I wanted a wagon (hence the ak300td user name) but couldn't find one in our price range so I flew to LA and bought our 300d. We just rolled 210,000 miles in the sedan (202 k when purchased) and are very happy with our new car. I had been talking (pre-sedan) with the owner of an 83 wagon up here but he was reluctant to sell...until now! He called me and accepted my offer and it looks like we'll be the proud owners of TWO 123's! I'm going to check the car out in a week or two to finalize the sale...time to get my butt in gear and work on WVO and biodiesel!

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1983 300td 240k (down with bad tranny)
1984 300d 222k (daily driver) "Olive"
1997 GMC K2500 105k (sled dog limo)

"The scenery in ANWR is as spectacular as the Grand Canyon and the wildlife is more impressive."

Amazing how we're ready to drill into a pristene wilderness for a short supply of oil, but aren't motivating to get a boidiesel station in every city in America...

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'84 300SD veg-oil bliss
'83 300SD veg-oil beater

Amazing how we're ready to drill into a pristene wilderness for a short supply of oil, but aren't motivating to get a boidiesel station in every city in America...

It starts at the top. That's all I'm gonna say.

Congrats on the wagon purchase! I would love to get my hands on one of those things.

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'78 240D

It doesn't end at the top, though. I know of many people on the pickup forums with the attitude that they won't burn "french fry grease" in their $40,000 truck. We need to educate the masses. Change won't truly happen, though, until biodiesel is cheaper.

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Keep everything as simple as possible-but no simpler--Albert Einstein

Hmmm...they won't burn "french fry grease" in their $40,000 trucks but they will burn the next closest thing to crude oil in it??
That's just stupid! I mean, if these people knew how much maintenance and money that biodiesel would save them.

I wonder if people realize that petrodiesel is so terribly crude.

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Nick
*****
2002 Sprinter 2500 140" High Roof :

They're learning...slowly but surely...the timid need us "groundbreakers" to lead the way for them

As dino diesel prices go up, commercial biod becomes more competetive. I have not found a biod supplier in Alaska yet so I'll be making my own. Imagine if we all had to pay the REAL cost of a gallon of dino diesel. Biod would be about half the price!

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1983 300td 240k (down with bad tranny)
1984 300d 222k (daily driver) "Olive"
1997 GMC K2500 105k (sled dog limo)

"The scenery in ANWR is as spectacular as the Grand Canyon and the wildlife is more impressive."

You hit the nail on the head. Also, bio will go down some due to economy-of-scale considerations as its use grows larger. The only trick is, can we grow enough oil crops to fuel our needs? Most think not, but newer technologies (i.e. algae farms, gmo oil crops, etc) may make it possible.

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Keep everything as simple as possible-but no simpler--Albert Einstein

I've always been interested in making my own biodiesel, or in purchasing some from the local company in the city I live. However I don't know if it will work well with my 1984 300SD. I read somewhere that vehicles made before the mid 1990s shouldn't run on biodiesel as the fuel delivery lines are made of plastic that would be corroded by the contents of biodiesel. At the same time I also read a comment from a biodiesel distributor who stated that only VW diesels from the 1980s had that corrosion issue, that every other 1980s diesel engine that was run on biodiesel didn't have any issues.

To those around here who currently use biodisel, what year should your car be made after in order for you to run biodiesel safely without killing your fuel delivery hoses?

My info came from here: http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_vehicle.html

There are no impediments to using ASTM biodiesel in ANY diesel engined vehicle.
There are MINOR issues which MAY be encountered with old, perished and damaged rubber components in the fuel system.
These same issues occur with ULSD too.

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Tony from West Oz.
Fatmobile 3 84 300D 295kkm Silver grey/Blue int. 2 tank WVO - Recipient of TurboDesel engine.
Josephine '82 300D 390kkm White/Palamino int.
Elizabeth '81 280E, sporting a '79 300D engine.
Lucille '87 W124 300D non-turbo 6 cylinder OM603, Pearl Grey with light grey interior


Various parts cars including 280E, 230C & 300D in various states of disassembly.

TonyFromWestOz,

Do you use biodiesel in your diesel M-Bs?

Also, can you explain the meanings of ULSD and ASTM? Thanks.

ULSD=ultra low sulfer diesel

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'84 300SD veg-oil bliss
'83 300SD veg-oil beater

From what I've read/heard, there is no problem with WVO affecting natural rubber fuel hoses and seals. I understand that trace amounts of methanol found in biodiesel degrade natural rubber over time. Many have run biodiesel in vehicles with natural rubber for a long time without seeing any leaking. Others change the hoses/seals prior to use just to be sure.

I hope to use WVO as much as possible and use biodiesel when its too cold to use the WVO.

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1983 300td 240k (down with bad tranny)
1984 300d 222k (daily driver) "Olive"
1997 GMC K2500 105k (sled dog limo)

"The scenery in ANWR is as spectacular as the Grand Canyon and the wildlife is more impressive."

One thing to watch out for with WVO is overly acidic oils that can slowly strip metals out of the I.P.

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'84 300SD veg-oil bliss
'83 300SD veg-oil beater

Do you wash your WVO or just try and use slightly used oil?

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1980 300SD Manganese Brown Metallic Clearcoat 248k
1979 300SD White 148 k
1984 300D Silver project car for daughter
1982 300D wrecked
1980 300SD 310K not running

ASTM stands for the American Society for Testing Methods (I believe) and is the body that sanctions many of the laboratory testing procedures for use in various US industries. So ASTM biodiesel is biodiesel that has passed certain ASTM testing specifications.

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1961 190Db retired
1968 220D/8 325,000
1983 300D 164,150