Biodiesel & Warranty Issues

[JFoster]

Ok, a long long time ago there was a thread or two here that talked about new trucks having the warranty voided by FoMoCo because people were running more than 5% or 10% biodiesel in their trucks etc... Can anyone who's warranty was voided please post here?

I talked to a family friend tonight that works for Ford. As it turns out, one of the things he does is work on the software for the new trucks. I asked him why Ford would void the warranty if the they found biodiesel in the tanks and he said the bottom line is the trucks are not certified for biodiesel. The government does not require Ford to test with it so it's not an "approved" fuel etc. He did find it interesting when I told him that several people have reported voided warranties because of biodiesel damage. He also wanted to know how the dealers determined biodiesel was in the tanks and at what percentage. And he has also offered to talk to anyone who had warranty issues because of biodiesel.

I met a guy a while ago who told me his warranty was voided because of biodiesel but I can't remember his name or how we hooked up now.

Thanks, Jon.

[galexander]

fish hook would be my first check?

[timid1]

Originally Posted by JFoster

He also wanted to know how the dealers determined biodiesel was in the tanks and at what percentage. And he has also offered to talk to anyone who had warranty issues because of biodiesel.

I don't have experience with this, but I believe it would be trivial to determine what was in the tanks just based on chemical makeup of what's left over, or possibly condition of the injectors.

Your guy who does the software for Ford may not be telling you everything, or just may not know all the ins-and-outs of the software, as it very well might be the software that analyzes the biodiesel content (in real time as it is used). I think that this might be the more realistic possibility.

Just hypothetically, if sensors (if there are sensors) detect (with the aide of software) that the biodiesel content of the fuel exceeds a set threshold, then set an alarm (not visible to the user). With the right sensors and software, I don't think it's unreasonable.

[JFoster]

Actually his thought process is how did the dealers know what the fuel was, if biodiesel was even in the tank and at what percentages etc. The only field test that Ford acknowledges is a measure of specific gravity on the fuel. And even then there are too many variables to use the test conclusively. A good fuel sample would need to be sent to a real lab for analysis if they wanted correct and reliable results. A very expensive and time consuming process for a dealer to go through. He doubts any dealers took the time or spent the money to check for biodiesel before bouncing the warranty.

There are no sensors in place "on" the vehicle to test for biodiesel that he knows of and nothing in the software. The only thing he knows of is a checksum for chip mods. Basically you do a chip, it sets the checksum value and the value is recorded permanently (even if the chip is taken out).

Jon.