Filling up at local Jet station I noticed a sign on the pump saying "may contain up to 7% Bio diesel". The Handbook for my car - 57 plate - says can take up to 5%. Anyone know if I can do damage using this diese - l think the newer Freelanders can take up to 10%?

Cheers





Grumpy Grumpy

Yes, 2011 my 10%. All FL2's (3) Gone
2011 Mercedes C180 CGI Gone
FL2 GS Auto SD with heated leather, factory tints, alloy spare and a few other bits.

I don't think you have a choice whether to use 7% bio-diesel. All EU diesel can contain 7% bio-diesel.

Wikipedia wrote:

EN590 describes the physical properties that all automotive diesel fuel must meet if it is to be sold in the European Union, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

It allows the blending of up to 7% fatty acid methyl ester with 'conventional' diesel - a 93/7 mix.

Hi

Hope someone has an answer. Filling up at my local garage (Jet) I noticed a sticker on the pump saying contains up to 7% biodiesel. I remeber seeing something in the handbook and looked it up and it states biodiesel up to 5% may be used - mine is a 57 plate engine.

Anyone know if this could cause problems? I notice all the supermarket pumps also say up to 7% so could be difficult to stay within the 5% noted in the manual.

Thanks






Grumpy Grumpy

merged into your other thread  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Hi guys

there is an easy fix for this, use 0.5% (1:200) Jaso-FC 2-stroke oil with your diesel and you never have to worry about the hypgroscopic behaviour of the bio diesel.  With kind regards
DiscoGeorge
1998 Disco1 ES 300Tdi with twin TrueTracs
2005 Disco3 TDV6 S
And some more serious stuff

Following up I spoke to LR themselves and they said that the Handbook statement was for warranty protection purposes as some data showed that above 5% biodiesel the seals in the fuel system could, in theory, soften and fail prematurely. The newer cars can run to 10%. I contacted Shell which is what I had been using before and they said they only blend to a max of 5%.

I'm well out of warranty now but I'm going to be careful as (possible) leaks in the fuel system could be expensive. Shell it is then for me




Grumpy Grumpy

Hi guys

apart from the hygroscopic behaviour of bio diesel (it contains ethanol!!!) there is a second proviso:

On earlier models, crank and camshaft seal rings can be negatively affected by using higher concentrations of bio-diesel. They can go soft and start leaking.

But one would have to start using some heavy percentage of bio-diesel before this becomes a problem.

The main contention of bio-diesel is its hygroscopic behaviour, and that stuffs up injection systems, mechanical and/or CRD  With kind regards
DiscoGeorge
1998 Disco1 ES 300Tdi with twin TrueTracs
2005 Disco3 TDV6 S
And some more serious stuff

Diesel fuel itself is hygroscopic , so by definition, biodiesel would also be hygroscopic, and because sulphur has been removed from diesel, biodiesel and biodiesel/petrodiesel blends, with their higher lubricity levels, are increasingly being utilized as an alternative to aid lubrication. Hence the reason why I think there is no need to add anything else to aid lubrication.

Any evidence of a modern (post 2007) engines fuel system failing because of lack of lubrication  ______________________
2011 Full Fat RR 4.4 TDV8
2012 FL2 SD4 Auto HSE
2013 Kawasaki Versys 650

LR support guy only expressed reservation on going above 5% Bio on early engines - mine is a 57 plate. Didn't mention any issues on lube - only possible degradation of seals.



Grumpy Grumpy

Hi Dave and Grumpy

just ask any member of Toyota and/or Land Rover forums in SA, they will confim that there is an abnormally high failure rate of CRD diesel pumps and injectors.

The reasons for that are two-fold:

1. Lower sulphur content in 50ppm ULSD (reduced lubricity)

2. Higher content of bio-diesel and/or ethanol in ULSD (increase in corrosion and erosion related failures i.e. leaking injectors)

I have just purchased a 2005 model Disco3 TDV6 which had CRD pump and injectors changed at 130'000km. I asked the previous owner if he had used 2sO. He was quite puzzled by my question. After I explained to him the advantages of 2sO and why the non-use of 2sO lead to these failures, he immediately started using it on the other diesel vehicles in his fleet. b  With kind regards
DiscoGeorge
1998 Disco1 ES 300Tdi with twin TrueTracs
2005 Disco3 TDV6 S
And some more serious stuff

Dave wrote:

Diesel fuel itself is hygroscopic ,

bacteria then grow in the join between the water and the fuel. not good. mainly in a stationary storage tank not a car swishing around
http://www.dieselbugbusters.co.uk/index.ph...;Itemid=45 At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

CC you have raised a very valid point here. This is a major headache for us here in SA, also because of the higher ambient temperatures which foster growth of these unwanted life forms.

There are special additives available that kill bacteria in diesel tanks. I add one of those bottles once every 5000km. So far it has worked for me very well. Diesel filter blockage in SA is mainly caused by dirty diesel, not so much by bacterial growth. But the combination of the two is a killer.

Dave

there are on the market gadgets called water traps, they separate water from the diesel by means of a very simple trick. The specific gravitiy of water is higher than that of diesel. One just has to periodically drain the water traps and that will then assist. The problem comes in when Ethanol (bio diesel) is added. This can then lead to rust formation on metal injection parts.

See the picture I posted on the previous page. With kind regards
DiscoGeorge
1998 Disco1 ES 300Tdi with twin TrueTracs
2005 Disco3 TDV6 S
And some more serious stuff