Aggregates Manager

October 2013

Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine

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"Incomplete transesterification [of a biodiesel feedstock] produces free alcohols that are very corrosive," notes Peter Gunnerman of Advanced Refining Concepts which makes GDiesel, a new type of diesel refined with natural gas. He feels that the biodiesel industry in general is unregulated, with inconsistent product quality. Bjornstad and other fuel experts agree about the potential problems with biodiesel in the area of fuel contamination and bacterial growth, depending on the producer and feedstock used. (If you want to have your fuel checked, contact Southern California Biofuel, 888-8884121. Biodiesel companies know all about testing for cloudiness/contaminants.) If your fleet doesn't have centralized fuel storage, what else can you do to ensure a clean Even a tiny bit of debris in fittings or fuel can require a complete engine teardown and expensive injector replacement. EGR SYSTEM CLEANING TIPS Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. Some might say the same thing about carbon buildup on the EGR valves and induction systems of older diesel trucks. Clogged EGR valves and manifolds are a primary cause of poor performance and fuel economy. Cleaning the EGR valve and manifold is both dirty and time consuming—but worth the effort. It should be done at lest once every 100,000 miles. You can take one of two approaches: chemical or physical cleaning. On the chemical side, BG Products has a cleaner that is said to work well. It requires pulling out the intake hose and EGR valve, installing a block-off plate on the intake, and using a special adapter with an injector where the EGR valve normally is located to run a bottle of the treatment through the fuel system. Then the injector is moved to the intake side and another bottle of cleaner is run through the engine. Total time for the chemical fuel supply? Whether a diesel or gas pickup, Johnson changes his vehicles' fuel filters every six months or 5,000 miles, whichever comes first. "Filters are cheap insurance," he points out. Not all filters are created equal, though. While Johnson sticks with the factory units so he doesn't run into any potential warranty problems, Filter Solutions Technologies (FST) notes that some vehicle manufacturers don't even have an engine-block filter. FST's Rick Rollins claims its low-restriction FloMax300 spin-on filter can handle ethanol, and has a "quiet zone" for settling of contaminants, along with water shedding (not water EXCEED THE DISTANCE. Increase Your Driving Range With an In-bed Fuel Tank System From Transfer Flow! You'll go further than you ever thought possible when you install a Transfer Flow fuel tank system on your pickup! For a FREE catalog, call 1-800-442-0056, or visit our website at www.transferflow.com. The Leader in Aftermarket Fuel Tank Systems. 1-800-442-0056 • (530) 893-5209 www.transferflow.com PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA LARGER REPLACEMENT FUEL TANKS • IN-BED FUEL TANKS • TOOLBOX AND FUEL TANK COMBOS Text INFO to 205-289-3781 or visit www.ppmrequest.com cleanout is about 1-1/2 hours, after which you run BG's oil flush/treatment and do an oil/filter change. Of course, the "old school" method of cleaning the EGR system is to carefully pull the valve and intake manifold off the engine, and clean both by hand. (See "EGR Manifold Cleaning" on our website.) Use carb cleaner, a screwdriver and wire brush to get rid of the carbon buildup. Then soak the valve in carburetor cleaner (but not brake cleaner, as that can damage the O-rings) before reassembling. blocking, which can cause the filtration media to swell). He points out that OE filters can trap particles as small as 15 microns, but FST goes down as fine as three microns, depending on the unit. In addition to good filtration, certain types of fuel additives can be of value as well in treating ethanol blends. While Bell Performance offers Ethanol Defense (the company's most popular product), Bjornstad acknowledges that there are many others on the market, and recommends using only those that don't have alcohol in them, in order to handle water properly (especially in portable equipment with small engines, which are not as resistant to alcohol as the drivetrain engines in late-model pickup trucks). "These additives should also have detergency, combustion improvement and protectants," he points out. Another concern with ethanol blends involves mixing them with certain fuels that have an older type of octane enhancer: MTBE. While this toxic chemical is far less common than it once was, it's still found in off-road or marine fuels. If they are combined with an ethanol/gas blend (say, in a jug used to refill the tank of a generator or chain saw), Bjornstad says a brown sludge or residue can form and cause mechanical problems. How can you determine if your fuel is contaminated? A visual inspection will reveal a lot, showing discoloration, cloudiness, or separation of liquids and particulates. Of course, a plugged filter is also a good indicator there's a big fuel problem. Whatever the symptoms of fuel contamination, they should not be ignored; bad diesel fuel will invariably lead to serious [costly] damage to both the truck's fuel system and engine. And small fuel contamination issues escalate very quickly to major problems. 16 PROPICKUP October 2013 PP1013_Shop Talk.indd 16 9/11/13 8:52 AM

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