Make Your Car Biodiesel Ready

With the high cost of gasoline, and even gas station diesel fuel, along with ecological safety campaigns, bio-diesel is becoming the fuel of choice for many consumers. It requires a little extra work to make the fuel, but just about anyone can do it in their own backyard. If you have, or buy, the right car, it isn’t even difficult to get started using bio-diesel fuel to save yourself a great deal of money between fill-ups.

Start with a diesel engine car. These are the only vehicles compatible with bio-diesel, conversion or no conversion. Some models do not even require conversions because companies have created specific abilities to use bio-diesel in their pre-sold cars. Car companies that make a bio-diesel compatible model care are Audi, Chevrolet, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Land Rover, Isuzu, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Toyota, Volkswagen, Saab, Nissan, Mazda and Volvo.

Remove any rubber engine/fuel line parts from a diesel car not already compatible with bio-diesel if it is a model earlier than the mid-1990. Diesel vehicles after that time were made with rubber parts that are more resistant to rot and degeneration. The raw oil, and alcohol levels in bio-diesel eat rubber and can destroy hoses, gaskets and o-rings.

Run engine cleaner through the system before using bio-diesel. Change fuel filters and keep an extra one on hand because bio-diesel tends to be dirtier.

Don’t panic if the check engine light comes on when running. Bio-diesel can dilute engine oil making it act like it needs an oil change. Change oil more frequently when using bio-diesel and the light should stay off.

Know the difference between SVO and bio-diesel. Both are made with used (or new) oil, but SVO, which stands for Straight Vegetable Oil, is not distilled and burns differently than bio-diesel. To use SVO you will need to install a converter even on a diesel vehicle. SVO also requires the use of a switch to toggle between straight diesel fuel and SVO because the engine requires diesel fuel to start and shut down properly. The switch is thrown once the car is underway and then the straight vegetable oil is used until shut down. SVO is even more likely to require heating than straight diesel, or bio-diesel.

Install a fuel heating system for your SVO vehicle, or even in a bio-diesel vehicle if you operate the automobile in cold weather that routinely drops below freezing levels. Diesel oil congeals in cold weather and gums up inside the engine and fuel lines. The vehicle will stop dead until the fuel warms up again.