Can your car use biodiesel?

You have discovered that biodiesel is friendly to the environment, and consequently, you wish to use biodiesel instead of gasoline or diesel. Excellent choice! But now you have some questions: can my car use biodiesel? If not, what modifications do I need to make? Who do I get to make these modifications?

If your car runs on diesel, chances are you can use biodiesel without any modifications. Go to your biodiesel pump, and fill up your tank with 100% biodiesel. Your car should run with no problems. A few diesel engines, however, are very pesky, and cannot deal with biodiesel. Examine your manual, and look for specific prohibitions against using biodiesel. Out of the well-known makes, only the A3, by Audi, has such a prohibition. If the manual contains no such warnings or prohibitions, your diesel engine is ready for biodiesel.

This leads to the idea of warranty. If you switch to biodiesel, will the warranty on your car become invalid? Biodiesel usage is approved by most major car manufacturers, and will not void your warranty. In fact, voiding a customer’s warranty due to biofuel usage is illegal under American federal law. However, it never hurts to check.

Remember that biodiesel burns cleaner than regular diesel. Regular diesel, when combusted, leaves behind particulate matter. If your car has been running on diesel for the past few years, the inside of your engine is likely covered in grime. Biodiesel removes this grime from your engine. However, these particles, carried by the biodiesel, clog up the fuel filter. After switching to biodiesel, you should change your fuel filter after a few hours of driving. You should experience no problems from here on.

Another problem to watch for is fuel lines made of natural rubber hosing. Some models of cars, especially those made before 1994, use natural rubber for the fuel lines. If your car has hosing made of natural rubber, you simply need to switch the hosing to an appropriate synthetic material. Ask a mechanic for help, and you’ll be done in 15 minutes.

If you have a gasoline engine, on the other hand, do not fill up your tank with biodiesel. Even regular diesel will cause problems when used in a gasoline engine. Diesel’s lower octane level and decreased fuel vaporization will lead to engine damage.

To use biodiesel in your gasoline-run vehicle, you need to switch to a diesel engine. After changing the engine, you may need to modify the car’s suspension brackets or other parts. Legal issues, as well as warranty issues, may also be in play here, so do your research.

In the end, if you wish to switch from gasoline to biodiesel, you may be better off trading in your current car for a new one. This way you risk no complications from the engine switchover, legal issues or warranty issues. Biodiesel is extremely beneficial for the environment, and is quite affordable. In many cases, switching to biodiesel requires no modifications to your current vehicle. Making the change is highly recommended.