Pump says "Less than 5% Biodiesel"

I doubt it means 0%. There's some bio in it. In Illinois, most stations have bio and the sticker reads between 5-20%. Thankfully, not all stations sell bio...once in awhile I use bio. Usually, I get straight ULSD. So, less than 5% bio is not a bad thing.

fincher said:

I doubt it means 0%. There's some bio in it. In Illinois, most stations have bio and the sticker reads between 5-20%. Thankfully, not all stations sell bio...once in awhile I use bio. Usually, I get straight ULSD. So, less than 5% bio is not a bad thing.

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IL mandates biodiesel, right? Wish we had better availability here in Massachusetts. I'd like to run a consistent BD2.

If I can't find a consistent retail pump supply, I'm going to pick up 5 gallons of BD99 every so often from a supplier about 45 minutes away in Rhode Island, stash it in the garage, and just add a half gallon to the tank each time I fill up....

Illinois does mandate it but there are several places near me that do not sell it...mandate does not meet required. A small amount of bio is good...20% maybe not.

fincher said:

Illinois does mandate it but there are several places near me that do not sell it...mandate does not meet required. A small amount of bio is good...20% maybe not.

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Right. I'm looking to stay at BD5 or less.

fincher said:

Illinois does mandate it but there are several places near me that do not sell it...mandate does not meet required. A small amount of bio is good...20% maybe not.

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AFAIK, Illinois doesn't mandate bio. It's highly incentivized for the fuel distributor to sell it because they pay less taxes. I went through this when I was stationed there and had a 2012 Jetta TDI. This was before VW changed their current verbiage of "up to 20% Bio allowable." I was all over VW about this because they were effectively selling a car in a state that was next to impossible to get anything less than B11. (Most of the ULSD is B11 in Illinios)

Ok. Dealers get a better deal selling bio. Most of them do, just not all.

lml999 said:

Filled up at a Sonoco in Newton, Mass yesterday. Diesel pump had a sticker that said "Less than 5% biodiesel." I asked the attendant what that meant and got a blank stare.

Anybody know? Does "less than 5%" mean 0? Is this just a CYA sticker?

I called Sunoco's customer service number and after a few minutes of bouncing from one rep to another, I got disconnected. I've tweeted at Sunoco, but given their phone capabilities, I don't have much hope for their tweeting competence.

Thanks!

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The 'up to 5% biodiesel' is a general CYA disclamer. All over the country states are beginning to 'encourage' BD.
Many states don't push very hard and some cities do. So it is likely (but impossible to know for sure) that any given fillup will not contain ANY bioD. Only the fuel distributor that actually sold diesel to that station (ie put it on the truck) will be able to tell you. The phone receptionist won't have ANY idea. BD100 is added to the fuel load in the truck as it is being filled at the fule farm so the truck driver MAY know.

Fourdiesel said:

The 'up to 5% biodiesel' is a general CYA disclamer. All over the country states are beginning to 'encourage' BD.
Many states don't push very hard and some cities do. So it is likely (but impossible to know for sure) that any given fillup will not contain ANY bioD. Only the fuel distributor that actually sold diesel to that station (ie put it on the truck) will be able to tell you. The phone receptionist won't have ANY idea. BD100 is added to the fuel load in the truck as it is being filled at the fule farm so the truck driver MAY know.

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So...do I have to just hang around at the station and wait for a tanker to show up?

...and of course the information will be valid for that shipment only.

No wonder Sunoco hung up on me and isn't responding to my tweets!

...they don't know either!

This is actually a problem as I'd like to run B2-B5. Without knowing what's going in the tank, I can't mix my own...I could end up with as much as B10, a higher % than I want.

Irving in Chelsea (Dennis K Burke) has B5, B20 on tap. If you're around Boston at all, with any frequency, considering these rigs get 650+ miles on a tank, that might be an option for ya.

So what is the rub on bio? I thought this ULSD needed lubricant added,ie PS or Stanadyne,. I add PS with every tank fill. Have 2 TDI's and no trouble with HPFP over 6yrs.

agravadr said:

Irving in Chelsea (Dennis K Burke) has B5, B20 on tap. If you're around Boston at all, with any frequency, considering these rigs get 650+ miles on a tank, that might be an option for ya.

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Thanks. Been there, drank that. (with my old 300d turbodiesel).

We recently moved to the Cape and Chelsea is a bit of a hike. There's also a shop in Cranston RI that sells biodiesel, up to B99. They're mostly a wholesale shop, operate 9-5 or 9-4 or something like that...we stopped by on the way to NY a while back. Retail pump for B5/B20. B99 is stored inside.

TH Malloy.

Good people, kind of old school...took the numbers off the pump and ran my credit card through a slide impression machine!

I bought a five gallon fuel jug and at some point will fill it up with B99 there, and top off my tank to get to B2-B5 with standard pump fuel.

I also add Diesel additive every couple of tanks...which reminds me, it's time to order winter mix!