First 500 or so miles on B75. Changed filter, have questions - Diesel Forum

legends13 · 05-27-2009, 10:41 AM

So, I have been running bio lately in my 2005 6.0. I have put around 500-700 miles on it while running b50-b75. I was having some power issues, in that the truck felt like it was hesitating some from a stand still, especially with the wheels turned (weird I know). Now, I know that this stuff will plug filters initially, so I figure maybe they are getting a little dirty. Of course I just bought the truck about 2000 miles ago, and had not had a chance to change the filters, so I don't know how many miles were on them to start. So this weekend I changed the fuel filters on it, and this is what i found. The small filter in the engine compartment was pretty dirty, but nothing horrible. It was a little black, so probably was time for a change. The big filter on the frame rail however, was dirty, and had what I can only describe as solidified grease looking substance inside the filter housing. I am posting some pics of both the filter, and the lid, with the grease looking stuff.

now, my bio is from a local distributor, who sells 1000's of gallons of bio, so I would think it would be good fuel, but maybe I am wrong? Anyone have any ideas what the white "gunk" is? and Should I not use this fuel?

StorminNorman · 05-27-2009, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by legends13

now, my bio is from a local distributor, who sells 1000's of gallons of bio, so I would think it would be good fuel, but maybe I am wrong? Anyone have any ideas what the white "gunk" is? and Should I not use this fuel?

I have in the neighborhood of 100,000 miles on B100 (homebrew) and have never seen aything like that. It does not appear to be a bacteria or slime problem, as it would not solidify.

Since you have only recently purchased the truck, I would recommend opening up the frame filter after running it a while and seeing what it has to offer then. You may be faced with removing the tank to see what is in there.

Of course we would like to assume that a "professional" bio diesel plant would always put out ASTM quality fuels, but that has been proven not to be the case on several occasions.

Norman

legends13 · 05-27-2009, 02:30 PM

Thanks for the reply. Are you saying I should run it on petro-diesel for a while and then check it, or keep running it on bio? I really think the "gunk" is solidified grease, but I don't know what would cause this. Perhaps they are cutting the fuel to close to the separation line?

StorminNorman · 05-28-2009, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by legends13

I don't know what would cause this. Perhaps they are cutting the fuel to close to the separation line?

No, any glycerin that did not get drained would come out in washing. Excess glyc would make washing difficult, but would be eliminated. Even if the prior owner was using WVO straight as fuel, I do not think it would solidify. If it was liquid enough to pour into the tank, it would remain liquid.

Are you buying the fuel as B100, or as a blend? If you are getting B100 I can tell you how to test it for quality. Next time you fuel take a gas can (clean) and get a gallon in it for your generator. Or power washer or lawn mower, the retailer doesn't need to know you are testing it. Pour it out into clear containers and let it settle undisturbed for a week. See if anything disturbing happens. If not I can direct you to testing supplies you can get from me or locally to do actual chemical reaction testing on the fuel itself.

If you know who the former owner is, you can ask him if he ever ran alternative fuels thru it. As you can see from posts on this forum, there are people who will dump anything in their tank.

Norman

legends13 · 05-28-2009, 01:42 PM

Thanks. I will do that to test. That is a good idea.

I will see what happens after a few more tanks of bio. I will check the filter again and hope for the best.

Also, yes, I am getting it b100. I buy it by the 55 gallon drum. what if the drum was previously filled with WVO, before they processed it for bio, could residual WVO be the culprit? I wouldn't think that small amount would cause a problem, but never know.

Rickie · 05-28-2009, 01:46 PM

I don't want sound like an alarmist, but you may want to show this to your fuel supplier. The pictures are not too clear, but it appears similar to something we experienced in fall 2007 to winter 2008 in our B70.

We thought it was a glycerin problem from the get go. If it is greasy and jelly-like, it may be an algae bloom. We had it happen twice where the dispensing filters plugged very rapidly with this stuff and we could not dispense fuel to our fuel cells and vehicles.

Both occurrences had something similar. We had some warm days right after a cold spell. Our fuel supplier jumped right on it once they got a sample. They added biocide and within hours our problems diminished.

FryerJim · 05-28-2009, 02:55 PM

Heat it up a little and see if it melts.

Ask your supplier what his feed stock is. Biodiesel from soybean oil is good down into single digits. I have made biodiesel from bacon fat that is only good down to the mid 50's!

There are plenty of bio manufacturers who are making their fuel from chicken fat from the local Tyson plants. It is strictly a summer fuel.

Where are you located? How low have your night time temperatures gone?

-Jim