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Old 07-03-2020, 04:23 PM   #1
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B5 diesel for Sprint chassis

How can one find gas stations carrying B5 diesel? Is the 2020 Sprinter still does not allow the use of B20?
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Old 07-03-2020, 04:54 PM   #2
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Trial and error, mostly.
The BIO-diesel blend must be clearly marked on the pump, unless the bio content is below 5%. If in doubt, ask the station or truck stop staff.

Have you tried googling "b5 or less fuel stops locator"?
Gas Buddy will find diesel, but I don't think it knows about "bio" content.
This one is similar
https://www.dieselforum.org/diesel-drivers/fuel-locator

There are some apps that locate bio-diesel, so you could use that to avoid them.
The VS30 Sprinter OM still has the B5 or less caveat in the fueling section, even though it was said they may have backed off a bit on that.
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Old 07-03-2020, 07:50 PM   #3
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When we picked up our 2021 View a few weeks ago, on the way back home, we struggled with this.

The pumps usually have a statement that they may contain B5 to B20, but no specific statement on the actual content.

And no one at the gas stations seems to know exactly what fuel you're getting.

So far, we've been stopping primarily at auto gas stations with diesel pumps, and haven't had any issues - yet.

Pages 327-328 in the 2019 Sprinter owners manual recommends using fuels with no more than 5% biodiesel when possible, and to periodically check the engine oil if using B20 regularly.

However, the manual makes a statement that can't be followed:

"For more information, consult the gas station staff. The identification of fuels with bio-diesel content (ULSD or B20) must be clear. If the identification is not clear, do not refuel. Do not refuel with any fuels that have not been approved for your vehicle."

After fueling multiple times during our first 2500 miles, we have yet to see any pump clearly marked with the biodiesel content or any gas station staff who know anything about the diesel fuel...

The inability for Mercedes owners to tell if they were or were not getting B5 diesel may be why Mercedes moved away from diesel for consumer vehicles in the US...
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Old 07-04-2020, 06:22 AM   #4
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When we travel we often use truck stops, mainly for the conveniences, and some of them have an intended bio blend number on the website in the list of fuel prices/stations.
Pilot/Flying J does.
https://pilotflyingj.com/fuel-prices/
However, when we ask the staff for verification if we have doubts, they rarely seem to know what the actual blend is, and often told us that they don't have bio-diesel at all???
Check your oil levels regularly, is about all we can do when the pumps aren't marked, but if they aren't marked, they're supposed to be B5 or less, so you should be good to go.
Agree on the MB moving away from diesel in general in North America.
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Old 07-04-2020, 07:06 AM   #5
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Late 2020 and 2021 Mercedes diesels should be B20 compatible. Check your owners manual. However, you can use, per Mercedes, B20 as often or as long as you need if 1) you do not engage in any extended idling; 2) Check the oil more frequently; 3) change the oil at 10,000 miles if you have to use it all of the time; 4) and if possible, use B5 or lower after a tank of B20.

So, stop worrying about it and drive your motorhome. If you stay away from big truck stops on the interstates you are less likely to run into B20.
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Old 07-04-2020, 07:08 AM   #6
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We've found the truck stops are usually more expensive than regular gas stations for diesel...
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Old 07-04-2020, 08:46 AM   #7
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I think that many of the big truck stops take the easy way out and label their pumps as potentially having B20. Also the small gas stations that are independently owned don't know and don't care what they have.

I am surprised that truck stops are more expensive generally than regular gas stations but that is what I understand from my diesel RV friends. Maybe there are fleet discounts at the truck stops that we don't know about.

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Old 07-04-2020, 08:53 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rprochnow View Post
We've found the truck stops are usually more expensive than regular gas stations for diesel...
Absolutely, they are, as they cater to commercial truckers with corporate discounts on bulk diesel sales.
We like the coffee and the other amenities, so we accept the higher price.
You are less likely to get stale diesel at a truck stop, just by turnover rate.
DEF in the truck lanes is nice, too. If you don't have a discount/credit card that activates the truck lane pumps, you can prepay inside the store for diesel or DEF. I miss those days.....
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Old 07-04-2020, 09:18 AM   #9
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No pump label is required for diesel containing 5% biodiesel or less. If there is no label on the pump, then you're probably looking at 5% .....or less.
https://www.regi.com/blogs/blog-deta...g-requirements
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Old 07-04-2020, 09:26 AM   #10
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Following FTC regulations at your operation.
In every state, biodiesel can be blended with traditional petroleum diesel up to 5 percent. At this B5 blend level, the fuel still meets the ASTM D975 fuel specification and does not require any additional labeling at the pump. Once retailers begin to sell blends from B6 to B20, labeling is required.
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Old 07-04-2020, 11:18 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by DavidM View Post
I think that many of the big truck stops take the easy way out and label their pumps as potentially having B20. Also the small gas stations that are independently owned don't know and don't care what they have.
I would say "yes" and "yes" to both points. The former is an easy CYA, and the latter is a general caveat.
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Old 07-05-2020, 06:10 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by luvlabs View Post
if 1) you do not engage in any extended idling
The Ford manual does not issue any warnings about B20 but it does contain a warning against doing any "extended" idling. The real issue is that I have never been able to figure out exactly what constitutes "extended" idling.

Is it 10 minutes? 20 minutes? An hour? I have no idea so it is hard to avoid what I can not define. Basically I just shut down the diesel if stopped for longer than a traffic light but it would be really nice if the manual defined what that meant.
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Old 07-12-2020, 05:45 PM   #13
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Extended idling

Yes, we were advised by the MB service tech at St. Pete FL MB service garage. I let our recently purchased 2011 Via 25Q idle for +/- 30 min while waiting on a passenger. I did it to keep the AC running and keep those of us in the front seats cool. Upon hitting the road again it would not accelerate or shift to a higher gear. 30 mph was the best I could get. manual shifting left me slowly get to 55 on the freeway to limp it to MB for service.
Diagnostics focused on the EGR valve. ( Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valve). The tech asked if we had been idling for an extended time. Said these valves have a habit of sticking and apparently need to be replaced frequently. It’s not an inexpensive operation ...be ready to drop $1,600 If you are unable to get it under warranty.
In the future I’ll resort to using the generator rather than set and idle the engine.
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Old 07-12-2020, 07:21 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by Geosman View Post
Yes, we were advised by the MB service tech at St. Pete FL MB service garage. I let our recently purchased 2011 Via 25Q idle for +/- 30 min while waiting on a passenger. I did it to keep the AC running and keep those of us in the front seats cool. Upon hitting the road again it would not accelerate or shift to a higher gear. 30 mph was the best I could get. manual shifting left me slowly get to 55 on the freeway to limp it to MB for service.
Diagnostics focused on the EGR valve. ( Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valve). The tech asked if we had been idling for an extended time. Said these valves have a habit of sticking and apparently need to be replaced frequently. It’s not an inexpensive operation ...be ready to drop $1,600 If you are unable to get it under warranty.
In the future I’ll resort to using the generator rather than set and idle the engine.
Well, that gives me some idea for the definition of “extended”.

You wrote that the value “sticks”. Can it be repaired? Or do you need a new one? In any case I guess I will not idle my diesel for more than 3 or 4 minutes. Thanks for the warning.
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Old 07-13-2020, 08:50 AM   #15
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Going into limp mode after ideling

We idle our engine to charge our batteries instead of the generator for 20 to 40 minutes. It seem to deliver a quick and deeper charge. If you go into limp mode, pull over , turn off the engine and pull the key for two minutes. It will reset your computer control on the engine. We have done this on our 2004, 2007, and 2018 Mercedes. It works every time. I used it 2 days ago when my turbo stopped working. Give it a try before heading to a dealership. Mercedes computers are finicky and love to trip lights in dash, shut down turbo, or go into limp mode.
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Old 07-13-2020, 10:29 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by plrude View Post
We idle our engine to charge our batteries instead of the generator for 20 to 40 minutes. It seem to deliver a quick and deeper charge. If you go into limp mode, pull over , turn off the engine and pull the key for two minutes. It will reset your computer control on the engine. We have done this on our 2004, 2007, and 2018 Mercedes. It works every time. I used it 2 days ago when my turbo stopped working. Give it a try before heading to a dealership. Mercedes computers are finicky and love to trip lights in dash, shut down turbo, or go into limp mode.
Excellent advise! I tried turning it off and restarting with no success several times but never tried keying it like that. Even stopped to refill the tank and still had the issue once we tied to get back on the road. Advise well taken since I too have run the engine in cold weather to help recharge the batteries. My experience with the EGR code was in hot weather. Mileage was a little over 33,000 at the time. Since I am the second owner do not know any of the previous service needs and MB would not copy/share their records with me.....Bummer!
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Old 07-13-2020, 10:34 AM   #17
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I get the impression it was stuck. The service garage kept it, so I did not have a chance to do a tear-down to see how it is put together or if it could be rebuilt. While they were servicing the RV I managed to look up parts on-line and found one on E-bay for a little over $600 but was suspicious as to its origin and left it to the MB tech who was familiar with the situation.
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