Date:         Sat, 14 Jul 2001 06:08:46 EDT
Reply-To:     Oxroad@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeffrey R <Oxroad@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: biodiesel
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

In a message dated 7/12/2001 11:54:35 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
kivka@EARTHLINK.NET writes:

> here is no conversion of anything mechanical necessary

In regards to biodiesel and the Vanagon. A listener called into car talk
about year ago with a problem. The following is their account to the best of
my knowledge. And I pass it on, not as an expert, but just to put it out
there and muck things up a bit. I myself don't have a diesel as I have to
punch a time clock. Again to the best of my memory:

A Vanagon owner living in a co operative
community in Washington or Oregon called into the guys at car talk because
they
were having problems with biodiesel in the Vanagon. Seems they were burning
biodiesel in a tractor and a rabbit and some other vehicles and the vanagon.
Problem was the Vanagon kept not running--the other vehicles performed fine.
They would take The Vanagon to be repaired and I think it needed new fuel
lines. Then the problem resurfaced a few months later. Same remedy this time.
But the owner was not impressed with the savings vs. repair costs while using
the biodiesel. The Tappet bros. suggested the Vanagon may not be compatable
with biodeisel as it is decomposing the fuel line and perhaps other
components which I can't remember. The solution was to use diesel as opposed
to biodiesel in the Vanagon.

Just food for thought.

Jeff
83.5 Westy
LA,CA