Plastic Machine

The cavitation post put me in mind of a conversation I had a few years ago.

I was working for someone who wanted me to run biodiesel in a small tractor. I know that there is a drop in horsepower when using bio and that is can cause lines to fail and filters to clog. I called a local diesel shop to ask about bio diesel and before I could finish my question he said, "We can fix it." I told him I was checking before I did anything.

He then related a tale about a diesel truck that came in that looked like it had caulking injected into the crankcase. The engine began to perform poorly and then suddenly stopped. It seems this vehicle had a fuel pump that was leaking fuel into the crankcase oil. The combination of the high nitrogen bio fuel, the motor oil, and the heat had caused the combination to nearly plasticize. The only thing they were missing was chlorine to make plastic.

I thought it was kind of a cool Mr. Wizard thing.

Anyone with similar tales?

I am always curious we're these stories originate from. Most everyone that farms in the Midwest uses Biodiesel and never has these problems. They do make interesting reading and coffee shop stories. I use Biodiesel fuel in all my tractors and have never experienced any of those problems. A friend of mine who farms around 3600 acres has used it since it was available to us and tells people that if you change fuel filters like the manuals suggest, no problems. A lot of gas stations here in Iowa, i.e., Kum and Go, only sell Biodiesel.

Unless you are talking about burning used french fry grease, or some other home-brew concoction, I am going to call 100% BULL(pucky) on your tale.

(quoted from post at 21:58:03 01/07/16) I am always curious we're these stories originate from. Most everyone that farms in the Midwest uses Biodiesel and never has these problems. They do make interesting reading and coffee shop stories. I use Biodiesel fuel in all my tractors and have never experienced any of those problems. A friend of mine who farms around 3600 acres has used it since it was available to us and tells people that if you change fuel filters like the manuals suggest, no problems. A lot of gas stations here in Iowa, i.e., Kum and Go, only sell Biodiesel.

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Yeah, we had 2 places here in town that started selling it several years ago and they both quit due to lack of interest. Now they are selling non-ethanol gasoline :idea:

Yes. It was made from restaurant waste. He had pictures. Pretty cool.

I think many of these issues occur more with home made bio than with that produced at a refinery.

I hear it depends on how old the vehicle is too when yo convert. If the lines are old non-steel braid they may leak. If the engine is dirty, the bio will break it up and cause the filter problems. If you change filters in short interval after conversion you may avoid the problem. I have seen the loss of power.

I wasn't looking for similar bio tales but similar weird engine tales.

Working for Doan And Decker Ford in Terre Haute Ind (a Uhaul center) we got a 20 footer in on a hook. It had a rod out the side #4 on a 6cyl. The story was that the renter drove with a leaky heater hose form mid Illinois, to about 10 miles from Terre Haute. where it could go no further. I put a rebuilt engine in it (No pan or Valve covers, but all else) when I removed the oil pan, the oil was congealed into a jelly like mass. 5 times stiffer than pudding, requiring a putty knife.
The person was transporting an antique Ford (probably 1922 or so) a different truck was backed up to the broken one and the car was pushed from one to the other. Jim

Sure....

Even if this actually happened, the operator should have noticed SOMETHING if he checked the oil every day. Of course if he was using used vegetable oil to save money, he probably wasn't doing regular oil changes or other routine maintenance. If you leak enough fuel into your crankcase, the engine WILL stop running, whether or not you're using bio-diesel.

(quoted from post at 23:02:20 01/07/16) Working for Doan And Decker Ford in Terre Haute Ind (a Uhaul center) we got a 20 footer in on a hook. It had a rod out the side #4 on a 6cyl. The story was that the renter drove with a leaky heater hose form mid Illinois, to about 10 miles from Terre Haute. where it could go no further. I put a rebuilt engine in it (No pan or Valve covers, but all else) when I removed the oil pan, the oil was congealed into a jelly like mass. 5 times stiffer than pudding, requiring a putty knife.
The person was transporting an antique Ford (probably 1922 or so) a different truck was backed up to the broken one and the car was pushed from one to the other. Jim

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I saw a Cadillac engine come back to our factory - trashed. It had 60K miles, and still had the OEM oil filter. We had to use a spoon to get oil out of the sump for analysis. There are people out there who will buy a new car, run the crap out of it, and never maintain it. Usually they buy new every year.

Yellowstone park has a dodge diesel that there running on Bio and has never had any problems in that cold weather. We have been testing 95 liters at work on B 20 and it works just fine.

ran hundreds of hours on bio above 100 and below 0 and everywhere in between with no problems,

Wow. Usually oil gets thinner. What do you think caused it to jell?

When I was a Ford Service Manager, an F-150 pickup was towed in with the engine seized. We were in Nebraska and the pickup was from South Carolina.

We ran the unit up on a hoist and pulled the drain plug on the oil pan. Nothing came out. We also noted it still had the factory oil filter on it. I asked the fellow who was driving it when was the last time he checked or changed oil. He flippantly replied, "I never bother with stuff like that". His father-in-law in South Carolina owned the pickup, so I called him. He replied, "I own a fleet of Ford pickups and we keep meticulous service records.

At that point, since the pickup was still in warranty, I felt it prudent to run it past the Ford District Manager. Based on the evidence, she voided the warranty.

The fellow with the pickup disappeared and we parked the unit outside waiting further developments. Next day a tow truck from the Ford dealer in the next town over came and picked up the pickup while I was at lunch. I never heard the outcome, but I hope they didn't go ahead and replace the engine, thinking it would be covered by warranty. They could have wound up eating an engine.

I don't know about the stories but when possible I avoid using Bio or ethanol laced gas just because I don't like the fact that they are trying to shove it down my throat.

Rick

It polymerized from radical heat. the paint was blistering on the pan, and valvecover. Jim