Report #5
I think I've tamed the beast.
I added Power Service (silver bottle, cetane improver but no anti-gel) at their recommended half-strength, 3.2 oz per 10 gallons for a 3 Cetane point improvement. (Their recommended maximum is double that, ie 3.2 oz in 5 gallons to give 6 Cetane points.) Since biodiesel improves Cetane I didn't think I needed the maximum. I didn't add any petro diesel so I'm running straight B100.
This now starts acceptably. The weather is warmer and my mid-morning starts have been around 55 degrees. With Power Service in the fuel it starts in under 10 seconds cranking and with far less smoke.
For the curious, here's a vid.
BioD2Start. 1 minute, 2 mb.
First start after a week parked. It fires at the seven second point of cranking although subjectively it feels longer.
I had mentioned slow re-starts on pure B100. With the PS added it is back to firing right off like it always did.
Biod2ReStart. 28 sec 1 mb.
This is only moments after the first start of the day but it starts instantly. Includes a few seconds of driving off into the orchard.
Just for fun if you're still with me - My wife taped some actual work. I am using the backhoe to transplant a tiny tree.
DigTinyTree2. 3 minutes 6mb.
As this vid starts I am carefully getting disintangled from another tree I had to park too close to. Then I finish digging out the tiny tree at right angles from my first cut. (I trench around a tree to be moved using a # pattern.)
This thing clatters even when it isn't breathing hard!
Summary: Power Service at 3-Cetane-point concentration level brought the B100 into the range of acceptable starting. Once started, it runs the same as petro diesel. I don't notice any soot and come to think of it, I didn't notice any exhaust smell either.
I think I've tamed the beast.
I added Power Service (silver bottle, cetane improver but no anti-gel) at their recommended half-strength, 3.2 oz per 10 gallons for a 3 Cetane point improvement. (Their recommended maximum is double that, ie 3.2 oz in 5 gallons to give 6 Cetane points.) Since biodiesel improves Cetane I didn't think I needed the maximum. I didn't add any petro diesel so I'm running straight B100.
This now starts acceptably. The weather is warmer and my mid-morning starts have been around 55 degrees. With Power Service in the fuel it starts in under 10 seconds cranking and with far less smoke.
For the curious, here's a vid.
BioD2Start. 1 minute, 2 mb.
First start after a week parked. It fires at the seven second point of cranking although subjectively it feels longer.
I had mentioned slow re-starts on pure B100. With the PS added it is back to firing right off like it always did.
Biod2ReStart. 28 sec 1 mb.
This is only moments after the first start of the day but it starts instantly. Includes a few seconds of driving off into the orchard.
Just for fun if you're still with me - My wife taped some actual work. I am using the backhoe to transplant a tiny tree.
DigTinyTree2. 3 minutes 6mb.
As this vid starts I am carefully getting disintangled from another tree I had to park too close to. Then I finish digging out the tiny tree at right angles from my first cut. (I trench around a tree to be moved using a # pattern.)
This thing clatters even when it isn't breathing hard!
Summary: Power Service at 3-Cetane-point concentration level brought the B100 into the range of acceptable starting. Once started, it runs the same as petro diesel. I don't notice any soot and come to think of it, I didn't notice any exhaust smell either.