Diesel Additive

[jamesm34]

Any recommendations on additves for performance/economy/ and or general use? Thanks

[Kennedy]

I use/sell FPPF Total Power and 8 Plus Cetane Improver in my own vehicles.

[YZF1R]

I have used the "Kennedy Cocktail" (FPPF Total Power and 8 Plus Cetane Improver) since the truck was a few months old. I only have 47,000 miles on my '02 but no problems or issues. It seemed to have added about 1/4 to 1/2 mile per gallon back when I started using it.

Steve

[dmax lover]

When the world switches over to ultra low sulfur diesel at the end of the year - you might want to shy away from any additive with a cetane improver...

1. Too much cetane improver will destabilize ultra low sulfur diesel. What does this mean to you? If you push the truck hard, asphaltines will form which will plug up the fuel filter.

2. The process of removing the sulfur also bumps the cetane to about 52. So you won't need a cetane improver, and it will probably do more harm than good (see #1).

Me - I am running an additive to provide for lubricity and cleanliness. For me, that is stanadyne "world blend" - aka "lubricity formula".

jeff

[JohnC]

...If you push the truck hard, asphaltines will form which will plug up the fuel filter...

OK, I'll bite. How can pushing the truck hard affect anything before the fuel filter?

[dmax lover]

Are you missing the fact that the fuel recirculates back to the tank? The purpose of the cooler in front of the fuel tank (on the fuel return line) is to minimize/prevent the formation of asphaltines (tarballs) in the fuel...


Stress the truck more means you are stressing the fuel injection components more. More stress equals greater heat. Fuel is used to to cool fuel injection components (with most returned back to tank). More heat to less stable fuel equals tarballs (asphaltines).

jeff

[7.4 VORTEC]

Great,

Just one more damn thing to have to think about.

Your tarball becomes the size of a golf ball and gets stuck in your fuel line like a hairball causing you a headache like too many highballs just when you think you've got your truck running like a fireball someone comes along and changes the fuel like a goofball and causes your truck to run like a butterball and throwing you a curveball with no snowballs chance in hell of ever figuring out why your truck doesn't fly like a cannonball you just feel like a meatball so you might try some mothballs in your tank but that just causes your fuel to look like a greaseball and finally you end up like a screwball and are so frustrated you come down with blueballs.

Damn those asphaltines, but I'm sure other religions have problems with their diesel too:)

From what engineers at GM & Ford have told me, California has some of the best diesel in terms of clarity and cetane level. Does anyone else agree with this? For what we pay for California diesel it shouldn't need a damn thing added to it.

Cheers,
George

[dmax lover]

I think you left out "fur-ball" - I think it goes between hairball and highball - but might go between greaseball and screwball... :-)

Guess what - Oregon just adopted California's clean air standards (and fuel requirements) - which means Washington State does too... I think it comes into effect in 2009...

jeff

[7.4 VORTEC]

dmax lover,

Technically, hair ball is reserved for humans and fur ball for animals, but since a diesel is a unique beast you are allowed to pick whichever ball you like and enjoy!!

Cheers,
George

[Kennedy]

I've been loading heavily on Cetane improver with no issues.

[DmaxMaverick]

I've been loading heavily on Cetane improver with no issues.

Same here and no tar in my filters.

I don't see how the USLD process is going to increase asphaltines. It's in the fuel, no doubt, and I don't think it's going to be changed for the worse. There's never been any indication I've seen of cetane improvers increasing asphaltine fall out.

[SoTxPollock]

Hey vortec7.4. ever think that if you sent that paragraph about tarballs, furballs, golfballs etc. to Alan Jackson, he'd have another hit on his hands and you might get nominated for diesel song writer of the year by the CMA.

[7.4 VORTEC]

SoTxPollock,

I think Alan Jackson could have a huge hit, he'll just have to re-word it a little to his "dog coughed up a furball, he slipped on a snowball, his truck is spewing tarballs, his wife just left with his balls" etc, etc. If its going to be a CMA winner, it can't have a happy tone to it:)

OK, on a serious note, about 2 months ago I left some of the "walmart special" Power Service diesel additive in a cup. I had just used some and there was probably 1/2 ounce left in the bottom of the measuring cup. In one nite, it turned to a gel like gunk, a real PITA to clean out, even when using carb cleaner. Now I know that this may have nothing to do with how the product works once it mixes with the diesel, but it still makes me wonder.

A couple of my friends have started to drag race their diesels and swear by the Redline Diesel additive, 85 plus. I tried the same test to see if it gels and it does not, even after two or three days in our hot warehouse.

My butt dyno tells me that my truck (6.5 turbodiesel hummer) is a lot quieter, especially on cold startup when using the redline stuff. The engine is pretty much sitting in my lap, so it is much louder than what you would find in a pickup. On my wifes 6.0 Excursion, I can't tell a noise difference, but the truck is much better insulated than the hummer to begin with.

For what it's worth, I used stainless steel cups to do the gelling experiment. I thought that maybe my plastic measuring cup might have been "melting" from the products. That was not the case. It's weird that a full bottle of Power Service additive does not gel, but a small amount does. Any thoughts on this??

Cheers,
George

[More Power]

If the small amount of fuel treatment was exposed to the atmosphere for an extended period, the chemical components might have absorbed/bonded with the available water molecules in the air. Don't know... Perhaps this is a characteristic of a non water-demulsifying fuel treatment.

Jim

[jbplock]

Interesting Info regarding ULSD (note Additive comments)

Quoting from Clean Diesel Fuel Alliance FAQ Page: (http://www.clean-diesel.org/faqs.html) Answers to frequently asked questions about ULSD fuel

Q. Will I need to put an additive in my fuel tank to replace the lubricity that was provided by the higher sulfur content?
A. Like Low Sulfur Diesel fuel, ULSD fuel requires good lubricity and corrosion inhibitors to prevent unacceptable engine wear. As necessary, additives to increase lubricity and to inhibit corrosion will be added to ULSD fuel prior to its retail sale. With these additives, ULSD fuel is expected to perform as well as Low Sulfur Diesel fuel.

[dmax lover]

I've been loading heavily on Cetane improver with no issues.

And you have been running that with low sulfur diesel. The ultra low sulfur diesel will start rolling out in california later this summer (at a retail level) - and across the u.s. later this year.

I read an SAE paper on effects of additization on ulsd - adding cetane improver destabilized the fuel. bottom line was that refiners needed to refine further to get higher levels of cetane versus additization. This paper is a few years old now.

But, it's a moot point anyways. Processing the fuel to remove sulfur to S15 increases cetane to approximately 50 - which is what a "premium diesel" would supply in this area today. So why spend money on a cetane improver that might negatively impact the fuel blend ?

ULSD will meet lubricity spec of 520 wsd - bosch says we need 450 wsd (max) to protect our fuel system. So adding a little lubricity additive is a good idea and, again, adding a cetane improver is a bad idea (or just a waste of money if the cetane is already 55...).

jeff