Chevrolet Equinox Owners Manual: Biodiesel

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel produced from vegetable oils or animal fats that have been chemically modified to make it compatible with diesel fuel

Biodiesel fuel quality degrades with time and exposure to high temperature quicker than Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel. More frequent refueling provides the best opportunity to have a supply of fresh fuel. Storage at hot ambient temperatures will accelerate biodiesel degradation.

Owners who use very little fuel, or who have vehicles stored for extended periods of time, should avoid the use of biodiesel blended fuels above 5% by volume. When vehicles are stored for longer than one month, they should be run out of biodiesel to below one-quarter tank, refueled with Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel, and driven at least 32 km (20 mi) before storage.

At temperatures belowC (32 F), it is recommended to switch to Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel with no biodiesel content, or to blends with biodiesel containing less than 5% by volume. At these extreme cold temperatures, biodiesel blends higher than 5% by volume may cause fuel filter plugging and system gelling, which can lead to vehicle operability problems.

Fuels improperly blended for cold temperature operation may result in restricted fuel filters and degraded vehicle performance. GM diesel vehicles are equipped with a fuel heating system to provide an extra level of protection against filter plugging from gelling or waxing of conventional diesel fuel and biodiesel blends. If the operating temperature is far below the temperature at which gelling or waxing of the fuel occurs, the system cannot prevent all cases of filter plugging.

If the vehicle experiences a fuel filter restriction, the on-board monitoring system will alert the driver that the fuel filter requires service. The fuel filter, however, will not prevent all damage caused by poor quality biodiesel.