Damage Types: What You Need to Know | Posts 16+

Hello,

@Eike regarding damage: (apart from rubber parts that can dissolve): In older systems with VE injection pumps, damage due to corrosion caused by contaminants (water, acetic acid) seems to have occurred. Some Austrian agricultural organization once conducted a long-term test, but I can't find the link right now. Apparently, anything branded Lucas, CAV, Rotodiesel, etc., is highly susceptible to damage from rapeseed methyl ester (RME), meaning that, similar to what happens with conventional diesel, the distributor pumps are prone to failure. Pump-nozzle systems tend to be as robust as inline injection pumps, which is quite different from common rail (CR) systems.

@Nuckelpinne:

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Some politicians are apparently intending to force the addition of biodiesel in mineral oil-based diesel, because pure biodiesel has not gained widespread acceptance. Now, as I understand from the report, they want to exempt or subsidize these "mixed products" that are created in this way, just like pure biodiesel.

Well, some people invested a lot of money in the RME production facilities, and then Volkswagen backed out. So, they're trying to find a way to keep things moving forward so that the whole project doesn't fall apart...

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The fact that the production of conventional rapeseed biodiesel is known to generate more environmental burdens (CO2) than are saved through its use as fuel plays no role in these endeavors...

Where did you get this wisdom? The discussion is about fatty acid methyl esters (biodiesel), not ethanol.

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Instead of mandating, by law, intelligent, additive-free particulate filters to combat soot, or introducing truly ecologically verschandeln and engine-compatible biodiesel (SunFuel/Synfuel), we are being forced to use rapeseed sludge.

Ouch! And you think this stuff has a better energy or carbon footprint?


@Chris11

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My assessment is that it will become a subsidized "industry" just like the wind power industry.

Or nuclear power...

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Before I add it to diesel fuel and risk potential damage to newer PD (Pumpe-Düse) and Common Rail technologies, it would be much simpler to add it to heating oil. The savings on petroleum imports would be the same, and the technical risk would be much lower.

Yes, I agree with that too.

I'm not a fan of FME/RME for several reasons, mainly because Pöl is better and more economical, and doesn't need to be centrally mixed first. I've also never used RME myself. However, it's great for cleaning engine parts .
"Environmentally friendly": VW states that the fuel doesn't burn optimally, while simultaneously mentioning significant problems with NOx emissions. This is a contradiction. NOx has the unpleasant property of forming more readily during very efficient combustion. Engine manufacturers are reducing NOx using all sorts of tricks (e.g., exhaust gas recirculation, late injection), which largely negate the efficiency advantages of diesel engines. When the fuel sensor comes into play and the engine management system reacts to it, this will inevitably lead to even higher fuel consumption with RME (biodiesel) than before, because an RME program will mandate a later injection timing.
I'm curious to see what happens. The engines probably won't have any issues with the fuel mixture, but seals on injection pumps, fuel hoses, and oil return lines will start leaking en masse, bringing workshops additional revenue in the millions. Last summer, after just two tanks of French gasoline, all the oil return lines, the plug on the last injector, and the hoses to the expansion tanks in the wheel wells failed on my T3 van. Okay, the parts were 15 years old, but I'm not the only one driving vehicles that old. It wasn't a big deal; I bought a meter of hose from the Bosch service center down there (the guy immediately showed me a picture and gave me Viton hose without me even asking), and the problem was solved. But what does the average car owner do when the fuel pump fails? Do they have a new one installed for a fortune, or do they scrap the car or sell it to Africa and buy a new one? If that's not a good growth strategy...


Best regards, Uli.

garth.brooks wrote:

Now, let's keep things in perspective. I myself am a victim of the RME scandal, but only because I drove that stuff for 25,000 km in my old A4. An additive of 5%, as is the case in France, likely wouldn't be noticeable by the engines. It has been working perfectly there for years. The car manufacturers have also stated that they would accept a mixture containing up to 10%. ( As Paracelsus said: "The dose makes the poison.")

Hello.

I actually overlooked the fact that it's partly about blending biodiesel. And a 5% biofuel content in diesel (like in France) still seems feasible to me.

What biodiesel prices can be expected if the fuel is completely tax-exempt and also sold in its pure form?
Based on the results, it seems that quite a few of the things I mentioned earlier will actually come to pass...