How do you convert a Mercedes 200D to bio diesel?

Answer 1

No conversion necessary. Pump it in and go, just like petroleum diesel. The car will run about the same. Biodiesel is, as far as the car is concerned, just diesel. This is not true of vegetable oils, so please do not confuse the two. Biodiesel can be made from vegetable oil, but the process involves heat and chemicals that make the biodiesel very different from the original oil. This is not to say that the fuel is trouble free. Biodiesel often cleans out the fuel tank and lines, and your filter may clog several times on the first tank. I hear recommendations that you use 5-10% biodiesel with the rest regular diesel on the first tank and change the fuel filter after the first tank. Then bump to about 25% biodiesel on the second tank and change the fuel filters. Then 50% on the third tank, and change the filters. Then 100%, if you wish, on the fourth tank. You are less likely to have a clogged filter strand you this way. Carrying a spare set of filters in the trunk at all times during this period would be a wise choice. Biodiesel is also harder on rubber parts. Old fuel lines will begin to leak. You can replace them to start with, or like most, just watch them carefully and replace at the first sign of leakage.