New to diesels- what fuel additive to use?

[TiredTrucker]

Originally Posted By: durallymax
Originally Posted By: roadrunner1
I am an advocate for adding fuel conditioner to every gallon of fuel.

The benefits are;

improving cetane

lubricity

moisture control

cold weather anti-gel (if applicable)

protects against corrosion

maximizes fuel economy

I have 9 different diesel engines, and every gallon of fuel is conditioned, without one injector failure or injection pump failure, I've never even had a fuel filter issue, they just get changed at whatever interval the manufacturer calls for.

I use the John Deere diesel fuel conditioner, its bottled by Stanadyne for them.

Stanadyne is the most trusted name in the diesel injection market.


The reason you have no fuel related issues is because you change at the OEM intervals. Those are rated very early especially on ag equipment because many farmers are lazy, don't think its important, wait till they're plugged or just wait until the end of the season.


On the topic of additives I'm a believer in none. A good fuel supplier is more important than any additive. If you get good clean fuel to start with you will be fine. With our current supplier the only fuel related issue we have had other than LB7 injectors which are not related, is the issue I'm fixing on a skid steer now, operators lost the cap and drove around bedding cattle for god knows how many days before someone else noticed it and said something. Tank full of corn fodder and sawdust now.

Additives cost far too much money for what they do in my opinion. If a component is going to fail it will fail. The older systems may not be designed for the newer fuel, but they do not operate under the same pressures and tolerances the new systems run at, thus they can withstand much more wear before an issue arises.

Its another thing you have to weigh your options. Throw money away every day, or gamble that you may or may not have a big repair bill.


I guess it all depends on how you are getting your fuel. Some of us have to deal with getting fuel from a lot of locations over several states. Not always a sure thing that you can rely on the retailer to make sure they didn't get a less than stellar load of fuel in their tanks. I regularly use a fuel additive, especially in winter. Having a diesel semi down at -10F along the road because of not taking a little precaution can be a mighty expensive lesson. Especially if the unit has to be towed into the shop. It costs $500 just for a tow truck to show up. I do always carry spare fuel filters, but there is always the chance that even that would not be enough. And with the way the hours of service are, along with just in time logistics, playing games for several hours along side the road is not a good thing. Prevention is lower cost. And for my diesel Jeep, I don't need the wife to have a fuel related problem going to town from the farm while I am sitting 600 miles away getting unloaded.

 

[jakewells]

standadyne additives is all i use mainly fuel conditioner

 

[2cool]

I have an '03 PSD 7.3, one of the very last!!! I have used Howe's diesel treat when I was an OTR owner/operator. Good product. If you can get Amsoil without too much fuss, I can also recommend that.
Dnewton3 uses nothing but Rotella T5 10W-30 year round in his Duramax, and says it works very well all year round. 15W40 oils are only recommended by Ford down to 30F, then it's 10W-30 down to really cold (for Delaware), and 5W-40 for hella cold.
I run any 15W-40 for 5K miles because of the HEUI system. When winter comes, I switch to 10W-30. Starts MUCH easier, you can actually hear the engine get quieter as the oil thickens much sooner. When my 15W-40 stash is gone, I'll just go with 10w-30 T5 year-round, as I don't do lots of heavy towing, just 2-3 short trips with the 5th wheel per summer.
Unless you run a bypass filter, or have a hella cold climate to contend with, synthetic oil won't make any difference in how the engine runs, pulls, or the fuel economy. I used both RP 15W-40 and M1 5W-40 for full oil changes, and noted NO DIFFERENCES vs. whatever 15W-40 I had in it before.

 

[bmwtechguy]

Schaeffers Diesel Treat #137 is what I have used and had zero fuel system problems over many miles/years of use. Economical at recommended treat rate. I ordered 4 gallon cases and split between myself and a friend.

 

[JoBo]

In the US fuel quality seems to vary from awful to tolerable. On the common rail Jeep Liberty using the Bosch CP3 pump Chrysler knew US fuel quality was a problem and had the insides of the pump coated with a anti-wear coating for those in the US . That was on 2005/2006 Liberty CRD's. Same engine same pump in the rest of the world without the wear coating.
So what applies in Australia might not in the US.
At this time VW, BMW and other brands using the later Bosch CP4 pumps are facing catastrophic fuel system failures. VW has determined and it now seems so from fuel analyses that it's a fuel problems and are not covering replacing the entire fuel systems under warranty. There is a trend away from very high pressure systems to lower pressure and resolving emissions problems in other ways.

I’m in the US so I use Stanadyne performance and TCW3 outboard oil in every fill up along with a secondary CAT 2 micron filter on my Jeep Liberty CRD.

 

[skyship]

Originally Posted By: bigjl
Originally Posted By: Jim Allen
Originally Posted By: Donald
You should go on the forums for your engine to see if the injector pump is mechanic or electronic and needs the lubrication that was in the old diesel, that may or may not be in the ULSD. The test I have done some reading on is the HFRR.

As a result I use 1 oz to 1 gallon of Walmart TC3 2 cycle oil. The VP44 in my engine really needs the lubrication.

MMO actually made things worse not better for the HFRR test. So forget using it.

If your injector pump is not over picky about lubrication, then I would choose a diesel additive once and awhile, but something made to be a diesel additive. I only use TC3 oil as its costly to add an additive to every tank.

Google the HFRR test.



For the most part, the common rail diesels are pretty numb on the lubricity issue. Mechanically injected engines are more sensitive to varying degrees. I think the Power Stroke HUEI engines are pretty numb also but there is debate over that and, not owning one, I haven't studied the issue enough to make a judgment.
.


Interesting Jim, as it widely thought in the UK that older mechanical injection are more robust than the more fragile common rail injection systems (note I am only referring to normal cars and vans not heavy goods vehicles).

There have been many failures of high pressure fuel pumps in Fords with previous generation tdci engines, the 2.4 in the Transit and also the 2.0 in the Mondeo.

The biggest issue being when the pump goes the fuel rail and Injectors also need to be changed.

I regularly added 2 stroke oil to my Mondeo and it was noticeably quieter on tickover, and I have added it to my Volvo occasionally and to the Clio.

I remember reading some test results that showed that 2 stroke did indeed improve lubricity, but the best additive at improving it was actually biodiesel!

My reasoning for using it isn't just lubricity but also I think it keeps the top end of the engine cleaner.

I have read lots about 2 stroke use and read an article about Mercedes that added it to the diesel of some vehicles that they were using on an expedition.

I also use Redex fairly regularly but I think the most important thing is to use a decent quality diesel, especially now with the use of ultra low sulphur diesel.



Good post, just buy fuel from a good company, use a top quality fuel filter (Not some Iffy lube or Fleabay bargain) and make sure an engine is run at least once a month and the injections system will outlast the engine unless you have one with design flaws etc.
Nearly all German diesel has near 10% bio diesel in it, which solved the lubricity issue and keeps tanks clean.
Sulphur is a common contaminant of cheap diesel fuel and it does not matter at moderate or high power settings as it forms a gas, BUT it is bad news at idle or when the engine is cold and the mixture rich, because it forms acids that cause long term pitting and increased corrosion of cylinders and exhaust valves. If you are in the EU, Spain had an issue with high sulphur diesel use, but I don't know if they improved the spec yet.

 

[skyship]

Originally Posted By: JoBo
In the US fuel quality seems to vary from awful to tolerable. On the common rail Jeep Liberty using the Bosch CP3 pump Chrysler knew US fuel quality was a problem and had the insides of the pump coated with a anti-wear coating for those in the US . That was on 2005/2006 Liberty CRD's. Same engine same pump in the rest of the world without the wear coating.
So what applies in Australia might not in the US.
At this time VW, BMW and other brands using the later Bosch CP4 pumps are facing catastrophic fuel system failures. VW has determined and it now seems so from fuel analyses that it's a fuel problems and are not covering replacing the entire fuel systems under warranty. There is a trend away from very high pressure systems to lower pressure and resolving emissions problems in other ways.

I’m in the US so I use Stanadyne performance and TCW3 outboard oil in every fill up along with a secondary CAT 2 micron filter on my Jeep Liberty CRD.


I really don't understand why the heck VW did not spec a fuel additive for the cars using the Bosch pumps, because EU fuel is not 3rd world standard and German fuel has near 10% (It was increase recently from 7% I think) bio diesel in it so fuel lubricity is real good as a result.
Some of the pump and injector failures are caused by non OEM fuel filter use, so I presume they are the warranty claims getting rejected. Quite why anyone buys a good German car and then uses rubbish filters, fluids and fuel beats me and it's not just a US problem as folks do the same in the EU, although bad fuel is harder to find.

 

[bigjl]

Originally Posted By: JoBo
In the US fuel quality seems to vary from awful to tolerable. On the common rail Jeep Liberty using the Bosch CP3 pump Chrysler knew US fuel quality was a problem and had the insides of the pump coated with a anti-wear coating for those in the US . That was on 2005/2006 Liberty CRD's. Same engine same pump in the rest of the world without the wear coating.
So what applies in Australia might not in the US.
At this time VW, BMW and other brands using the later Bosch CP4 pumps are facing catastrophic fuel system failures. VW has determined and it now seems so from fuel analyses that it's a fuel problems and are not covering replacing the entire fuel systems under warranty. There is a trend away from very high pressure systems to lower pressure and resolving emissions problems in other ways.

I’m in the US so I use Stanadyne performance and TCW3 outboard oil in every fill up along with a secondary CAT 2 micron filter on my Jeep Liberty CRD.


This is a handy bit of information as i have been researching vehicles to send to Ghana for a while now.

Reliability was always a consideration with the low quality and variability of quality of fuel for sale.

LHD is needed so either buy it already lhd or convert to lhd.

It is a pity they only made the Liberty CRD in the US for a couple of years though.

 

[skyship]

Originally Posted By: lars11
you don't have the same issues with diesels as with carbed gas engines. You may have two issues: Dirty injectors and bacteria dirt in tanks and fuel delivery system.
So perhaps some kind of injector cleaner once in a while?
Other than that, keep the tank full, add some water removing and microbe additive once in a while.
Octane boost other snake oils? Hey, its a diesel, it will burn when injected.


If your fuel tank is growing nasty brown stuff then drain it out and clean it. Playing with tank cleaning additives is a waste of money and can block fuel filters, so if your tank has a drain or inspection plate use it. If not then you might need to borrow a fuel polishing rig.
Some injection systems don't like biocide and assuming your winter gell point is OK, the only diesel fuel additive worth trying is one of the injection system lubricants or fuel conditioners, BUT buy it from a well known oil company, not some Fleabay or back street snake oil dealer. Adding 5% bio diesel also works, but I don't know what the effect of using normal oil is with some of the exhaust systems.
If you stick to the better fuel company stations (BP, Exon, Shell etc), you don't need fuel additives.

 

[ottomatic]

I bought my first diesel in 86. F250 6.9. used an additive every tank. Truck had 450 k when stolen . Replaced all the injectors @ 385K when one was bad. Recently sold my 99 7.3 with 350k. replaced injectors @ 285k. 2 were bad. Used an additive every tank. I use http://www.parker.com/portal/site/PARKER...yword=ADDITIVES
I use their Biocide once every 3 months. Which with the low sulfer fuel is really important.

 

[3311]

I use a few glugs of Power Service Deisel Kleen and/or Pennziol semi syn tcw-3 I have left over my offshore fishing days.