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Old 07-21-2017, 02:45 PM   #1
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More on the Subject of Bio Diesel

As a resident of Illinois, I'm very sensitive to the scarcity of gas stations that sell straight diesel fuel. I just stumbled upon the commentary at the attached link. The OP cites a communication from Mercedes to owners of their diesel vehicles. If it's accurate, it's good to know.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/community/in...threads/50136/
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Old 07-21-2017, 05:34 PM   #2
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Thanks. That is a shorter version of a bulletin Mercedes had put out which another kind member post it here recently. Don't remember the original thread but I put a link to it at my forum: http://audiosciencereview.com/forum/...des-benz.1799/

Now I am going to go and check the engine oil level.
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Old 07-21-2017, 09:31 PM   #3
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Thanks. That is a shorter version of a bulletin Mercedes had put out which another kind member post it here recently. Don't remember the original thread but I put a link to it at my forum: http://audiosciencereview.com/forum/...des-benz.1799/

Now I am going to go and check the engine oil level.
Thanks for sending the link
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Old 07-21-2017, 10:07 PM   #4
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Just wondering, is there a fuel additive that I could put in my tank to counter act the Bio problem, similar to the additive I use for cold weather anti gelling and lift pump lubrication?
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Old 07-22-2017, 04:37 AM   #5
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Now that's a thought! Anybody know?
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Old 07-22-2017, 09:22 AM   #6
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Just wondering, is there a fuel additive that I could put in my tank to counter act the Bio problem, similar to the additive I use for cold weather anti gelling and lift pump lubrication?

I'm not aware of any such product.
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Old 07-22-2017, 02:37 PM   #7
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I wonder if the bio-diesel issues didn't also contribute to the Mercedes decision to drop diesel cars and SUVs from the USA market this year. Uncertain if they will bring them back. They also dropped the 4-cylinder diesel from 2017 Sprinters. Now the only Mercedes diesel available in USA is the 3.0L V-6 Turbo-Diesel in Sprinters like our Interstates.

http://www.motortrend.com/news/merce...sels-for-2017/
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Old 07-22-2017, 03:39 PM   #8
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Pretty amazing development. I suspect they are worried that there may be more cheats in their engine control than even they know! Good to hear Sprinter continues or I would be worried about long term parts availability.
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Old 07-22-2017, 06:00 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Kwils25 View Post
As a resident of Illinois, I'm very sensitive to the scarcity of gas stations that sell straight diesel fuel. I just stumbled upon the commentary at the attached link. The OP cites a communication from Mercedes to owners of their diesel vehicles. If it's accurate, it's good to know.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/community/in...threads/50136/
I too live in Ill Chicago Metro Area and I have no problem finding straight diesel along any of the Interstates. In the Chicago area you will have trouble finding BIO diesel. I don't use it at all in my Ford 6.7 Diesel engine.
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Old 07-23-2017, 12:15 PM   #10
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I too live in Ill Chicago Metro Area and I have no problem finding straight diesel along any of the Interstates. In the Chicago area you will have trouble finding BIO diesel. I don't use it at all in my Ford 6.7 Diesel engine.

With the Illinois bio-diesel mandates I find it interesting that you think you are buying straight non-bio diesel. I contend that the supply chain is full of bio-diesel in those regions where it is mandated by the government so your chances of finding nonbiological diesel are slim.
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Old 07-23-2017, 01:56 PM   #11
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I contend that the supply chain is full of bio-diesel in those regions where it is mandated by the government so your chances of finding nonbiological diesel are slim.
It probably helps that the Chicago diesel supply chain owes as much to the Great Lakes as it does to rail, road, and pipeline. But that's just an educated guess, not a proved fact.
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Old 07-23-2017, 03:46 PM   #12
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With the Illinois bio-diesel mandates I find it interesting that you think you are buying straight non-bio diesel. I contend that the supply chain is full of bio-diesel in those regions where it is mandated by the government so your chances of finding nonbiological diesel are slim.
My local Casey's General Store has a decal on the diesel pump reading 'Non-Bio'. I'm still very skeptical knowing the incentives Illinois has put in place. I much prefer to fill up out of state.
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Old 07-23-2017, 07:46 PM   #13
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I try not to get fuel in Illinois - I believe they have a biodiesel mandate (B5? B10?).

Biodiesel actually improves lubricity a bit - helping to offset the lower lubricity of ultra low sulfur fuel. So biodiesel is not all bad.

High pressure common rail fuel systems can tolerate some biodiesel -somewhere between 10 and 20%. Engine manufacturers would prefer B0 but most accept the reality of biodiesel incentives and (begrudgingly) allow up to B10 or B20 as long as the B100 feed stock meets ISO standards.
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Old 07-23-2017, 07:56 PM   #14
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And remember, half a tank of B0 plus half a tank of B10 equals a full tank of B5. So if you always just fill up the top half of the tank instead of waiting for the "low fuel" warning to fill up the whole tank, you're less likely to end up with a concentration of biodiesel that will exceed the capabilities of the DEF system to treat.

That's an important point to keep in mind: The engine can handle higher percentages of bio in your diesel. The DEF system can't. Not without expensive replacement of sensors and possibly reprogramming of computer chip firmware, anyway.
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Old 07-23-2017, 08:20 PM   #15
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The big 3 truck stops all have 5% to 20% bio-diesel . The big rigs engines are having lots of issues with bio-diesel. Many of the smaller diesel engine service shops along the interstates are making extremely good money getting a contaminated by bio-diesel engine operating again.

I avoid bio-diesel for both my 2012 Cummins and the two Mercedes with the 3.0L V6 turbo-diesels (2007 ML320 CDI and 2009 E320 Bluetec and both do NOT have DEF).
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Old 07-23-2017, 08:42 PM   #16
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I have used biodiesel only one time.

It dropped mpg significantly. I avoid it.
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Old 07-23-2017, 09:06 PM   #17
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I have used biodiesel only one time.

It dropped mpg significantly. I avoid it.
That shouldn't happen. Not saying it didn't, just that it shouldn't. The energy density (BTUs per gallon) of B20 biodiesel is 99% of the energy density of straight B0 ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD). You shouldn't see much difference in fuel economy, if any, for any bio percentage of B20 or less.

In fact, the energy density of B100 is still 93% of the energy density of B0 ULSD.

The equation is different for gasoline vs. ethanol. E10 has 97% of the energy density of E0 straight gasoline. E85 only has 73% of the energy density of straight gasoline. So increased percentages of ethanol should cause a huge hit in fuel economy.
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Old 07-23-2017, 11:12 PM   #18
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Our Jeep Liberty CRD runs great on B100. I wish I could find it more than rarely.
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Old 07-24-2017, 04:59 PM   #19
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And remember, half a tank of B0 plus half a tank of B10 equals a full tank of B5. So if you always just fill up the top half of the tank instead of waiting for the "low fuel" warning to fill up the whole tank, you're less likely to end up with a concentration of biodiesel that will exceed the capabilities of the DEF system to treat.

That's an important point to keep in mind: The engine can handle higher percentages of bio in your diesel. The DEF system can't. Not without expensive replacement of sensors and possibly reprogramming of computer chip firmware, anyway.
Good tip Protag. This is another reason I always drive on top half of my fuel tank.

But I respectfully disagree with your comment on bio-diesel impacting the DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) system, aka AdBlue in Mercedes lingo. As far as I know there is no relationship between using bio-diesel and the DEF used in the SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system.
http://www.dieselexhaustfluid-urea.com/scr-technology/

There certainily are other impacts from use of bio-diesel in a Mercedes diesel and they are summarized in this Brochure from Mercedes USA, which has been posted on this forum in the past.
https://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/Digital..._Brochure5.pdf
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Old 07-24-2017, 05:33 PM   #20
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It's crazy Mercedes doesn't rate their diesel engines for between B5 and B20 in this day and age. Too much a hassle trying to find straight diesel when towing. If GasBuddy showed stations with straight diesel it would be a nice feature. If you asked the station attendants what is in their diesel they don't have a clue. One week they get a shipment of B20 and the next B5. Crazy.

Basically, don't buy a diesel if it can't handle up to B20 so I guess that means anything built on a Sprinter or Mercedes chassis.

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