Biodiesel report #1

On Wednesday, I purchased my first gallon of biodiesel fuel for Chapman, my 1973 Mercedes-Benz 220D.

I only bought one gallon of biodiesel because old cars like mine need time to get used to it. Biodiesel acts as a detergent in old cars, loosening fuel-system deposits left behind by regular diesel (in my case, 33 years worth).

To prevent my fuel filters from getting clogged with the loosened deposits, I'm starting with a low concentration of biodiesel (one gallon of biodiesel mixed with 13 gallons of regular diesel).

When my tank nears empty, I'm going to change the car's fuel filters ($12 at Advance Auto Parts), then increase the concentration of biodiesel in my tank to two gallons of biodiesel mixed with 12 gallons of regular diesel. Rinse and repeat.

It could take up to a dozen fuel filter changes before the car is fully transitioned. Once I'm past the transition period, however, I can go back and forth between biodiesel and regular diesel, at any ratio I choose. Plus, the car will probably run better (more smoothly, efficiently, and quietly) than it has since the mid-70s.

As chance would have it, a producer from CNN Radio was at the Fillin' Station interviewing customers for a story about alternative fuels. You can hear me yapping at about 24:30 mark. The much more knowledgable person who speaks after me is my friend Jerry. He was there buying biodiesel for his 1982 300SD. Jerry and his wife own my 'hood's coffee shop, Capitol Coffee.

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What is biodiesel?

Biodiesel is diesel fuel made from vegetable oil. It's renewable, biodegradeable and non-toxic. It puts out fewer harmful exhaust pollutants than regular petrodiesel. It extends the life of diesel engines and improves performance. It can be mixed at any ratio with regular diesel. And my favorite thing -- it's domestically produced, so it doesn't benefit the jackasses running Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Iran, Russia, etc.