the triangle has several biodiesel fueling stations
http://www.trianglecleancities.org/fs-biod.htm

who has experience with biodiesel? I'm very interested.

7/28/2005 3:32:39 PM

didn't you just buy a hybrid when everyone told you to go diesel?

7/28/2005 3:35:38 PM

um no, I actually didn't buy the hybrid. I bought something else. Hybrid was too expensive for right now. Also, biodiesel isn't an option for me right now. Making it myself would be too time consuming, and there isn't any way to get it in winston salem.

And I didn't say I'm going to buy a diesel, I just want to know what car people think about it. So far, all I've heard about it is mostly from regular people with cars they run on biodiesel.

I want to know what car people think about it.

7/28/2005 3:43:38 PM

we've run it in the state trucks for years, and the biggest problem is that in older trucks, it will break loose a lot of sludge and rust in the system and clog fuel filters like hell for a while. otherwise, it seems to be ok, we've sent a lot of oil out for analysis, and its no better, but not worse than #2 diesel on soot contamination.

7/28/2005 3:52:34 PM

im pretty sure you can use B20 in a regular diesel engine.

there are quite a few old vw diesels that have been converted. if you want one, just keep an eye out on ebay.

theres also a car in virginia that runs on hemp oil.
http://hempcar.org/

[Edited on July 28, 2005 at 3:54 PM. Reason : ^^ you run full biodiesel or a blend in the state trucks??]

7/28/2005 3:52:55 PM

Quote :

"im pretty sure you can use B20 in a regular diesel engine."

correct. bio is nothing really revolutionary or new. people tend to confuse b20 with alternative (pure biodiesel) diesel fuels (veggie, etc.). a diesel will run on damn near anything remotely flammable.

[Edited on July 28, 2005 at 3:59 PM. Reason : :]

7/28/2005 3:56:46 PM

kerosene, engine oil, bacon grease, it it will burn, a diesel will run on it

7/28/2005 3:58:34 PM

people in the u.s. in general are completely ignorant to diesel engines and fuels. as a country, we are SO far behind the rest of the world in this area it's not even funny. if more modern diesel vehicles were brought/made here and we got the same grade of fuel that europe and most everyone else gets, there would hardly be a need for pure bio. recent offerings like the tdi vw's, diesel liberty, etc. are just the tip of the iceburg for what's out there and the potential for diesels.

7/28/2005 4:07:31 PM

when i was in germany, 80% of the cars there were diesels, they are just so much more effiecient, and last a hell of a lot longer

7/28/2005 4:18:20 PM

It blows my fucking mind how one person needs the security in knowing he isn't doing his part to destroy the Earth, so that he can live.

Move to fucking Europe, or somewhere else with mass transit, and ride your bike everywhere if you want to be all Greenpeace about shit. Fuck these threads get tedious as hell.

7/28/2005 4:23:15 PM

shut the fuck up TypeA

Quote :

"people in the u.s. in general are completely ignorant to diesel engines and fuels. as a country, we are SO far behind the rest of the world in this area it's not even funny. if more modern diesel vehicles were brought/made here and we got the same grade of fuel that europe and most everyone else gets, there would hardly be a need for pure bio. recent offerings like the tdi vw's, diesel liberty, etc. are just the tip of the iceburg for what's out there and the potential for diesels."

2006 is the federal mandate for low sulphur diesel across the US.

So far several states already run low sulfur diesel and a few are even running B5 in areas.

And as soon as the mandate passes, we will see a MASSIVE influx of all the Euro diesels. The sulfur has always been the reason we never see the small diesel engines in the US.

And it goes far beyond being a dirty hippy. Diesel engines save consumers a shit ton of money. They also run a fuck ton longer than most economy gas engines. It's much more an economic thing than a green one. In addition to all that you can MAKE YOUR OWN FUEL.

George, I know all about this stuff now. ive been tagging along with a friend of mine who is big into it to a lot of meetings and such. He is converting his VW truck to run 100% biodiesel and has been producing his own fuel for about a year now. Not quite good enough for a car yet, but its getting there.

7/28/2005 5:29:01 PM

^^ i bet he still thinks asbestos is cool, they should still have lead in gas instead of high tech additives for octane ratings, and the electric light bulb probably makes him crap his pants every time he sees one turn on

7/28/2005 11:49:26 PM

Quote :

"He is converting his VW truck to run 100% biodiesel and has been producing his own fuel for about a year now. Not quite good enough for a car yet, but its getting there."

rabbit truck?

7/29/2005 12:24:56 AM

i plan on converting a 300d or sd benz at some point.

7/29/2005 12:40:32 AM

^^yea you know him? Since theres probably like two rabbit trucks in NC, much less raleigh

7/29/2005 1:29:58 AM

there's one on my street. don't think it runs though.

7/29/2005 1:37:09 AM

theres plenty of rabbit trucks around durham

7/29/2005 1:58:06 AM

thats true. i know at least 2 or 3 people in the area that have 'em.

to convert to full bio, all you need is a separate tank and a heater, right? some kits would run regular diesel until the engine warmed up and then switch over.

7/29/2005 10:36:55 AM

if you brew your own biodiesel, you do not need a seperate tank or heater on the vehicle. It goes in your existing tank just like pump diesel.
The seperate tank and heater that requires a warmed engine is if you run vegatable oil.

7/29/2005 11:09:57 AM

yea thats veggie oil, not biodiesel.

so far as i know, all hes doing is a general overhaul, because when you make the switch it tends to instantly clean out 20 years of shit. That and putting in a freaknasty fuel filtration system most likely.

Unless it drops below freezing, you can pretty much run biodiesel as is. After that you just start running a petrol mix.

7/29/2005 12:35:00 PM

^ yeah, that's how I understand it.

regular engines will run pure biodiesel with no conversion at all, but if it's cold, it will gel, so you need to include a percentage of "dion-diesel" as well to keep it running smoothly.

You can, as stated somewhere in here, convert a regular diesel engine to run on pure grease or veggie oil as well, but there needs to be a separate tank that heats the stuff up first, because otherwise it's too viscous.

and typeA, I'm SOOOO SORRY that my respect for my planet upsets you. Perhaps you should go live in a country where nobody cares about the environment at all. See how you like that.

7/29/2005 1:00:28 PM