Toyota Prado RV 2002 & SAFF Biodiesel

[leiben Biofuels Forum Newbie Find all posts View Profile Close leiben]

I am new to this forum & would appreciate some feedback on the pros & cons of SAFF 100% Bio on my Toyota Prado RV. I have replaced the fuel filter after 2 refills (it was relatively clean).

[zigparacingtadpole Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close zigparacingtadpole]

Re: Toyota Prado RV 2002 & SAFF Biodiesel

Welcome to the wonderful world of biofuels.
I was using SAFF B100 until I started making my own (actually I still buy the SAFF B100 whenever my missus uses it faster than I can make it).
Sounds like your fuel system was already reasonably clean. Probably a good idea to keep an eye on the filters though. I did have an issue with the SAFF product for about 4 days last year when the o/night temperature dipped below -5 for almost a week running. Clearly the cloud point was passed and the car ran like a pig for a few minutes until it got warm enough to for some radiant heat to find its way through the fuel system. I am anticipating having exactly the same problem with my own fuel this year as its an issue for everyone that uses B100.
The pros as I see it: its cheaper, and more environmentally friendly, and your car will smell like a bbq instead of a stinky diesel.
The cons: At really cold temps it can present problems until you have enough radiant heat from the engine to return normality, you have to be a bit vigilant about changing fuel filters. You may also need to change the flexible hoses in the fuel system at some point in the future.
Hope that is of some help.

[Matt Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt]

Re: Toyota Prado RV 2002 & SAFF Biodiesel

Replacing after 2 refills is a bit excessive, run with it until the car feels a bit low in response or misses, then replace it and save the expense, Toyota filters are not cheap!

Might be wise to look at a CAV / Delphi 296 filter for it, they are cheaper and smaller so require replacement more frequently, I do mine with the oil every 5 to 10K km. An adapter wo spin into the toyota fitting will set you back about $120 but you retain the ability to use either filter that way.

Matt

[Tony From West Oz Vice Chairperson of WARFA Find all posts View Profile Close Tony From West Oz]

Re: Toyota Prado RV 2002 & SAFF Biodiesel

Welcome to the wonderful world of biofuels.
I was using SAFF B100 until I started making my own (actually I still buy the SAFF B100 whenever my missus uses it faster than I can make it).
Sounds like your fuel system was already reasonably clean. Probably a good idea to keep an eye on the filters though. I did have an issue with the SAFF product for about 4 days last year when the o/night temperature dipped below -5 for almost a week running. Clearly the cloud point was passed and the car ran like a pig for a few minutes until it got warm enough to for some radiant heat to find its way through the fuel system. I am anticipating having exactly the same problem with my own fuel this year as its an issue for everyone that uses B100.
The pros as I see it: its cheaper, and more environmentally friendly, and your car will smell like a bbq instead of a stinky diesel.
The cons: At really cold temps it can present problems until you have enough radiant heat from the engine to return normality, you have to be a bit vigilant about changing fuel filters. You may also need to change the flexible hoses in the fuel system at some point in the future.
Hope that is of some help.

If you segregate the oil used fro biodiesel production into high and low melting point oils you can use the oil which is liquid in winter to make a lower melting point (MP) biodiesel for winter use and the rest to make a higher MP oil for summer use.
By allowing your biodiesel to stand at least a week in the shade, it will allow the high MP biodiesel to solidify so that you can use only the low MP biodiesel in your vehicle.


Any high MP biodiesel not used in winter will melt for use in summer. It is unlikely that solidified biodiesel will degrade significantly in that time if kept dry and out of direct sunlight. The surface layer may be subject to some oxidation, but as no circulation occurs in the solid biodiesel, this should be localised to the surface.

Lieben,
You may wish to install a cheap see-through filter before the stock fuel filter, to see if crud is coming from your fuel tank. If this must be cleaned frequently, then you can make a decision on fitting a different or an additional fuel filter.