Community Forums

ricndot · 06-22-2017, 10:03 AM

being new to the diesel family i'm trying to determine if there is a concensus on running the less expensive b20 fuel VS b5 #2 ulsd.
so far i've only pumped 3 times and its always been #2 ulsd.
my ram is suited for b20 but the cummins supplement shortens the oil change interval.
when i talked to my dealer service dept they recommended against b20.
so... who burns what? any issues with b20? tia.

leeshearer · 06-22-2017, 10:18 AM

Did they say why they advised against it?

Twilightzone · 06-22-2017, 11:37 AM

I've run about a dozen tanks in my 2014 RAM 2500 with no issues.
But lately the fuel supplier has dropped it and gone back to #2 diesel though.
Not sure why, but earlier trucks may have had trouble with it.

Bio diesel offers greater 'lubricity' than modern low-sulfur fuels.
If you haven't run bio in awhile, it tends to break loose any 'crud' in the fuel lines
so you need to pay attention to your fuel filters.

1bigmess · 06-22-2017, 12:09 PM

Read the owner's manual. Follow what it says.

jimcumminsw · 06-22-2017, 12:40 PM

I try to avoid B20 fuel and just use #2 diesel which could contain up to 5% bio in it. Most stations publish what the diesel fuel content is such as B20 or B15 and so forth. I have found that I need to change both of my fuel filters more if I run a larger percentage of B20 fuel. I normally change my primary filter every 15K miles and the secondary one every 30K miles under normal fuel usage. If I run a lot of B20 the filters might only last for 10K miles do to filter plugging.

The other issue with a high bio-content in the diesel fuel is this will lead to emission component issues do to the different burn characteristics of the BIO-Fuel compared to #2 diesel fuel. I also notice that my mileage falls off slightly with the use of heavy bio-fuel such as B20 as this has a little less energy content than #2 diesel fuel.