My 1995 2.8 Toyota Hilux Dual Cab on Biodiesel

[jcaley Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jcaley]

I have been running my Hilux on Biodiesel for about 2 years on and off. I understand it should have less range and power on BD so maybe that's why I think that is the case. I'll have to get scientific about measuring range for different fuels.

I have made no modification of the vehicle, as no-one has suggested I should.

I have bought sourced the biodiesel from someone else as I had no desire to make it myself.

The car wouldn't start in the coldest part of winter last year till I added 5 litres of Unleaded Petrol to the full tank. After that I had the fuel cut with 10% kerosene in winter.

One day when my wife was rushing to the airport, the water-in-fuel alarm went off. (Too loud to drive with). Out mechanic cleaned a lot of gunk off the fuel filter and this fixed the problem. Next service, he again told me there was a lot of material built up on the fuel filter.

[Cameron Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Cameron]

Re: Please offer some vehicle test data

Hi John,
I have only ever had any problems like this once - same as you John it was on the coldest of cold mornings mid winter a couple of years ago and was just before dawn because I had a big day at work.

It was clagging and wanting to cut out but didn't as I dropped it down a gear and kept the revs up. I was freaking out a bit because I guessed what was happening and was at that moment on the downward run into the harbour tunnel! Luckily the peak hour traffic were still in bed!

"Shite!" I said to myself or something to that effect.

I managed to make it to the nearest servo, breathed a big sigh and waited for my heart rate to slow down a bit. If you have ever broken down on the harbour bridge or the tunnel etc then you will know what I mean....

I added some unleaded to 'melt' the gelled biodiesel back into a liquid state - about 10% volume of what I had in biodiesel in the tank - and then topped the tank up with petrodiesel which I knew would be winterised for Sydney conditions. Wasn't quite sure if topping it up as well as adding the unleaded would be the right thing to do but it seemed to me at the time that it would dilute that which was creating a problem for me. I had been given the tip on using unleaded as a fall back but knew that kero would have been the better option but they did not sell it in bulk at the servo and I knew I did have a small drum of it at home.

I wouldn't have had that problem except that the fuel had been made for summer conditions and it had been stored without being winterised. Doh! I had been warned too ....

I also bunged in a jolly good splash of 'fuel doctor' into the tank whilst at the servo which is a fuel additive that I have found to be great to regularly add to my tank to ensure that my fuel stays clean and good and that any water that may be present in the fuel - whether petro diesel or biodiesel - is dispersed back in to the fuel. These products are also great to ensure that you don't get any algal growth in your fuel tank which newbies to diesel fuel of any kind might not be aware of as it does happen as a fairly common thing or so I believe. Fuel Doctor is not the only brand and you can buy something similar in just about any servo or Super Cheap Auto etc etc.

After that joyful experience I made sure that I was always using appropriately winterised biodiesel. Winterising of fuel was not something that I even knew existed but of course the petro-fuel companies do it all the time - the level of winterising with kero is less in coastal Sydney than it is coastal southern NSW with even more in Jindabyne in the NSW Alpine Region for example. If you are driving to the snow country on either biodiesel or petrodiesel make sure it is winterised. That may mean topping up your tank when you get down there as it will be sure to be appropriately winterised or if you are only running on biodiesel make sure you have got your supply properly sorted out before you go.

As a newby to diesel vehicles when I shifted over to a diesel so that I could run on biodiesel there were a bunch of things like this that I had never had to even think about before. I have been quite happy to get my head around how my vehicle works though as I use it for both work and for camping and so I find it reassuring whenever I learn a bit more about how it works and how I can fix things if they go wrong. The more I learn the more it is likely that I will end up helping someone else rather than need to sort out any troubles of my own. A better maintained engine will perform better and will last much longer which is of course one of the other benefits of diesel engines.

I have never really had a problem with water and gunk building up in my filters as I change my filters every 5000km to ensure that my motor runs efficiently and with minimum pollution. When I do that I also drain my fuel sedimenter which in my landrover is situated in the fuel line and up the back. It is pretty easily accessible in my vehicle and only takes a couple of seconds to drain a bit out of into a container until any gunk and water has run through and I am sure that it is then biodiesel running out. My fuel filter under teh bonnet also has a draining tap which I can put a small container under and drain out anything that looks watery - this is a dead easy preventative maintenance step.

Cheers,
Cameron

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

Re: My 1995 2.8 Toyota Hilux Dual Cab on Biodiesel

Can you please expand on "winterising biodiesel" !!!! This is the sort of info I need as a new chum going through his first winter.
Thanks, Jumbo.

[hdj80 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close hdj80]

Re: My 1995 2.8 Toyota Hilux Dual Cab on Biodiesel

Jumbo,
I did a little experiment last night one that had no accurate data but just personal observations. Why? The weather forcast said it was going to get to -7 last night. They were wrong it was -8.
Anyway:
I sat under my 80, a Chilly Bin with 4 samples on it - 2 of B100, 1 B70(approx) and 1 B50(approx)
As expected the 2 B100's were solid the B70 was cloudy but 5% at the bottom was solid and the B50 was cloudy but OK. I have photo's..

I have B100 in my subtank and B70 in my main and np's this morning on the B70...

So Winterising? add some Dino diesel in.

Some blokes have made samples of B10 through to B100 placed them in a freezer and monitored the cloud point of each blend. My mrs has drawn the line so I won't be doing that....Yet...

BTW: I put them on the Chilly Bin to get the samples closer to the subtank, not to make them any Chiller...