Bio fuel

[SCPO]

In recent trips to Illinois I have found that once you get to Paducah, Ky it is near impossible to get any Diesel fuel that isn't Bio. And that once you get into Illinois the Bio diesel is all 10 to 20 percent as stated on the pump. This exceeds the limit in the owners manual which states that my 2010 should not have more than 5%. Luckly on every trip I have been able to get to Rockford, Il. where I could get diesel without Bio. Called dodge and they were no help on whether in an emergeny I could use that high of a percentage, they referred me to a local dealer who said they had never heard of the 5% max. and that they had not had any complaints, but he also stated he had never read that in the owners manual and would not let his name be use to say it would be OK to run the higher percentage bio fuel. It is harder and harder to find non bio diesel each trip I make to Illinois. Last two trip I have carried extra diesel. Any suggestion. I have 63000+ miles on the truck and do not want to void the warranty by running excessive bio fuel.

 

[EMAC2]

Oil dilution with the bio instead of straight diesel? My manual states the same as yours. I would call customer care again and have them open a case for you. Have them investigate it and give you an official answer you can hang your hat on.

 

[kkelley]

Engine Seals, Gaskets and Hoses

The oxygenated methyl esters of vegetable oil cause Biodiesel to have surprisingly strong solvent properties with respect to natural rubber and several soft plastics. As a result, old rubber fuel lines and some seals or gaskets on fuel tanks may slowly deteriorate in the presence of higher concentrations of Biodiesel. Fortunately, few of these solvent effects are noticed at a B-20 blend, and most of the problems associated with the solvent effects occurred with boats using 100% neat Biodiesel. When fuel lines or gaskets are affected, they usually get sticky over time and soften or swell, causing fuel to drip from connections. In one case, the rubber fuel line between the primary filter and the fuel pump on a Yanmar sailboat engine became tacky, but did not leak, after 4 years of operating on 100% Biodiesel. The best solution is to replace affected lines and gaskets with modern synthetic hoses and seals.

http://www.cytoculture.com/Biodiesel Handbook.htm
That was from a search that led me to a large amount of info for marine applications. It is as I thought, it can deteriorate rubber fittings, hoses, and seals. Just like ethanol does in gas engines. Occasional usage should not cause any problems. If you used it all the time, you may notice some of the problems listed over time.

 

[SCPO]

Guess I will keep carrying extra fuel in 5 gal containers until I can afford a larger fuel tank. Makes you wonder how they are able to sell the dodge diesel truck in Illinois. Last year one station told me it was the law in Illinois that the higher percentage was all that you can get. Evidently northern Illinois hasn't heard of it cause you can still get regular diesel at most Phillips stations there. Now all I need is a reasonable price on an electric or hand pump as it gets old trying to pour 5 gallons into the tank kind of hard on the old arms.

 

[EDankievitch]

As long as the BioDiesel meets the national standard you will not have any issues. Biodiesel provides much beter lube propertys than reg diesel. I've been running BioDiesel in my trucks for the last 10 years. I've found that if I run it in my 2012 the engine goes into Regen much less than on reg diesel.

 

[DF5152]

Ed you bought a 2012?

 

[Simplysmn]

I have run B20 in my 11 several times for several thousand miles and never any troubles

 

[RonD]

In California they have Regular Diesel, and B20 Bio, no 5%, I have run both, and also both when on the road, it something happens to the engine it has a 100000 mi warrantee, I am not concerned about B20 at all, what is the Dealer going to test the fuel?, this is a ridiculous concern, the big thing is with Bio is your fuel economy drops, there is less energy in Bio Diesel, same thing with E85 Gas

 

[sag2]

In California they have Regular Diesel, and B20 Bio, no 5%, I have run both, and also both when on the road, it something happens to the engine it has a 100000 mi warrantee, I am not concerned about B20 at all, what is the Dealer going to test the fuel?, this is a ridiculous concern, the big thing is with Bio is your fuel economy drops, there is less energy in Bio Diesel, same thing with E85 Gas

Not true. Chrysler does lots of oil and fuel testing, as well as other tests to determine what caused a failure before paying for repairs that appear suspect. Our Cummins engines as a rule never fail on their own without some help from improper maintenance or performance enhancements. That is one of the reasons I keep telling owners they MUST have records of proper service, especially fuel filter records at least every 15,000 miles. Bio requires better filtration, and it leaves behind evidence if it is not of adequate quality.

 

[Hootguy]

evidence,,really??,,what evidence exactly,,other than a squeaky clean full system,,,and none of the dirtyness of regular diesel//

 

[goodguys75]

if you run bio from day one you are fine, but if you add it later it acts like a detergent and cleans all the gunk... that's why you must change fuel filter often after that... I never run it

 

[Hootguy]

well,,at 40 cents a gallon,,it's kinda nice to drive by the gas station and laugh at the guys filling their truck and having to mortgage the house,,LOL. .

 

[BIGNASTY]

if you run bio from day one you are fine, but if you add it later it acts like a detergent and cleans all the gunk... that's why you must change fuel filter often after that... I never run it

This is why I run bio only in the warmer time of the year its not a cold weather fuel. I run B100 (homemade) BIL,Nephew,Son do the same thing we run a tank or two thru it and watch the fuel pressure gauge. The filters will start to get plugged (not as much anymore because we have done this a few years)when the pressure goes up we change ALL the filters we have multi filters last one is a Cat 2 mic. We have no other problems until the cold sets in and then we go back to reg diesel. Then start the cycle all over again in the warmer months. Its not harmed one of our trucks one i oda BTJMO and thats what counts to me. Forgot to add both the FIL/BIL run it in the farm tractors and have had no problems. Only problem is that we should have gone for a bigger system than what we did but it only takes overnite to make a batch so not that big a problem to overcome.


http://thebiodieselstore.com/biodiesel-processors/150-gal-freedomfueler

 

[GHarman]

BIG,
Thanks for posting the link!
GOOD STUFF!
GregH

 

[Bater]

I have been running various blends of biodiesel for going on ten years. Was at first hard to find, and now pretty common to be able to get B5, which is warranty compliant.



Have in the past used greater mixtures, up to B99, in vehicles/machines that were out of warranty. Only aware of two problems when using those higher blends. Gasket on the cap on the transfer tank in the bed of my pickup deteriorated prematurely, and once I left some B99 in the tractor too late in the season, and it gelled on me one extremely cold day. (Did some mowing with B5 in the tank the other day, and even with that low blend got some of that nice "cookie" smell. )



SCPO, I think it may be good advice to write or call Dodge customer care about B10 or B20 being all that is available to you. A few years back I had the '08 in for a warranty reflash, and when I picked it up the work order had "suspect biodiesel use" (being a biomass feedstock producer, naturally I have a biodiesel sticker) and "vehicle has aux tank" written on it. I wrote Chrysler, copying the dealer, that yes, I always used biodiesel, but never anything greater than B5, and I also clarified that the "aux tank" was really a transfer tank, and had no connection to the truck fuel system. A week or so later a rep from Chrysler called and chatted with me about the situation. (I never went back to that dealer. )