Waste Vegetable Oil Fuels

This weekend I continued on my quest to get my ‘83 300TD up and running smooth so I could finally say I’m running on my own biodiesel. So far the biodiesel part of the equation has been great. I’m running 50% or so and have had no starting/running problems… that is, at least, when the engine is receiving fuel. One of the issues I’ve been dealing with is air in the fuel line. The clear plastic pre filter gives a great view of all the bubbles streaming in. So I started the process of replacing the old beater hoses in the most easily accessible location: under the hood.

There are two sections of fuel line that I replaced and then bled the system. I was still getting air, but I decided to go get it washed and rally it up Parleys Canyon just to see how the bio blend really worked. Somewhere near the summit (where I should have gotten off and headed back down) it started losing power. I thought to myself, “There’s no way that the biodiesel has stirred up enough gunk to clog the filters yet.” I kept going and got off at Jeremy Ranch to head back. Not to far off the onramp headed back up the summit, she died! And wouldn’t restart even when I asked nicely, or when I asked not so nicely. When I popped the hood there was little fuel in the pre-filter. Priming did nothing to draw more fuel and eventually there was no fuel in the line. After the coasting backwards down to the on ramp and parking it there, I went through the scenarios in my head. Could I be out of gas despite the recent addition of 5 gallons of biodiesel on to p of 5 gallons of petrol diesel? I ran and got 3 gallons to make sure. Pulled the fuel line off of the tank, to see the fuel and verify that end of the “needs fuel” equation. I checked the primmer pump it was in fact sucking. So after procrastination the inevitable I called AAA.

I’m a AAA RV member. That’s 100 miles of free towing. I got home and despite the mud, diesel all over, and missing the Utes beating Air Force, was no real worse for the wear.