I am a local biodiesel dealer and just got a call from a customer who has the Dodge dealer telling them they need $1000 in repairs after using biodiesel. he was losing power and the catalyst stat light was coming on. Sounds very similar to another customer with a 2005 Jeep Liberty - a simple filter change and some dealer education by me solved it.

In this case, because it's a 2007 with the new emissions system, I want to be sure before I visit the dealer tomorrow. Does anyone have good info on someone using B100 with a 2007 Dodge Cummins? I know they come with B5 from the factory and Cummins allows up to B20. I also know there is a soot removal driving mode that they have to drive the vehicle for 50-100 miles to get the built up soot in the particulate filter on the exhaust side, but could use more info on this.

Details: 2007 Dodge 350, 8000 miles. Fuel filter has been replaced and EXACT issue already happened once since vehicle new. service tech says there was gunk in the tank (his words) and they charged $1000 to clean everything out. now they want to do it again. He's used B100 about 2/3 of the time and diesel about 1/3 since he's owned the vehicle.

Thanks in advance!

Jason Burroughs
DieselGreen Fuels
www.dieselgreenfuels.com
512-391-0569 office
512-992-8677 mobile

 

welcome to DF...

I'm suprised the guy has any gunk built up to cause a problem with that low mileage on it. I personally dont know anyone running bio. I live in Sac and we dont have any distributors of biodiesel in the area...

 

DODGE SAYS ONLY 5% BIO MIX WITH REGULAR DIESEL IN THE NEW CUMMINS 6.7l ENGINES!!

 

Let me get this straight. a guy comes to your station, picks the fuel he wants and then because he did not read his owners manual and look at what was either on the pump, on a sign or told that this was b-100 he wants you to pay for the removal of it and cleansing of the system?

 

Cummins allows B20 only in commercial & fleet usage. They allow B5 for everybody.

http://www.everytime.cummins.com/eve..._biodiesel.jsp

http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/p...indodgeram.pdf

 

He didn't follow what the owner's manual told him to use.
You can download a manual here:
http://www.dodge.com/en/owners/manuals/index.html
To me what he did is the same as if he had filled it with unleaded. It's not your fault.

I didn't think 100% bio would have gummed up a DPF, but I wouldn't have experimented.

 

The 'soot removal driving mode' is called a regeneration cycle, which does burn the built-up soot out of the diesel particulate filter (DPF). No, you don't have to drive the vehicle 50-100 miles. For me the regen cycle lasts about seven minutes, and occurs about once every 50-60 miles. It occurs without any input from the driver. The only way I can tell it's regenerating is that the EGT is about 200 deg higher than usual and it idles a little louder than normal. During regen the engine computer commands an extra fuel injection event during the exhaust stroke, which makes a rich exhaust mixture. The extra fuel is burned in the diesel oxidation catalyst, which bumps up the exhaust temperature. The higher temp burns the accumulated soot in the DPF.

 

I have been running B20 for the past 6 months and have had no issues other than the truck runs better, I don't have to put any additives in the diesel and 20% of the money I spend stays in the USA.

I agree with Jimmydaleo, it's up to this guy to use what its reccomended in the owneers manual. It would be no different if he put kerosene, water or unleaded in the tank.

 

Actually, i'm not looking at it from the legal angle, but from a "does it work" angle. The customer is very nice and hasn't asked us to pay for anything. If B5 and B20 work, why wouldn't B100? There are millions of people all over the world using biodiesel, and I've sold hundreds of thousands of gallons of pure biodiesel to people - and no manufacturer allows that. So we know that it's so new that manufacturers haven't spent the money to do the testing to feel comfortable. It's more of an unknown than anything, and since there is very little B100 available in the US (as compared to B20, or B5 - which still meets the spec for diesel), it can be hard to justify.

It's funny that they only "allow" B20 in commercial fleets - as if a truck runs different if you're driving it for a business instead of for personal use. I guess they figure fleets will have mechanics that can be aware of issues before they become problems - probably makes sense.

 

I'm confused. Are we talking about the 2007 5.9L engine or the 2007.5 6.7L engine or both?