One benefit of a diesel engine like the Cummins is the ability to run alternative fuels such as biodiesel and straight vegetable oil (SVO). Straight vegetable oil is waste oil (such as used oil from fryers) that is turned into biodiesel through a process called transesterfication, which chemically thins out SVO so it will flow like diesel fuel. Cummins engines are already equipped to run standard B5 biodiesel, but will require special hardware to run higher concentrations of biodiesel.
Fill your fuel tank with B5 biodiesel. All Cummins engines will run B5 biodiesel with no special hardware or modifications required. Go to the Biodiesel.org website to find a station near you that sells biodiesel.
Install a secondary aluminum fuel tank with a tank heater to run B20, B100 and SVO. B20 and higher percentage biodiesels gel in colder weather, and if this happens while this mix is in your fuel rail, your truck will not run. To use these higher percentage biodiesels, you need to heat the fuel till it is hot. By using a secondary tank you can switch over to B20 to B100 biodiesel when the mix is heated, then switch back to diesel before parking and letting your truck sit. Aftermarket companies sell kits custom tailored to your Cummins truck that contains all necessary parts, including automatic switching between tanks.
Upgrade to a premium fuel filter, or install an additional in-line fuel filter system. Since there may be contaminants in the higher percentage biodiesels, care must be taken to provide for adequate filtering. There are simple aftermarket kits to add additional in-line fuel filter systems to your Cummins, in addition to performing frequent fuel filter changes to assure clean fuel flow to the lift pump.
