CraigsOutside

The biodiesel available to me at this station I had mentioned, the price per gallon is consistently fifteen cents higher than #2 diesel available at comparable stations. Even when including the cost of adding 2-stoke oil, the biodiesel is still more expensive for me to use. With the apparent variance in bio quantity (5% to 20%) I might even need to add 2-stroke to the bio if it's a batch on the low side. It was mentioned in this thread (my mntom from MN in post #3) that biodiesel for others might be less expensive than #2 diesel. It just isn't for me. On conspiracy theories, there may be some validity to some of them and even some involving oil companies. The primary reasons for the changes in gasoline (lead, etc) and diesel (sulphur) is to reduce pollution and measurable particles in the air (atmosphere). Obviously, the most noticeable consequence to the changes in fuels to the consumer is the reduction in mpg and a slight increase in fuel costs. I do have to say that, growing up in southern California, I have see a significant difference in air quality. I remember using the push mower on my grandmother's house in the seventies and my lungs burning and being able to practically eat the smog for a snack afterwards. While smog levels are still high here, they are significantly lower than they used to be. I don't remember the last time there was a "smog alert" here; they seemed commonplace back then. Even with the huge reductions on gas mileage seen from the seventies to today on small cars and consequentially higher fuel consumption, the air quality and airborne pollutants are lower. I found a report from Spain dating from 2012 on future fuels in the EU. It seems that the EU (with some minimal variances country to country) has B7 available with some adding up to another 3% in HVO sources to get up to a max of B10. There are some small/specific market fleets that might utilize B30 up to B100 for adapted vehicles. A general average at the pump seems to be around B5 and ranges from 0% to 10%. http://www.upcomillas.es/centros/bp/Documentos/Actividades/Foro/2012/foro_12_ken-rose.pdf A vote that came out last month (9/13) places restrictions on agricultural use for bio-fuels at 6%. The EU is more concerned that the US with keeping agriculture aimed at actually producing food rather than fuel.

First off, thanks to everyone for all their input. Second, I did find that the lubricity sure was noticeable over using 2-stroke and regular diesel. On the first fill up, anyway. The second time through the pump and filling up, the blend didn't seem to feel as smooth, if that makes sense. I did notice that a sticker on the pump indicated that while the biodiesel sold there was supposed to B20, it could in fact range from 5% to 20%. I this seemed to validate my perception of how the engine ran during this time. I probably got a 20% batch the first time through and something closer to 5% the second time through to fill up. The price had gone down during that time as well, from 4.239 to 4.199 per gal. This was a rate consistent with the Chevron station across the street but significantly higher than other ARCO stations near home at 4.099 (now at 4.069) not including the cost of adding 2-stroke. The use of biodiesel purchased at this station was in no way cost saving (less than a dollar per fill up, not significant to me); it only saved the amount of time it took to prepare/add 2-stroke to regular diesel. There are no other stations in the area that I know of that sell biodiesel. Lastly, I've been looking into making the change to using synthetic oil and reading (and confusing myself) as much as possible on that topic. I don't recall finding mention in a forum thread, but AMSOIL has a TSB dating from 5/5/06 on the use of biodiesel fuels and its effect on motor oils. In short, they indicated that while manufacturers give the ok to use 5%, anything above that could be detrimental. Cummins and Volvo recommend cutting the oil change interval in half and International indicates a possible reduction in engine life. AMSOIL does not recommend extended oil change intvervals when using biodiesel at any ratio. Link to AMSOIL TSB: https://www.amsoil.com/techservicesbulletin/MotorOil/TSB%20MO-2006-05-04%20Biodiesel.pdf The positive benefits to me, do not outweigh the negative effects nearly enough to justify using biodiesel. One of the big reasons for making the move to a diesel engine for me, was the potential engine longevity. If the use of biodiesel at concentrations over 5% can result in shortened engine life (something acknowledged by OEMs), that is enough to keep me from using it. Further, if the use of biodiesel cuts engine oil life in half or precludes extended oil change intervals when using synthetic lubricants, maintenance costs rise, as do the increased costs of oil disposal. While the idea of using biodiesel fuel as a way to put waste oils to use and may actually be safe to use, the use of biodiesel does not seem to make good economic or environmental sense to me. So, I have decided not to use biofuels in the future.

Thanks for the helpful replies. Seeing how it's still hovering around 95F here in So Cal, I'm going to try a tank or two, though I'll wait until I'm closer to 1/4 tank to fill up. I'll try to report back how it works for me.

The local ARCO near my work has just in the last month or so, put in a couple new pumps, one of them being a bio-diesel pump (the other is the ethanol blend). I haven't stopped for a fill up there yet, as it's about 10 cents higher than other diesel prices. I currently add in the 2 stroke oil for the extra lube, which of course increases the pump cost, probably by about nine or ten cents. Being relatively new to the diesel world, I'm unsure about whether or not to use it. I believe it's a 10% blend. Can anyone share pros and cons of using bio-diesel instead of regular diesel?

With those switching to the mechanical pumps... Are there any issues with not having anything hooked up to the oem pump wires? Does the ECM need to send or get signals from it to prevent throwing any codes? Also, is there an aftermarket fuel regulator that needs to be installed as well to prevent pressures above 20psi as the engine rpms go up? (That's the max pressure the vp can handle safely, correct?) I think the mechanical pumps may be a little over my available budget for this upgrade.What sort of failures have the Raptors been having specifically?I took a look at the Fuel Lab pump on the fuelab dot com website and it also sounds good. They also have air separation systems but only for the 200gph pump. Being a brushless design, they will be much quieter compared to the gear rotor design. It's not adjustable except with an external regulator it seems. How much pressure drop at WOT from the preset 18psi is being seen? Although that pump may be better in design, the price package goes up with extra added on. The other thing is they only offer a two year warranty and these are new products. I do like that FASS and AD offer a lifetime warranty.Still haven't made a final decision yet. It's really between the Raptor150 and FASS adjustable 150 at this point I think. Either would be overkill in potential available pressure for now but provide room to grow while keeping pressure within acceptable limits. Comparable in price and within my budget to each other. Regardless, I will definitely go with the big line kit between the filter and vp, replacing the banjos with the JIC fittings.

I like having information to make educated decisions, so I've been reading as many forum posts from as many different forums as I could find and I've come to the decision that I now have a headache. I've got a few questions that I'm not finding answers for, so it's my turn to ask...Is there a difference in reliability between lift pumps that are externally adjustable for pressure +/- (eg Raptor, AD2 system, FASS adjustable) and those that need to have springs replaced (eg. most other FASS, AD system)? I do like the idea of external adjustability to fine tune fuel pressure. But is the external screw only compressing a spring to increase/decrease pressure as opposed to swapping out for a firmer/lighter spring or is the fuel pressure managed in a different manner?I've seen absolutely no questions or posts discussing the FASS FA D08-95G adjustable standalone lift pump. This is the only fuel pump that seems to be advertised as having a boost compensation port.The idea of connecting the boost to the FP seems logical to control fuel feed based upon demand. Does anyone use this or have any info on reliability of this pump? Does it even work as advertised? Websites all tout that their pumps are "quieter than the competition." That really doesn't tell me much since I don't have any friends/neighbors with diesels to do a side by side comparison with. I guess most important is how loud are these pumps when the engine is idling? Can you still hear the pump running when standing outside the truck?Are there any negatives to NOT bypassing/removing the OEM filter housing even when installing an AD/AD2 or FASS Titanium/Platinum system? Does the fuel pressure still stay well above recommended levels or are people finding the need to upgrade to higher flow pumps?Lastly, with a lift pump that is externally adjustable, what negative effects would there be to using one that has a higher rated output on an engine that is still stock? Say, using a Raptor 150 dialed down for a stock engine with "room to grow." Would a person want to use the higher rated pump if they were to end up running through three filters with modest future gains in HP?I realize that one of the air/fuel separators is the most ideal way to go. Given my current needs and likelihood of only moderate engine improvements in the near future, the available options out there and if money were no object, I'd likely go with an AD2 100. However, my current economic situation is likely going to dictate that I spend between 4 and 500 as an initial investment, so an upgraded lift pump and big line kit first, followed by improving filtration later will be the likely, while slightly more expensive scenario.As far as my needs go; currently stock, 20' boat, in bed camper, sometimes both at the same time, mountain driving, don't like to drive in the slow truck lanes and would rather be passing than being passed when going up those long mountain passes. I don't tow regularly, and the heaviest loads will likely be a bed full of firewood and maybe an 8' trailer as well. Normally driven to/from work empty or with a little something just to smooth out the ride and a light foot on the skinny pedal.I hope all this makes sense and I hope it's not too much for one post. I bought the truck four months ago and it's my first diesel. Thanks in advance for any and all feedback. Craig(Mods, I don't know if this would be better cut up into several separate posts or just the way it is)