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[Pitchfork]

Previous threads on the Forum have recommended that Traktors should not be run on Biodiesel because the (v. expensive to replace) Injector pump does not like it.
Yesterday I met a man who drives a '96 BMW 525 (same engine) who has run it without problems for 2 years on Bio
So can anyone give guidence as to whether it is safe to use Bio or not?
The price of conventional Diesel around here currently is £1.32/ litre

[Omegatoy]

tis not the injector pump that plays up its the lift pump in the tank mate!! I know of 2 Omega 2.5 diesels that have run quite happily on
proper biodiesel and have had no issues, indeed where i live the diesel is 30percent bio anyway ,and i have put a full tank through it by mistake when i filled up on the wrong pump!!! didnt notice a great deal of difference in performance but the smoke was a lighter colour when really winding it up!!!  
Omegatoy

[Pitchfork]

I had a new lift pump a couple of years ago
In what way does it mess up the pump?

[Omegatoy]

lift pump is a slightly modded petrol one as far as i know, and it strugges with std diesel bio is slightly thicker or heavier in diesel terms
so it struggles even more and gives up!!!! but hey if you dont mind taking the chance go for it

[perfferle]

Safer to try it now though - Bio gets pretty thick in cold seasons which could be an issue for the pump. I have seen heaters used for large generator installations because of the gelling of Bio when it gets cold.

Another thing is the tendancy of Bio to separate out, and recirculation pumps are used to keep it together - this should not be a prob though if you use the car alot.

Another consideration is that most engine manufacturers recommend basically that you half the fuel filter and oil filter and oil lifetime replacement interval.

Bio diesel does contanimate the engine oil and will not evaporate over time - this is why the oil lifetime is halved.

[Pitchfork]

So since the boy recommends oil changes at 3K, it would need to be at 1.5K if using biodiesel. I'll have to work out the cost implications since I guess the savings made on Bio would not meet the costs of the more frequent oil & filtre changes

[TheBoy]

So since the boy recommends oil changes at 3K, it would need to be at 1.5K if using biodiesel. I'll have to work out the cost implications since I guess the savings made on Bio would not meet the costs of the more frequent oil & filtre changes

Can't answer the bio q, but remember the stated oil change is 4.5k or 7.5k depending on age.

Sticking to 3k (MAX) oil changes may be enough anyway  :-/

[Danny]

what exactly is biodiesel??

is it similar to Veg Oil?

a mate of mine was running his fiesta 1.8 diesel on chip fat, it lasted 4 months before it destroyed his engine

[perfferle]

For a better Bio-diesel overview and typical engine manufacturer opinions you can check out the following:
http://www.caldo.co.uk/environmental/
And
http://www.bioenerg.co.uk/zn_file/Scania.pdf

[Minispud]

what exactly is biodiesel??

is it similar to Veg Oil?
a mate of mine was running his fiesta 1.8 diesel on chip fat, it lasted 4 months before it destroyed his engine

 Yes & No to your question,
 Bio-diesel can be made from Veg oil (new or used) you have to process it to make the Bio-diesel. No it is not straight Veg oil

 If you search the web enough, you can find out that quite a few people have run the BMW 2.5 td engine on Bio-diesel with out any problems, if the vauxhall lift has a problem with Bio-diesel, then why not try a BMW unit from either a E36 (325 Tds) or a E34 (525 Tds)  

[yatesDELTA]

So it can kill the diesel pump?

Is it impossible to get cheap ones?

As the price of diesel is so high ive been wondering baout use of SVO (straight veg oil)   cos i could get it cheaply from the cash and carry..

I know that pug 405's are good on veg oil etc but i dont really like them...

[Minispud]

So it can kill the diesel pump?

Is it impossible to get cheap ones?

As the price of diesel is so high ive been wondering baout use of SVO (straight veg oil)   cos i could get it cheaply from the cash and carry..I know that pug 405's are good on veg oil etc but i dont really like them...

 If you want more info on SVO then check out this website http://www.dieselveg.com/ They have done a Range Rover 2.5TD (BMW engine) and Omega 2.2DTi and 2.5 TD, plus you could try running LPG as well, and before anybody says that you can not run LPG with Diesel check out http://www.spongecars.com/ and tell them that it can not be done

[Minispud]

So it can kill the diesel pump?

Is it impossible to get cheap ones?

As the price of diesel is so high ive been wondering baout use of SVO (straight veg oil)   cos i could get it cheaply from the cash and carry..

I know that pug 405's are good on veg oil etc but i dont really like them...

 You will find that SVO will kill the pump or engine quicker than Bio-diesel, as normal pump diesel from a petrol station contains 5% Bio-diesel anyway and has done so for while now