Biodiesel....

[rbdazza]

Been searching through the forum but not managed to find anyone running bio in the later PDs and specifically the B8!CR engines.

Anyone on here doing it? I've run bio and veg for years in various cars and will be getting the Audi on bio in the next week or so

 

[wallacr]

I did it in an B6 and it wrecked the seals and caused the car to smoke after a while, so I wouldn't do it again.

Mind you, that could just be that the stuff I was using was no good as a family member was making it


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[rbdazza]

Lol. Unlucky mate. What engine is in the B6?

 

[rbdazza]

And how many miles did you do on it?

 

[wallacr]

It was a 1.9tdi and I did about 5,000 miles on bio, but to be fair the car had already done 90k by then too


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[rbdazza]

The PD? I done 20k on home made bio in PD130 Passat before I sold it still going strong without problems. You must have been unlucky. My Passat had 150k when I bought it lol

 

[rbdazza]

This was the last car I was running on bio, 25k without problems, sold with 180k on. I do miss 230bhp and rear wheel drive, well I do in the summer lol.

 

[wallacr]

Yeah it was a PD130. This was mine:

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[rbdazza]

Very nice. The problem must have either been non bio related or the fuel was ****. They love bio! I only did 20k but I know folk who have done more than double that on PDs

 

[wallacr]

Guessing it was the fuel in my case then


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[rbdazza]

Well. Bit sooner than expected but she had half a tank of bio over the weekend. 200 miles and no change but a sweet smell from the exhaust haha. The journey begins!

 

[desertstorm]

Personally I wouldn't run Bio diesel in a car with a modern CR engine.
I just checked in the manual for my B8 and it specifically says "the vechicle is not designed for the use of biodiesel (FAME fuel). The system would be damaged if you used biodiesel.

Very small amounts of water in the fuel can cause lubrication issues for the pump as well as the seals in the system need to be capable of dealing with biodiesel. If the pump sustains wear damage you usually end up replacing the complete fuel system including the injectors so it can be very expensive.
Do a Google search for Bosch CP4 Biodiesel.

 

[rbdazza]

This will be my second CR car run on biodiesel. Indeed, on the filler cap it says not for biodiesel. That sticker will soon fall off once I've spilt a few litres of bio over it. In reality, if your fuel is good, the problems come from the DPF system, not the fuel system.

Thanks for your words of caution.

I'll keep you all up to date with my experiences. Would be good to hear of others experiences too.

 

[rbdazza]

Another 150 miles today. Almost run it out before filling again so all that dirty derv should now be gone.

Cold starts were instant this morning and when leaving work tonight. No noticeable drop in power but mpg has dropped as to be expected. Not a hint of smoke either, biodiesel is great for amplifying the symptoms of dodgy injectors so no obvious problems there.

Bring on the miles!

 

[desertstorm]

There are reasons that Bosch say not to use Biodiesel.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/hybrid-electric/a6326/4311498/
https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/03/f10/pm040_lance_2012_o.pdf
What pump system did the BMW have and did it have a DPF ? The CP1 and CP3 pumps seem to be a lot more tolerant to fuel quality.
The newer CP4 pump has had issues with fuel quality causing wear in the system. Although Biodiesel seems to be good for Lubricity it's quality can be a bit hit and miss and it only takes 1 bad tank of fuel to cause significant damage to the fuel system.

 

[rbdazza]

Sorry are you confirming what I have said? That the problems lie with dpfs as that's what those links allude too.

I'm not sure which pump the BMW had, it was the M57n2 engine and yes it had a DPF.

My Audi, doesn't have a DPF. Can you link to experiences of pump failure proven by biodiesel?

I really started this thread to share my experiences and see what others had experienced. Not to view anecdotal links on the internet.

Thanks again for your words of caution.

 

[desertstorm]

The fact that you have got rid of the DPF will be a definite plus .I missed the bit where you said you had got rid of it. With no regeneration going on you should have less issues with fuel in the oil. The BMW would have had a CP1 or CP3 pump which only ran 1350 or 1600 bar pressure and were so much more reliable than the CP4 pump which is proven to have issues especially with poor fuel quality.
This makes interesting reading.
https://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/DigitalAssets/pdfmb/serviceandparts/biodiesel_Brochure5.pdf
Running Bio in modern CR cars with 2000 bar systems and piezo injectors is a different ask to older much simpler systems. Which is possibly why there are less people doing it. I hope it works for you.

 

[rbdazza]

Cheers. Yeah I think the bm had the cp3 after a quick google. The problem I had with that car was fuel in the oil but 4K oil changes kept on that which I typically do anyway.

Shouldn't have that problem here so just the pump. I do plan to have it reconditioned and re sealed if it lasts 10k. The saving by then will be mega and more than pay for it.

 

[rbdazza]

I guess my point of view is that the car was cheaper due to its mileage. And due to its mileage pump and/or injector failure are more likely anyway. So if I can save some dosh by using bio the repair will be a little easier to stomach

 

[rbdazza]

Quick update. done around 600 miles so far without a drop of diesel and she's been running like a dream. still spins the wheels up in 3rd when the roads are damp!
slight delay in starting when the temps have dropped below zero but i've got some 2ehn on order that should sort that!

 

[AudiLeon]

It's probably one of those things you'll run it no problem at all. It'll be the poor chap who buys it off you and needs a new pump after 2k lol

 

[rbdazza]

Lol. Hopefully!! Haha

 

[rbdazza]

1000 miles in now and a 600 mile round trip planned this weekend. Will need to find a clean 5g drum to fill up and stick in the boot. Can't be running low miles away from home!