Does biodiesel reduce engine wear?
There are no definitive test data showing that biodiesel reduces engine wear. It should be noted that biodiesel only contacts the fuel system and the upper cylinder of the engine. We would not expect biodiesel to have any impact on bearing wear, oil or water pump life, or many of the other wear items in the engine. It should also be noted that diesel engines are designed to have extremely long lives, so when properly maintained their wear rates are very low. However, we know that biodiesel dramatically improves fuel lubricity and that lubricity is a necessary property for fuel system life. If the engine were fueled with a low-lubricity fuel, typical of modern low-sulfur fuels, that has not been treated with any lubricity-enhancing additive; the engine’s life will be dramatically shortened. Biodiesel can prevent this from happening.
