Bio-Diesel

[Starbuck]

I have still been using biodiesel and the car still runs great. I haven't posted in a while because I have been so busy. I am still on the same filters since the last time. I have put a pressure gauge in-line so I can monitor filter flow so far there is no indication of restrictions. I have gone a little over 10,000 miles on 100% biodiesel and the only real difference I can detect is the smell of the exhaust and at times just a few seconds more crank time for a cold start. I will keep updating as things progress. I hope that the desire for more fuel efficient cars will grow and that diesels will become more available in the U.S. like they are in Europe. The automotive industry has led the consumer into this market of poor fuel economy and larger less economical SUV's and Trucks while I own one myself I don't drive it like I used to simply because of the cost per week to fill the tank and the poor mileage 13mpg.city 15-17mpg.hwy (Chevy Suburban) unless we are taking the family I don't drive it.The Mercedes is getting an average of 34 mpg on biodiesel and is costing a fraction of the Suburbans fuel demands. I think as gas prices continue to rise people may shift over to other technologies, as it is currently we have done very little on cutting our petroleum addiction and the oil companies profits have skyrocketed (80 BILLION reported last quarter profits!!!) The only way we will ever see any decline at the pumps is if the consumption goes down. - Starbuck

 

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[roswellborn]

I am going to send a sample of the oil off for analysis at a chemical lab when I reach 10,000 miles on biodiesel to see how much affect it is having on the internal components. The lab we use can tell if there is specific metals in the oil and their percentage. I should be able to determine if bearing, piston ring, or block wear are occurring more than what is normal. I will keep updating this as I go along. - Starbuck

Are you still planning on the analysis? I'd be interested to see the results if you do.

I've really been enjoying this thread, it's giving me hope ("80 billion in profits" - that's freakin' obscene!)

thanks,
Nan

 

[Starbuck]

I waited until I reached 15,000 miles to send off the oil sample. We started classes back at the school on Aug.20 and I have been so busy with new students that I actually forgot to report this. Sorry. The oil analysis did not reveal any abnormal material in the oil the lab said the acid content of the oil was significantly lower than normal, but because organic fuel was being used that may not be abnormal and the lack of acidification in the oil was a good thing because that is a contributing factor to engine wear. I am using Mobil 1 Delvac diesel oil, I have used synthetics in everything I drive and change at the proper intervals (Critical for all cars engine life using synthetics or not) I also have a magnetic drain plug that act like the canary in the coal mine to alert me if anything related to wear is happening in the engine. We took a bore scope and with the injectors removed looked into the cylinders they really looked slightly cleaner than on petro diesel. I am going to try to find a way to post the images the bore scope sees but I tried with a camera but all you see is the blur of light through the end of the scope. I am convinced that biodiesel is a viable alternative to petroleum diesel. I do not think it is a replacement yet, until we can find a way to grow more non food oil crops without being detrimental to the land. We need more infrastructure to produce, transport and distribute biodiesel. If I didn't make my own there is no availability in my area. We are going to have to accept hybrids, plug in hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles and buy them. The SUV's and Trucks and larger inefficient cars will have to adapt and be built more efficiently or cease to exist, even though I own one and like the vehicle it is not a very efficient means of transportation. I know this sounds harsh but if you do some reading on your own we as a nation are not anywhere near the size (population wise) but we consume huge amounts of petroleum everyday. The last statistic I saw was that we use 350,000,000 gallons of just gasoline each day in the U.S. that doesn't include diesel and all of the other things that come from petroleum. I have a friend who teaches Geology and he says that when we start thinking about the Canadian tar sands as oil sources we are reaching a point where the cheap crude oil is disappearing and the harder to extract and process is taking it's place. The energy return is much less, and example is in the peak of crude production in Kuwait it cost about $1.00 (one dollar!) to pump out a barrel of crude oil. The amount of energy and products being produced from that barrel of crude made it almost the equivalent of being free. I am going to put a more powerful vehicle on biodiesel very soon. The new vehicle is a 1987 Mercedes 300D Turbo. I am going to put my wife in this car some of the time to reduce the amount of gasoline she will be using. (She won't drive the orange Mercedes it just isn't "Her type of car" ) I will try to be more frequent with keeping this updated. - Starbuck

 

[Starbuck]

Biodiesel Cold Flow Tests

I have begun testing the biodiesel with three different additives that are commercially available. The chemical additives I am using are AMSOIL cold flow additive, Power Service Diesel 9-1-1, and John Deere's fuel treatment with cold flow improver. I am attaching a link to a slide show that I have already created. The first two shots are the test tube samples at room temp about 70 degrees F, the next is inside the refrigerator at 45 degrees F, then at 30 degrees F. All of the test tubes are clear at 30 degrees F even though the lens on the camera kept fogging. The Amsoil and Diesel 9-1-1 have a little bit more clarity than the John Deere and the plain no additive B100 biodiesel. I am going to leave them for 5 days at the 30 degree setting and just observe them. I will report any changes, but as of right now I am much less worried about cold problems with the biodiesel than I was a few days ago. I think that unless it gets into the teens and stays there for several days starting and running on biodiesel in colder weather will be treatable with chemicals just like regular petro diesel.
- Starbuck
http://www.slide.com/r/wKbOaxfH4T_r...previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

 

[Starbuck]

Cold Fuel Tests for Biodiesel (Update)

I have continued testing and the fuel has now been at a constant 23 to 25 degrees F for 5 days. The winner seems to be the Power Service Diesel 9-1-1. You can read all the details on my blog if you would like to learn more. The blog site is : http://gadgetsbiodieselblog.wordpress.com/
-Starbuck

 

[Starbuck]

15 Degrees of failure

You can go to my blog site now and view the failed fuel pictures I maintained 15 degrees F for 5 days and the fuel is in bad shape. I work with a guy who is a Volvo diesel expert and he thinks the PS Diesel 9-1-1 and maybe the other two could get the car or truck cranked and then the engine's heat would clear it up. I am now going to add 10 % more for a total of 20% additive and retest. If no change then add 10% more. I am also adding a test tube of 100% ULSD ( Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel)a tube of B50 that is 50% bio and 50% ULSD. - Starbuck

 

[Starbuck]

What is Biodiesel

I have had quite few e-mails from various folks asking me to explain "what exactly is biodiesel??" Biodiesel is technically a Methyl-Ester it is derived and refined from organic plant oils, either waste or virgin and chemically changed to remove the glycerin molecule and attach a methanol molecule in it's place. It has an energy density that is almost the same as it's petroleum counterpart. It takes 1.1gallons of biodieselto equal the energy in 1 gallon of petro diesel. I as many other users have noticed that the slight energy difference is balanced in a running engine by the high lubricity of bidiesel compared to ultra low sufur fuel used now. I am not going to reinvent the wheel so here is an excellent link that just puts down the basics it is an 11 minute episode from TRUCKS and it gives a really good overview. If you are interested in more info feel free to contact me by e-mail. - Starbuck
Here is the link.
[video=google;457773184300286737]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=457773184300286737&q=biodiesel+trucks&total=167&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0[/video]

 

[Starbuck]

One more link

here is one more good info video. - Starbuck
[video=google;2632276120914746174]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2632276120914746174[/video]

 

[05Duramax]

Thinking about buying one of those 4000.00 systems and make my own at home. I could always use another hobby. Having a diesel is great I could deepfry some halibut or catfish nuggets and pour the oil thru a coffee filter straight into the truck how cool is that. Haven't had any problems yet.

Later D

 

[Starbuck]

I just wanted to post an update for the biodiesel experiment. I have a been working pretty hard on my blog http://gadgetsbiodieselblog.wordpress.com/ and haven't had much time to metal detect....but that is going to change because I am going to make time to get in some hunting. I am kind of satisfied with my biodiesel additive tests. The additives didn't perform as good as petroleum in the refrigerator test but in the real world conditions the additives worked O.K. and I was able to drive both cars on 100% biodiesel without having to plug then in even in the 15-16 degree overnight conditions we has for a few days. The reason the fuel didn't fail was because the temperature was not sustained, it was only for a few hours overnight so the fuel in the tank that had been warmed by driving the vehicle and circulation of the fuel through the fuel heater kept the fuel from being cold saturated by the outside temperatures. I am going to try some new additives that are now out and advertised to work with ULSD/biodiesel. The engine oil test was a real comfort to see that the biodiesel is actually helping keep the engine from wearing due to the higher lubricity of the fuel. The oil also stays cleaner since there is no soot to saturate the oil and very low acids that break the oil down. The engine runs slightly cooler. I am going to continue to post and place information that may be beneficial to members here. I think if fuel reaches $4.00 a gallon this spring as many analysts are predicting there will be more people willing to do the work needed to provide their own energy needs. I think alternative energy sources such as solar and wind will grow in popularity.- Starbuck

 

[Starbuck]

Here is an interesting little excerpt from the Presidents speech.
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/28/bush-falsely-claims-hes-focused-on-gas-prices/
- Starbuck

 

[Starbuck]

Here is a local issue with area truckers.
http://www.myfoxwghp.com/myfox/page...ale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1
- Starbuck