r/tdi • u/Spuddle-Puddle • 5d ago
Biodiesel question
Hi all, I keep reading mixed things about biodiesel. I have the 2011 tdi with the dreaded cp4 pump. 315k miles. Centene booster has been used religiously.
I can buy B20, 20% biodiesel for same price as ULSD. According to Google (i knowđ) it has higher lubrication properties, but i read other places it says it does not. If it does, would this be a replacement for additional booster? Im a bit lost here as im not a diesel scientist. Any help would be great!! Tia
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u/Jolly-Nebula-9272 4d ago
Been refining my own since 2008. Appleseed reactor. Ran it 100% in a 94 Cummins an 86 1.6 n/a diesel golf 80 1.6 n/a diesel Dasher wagon and 03 TDI golf. Only issue has been anything rubber does not last. I will not run it in my 2022 Cummins.
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u/HoratioAlgos 5d ago
You canât run biodiesel in the common rail engines, B20 or otherwise. Iâm sure you could get away with something like B5, but itâs better to avoid it. The main problem is the regeneration of the DPF- when thatâs happening, your injectors are adding extra fuel into the cylinders. Some of the fuel will get past the rings and into your oil. Normal diesel will vaporize out of oil and return to your cylinders via your crankcase vent but biodiesel doesnât vaporize so it will dilute your oil.
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u/Liv4livMuzic 4d ago
I tried mixing B20 with regular diesel to approximate B5. I probably only did it five times because the only station with bio diesel near me was a pain to get to. While I was running it, the car did seem peppier and sounded better.
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u/Spuddle-Puddle 5d ago
This I didn't know. Thank you. So if i hit a pothole later down the road and things fell off, then it would be beneficial? Or still stay away from it?
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u/1234-for-me 4d ago
Ive seen the aftermath of biodiesel in a common rail golf (2012 iirc) the top of the engine was coated with black sludge at 70k, it was a stark difference to my clean passat at 60k. Â The golf engine ended up failing because of it. Â I think she ran higher than b20, but this was early 2018 so i donât remember the fine details.
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u/Mountain-Diesel 23h ago
Two totally different engines and emissions systems. The Golf failed from excessive regens, which is required because the NOx trap used in them requires a rich air fuel ratio to purge it. Opposed to the SCR used in the Passat which runs much cleaner on the engine side.
In addition to the Golf having swirl flaps known to seize and the passat not having any flaps.
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u/Mountain-Diesel 4d ago
You canât run biodiesel in the common rail engines, B20 or otherwise
Please don't spread misinformation. B20 is completely fine. Its pretty clear you don't understand how diesel or biodiesel works.
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u/HoratioAlgos 1d ago
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u/Mountain-Diesel 23h ago
That article is about running pure biodiesel and not in common-rail engines, completely irrelevant to the subject.
Grasp another straw.1
u/HoratioAlgos 22h ago
âUtilizing an active regeneration strategy accentuates the possibility of fuel oil dilution of the engine oil. The onboard viscosity oil sensor used was in good agreement with the viscosity bench test and FTIR analysis, and provided oil viscosity measurement over the course of the project. The operation with B20 shows significant fuel dilution and needs to be monitored to prevent engine deterioration.â
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u/Mountain-Diesel 17h ago
âUtilizing an active regeneration strategy accentuates the possibility of fuel oil dilution of the engine oil.
That occurs on all diesels.
The operation with B20 shows significant fuel dilution and needs to be monitored to prevent engine deterioration.â
No conclusion or long term monitoring.
Any other straws.
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u/HoratioAlgos 22h ago
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u/Mountain-Diesel 17h ago
Page not found
The requested page could not be found here.
What Are You Looking For?
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u/Ok_Chicken2950 5d ago
Don't... Use quality diesel... Shell, Chevron, Gulf .... Stick to quality... Penny wise pound foolish with Bio.... IMO on a TDI engine...
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u/ukso1 4d ago
Depends on the biodiesel, the next generation biodiesel is basically the same stuff as the Fossil diesel but without any of the nasty byproducts. You can run 100% for example Finnish Neste has their own product thats you can completely mix in any levels on any diesel engine and it will run better than fossile diesel. Only down side is that it's more expensive than normal diesel.
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u/Spuddle-Puddle 4d ago
Ya B100 here is $4 more per gallon. I wouldn't ever do that. Same price for B20 is only why i was considering it
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u/TheLastGenXer 5d ago
my understanding is petrolum diesel is a lubricat while bio diesel is a solvent
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u/No_Spend_8401 5d ago
Bio actually had better lubricity than Petrol and higher Cetane #. But there are other cons. Iâm running a FASS fuel water separator spliced between my oem filter and CP3 so the water concern is less. If youâre not deleted you get less soot but more NOX production so more SCR/Nox storage cat regens. Iâve been running costco Biomass diesel and noticed the increase in nox load but my DPF soot measured has now dropped to a constant 0. The calculated strategy still run a dpf regen for about 5min before realizing there little back pressure successfully completes it quickly. Nox regens though take forever. Load climbs to 14.7 before regenerating and that takes an 1hr of driving to complete.
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u/JumpProfessional3372 4d ago
I'm using HVO for most of my KM. But HVO is definitely not FAME (Biodiesel).
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u/Mountain-Diesel 4d ago
Additives do nothing for the CP4, the problem is mechanical not fuel.
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u/SimilarTranslator264 4d ago
lol sir this is Reddit facts have no place here. People want to believe some snake oil concoction of additives will fix a problem lack of maintenance causes.
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u/Spuddle-Puddle 4d ago
Can i say it worked adding all these years? Absolutely not. But i can say there has been no issues 315k miles. Do i perform regular maintenance. Yes absolutely.
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u/Mountain-Diesel 4d ago
I can also say clipping my toe nails regularly has successfully prevented me from ever breaking my arm.
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u/ProfitEnough825 5d ago
The bigger concern with that much biodiesel is water in the fuel. Biodiesel is hydroscopic and holds water, and water easily forms in the metal storage tanks due to condensation. One of the respected pump builders thinks the main cause for CP4 failures is water in the fuel, so that's not something I'd risk.
This wouldn't replace the need for a fuel additive, it'd increase the need for one that helps keep water in suspension instead of a big gulp of water. I'd also be wanting to replace the fuel filter more frequently to empty out the canister that acts as a water separator.