Maintaining your Diesel

Fleet for Biodiesel

National Biodiesel OEM Technician Training Program

updated Feb 2010
 Today’s Topics

 Biodiesel Definition
 Key Properties of Biodiesel

 Fuel System, Air Intake, & Lubrication

 Starting, Charging, Cooling, & Vacuum

systems
 Exhaust & Emissions Controls

 Resources
 Biodiesel Defined
 Biodiesel, n. -- a fuel comprised of mono-
alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids
derived from vegetable oils or animal fats,
meeting ASTM D 6751, designated B100.
 Biodiesel Blend, n. -- a blend of biodiesel
fuel with petroleum-based diesel fuel
designated BXX, where XX is the volume
percent of biodiesel.
• This tight definition was needed in order to secure
vehicle, engine and fuel injection equipment company
support for biodiesel, as well as to secure ASTM specs
Biodiesel (B100) Attributes
 High Cetane (avg. over 50)
 Ultra Low Sulfur (avg. ~ 2 ppm)
 High Lubricity, even in blends as low as 1-2%
 High Energy Balance (4.5 to 1)
 Renewable, Sustainable, Domestically Produced
 Increases overall fuel production capacity in USA
 Reduces HC, PM, CO in existing diesel engines
Enhanced Lubricity
 Equipment benefits
 Superior lubricity
Ultra-low Sulfur Diesel  B2 has up to 66% more
lubricity than #2 Diesel
800
700  EPA required sulfur
600
500
reduction in diesel
400
300
 No overdosing concerns
200
100 WSD (micron)
HFRR
0
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0
Biodiesel Blend (%)
Cold Weather Performance
 Pure biodiesel does freeze faster than most
petrodiesel
 Your B20 supplier should provide blends of B20
that will not cause any cold flow issues in the
winter
 Exactly the same way they do with #2 diesel fuel
 There are a variety of tools at the disposal of
distributors to improve the cold flow operability
of #2 petrodiesel and biodiesel blends
 Blending with #1, cold flow additives, etc.
 B20 has been used successfully in climates
below -20ºF
Biodiesel Fuel Stability
 The biodiesel specification contains
parameters for insuring adequate fuel
stability for normal applications
 The shelf life of biodiesel blends is

recommended by NBB as 6 months

 Stability additives available on the

open market
Solvency Effect
B20 & Under
 Monitor filters, less than 2% need to be
changed
 Mild cleaning effect
 Storage tanks may need to be cleaned, or
keep extra filters on hand at start up
 Housekeeping protocols for generic diesel
equally important prior to blending
 Fuel System
 Material compatibility is key for higher blends
 Repair Fuel leaks to prevent impact to other systems!

 From the fuel sending unit in tank to injectors

-primary & secondary fuel filters
-Fuel lines (sending & return)
-High pressure or
low pressure injectors
- o-rings
-transfer & injection pumps
Lubrication System
 Change oil as recommended by
Engine manufacturer
 Use OEM recommended engine oil

 API, CI rating

 Regular oil analysis maintenance

program
 Inspect dipstick for biodiesel smell
 Lube Oil Contamination
 Current ongoing research, SAE CI Engine
Performance with Alternative Fuels, 2008
 A concern of engine manufacturers.
 Same mechanism for the oil dilution for heavier
fractions of diesel fuel as for biodiesel.
 Due to high boiling point of biodiesel, the fuel is
slower to vaporize after injection into the cylinder.
 Remaining compounds will be deposited on the
cylinder wall where they can be pulled into the
crankcase by the normal scraping action of the
piston's oil control rings.
Air Filtration
 In a diesel engine, the amount of air remains
constant while fuel amount is varied for speed
and power control
 Lean mixture at idle ( 80:1 )
 Rich mixture under load (20:1)
 Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor
 VW TDI EGR/ Intake design
 Diesels thrive on air, lots of it, any air restriction
will cause performance problems
Starting & Charging System
 Properly charged battery
 Operating Starter or Alternator

 Fouled glow plugs can cause hard

starting
 Glow plugs factory recalls

 Dual Battery system

Vacuum System
 Older diesel maintenance issue
 Leaky & Inoperative vacuum system

can affect:
Brakes, Fuel shutoff, & transmissions
Cooling System
 Cooling system helps your engine warm up &
cool down
 Operating at optimum temperature helps

fuel economy & engine life

Cooling system hoses are not always biodiesel

compatible, repair fuel leaks immediately to
prevent damage to other systems
Exhaust & Emissions
Controls
 EGR: exhaust gas recirculation
 Catalytic converters

 Diesel Particulate filters

 Diesel Oxidation Catalyst

 SCR: selective catalyst reduction (Urea)

 Emissions regulations dictating changing

engine and fuel injection design

Are you Smoking?
 Black smoke: injectors, air inlet restriction, engine
timing, internal engine timing, injection pump failure
 Blue Smoke: insufficient fuel, contaminated fuel,
High or low oil consumption, air in the fuel
 White smoke: bad glow plugs, plugged return fuel line,
insufficient fuel supply, low compression, air in fuel,
injector or pump problem, engine timing
 White smoke can be normal in cold weather before
engine warms
Miscellaneous
 NOx Emissions see:
NREL’s “NOx solutions for Biodiesel”
 Cold weather Operation

 Timing belts & chains- replace at

recommended intervals
 Educate your fellow technicians

 Bosch & Stanadyne & FIE/OEM statement

B20 vs. Diesel: In the shop
 With in-spec B20 and lower, the issues you
can expect to see in your shop are the same
as you will see with petrodiesel
 Except:
 Expect to see less lubricity related issues
 Expect to see less problems with after-treatment
 Filter related issues may be related to cleaning
effect upon first use, or are likely normal diesel
issues or out of spec or imposter biodiesel
 Less black smoke from exhaust!
OEM Warranty Statements and
Biodiesel
 All major U.S. OEMs support at least B5 and lower blends,
provided they are made with biodiesel meeting ASTM D
6751
 More than 55% of U.S. manufacturers support B20 or
higher blends in at least some of their equipment
 Several more are completing testing and progressing
toward support for B20 now that new ASTM standards for
B6-B20 blends have been published (ASTM D7467)
 Most are also recommending use of a BQ-9000 supplier
For the Latest OEM Updates…
 Visit:

http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/oe
ms
for a complete listing of OEM
position statements on biodiesel,
as well as the current U.S. Diesel
Vehicles List
 NBB Resources
www.biodiesel.org
Biodiesel Training Toolkit
News Releases & Information Resources
Technical Library, Spec Sheets & Videos
OEM Warranty Positions on Biodiesel
 U.S. Diesel Vehicle List

www.BiodieselAutomotive.org
Dedicated to information exchange for biodiesel & diesel
technicians

www.BQ-9000.org
Listing of BQ-9000 Certified Companies

www.biotrucker.com
Listing of BioTrucker retail sites