Betty asks…
Why don’t we have cars that run on biodiesel?
Biodiesel is less expensive to make than ethanol, and gives better energy. No one is making biodiesel cars. I think they are missing a great opportunity to exploit a resource that has barely been tapped. Too bad we are so short sighted. It would be much more economical than Hydrogen power in the more near future. We could start in a year or two.
admin answers:
Probably because power hungry governments realise that this will produce less capital for two jags and co.
Thomas asks…
Are there any long term affects on Diesel cars that go to biodiesel?
I currently drive a Diesel Jetta. I have been using regular, ‘ol fuel in if for about a year isince I bough it new. Can I just simply switch my fuel to biodiesel and if I need to switch back to regular diesel, will there be any issues with the maintenence of my car?
admin answers:
No.
With the ULSD (ultra low sulfur diesel fuel), a good majority of the lubricating properties of the fuel to the engine and injector pump are now gone. Since biodiesel has much better lubricating properties than even the old higher sulfur content diesel fuel, and will make the engine vibrate less, rattle and shake less and make less noise at idle. Oh, did I mention Biodiesel is supposed to increase engine life because of all of these things?
Even if it’s a few “cents” more to use it, id doesn’t make “sense” not to.
Find a biodiesel pump in your area and use it for every fill up.
P.s. Not that you’ll need it, but carry an extra fuel filter with you in the trunk, with the wrench to change it. Biodiesel cleans the dirty soot the petroleum diesel left behind, and in some cases it can accumulate into clumps and clog the fuel fiter, and you will notice a loss of power as the engine is starved for fuel. This lean condition won’t hurt the engine, as this is how a diesel controls RPM’s anyway, but go ahead and change the fuel filter at your earliest convenience to restore power, and make life a little easier on the lift pump. Don’t waste your time doing it early. Give the biodiesel a good chance to clean the tank and fuel lines up first. And if you never notice a power loss just change it after the first year of using biodiesel, and then go back to the regular maintenance schedule.
There has been some concern over having to replace the fuel lines, because methanol is used when making biodiesel, and people knoe that 85% ethanol in E85 has been shown to deteroriate rubber. I have never replaced a fuel line and squeeze them everytime I change the oil to see if their getting soft.
They aren’t. Not quite sure how this fuel line concern with biodiesel got started, I’ve never seen any evidence for it.
Good luck reducing your dependence on foreign oil, and using a renewable fuel that will help reduce global warming.
P.s. You’ll love how your car smells.
David asks…
BIodiesel for old cars and machinery?
Is Biodiesel sufficient for old cars and older machinery that run on diesel? I know that I should not just switch to B100, but is B20 fine? Or, should I go lower, to B10, or even B5?
admin answers:
The engine will run on B-100 but you will develop other problems. The fuel lines will need to be replaced with synthetic hoses because biodiesel will dissolve natural rubber. The other problem you will have is clogged fuel filters. Biodiesel is a stronger solvent than petroleum diesel. It will loosen any sludge from the bottom of the fuel tank which will mean frequent filter changes until the tank is clean. I would think B-20 will work without any serious problems. Just watch the fuel lines and keep some spare fuel filters handy.
Chris asks…
i was viewing some jetta cars before 2006, which of the jetta cars has a biodiesel engine?
i was looking at the jetta 2.5, jetta gls, and a jetta glx. do any of these have an biodiesel engine? the reason im asking is cuz i want to be able to fill the tank up using veggie oil, i want the car to run on veggie oil for the environment.
admin answers:
Jettas have been available in the US with diesels since sometime in the early 80s. More recently, they’ve had a diesel option from 97-03, 05/06, and 09+; but you really don’t want to use VeggieOil in ANY of these motors. You can use BioDiesel (created from VeggieOil) but DO NOT use straight veggie oil in any of the newer diesels. You may be saving the environment for a little while, but you’ll need to scrap the entire car in no time, wasting any good you’ve done, for sure.
If you research and realize how much damage you’ll do to your engine running veggie oil and STILL decide to do it, make sure you research a proper Veggie Oil conversion kit, GreaseCar; Fryguy, something like that; and make sure it’s installed properly.
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