C5 2.0 hdi and bio diesel

[C5Alan]

Ok I have found someone relatively local to me (15 miles away) that produces and sell bio diesel at 119p per litre so a little saving over the 139.9p at the pumps at the min but I know the HDI's dont like veg oil so what are they like on pure bio??? I can see a fuel filter change on the cards soon if I do start using it.

Next thing is as they aint exactly round the corner meaning about 1 hour to get there fill up and get back I was thinking of using a couple of 25ltr plastic fuel cans I have lying at the back of the lock up they have been used for petrol in the past would they be usable for bio and what if I wanted to go back to petrol in the future?

The fuel wont be lying around too long in the cans as I normally need to fill up every 2 weeks so should be able to stretch to an extra week this way

[SaabC5]

Saab did a short production run of Biopower cars. They had to have special fuel lines because Bio is more corrosive than standards fuels apparently.

[C5Alan]

according to their web site it should be ok but dont want to use my car as a test bed as I dont have a back up if it goes wrong so want to see of someone else has been there first like I said it should be ok but want to be sure

http://www.applefuels.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[JohnD]

Quite a long time ago I recall reading on a PSA website that their HDI engines would tolerate a mixture of up to 30% bio-diesel.

[JohnD]

Quite a long time ago I recall reading on a PSA website that their HDI engines would tolerate a mixture of up to 30% bio-diesel.

Not the quote I've been looking for but read through this website:- http://www.ryebiofuels.co.uk/bio-diesel-faq.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and you'll read:-
•Peugeot and Citroen have both announced that their PSA Hdi engine can now run on 30% biodiesel.

[myglaren]

Ran my estate on bio produced at the factory adjacent to where I work (at very favourable rates).
The only difference I found in six months of using it was that the exhaust smelled better than standard diesel.
It was made first from waste oil then when that got too expensive they used only virgin rape seed oil.

After the six months they couldn't produce it at a competetive price to sell and now only run their fleet on it.

It will scour the tank and fuel linse of crap left by standard diesel and will need the fuel filter replacing a few times until that clears.
You may find the need to pull the lift pump after a month or so to clear the strainer in that too.

I never did and had no negative experiences with it. (The bio, that is).

[C5Alan]

OK sounds good will get a tank full after I run dry this time. I was thinking of getting some in-line filters for before the fuel filter as I have heard good things about using them in pure veg as they save needing to replace the fuel filter as often plus they are cheaper so cant be a harm for bio

[Spaces]

Properly made bio which tests well will be good for the engine. A lot isn't.

The lift pump may need replacing a little sooner than usual if the fuel is on the viscous side as temperatures drop. (This depends on the feestock quality - bio made from lard will gel at a higher temperature than that made from rapeseed oil, the rule of thumb is that esterification lowers the gel point by about 30C from oil from which it was made. A little petrol or (a little more) diesel sorts this problem out.)

The main problem is that bio which isn't good quality can wreck an engine and its fuel delivery components - just as unpolished or undried veg oil can damage an engine which is otherwise completely tolerant of veg oil. Methanol which hasn't been evaporated off, remaining soaps (although some experienced bio-users suggest a little soap is ok) and poorly converted oil can all wreck havoc. Unfortunately there is no British Standard and plenty of outlets who suggest that there has never been a complaint may well have people running older cars, generators or heating boilers on it. The wiki site for the famous vegoildiesel forum is very helpful for testing bio quality - see http://www.biopowered.co.uk/wiki/Main_Page which describes how to carry out fairly straightforward tests on the fuel.

Remember plant oils and especially bio-diesel made from it will dissolve the mucky deposits left by mineral fuels (why else does diesel have such a potent cocktail of additives which still makes for a considerably dirtier exhaust) so a filter or two may be needed in the first few days or weeks of running on it.