Biodiesel in a 1993 F250 7.3 - Diesel Forum

gbirky · 01-27-2006, 10:46 AM

New member here, and have been making biodiesel for about 6 months now in small quantities. I've got the process down, and am making good quality fuel about 8 gallons at a time.

Now the question...I have the opportunity to get a very good low mileage 1993 F250 with the 7.3 diesel. My concern is the compatibility of any rubber in the fuel system. I would plan to run as high a blend as possible, meaning B100 in the summer.

Is the fuel system in this truck compatible with biodiesel?

I'm not too concerned about rubber hoses, as I can easily replace those. I'm more concerned about lift pump, injection pump, and injectors. Are there any o-rings, gaskets, or other rubber that would be a problem with B100?

Thanks,
Greg

rollfj · 02-02-2006, 02:39 PM

Bump...

I have the same question. Mine is a late '93 Turbo Diesel.

Spencnaz · 02-02-2006, 05:22 PM

I run B100 through my 6.9 and have had no problems whatsoever from biodiesel use.

I am keeping an eye on the rubber fuel parts but there are no leaks. It can take many thousands of miles for rubber to swell and soften from biodiesel use.

The nice thing about the IDI's is that they are very very tolerant of other fuels due to their lower injection pressure compared to a PSD.

I hear that Ford deliberately detuned the 93 Turbodiesels to keep from overshadowing the upcoming Powerstrokes in terms of power.

rollfj · 02-02-2006, 05:33 PM

I understood Ford detuned them too. Mine has been upgraded with the Banks Sidewinder [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img] I may not have as much power as the PS, but I seem to be close. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smokin.gif[/img]

Spencnaz · 02-02-2006, 06:00 PM

I have noticed that with running biodiesel, my mileage has gone down a bit, but with making fuel at .80 per gallon, I think I can live with that.

BTW, with my Hypermax turbo, I'm running about 250hp and 500ft/lbs of torque which is more than what I need for any towing that I can foresee.

I'm surprised that someone would run out of power with 300hp, they must be hauling gold plated Airstreams or something [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]

gbirky · 02-03-2006, 09:50 AM

Thanks for the replies. Spencnaz - how many miles, and how long have you been running B100?

Greg

Spencnaz · 02-03-2006, 11:46 AM

I have been running bio here for the past year. I have about 15k miles on biodiesel as I sometimes dont have time to make a batch of bio and have to run #2 from time to time.

The biggest problem I've had with biodiesel is the fact that it's cold weather performance isn't as good as #2. Had some gelling issues in December. I now mix it 50/50 with #2 and add lots of antigel. If it gets really cold, it's 50/50 with kerosene and antigel.