A word of warning on Biodiesel and help please

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XantiaMan
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Post by XantiaMan »

caveman_si wrote:So you've been running SVo and you stick some biodiesel in with out researching the possible outcomes????

The flakes in the bottom of the fuel filter can be there regardless of what fuel you run on. Ive seen it on vehicles that have never run on anything other then "proper diesel".

Biodiesel has cleaning properties so you should expect the gunk in your tank to get cleaned out.

What I would hazzard a guess at has happend is the SVO in your tank has reacted with the biodiesel and clogged up the fuel tank filter. Thats why its recommened not to mix SVO and biodiesel of unknown origin in your fuel tank. Not a reason to stop using it.
Well i aint using it again, it stinks big time, and isnt as cheap as mixing diesel/SVO.

And yes i did research about the use of biodiesel and i was aware of the cleaning properties, i wouldnt of put it in without prior knowledge, i never do that with anything, the same i full read up about SVO before i used it in case of problems, i think i just got unlucky but people can make their own choices, at least with SVO you can be pretty sure its of good quality otherwise it wouldnt be fit for human consumption...
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Post by caveman_si »

if it stinks then i would hazzard a guess that sometihng is wrong with it and im guessing from the pics that it reacted with the svo in your tank as it probably wasnt fully reacted. Sounds like a duff batch. I had the opposite happen once runniing bio/svo blends and then got a dodgy bio batch top the car up with svo and ended up with a fuel filter that was covered in jelly. Sham about your bad experince with biodiesel.
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XantiaMan
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Post by XantiaMan »

caveman_si wrote:if it stinks then i would hazzard a guess that sometihng is wrong with it and im guessing from the pics that it reacted with the svo in your tank as it probably wasnt fully reacted. Sounds like a duff batch. I had the opposite happen once runniing bio/svo blends and then got a dodgy bio batch top the car up with svo and ended up with a fuel filter that was covered in jelly. Sham about your bad experince with biodiesel.
It stinks exactly the same as the depot that sold it to me, i.e the back of a KFC, think used oil always retains that smell.
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Post by howiedean »

XantiaMan583 wrote:
caveman_si wrote:if it stinks then i would hazzard a guess that sometihng is wrong with it and im guessing from the pics that it reacted with the svo in your tank as it probably wasnt fully reacted. Sounds like a duff batch. I had the opposite happen once runniing bio/svo blends and then got a dodgy bio batch top the car up with svo and ended up with a fuel filter that was covered in jelly. Sham about your bad experince with biodiesel.
It stinks exactly the same as the depot that sold it to me, i.e the back of a KFC, think used oil always retains that smell.
There are many places producing Biodiesel and some are only interested in making as much money as possible. :cry: Biodiesel should not smell nasty and if this is the case then the fuel has not been made correctly!!!
SVO, WVO, Biodiesel fuels all have their pros and cons it is just a matter of finding what's best for you. :wink:
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Post by Xaccers »

Given that most of our cars are around the 10 year old mark, perhaps it would be prudent to check all our fuel return pipes (ala TehAgent's issues) and fuel sender units?

Thicker fuels "clean" the gunk out by picking up the dirt and grit that makes its way into the tank, then transporting it to the fuel filter for it to be captured and removed when changed.

Would also be a good idea to find that fuel tank air hole to stop a vacuum forming (that gurgle or hiss when you open the fuel cap).

Biodiesel isn't nice stuff, one of the veg forums I've been to mention that it's able to lift off the varnish from the inside of fuel tanks (varnished ones obviously).
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Post by MikeT »

Totally agree with all you've said xac! Pickup, breather and return are all on my list of to-do's. All I know for certain is my filter isn't collecting anything suspect after 3Kmiles+ of 80-100% SVO.
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Post by XantiaMan »

Definatly worth doing, its a 15 minute job if that, 5 to remove, 5 to clean, 5 to put back. There was crap on the reverse side of the gauze aswell, it just clips in, compressed air would be very handy for this job, as i wanted to clean the actual pipe aswell. Mine had definatly been off before for some reason, maybe for another sender? The ring holding the pick-up/sender unit had chisel marks on it from before, handy that it had jubilee clips though!
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