B20 Biodiesel...??

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When using regular diesel I occaisally add some MMO or 2 stroke oil to my fuel to help lubricate the injecters.

A local station now has B20 Biodiesel.....would I still need to add some lube or does the B20 inheritly have more lubrication?
 
i visit a couple of diesel related web sites and from what i gather there the answer is no, i add used engine oil my 33 gal fuel tank, just half a gal per fill when not running biodiesel
 
So which one is it? Yes or no? And who is right?
grin2.gif
 
B2 has more than enough lube for the inectors and ip. Now if you want to run a cleaner that is different. Hopefully in the future diesel in the US will be mandated to have 2-5% bio in it. Then none of us will need any lube for the dry ulsd.
 
Originally Posted By: Harley Anderson
B2 has more than enough lube for the inectors and ip. Now if you want to run a cleaner that is different. Hopefully in the future diesel in the US will be mandated to have 2-5% bio in it. Then none of us will need any lube for the dry ulsd.


Glad to hear that..........the place where I was buying the B20 has quit carring biodiesel.......there is another place down the road a few miles that carries B2......I didn't think 2% would have enough inherit lube qualities.
 
I waited until the weather got cold to post this, because BioD has a gel issue. Many improvements over the last few years, but I was wondering at what % bio are your local stations carrying it. Also, besides Power Service are there any additive companies promoting an antigel that is ULSD compatible?

BTW - after swiching to BD remember to keep an eye on the fuel filter because, as Syn said, "B20 will clean out your whole fuel system".
 
Most stations in Illinois have B11 on hand. Minnesota has mandated B2, will go to B5 soon, and eventually B10. A lot of stations in Iowa have B5 in the winter and B10 in the summer. I use all of these blends in my Semi and usually B5 in my Jeep Diesel year round with no problems.

ALL of the brand name anti gel products are ULSD compatible and most of them are also biodiesel compatible. Power Service, Howes, etc. All of which are readily available.

Note: you might be able to find these products cheaper online. I saved about 40% (even after shipping) when I ordered Howes online.
 
B20 will help a LOT with IP wear, but you might want to use anti-gel in winter weather to prevent fuel system blockages-a vehicle with a heated fuel filter would be MUCH less likely to have a problem. IMHO, no need for a lubricity improver w/any biodiesel.
 
Last time I was in Minnesota (Last month) the diesel techs told me the fuel was B12 and was causing lots of gelling issues if not treated for winter use.
I heard a B2 blend added as much or better lubricity to ULSF as any over the counter additive.

Antone know if Bio has more, less or equal energy compared to straight #2?
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Rabbler


Antone know if Bio has more, less or equal energy compared to straight #2?


500ppm Sulfur diesel(LSD) from my memory has typically between 128,000 to 132,000 BTU/gal, and Bio diesel typically about 118,000 BTU/gal, that is without verification and my memory is working correctly, but that should be in the ball park and give you some idea of the relative difference. ULSD is slightly less than LSD, quoted about 2% I think. So Bio has a little less but still significantly greater than gasoline.
 
I'm in MN.
We have up to B20.
All diesel fuel in MN is at least B5 by law.
Bio fuel does have more lubricity than reg diesel fuel does.

In the winter the % of BIO falls as gelling is a problem,
so there is more % of bio in the summer fuel than the winter fuel.

All cumins engines are approved to use up to B20 pre DPF/emission trucks can run a much higher % .
 
Check your manuals before going to B20, most manufacturers allow up to B10 and a lot of guys get away with running it but higher % of bio is hard on rubber parts in the fuel system and can make fuel lines soft.
 
I have regularly used bio blends from 5% up to 15% year round in the upper midwest for several years. I regularly run thru Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana and bio is the name of the game are virtually all truck stops nowadays. I do have occasion fuel filter issues in the winter, since the fuel filter specs for my engine are about 7 micron. Gelling is not really an issue, but the denser bio will fill the filter media a little sooner in extreme cold. I have a glass bowl to see how much of the filter has been used, once fuel reaches the top, time to change. I go thru about 21,000 gallons of biodiesel a year and it works fine.

I only have some issues when ambient temps get into the the serious sub zero range. I have never had issues above 0F. As was stated, bio really spikes diesel with lubricity that was lost when we got LSD and ULSD fuel. A B2 blend will add back the lubricity lost going from LSD to ULSD, and a B5 blend will add back all the lubricity we have lost over the years.

One caveat with biodiesel. It has a little higher flash and vapor point than petro diesel. It has caused, in some instances, a slight fuel dilution situation to occur. One needs to watch things a little closer when using high blends of bio. There is always a little fuel that slips by the rings, and normally the internal heat will keep it in vapor and it will blow out or recycle via PCV. If temps do not run high enough in an engine, the bio can coalesce and build up in the sump.
 
B20 means biodiesel 20% and 80% petrodiesel right? I think you should add some more additive to your tank to maintain your fuel pump and the tank. According to article on internet (i think you can find it on wiki maybe) if biodiesel which will be added more than 5% (correct me if im wrong), there will be sludge that is caused by the bactery. In my place, according to the regulation, biodiesel is added approx 15% to petrodiesel and it is a must to add some additive. For now, im using scheaffer Diesel Treat 2000 as my long additive with maintenance dosage. Maybe you should try it. U can find the TDS and MSDS on the website.
 
Wow.....I started this post this 9 years ago .......

Still getting replies.
 
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