Diesel fuel - biodiesel percentage New England / NY / PA areas

[RV-Travelers]

Planning a trip to New England and will be passing through nearby states including Pennsylvania & New York.

Our ERA has a MB diesel engine. MB specifies diesel with no more than 5% biodiesel, with up to 20% usable for short-term ('emergency') use.

Most of the travel we have done has been in the SE US and the Midwest. Most of the diesel we have seen in our travels has contained 5% biodiesel. On one trip in particular, in TX up through parts of the Midwest, we did encounter some fuel stations selling diesel with 20% biodiesel (that was all they had, no 5%).

I did read some prior threads regarding MB diesel engines and biodiesel, and I downloaded and read the MB brochure outlining their diesel requirements and why the recommend against using any diesel with more than 5% biodiesel.

For those of you that live and/or travel in New England / PA / NY or thereabouts, is most diesel fuel sold there 5% biodiesel or is it common to run into diesel with higher percentages of biodiesel?

 

[Snipechief]

Please explain to me what a ERA is, and a MB diesel.

In the US, most diesel fuel now has up to 5% bio diesel . Service stations can claim its #2 Diesel as long as it doesn't go higher than 5%.

I don't sweat it anymore. In our Cummins powered Winnebago Forza, I'll run whatever fuel their selling . #2 diesel is best of course. If you run up to 20% Bio you just have to change your fuel filters more often. You'll get worse fuel mileage, and power (HP) with Bio also.
I've owned 3 trucks and this motorhome powered by the 6.7 litre cummins diesel with Zero problems running Bio. I just don't like it, but the writings on the wall. It's getting difficult to find real diesel fuel these days.

 

[bigb56]

Planning a trip to New England and will be passing through nearby states including Pennsylvania & New York.

Our ERA has a MB diesel engine. MB specifies diesel with no more than 5% biodiesel, with up to 20% usable for short-term ('emergency') use.

Most of the travel we have done has been in the SE US and the Midwest. Most of the diesel we have seen in our travels has contained 5% biodiesel. On one trip in particular, in TX up through parts of the Midwest, we did encounter some fuel stations selling diesel with 20% biodiesel (that was all they had, no 5%).

I did read some prior threads regarding MB diesel engines and biodiesel, and I downloaded and read the MB brochure outlining their diesel requirements and why the recommend against using any diesel with more than 5% biodiesel.

For those of you that live and/or travel in New England / PA / NY or thereabouts, is most diesel fuel sold there 5% biodiesel or is it common to run into diesel with higher percentages of biodiesel?

2 days and no answer to your question. I haven't been to the East coast in over 2 decades so I'm no help but I recommend you join the Sprintersource and post your questions over there where there are 1,000's of Sprinter diesel owners with many in the East.

 

[RV-Travelers]

Clarification & link to Mercedes-Benz documentation

Please explain to me what a ERA is, and a MB diesel.

In the US, most diesel fuel now has up to 5% bio diesel . Service stations can claim its #2 Diesel as long as it doesn't go higher than 5%.

I don't sweat it anymore. In our Cummins powered Winnebago Forza, I'll run whatever fuel their selling . #2 diesel is best of course. If you run up to 20% Bio you just have to change your fuel filters more often. You'll get worse fuel mileage, and power (HP) with Bio also.
I've owned 3 trucks and this motorhome powered by the 6.7 litre cummins diesel with Zero problems running Bio. I just don't like it, but the writings on the wall. It's getting difficult to find real diesel fuel these days.

Sorry for the confusion. An ERA is a Winnebago Class B motorhome, built on a Mercedes-Benz (M Sprinter 3500 platform with a V6 diesel engine.

After reading this, I wouldn't roll the dice with running diesel with a biodiesel content > 5% on other than an emergency basis. Better safe than sorry.

https://www.benzworld.org/attachments/mercedes-benz-biodiesel_rev5-pdf.2762814/

 

[RV-Travelers]

Thanks for feedback

2 days and no answer to your question. I haven't been to the East coast in over 2 decades so I'm no help but I recommend you join the Sprintersource and post your questions over there where there are 1,000's of Sprinter diesel owners with many in the East.

Thanks for the response. I'll look into joining that forum and posting there.

 

[bigb56]

Thanks for the response. I'll look into joining that forum and posting there.

There's a Winnebago section there but for your question it might get more notice in the general "Sprinter talk" forum.

 

[No1Hunter]

If you run up to 20% Bio you just have to change your fuel filters more often. You'll get worse fuel mileage, and power (HP) with Bio also.

Pretty typical, huh. Same with corn alcohol in gas. The more alcohol, the less power and less mileage but it will save the earth, huh!!! Right. And don't get me started on DEF!!!

 

[dickb46]

Apples and oranges but..
We went 7500 miles this spring/summer and most stations we stopped at the diesel pump said it was "up to 20% bio" which to me means "20%".
It all burned and the power/mileage wasn't significantly different.
We change the fuel filter every year anyway and this an old CAT engine.
dick

 

[bigb56]

Apples and oranges but..
We went 7500 miles this spring/summer and most stations we stopped at the diesel pump said it was "up to 20% bio" which to me means "20%".
It all burned and the power/mileage wasn't significantly different.
We change the fuel filter every year anyway and this an old CAT engine.
dick

The Sprinter with SCR is a whole different animal. It regens by injecting extra fuel into the combustion chambers and some of that extra fuel can find it's way into the oil. So burning bio in a Sprinter means watching your oil level, changing your oil more often and changing fuel filters more often. MB also does not recommend storing the vehicle with bio in the tank.

I also own an old diesel that will burn anything you throw at it but not the Sprinter.

 

[bigb56]

This is what is in the owner's manual and should help explain the concerns of us Sprinter owners, however it gets a little confusing on the "Biomass" labels which are found on the new renewable diesel fuels now sold in 3 Western states. MB has not blessed the renewables as of yet although they meet ASTM D975 just like ULSD and MB says to use ASTM D975 fuels whenever possible. Many Sprinter owners are using renewable with no issues, but it is a far cry from biodiesel which, except for B5, does NOT meet ASTM D975. Most agree that the renewables are an even higher quality fuel than ULSD.

We actually had a Zoom conference with some refinery engineers over at the Sprinter forum a couple years ago when the R-99 products started showing up.

BTW the "up to 5%" bio in ULSD is actually necessary for lubricity since they took most of the sulfur out. A lubricity additive was needed and the EPA along with the oil companies agreed that it would be biodiesel.

 

[Bnystrom]

Planning a trip to New England and will be passing through nearby states including Pennsylvania & New York.
For those of you that live and/or travel in New England / PA / NY or thereabouts, is most diesel fuel sold there 5% biodiesel or is it common to run into diesel with higher percentages of biodiesel?

I live in NH and we've driven through VT, MA and ME, and I've never seen a station offering 20% biodiesel fuel. We went down to DC and WV last year, driving through CT, NY, PA, MD, VA and again, no issues with fuel.

 

[Sparky19053]

We in eastern PA, just off I95. So far we are not seeing Bio Fuels.

 

[Snipechief]

20% in California is what I had to use last fill up.