http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25321913

This has been a problem which has been well reported elsewhere. It happens when the fuel is left for a long time and any water in it settles to the bottom of the tank, microbes then inhabit the layer between the fuel and the water, making the deposits which then get mixed up in the fuel when it is taken out and put in a car subsequently being taken out by the filter and blocking it.

Ian

 

 

Biodiesel

The higher water content of biodiesel immediately provides microbes with a very attractive environment. For biodiesel , the amount of exposure to condensation and water leaks, and the time in undisturbed storage before microbes grow and mutiply is much shorter than that of diesel. Biofuels deteriorate faster than conventional diesel and today's diesel fuel, as already stated, now contains biofuel.

Many modern engine running problems and fuel stock wastage is caused by microbial contamination brought about by the presence of water in biofuels.

 

the above information is from the internet, not myself.

an anti bacterial additive can be purchased, I think wynns , comma or miller oils do it

I have experience of this in my heating oil. The microbes block the boiler oil  pump and jet constantly. A right pain in the a*r$3. The black sludge is like roof tar  absolutely devastating to mechanical devices. My supplier had to put an additive in the oil to get it to be useful fuel!

All good points. 

 

The nub of it is not that there is bio in diesel, but that the proportion is increasing year on year, and that we are moving into uncharted territory putting it in oil burners that were never designed to use it.

 

Does anyone recall the hassle in the late 80's with a petrol additive that resulted in engines filling up with black sludge?

Wasn't that caused by other issues rather than fuel?

Certain manufacturers had engines with smaller bore oil delivery systems. These got blocked and camshaft/cam follower damage resulted.

The Pinto engine was Ford's first attempt at a mainstream OHC engine, some design detailing left it vulnerable to poor oil quality and owner abuse. They did sort it out eventually.

The quality of internal machine work wasn't as good as today, so blow-by was increased. Similarly, oils were poorer quality and less resistant to breakdown, so they degraded faster. Final nail in the coffin was extended oil change intervals, which quite often got ignored.

All these factors resulted in more carbon to for sludge which ended up blocking the cam oilers.

Result, CLATTER CLATTER.

Was there more to it than the above? Always possible.