

I was asked recently about why I recommend older Mercedes Benz diesels as the perfect diesel for using biodiesel in….so, without further adeiu….

I just wanted to share a couple reasons why biodieseler’s across the country and all over the world like these older diesels for biodiesel use so much.

Mercedes Benz, believe it or not, was one of the first commerical engine makers to embrace the diesel engine when it was invented by Rudolph Diesel in the late 19th century. They were the first auto manufacturer to put one in a vehicle and Mercedes has alway’s been a big user of these wonderful ingenious engines.

When Rudolph Diesel invented his engine, he had grand plans for it and if he could see where it’s gone now I’m sure he’d be amazed.

Now a bit on why older Mercedes Diesel Engines are so widely popular among biodieselers.

1- Engine Design:

Older Mercedes engines utilize an older style indirect injection technology to inject the fuel into the cylinder. Because of this, the tolerances for the fuel the engines can handle are incredibly wide. Essentially, the engine is extremely forgiving on the type of fuel you put into it. When other diesel engines are fed the same fuel they run into all sorts of problems, but not older Mercedes Diesels. They’re just amazing! The things would probably run on anything short of mashed banana’s (and I’m sure someone somewhere has mashed some up & made biodiesel out of them & ran it–successfully–through engine somewhere).

Because the tolerances are so wide, essentially, the fuel we make in our garages really doesn’t have to be up to the high quality standards of the Biodiesel Commercial Industry to run in these older engines. They just keep on running on the stuff.

Older Mercedes are also the choice among people that run straight vegetable oil in the vehicles as well. Again, because the tolerances are so wide that it’ll run on it.

2- Engine Durability

Many newer diesel engines have engines that have aluminum heads in them. Even Mercedes around 1986 started putting aluminum heads on their engines. The older Mercedes style engines (including the set you’ll be purchasing and using for the show) are made of SOLID IRON! These thing’s are incredibly durable. It’s very common for them to easily put on 300 to 400 thousand miles on them with no problems whatsoever. The car’s will deteriorate around them but the engines will just keep on running. You can over heat these engines beyond all measure and with a little time, a little cooling down, you’ll be back in business.

Biodieseler’s love this fact! They just run & run & run & run.

3- Car Durability

Because they’re Mercedes, they’re made incredibly solid and they’re incredibly durable vehicles. They’re like driving a tank…literally! The things are incredibly heavy, but that’s what gives them that classic smooth car feel.

Because they’re so durable, there’s still alot of them left out there. They just keep on running. Biodieseler’s tend to like them because:

A) Biodieseler’s are the cheapest people on the earth and

B) They really like getting something reliable fairly cheap

4- Classy Looks

You just can’t beat the look of a Mercedes. Especially the older ones. They just look classy, even when they’re nearly 30 years old. They’re also extremely easy to work on. There’s really not much to the engines. Just an engine, a fuel injection pump, some fuel injectors, and some glow plugs. Something goes wrong? Just fiddle around w/ something under the hood & you’re bound to find what’s wrong

5- Popularity

Because of the items above, they’re incredibly popular cars among biodieseler’s. Because of this you have a built in install base that you can refer to for help. Try that w/ an old Isuzu Diesel (believe me, I own one). It just can’t be done. With Mercedes you have a built in support group to help you along should your vehicle for some strange reason start doing something it shouldn’t. And, in the event it goes belly up, you’ve got a built in market for people that are willing to buy it from you.

If you’d like to see just how popular they are among biodieseler’s just hit Ebay and type Mercedes Diesel and Biodiesel. You’ll be AMAZED at how many there are out there.

I have a lot more information on Mercedes Diesels via my business website that you can use to conduct more thorough research on the vehicles.

Here’s the link to my diesel section:

Scroll down until you hit the Mercedes section.

So there you have it, my list of why I like Mercedes diesels…..

-Graydon

The Rabid Biodiesel Nut

http://www.utahbiodieselsupply.com