people who want to use B5 or more. However, it talks a lot about post injection for re-generation and I think our vans don't use that same method (but my VW TDI does). So if that is the case, are NCV3 Sprinters also subject to the oil dilution effect?
 

gregowski

Member
I believe that NCV3 Sprinters do use post-combustion injection, which is part of the reason why you won't find many using biodiesel blends higher than the warrantied B5 (as rehashed in this thread).

I do know that John Bendit at the Sprinter Store had an NCV3 he said was running on B100, and so did EcoShuttle in Portland. This is what William Sampson from EcoShuttle had to say in Feb 2012:

"Our Sprinter is a 2007 model to which we started using B100 the day we rolled it off of the dealer's lot. We did not switch out any fuel lines for the use of biodiesel. We did have a local company install a fuel tank heater which did not work so well; there was either an install issue or the components were not working properly. We had this unit rendered useless and had to use B50 in the colder months. We did use B100 during the winter of 2007 and 2008 which caused the Sprinter to act sluggish until it was running for a small amount of time.

One major issue we had by using B100 was the burning up of the EGR valve. We were lucky enough to have this replaced about 4 times free-of-charge because of the warranty. Once the warranty had expired, the valves cost us anywhere between $600-$900 a piece. Of coarse, we did have to replace the fuel filter every once in a while. After we had the Sprinter Center replace the first one, I was shown how to do it so the next few times I was able to purchase the part and replace it myself.

The fuel source we use is from Sequential which is located in Eugene, OR. Their fuel does meet all ASTM standards and is used for the B5 mandatory diesel blend in Multnomah County, OR.

Unfortunately the engine ceased in May of 2011 due to a very bad oil leak. We replaced it with the newer common-rail engine so at this time we are NOT running the Sprinter on biodiesel."

I have also researched and written about biodiesel in Sprinters both for my blog (http://www.sprinter-rv.com/2010/10/24/biodiesel-sprinter-or-maybe-a-frybrid-sprinter/ and http://www.sprinter-rv.com/2010/12/07/biodiesel-sprinters-part-two/) and for a chapter on biodiesel in my Sprinter RV Conversion Sourcebook (http://www.sprinter-rv.com/sprinter-rv-sourcebook/).

Greg
 
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jimmiejoe

2500 High Roof 144" WB
Couple of Excerpts from Biodiesel Magazine:

Volkswagen tests using B5 and post-injection showed 45 percent oil dilution after 10,000 miles, but surprisingly no engine damage was evident upon inspection. "Using B10 at 10,000 miles surpasses that 50 percent threshold-and that is unacceptable," Johnson said. "We want longer oil change intervals as a car company, so it's hard for us to talk about this." The implications are that increased fuel dilution due to biodiesel blends could lead to premature engine wear if oil changes are not done more often.

Even though for years biodiesel has been heralded as a lubricity additive helping keep fuel system components like the moving parts inside fuel injection systems operating smoothly, the bitter irony here is that, when post-injected, it tends to dilute engine oil and interacts with additives and increases the possibility of engine wear. Much work remains developing viscosity improving, anti-wear, dispersant and detergent additive packages in which adverse reactions with biodiesel are significantly reduced.
 

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