The residual alcohol in B100 (100% biodiesel) will degrade natural rubber products in the fuel system. In general, any vehicle manufactored since the mid or late nineties will be OK. I`m not sure about the compatability of various MB vehicles but will find out soon when the W124 300TD that will be sharing the stable with our two biodiesel powered VW TDIs arrives. Viton synthetic rubber parts are compatible with B100 and are available at McMaster-Carr.

Biodiesel is more biodegradable than sugar and less toxic than table salt, burns much cleaner than the Devil`s Tea, is essencially carbon emissions neutral, produces little soot, keeps manifold deposits to a minimum, and is domestically produced. It is a very safe fuel, just about impossible to light with a flame.

The two main down sides are price (ranging upwards to $3/gal...we pay about $1.40 with the Maryland Soybean Board Rebate Program) and availablity. Biodiesel is a strong solvent and if you have been burning the Rude Crude for many miles it will tend to loosen the gunk deposits in the fuel system. It`s a good idea to have a fresh fuel filter and some B100 for priming on hand if the filter gets clogged. Biodiesel also eats paint so be careful while filling and always wipe off spills. B100 will gel at about 25* so we mix in K1 and some special anti-gel for our winter B80 blend (80% biodiesel/20% K1) which takes us down to Zero degrees with no problems.

We have been burning biodiesel for over four years now and have gotten our total consumption of petroleum down to about 90 gallons per year (just to keep it flowing in the cold months). Going back to burning the Devil`s Tea is no longer an option for us.

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300TD W124, Two VW TDI Passat Wagons,Cummins Ram 250, Kubota Tractor
23 cylinders sipping the sweet sauce of the soy bean