The trial begins....

[gldgti]

Hi Folks,

Just thought I'd let you all in on my new adventure. We've just got a Skoda Octavia 1.9TDI, had it for.... just over a week now. Already done more than 1500km.

The first time I filled it up it was with dino diesel, but on Saturday morning I filled it with B100 from my usual servo in Gosford. I did 150,000km on the biodiesel from this servo over the last 3.5 years, and the servo has awards for clean tanks and fuel storage quality.

So far, the first tank has been lovely and smooth in the 1.9 PD TDI, with a little more bottom end torque, a bit less top end and quieter idle. Fuel economy appears to be pretty much the same if not better, but since I inly did ~800km on the first tank its not really representative.

Anyway, I'm sure some of you think I'm crazy but I'm 99% certain that this fuel is AOK in the skoda. In my recent research, i've found that the standards set out for biodiesel in australia either meet or exceed the necessary european standard for biodiesel that VW will warrant, and as such because I've used the fuel fromthis particular service station for so long with absolutely no problem, I'm happy to run it in the PD engine.

Wish me luck!

[mikinoz]

Skodas are cheap if you bin it anyhow.

It will be fine as you say, I am sure.

[GoLfMan]

maniac! But I'm glad you are game to try it on a PD engine! Thanks for sharing

[ope126]

Keep us up to date with your travels!!!

[Transporter]

Your Skoda will be OK, since it has no DPF. I expect that it will use a bit more fuel (at least my T5 did when I tried B20 for a month), but will be interested what you find.

[gldgti]

5.6l/100km from th first tank full of b100 (calculated upon fill up ofcourse).

The 'range to empty' display was pretty well on the money, filled with 49.3l and range to empty said 120km to go.

[Greg Roles]

Yeah Miro is right, Bio is really only a hassle for the DPF, and I'd be happy to run a modern non DPF oiler on Bio. In fact, it's my whole long term aim....

I take it you are watching the fuel filter for any grunge the bio will wash out of the fuel system from the Dino>

[gldgti]

actually the filter on my skoda seems not to have a water/crud drain like the usual ones. I'm considering retrofitting one that does. Even so, I've only ever had a problem with gunge from quite old cars. Even my mk3 (which was 14 years old when I started running it on bio) never needed an extra filter change.... or the cabrio (although the cabrio was petrol for most of its life, haha).

[Transporter]

actually the filter on my skoda seems not to have a water/crud drain like the usual ones. I'm considering retrofitting one that does. Even so, I've only ever had a problem with gunge from quite old cars. Even my mk3 (which was 14 years old when I started running it on bio) never needed an extra filter change.... or the cabrio (although the cabrio was petrol for most of its life, haha).

What about removing the filter canister, drilling the hole at the bottom and welding the spout in there with the drain? Or install universal fuel filter that has a glass bowl (Ryco makes one) as a pre-filter, if there is enough space.

[gldgti]

Yeah I thought about that ryco one but is it ok for use in a system that has a lift pump? (I'm guessing theres a lift pump after what preeny was talking about with the caddy that they worked on when it was mis-fuelled).

Until this car all my diesels have been VE, so no lift pump at all.

[gldgti]

Update

So i'm about 4 tanks further along than when I started this thread, and the car is still running just fine. I've had no problems starting in the cool weather (down to 4 deg C on a couple of mornings). Definately less smokey, and definately a little quieter on the bio.

economy has been pretty well what i would expect. 5.6 from the first tank on bio, 5.3 for the second, 6.1 for the last tank (included the cruise on sunday where I was driving like a maniac for about 200km) and this tank well, we'll see I guess

My daily commute on the F3 has some big hills, but the net trip towards work gains me about 200m altitude, and on the way to work the computer says I average 5.7l/100km, and on the way home from work I can average 4.5l/100km.

Anyway, we'll see how things unfold..... basically everything is fine though!

[gldgti]

Got 962km from the last tank of B100.

my trip average for the 59km from work, to hornsby and to the service station in gosford ain't too bad either

[gldgti]

just an update - 20,000km on biodiesel and still going strong. Average consumption 5.5l/100km.

[coastvw]

I have found some of the Woolworths Caltex's have a really small sticker on their diesel pumps saying contains 5% Bio, and that was a pump labelled Vortex Diesel

---------- Post added at 10:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:12 AM ----------

Yeah the F3 is a good test, I get about 5.7-5.9 heading south and about 5.6 heading north, its that coast down Mooney Mooney that helps!! Best I have seen in the Tig is 4.5 from Bathurst to C Coast

[jazd]

I have found some of the Woolworths Caltex's have a really small sticker on their diesel pumps saying contains 5% Bio, and that was a pump labelled Vortex Diesel

Really? I thought if the Woolies pumps had the Vortex sticker it would be the good stuff.