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Thread: Bio-Diesel anyone?

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  1. #11
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    Well it's been a long time since I started this thread!
    A few days ago, I put the first dose of biodiesel in my car. It came from turbobits, and I mixed it to about 30% bio, 70% dino.
    The engine is unmistakably quieter and smoother, perhaps a little more responsive too. It's too early to tell if MPG is affected. It might have gone up, but I might be driving more carefully. Either way, thats a good thing. There is a wisp of white smoke from the exhaust on cold startup. All of these differences are the same as the guy who makes it finds on his 06 plated VW caravelle (PD), which has been using 100% bio for thousands of miles with no problems. A local ferry company uses 1000 litres of the same fuel a week, as does a local university.
    I love the feeling I get putting it into the tank. I love the feeling of driving about knowing that it's being burnt in my engine. I especially love driving past petrol stations and thinking "I don't want to put any of that diesel **** in my engine anymore".
    For the time being, I have enough bio stocked for a month or so. I'll be getting more in time before I run out. When the weather warms I might just go up to 50/50. I expect to change the fuel filter after a couple of tanks.
    Anyone else new to using bio, or any bio veterans want to tell us about your bio use? I'd love to hear from other people, and I'll keep you all posted as things go along...

    P.s. In the meantime I'll be tackling the 'water in the car' problem again! The last fix only lasted for a while, so I will be attempting to solve it once and for all, with pictures and a 'how to', so keep your eyes peeled!
    Passat Sport Estate 2001 1.9 TDI PD
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  2. #12
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    id love to use bio, but i canty find any in northampon or local areas, anyone ?
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  3. #13
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    Has anybody got any experience of using Waste Veg Oil (WVO), either processed or unprocessed. I've suggested that we use it in our caddy pick ups at work as we have 4 canteens to supply the WVO. I know that WVO contains fatty acids and it needs to be transeterified to remove them but I was hoping to use straight WVO as a 10% mix with diesel and am concered about how long the pumps and injectors will last. Processing WVO within the constraints of the EU Waste Incineration Directive is not easy. Red tape galore!

    Any comments?

    Jp
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  4. #14
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    If you just put it straight from the fryer into your vans I would expect them to die within a few hundred miles.

    There are two types of fuel you can use, both of which require processing.
    1st is Biodiesel. It needs to be transesterified, glycerine removed, washed, filtered, dried and settled. This fuel is most compatible as it is thin (though not as thin as diesel)
    2nd is Biofuel. It is not chemically changed, only the different parts of the oil are separated. This means there is more possibility of contaminants. A solvent MUST be added to biofuel or it is too thick to be pumped without modifications to the vehicle. It is thicker than biodiesel even after thinning. It requires less processing than biodiesel.

    The thicker the oil, the more wear on parts. This is why you have to thin biofuel, and often preheat it to thin it further. Biofuel also potentially contains more water, which can and will corrode fuel pumps etc... I've seen the evidence.

    You are faced with a trade off.
    1, spend a lot of time and some money making biodiesel, but put less strain on your car, even without modifications.
    2, spend time and money modifying your car, and some time making biofuel with less processing.

    Personally, I preferred not cutting my car open and buying the biodiesel. If I had an older diesel, I'd probably modify it for biofuel and make my own.

    It's got to be a decision that you have thouroughly researched the pro's and cons for. I spent 6 months and hundreds of hours looking into both options before making my decision.
    If you don't know what is best for your car and needs, it WILL end in disaster!
    Passat Sport Estate 2001 1.9 TDI PD
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  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Turkster View Post
    id love to use bio, but i canty find any in northampon or local areas, anyone ?
    Very good one in Herts a bit further south, they sell in containers, so you could fill car up and bring back 100 litres in drums.

    http://www.expressbiofuels.co.uk/
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  6. #16
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    I've been using Biofuel for a while in our SAAB with no problems but we've just started to do the same in our A4 TDI AVANT (130) ( a great car by the way ! ). To date we've only put 1 and a half tanks of biofuel into the AUDI, partially mixed with diesel as the tank was not empty at the time. Our experiences (while short lived) were that the car ran at least as well as before, the car was quieter and fuel economy was unchanged. Basically all had been going well until yesterday <sigh>.

    What happened.....well.....stick with me here....

    We've recently had electrical problems affecting the AUDI's central locking and on Monday, after driving 20 miles I parked up for 5 minutes and then the car would not start. On calling the AA, it was found that the central locking problem appeared to be affecting the immobiliser function.

    The car had already been booked into an Audi dealership to be checked over for yesterday. Having sorted the central locking they moved onto why the car wouldn't start. Now the AA report sheet was left with the car and contained details of the problem and how to work around it ... i.e. press unlock and turn the key quick would start the car fine if the locks played up !

    On finding that the immobiliser worked as expected (no surprise there, it was only working as expected under the circumstances) they found an iffy temp sensor. On changing this they fired the car up and found it was "chugging", something it certainly did not do previously !

    At this point they caught a wiff on non-diesel fuel and stated that this must be the cause of the problem, we were then told that the tank should be drained and only diesel used (as Biofuel is not supported by AUDI). Once this was done they found the fuel filters to be clear but have said that they believe that the engine starting problem was due to differences in viscosity, engine differences that had not previously been encountered..

    My wife (whose car it is) was then given a spiel of how biofuels were not supported by Audi and that they were (I believe in his opinion) rubbish and was left feeling somewhat ridiculed for using it.

    Personally I'm going to keep on using Biofuel in the SAAB, I'm sorry to say it won't be going back into the AUDI, if only to keep my wife/AUDI happy !

    Moral of the story.... ?
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  7. #17
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    What age is the audi? My VW Passat manual says they recommend it, it's good for the car and good for the environment it says! Same engine too I suspect. If you find that the dealer was wrong, you should get your money back and claim for the fuel they took out.
    Also...
    "The companies that have approved 100% biodiesel are VW, Audi, SEAT and Skoda. They have approved all their cars built between 1996 and 2004 on 100% use of ”RME” Biodiesel (Biodiesel made from Rapeseed) providing it meets the specification DIN41606 (which was later replaced by EN14214). These companies can still provide some brand new cars warranted on 100% biodiesel but one has to request it (best to get the official letter from German Base as some UK agents aren’t fully aware). As these companies have officially approved 100% biodiesel I urge you to use your consumer power to support them in supporting the environmental movement."
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  8. #18
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    Hello Snapdragon,

    Many thanks for your comments. The AUDI is a 20001 model and the fuel has been produced to EN 14214. Q. Do you have a reference where AUDI confirm their support for such BioFuel. It would be v. useful if we do find that the problems are not down to the fuel (which is what I expect to see).

    Many thanks

    Pete
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  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by jp_paul View Post
    Has anybody got any experience of using Waste Veg Oil (WVO), either processed or unprocessed. I've suggested that we use it in our caddy pick ups at work as we have 4 canteens to supply the WVO. I know that WVO contains fatty acids and it needs to be transeterified to remove them but I was hoping to use straight WVO as a 10% mix with diesel and am concered about how long the pumps and injectors will last. Processing WVO within the constraints of the EU Waste Incineration Directive is not easy. Red tape galore!

    Any comments?

    Jp
    I know of "somone" who is using 50/50 WVO and diesel and has been doing so for 12 months.
    The WVO is strained after being allowed to settle for a few days.
    Quieter running and no adverse side effects.
    Can't comment on the red tape
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  10. #20
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    A particularly fine update... Many of the TDi AUDI's actually have a biofuel reference on the fuel flap . Should be interesting talking to the mechanics etc later today !

    Pete
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