Diesel fuel treatments??

D

don bon jovi

Member
Does anyone else on here use diesel fuel treatment in there Rtv's?? I use Howes Diesel Treatment. My fuel injection guys say it really helps the pumps and injectors. The newer fuel with lower sulfur is hard on everything. It doesn't take that much and to me it's just a little piece of mind!! I use it in my tractors and trucks also.
 
Yes, I use a lubricity treatment for all m diesels. Been using Stanadyne Lubricity formula in the RTV 900 and tractors (all John Deere). I use Optilube XPD in my 2014 Ram 3500.
 
I use "Cetane"& "Lucas Injector Treatment" per the recipe on the bottle with a tad more thrown in for good measure and then a good slug of "Marvel Mystery" just for the snake oil that it is....................For sure the Lucas and Cetane work on water in the fuel.....FOR SURE.....God bless....Dennis
 
Two Gun's son has his own very successful diesel repair business - there is an old post on here of his with even more opinions .. The conditioners are definitely needed though.
 
bordercollie said:
Two Gun's son has his own very successful diesel repair business - there is an old post on here of his with even more opinions .. The conditioners are definitely needed though.
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Well, golly. I never use them, any of them. My ZD21 Diesel mower is a 2004 model with 1,400 hours on it. My RTV is a 2004 Model with 2,140 hours on it. My nephew's CAT 953B had 6,500 hours on it when he sold it, and he never used any fuel additives. The injection systems are working perfectly. So either my nephew and I got really lucky, and got the only two that didn't need it, or the stuff isn't needed.

I'd be more willing to bet it isn't needed.

People, on car and truck forums, say, they've used XYZ magic elixir and their vehicle is running just fine after 75,000 miles, so it must work. That's pure BS. There are millions of cars running just fine after 75,000 miles that didn't use it which is a statistically much better case for it not being needed.

That said, there are exceptions, but frankly, they are fewer and farther between than the medicine show folks would like you to believe.

Fitch
 
Fitch - How old is the diesel you're using and how is it (and your RTV stored).

I see you're in the same general area I am and wonder how you're getting by without a Cetane additive to keep it from gelling on the really cold days.

If your fuel is new, I'd say that you probably don't need additives like a biocide but my diesel isn't new. I just checked and the diesel I'm using I bought over 6 years ago. It'll probably be at least 10 years old before I use it up. For this reason, I do use treatments to keep microbes and such from growing in it.

I just checked. The gas in my bulk tank is over 3 years old. Still runs perfect in every engine including the little 2-cycles. Without a treatment, I don't know if that would be the case. BTW, this is E0 (ethanol free) gas so it naturally lasts longer than E10.
 
bczoom said:
Fitch - How old is the diesel you're using and how is it (and your RTV stored).

I see you're in the same general area I am and wonder how you're getting by without a Cetane additive to keep it from gelling on the really cold days.

If your fuel is new, I'd say that you probably don't need additives like a biocide but my diesel isn't new. I just checked and the diesel I'm using I bought over 6 years ago. It'll probably be at least 10 years old before I use it up. For this reason, I do use treatments to keep microbes and such from growing in it.

I just checked. The gas in my bulk tank is over 3 years old. Still runs perfect in every engine including the little 2-cycles. Without a treatment, I don't know if that would be the case. BTW, this is E0 (ethanol free) gas so it naturally lasts longer than E10.
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I'm not running old fuel. We fill the tank with winterized fuel in the fall. It lasts us all winter. It got down near zero last winter. My only problem was not having Super UDT2 in the tranny so it was a little sluggish until it warmed up. I changed the tranny oil to super UDT2 when it was due this summer. We haven't had any really cold days yet, but the morning we had near freezing it drove nicely.

If my fuel was as old as yours, I'd use an algicide for sure. And probably some sort of really good filter system when I refueled.

Fitch
 
Fitch said:
I'm not running old fuel. We fill the tank with winterized fuel in the fall. It lasts us all winter. It got down near zero last winter. My only problem was not having Super UDT2 in the tranny so it was a little sluggish until it warmed up. I changed the tranny oil to super UDT2 when it was due this summer. We haven't had any really cold days yet, but the morning we had near freezing it drove nicely.

If my fuel was as old as yours, I'd use an algicide for sure. And probably some sort of really good filter system when I refueled.

Fitch
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Yeah, I don't run old fuel either. I'm very paranoid about that. I will even dump chainsaw gas if it's more than a couple months old.

The SUDT2 switch is a good one. Did that on my Kubota M9540 and saw improved performance when cold. Shifted better, hydraulics more responsive and took away a slight squeal in the power steering when first cranked cold.

Algicide is very important if using old fuel. My Brother got algae in his fuel storage barrel. What a disaster.

I burn too much fuel for it to get old.

I only use additives for gelling prevention. I run most of the year with untreated fuel. But then, my Power Stroke only has 210,000 miles on it so the problems with NOT using an additive just haven't had time to show up yet.... ;)
 
Another special case where additives help: My elderly Yanmar (YM240) is from the final years of a 1970's or earlier design and was designed around the higher Cetane rating of fuel in Japan. It's natural for these early two cylinder thumpers to have diesel knock so severe you instinctively feel a rod will come through the block. CLANK CLANK CLANK. The racket is reduced some as it warms up but it still doesn't seem within reasonable limits. You couldn't sell a new model today that sounds so close to grenading.

Nevertheless this engine in the tractors and also used in semitrailer refrigeration units and fishing boats etc has a reputation for extremely long troublefree life. But I'll bet those Japanese fishermen are deaf. :sad: I can't imagine staying below deck during rain in a small boat with that head-pounding racket.

It isn't the exhaust, its the steel in the block pounding like its being hit by a sledge. (Example 1: vid with sound, somebody else's Yanmar, warm engine, without additives. Hear that sledge-on-anvil sound? Example 2: Cold start, my YM240 with PS. Still primitive, but tamed some.)

There is a big, noticeable improvement running Power Service (silver) as a Cetane improver. It starts on the first cylinder to fire, with little smoke, and the diesel knock is half of what non-treated fuel sounds like as it warms up. Likewise lugging it down when warm does what it says on the bottle, avoids smoking and feels like it improves torque.

The other Yanmar (YM186D) is a more modern 3 cylinder design and Power Service slightly improves those characteristics, but it doesn't really need additives.

In summary I'm sold on the advantage of a Cetane improver, where needed. I doubt the brand name makes much difference.
 
Fitch said:
Well, golly. I never use them, any of them. My ZD21 Diesel mower is a 2004 model with 1,400 hours on it. My RTV is a 2004 Model with 2,140 hours on it. My nephew's CAT 953B had 6,500 hours on it when he sold it, and he never used any fuel additives. The injection systems are working perfectly. So either my nephew and I got really lucky, and got the only two that didn't need it, or the stuff isn't needed.

I'd be more willing to bet it isn't needed.

People, on car and truck forums, say, they've used XYZ magic elixir and their vehicle is running just fine after 75,000 miles, so it must work. That's pure BS. There are millions of cars running just fine after 75,000 miles that didn't use it which is a statistically much better case for it not being needed.

That said, there are exceptions, but frankly, they are fewer and farther between than the medicine show folks would like you to believe.

Fitch
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That is my opinion I posted. we have 5 90 hp and up tractors plus my little 40 hp kioti a Cat 262 and a Case 1840 loader/skid steer, and buy 500 gallons of diesel at a time so we use conditioner and put it in the big tank when we fill it up every few months. injectors and fuel pumps are high and conditioner is cheap . My Row crop neighbor buys 10,000 gallons at a time a couple of times a year and , he is a believer too.
I guess it depends on how a person is brought up, where they live and the type of fuel .
 
I put cetane booster in my truck when I fill it up and I also put a few quarts of 2 stroke oil in the tank too.had a guy look at me funny one day at the gas pump when he seen me fill up and then put 4 quarts of two stroke oil in it.that new diesel sucks. right after I bought my truck(got it used) the vp injector pump died because the crappy lift pump went out and with hardly any lublication in the fuel it cost me about 1500.00 bucks.i went back fith a fass150 lift pump and a little bit better vp pump now she runs like she should .

I have in the past added motor oil(new oil) when I didn't have the money for two stroke oil.
 
Yea sure when the fuel PROVES to have water in it. Who cares if it comes from the vendor, condensation in the tank/can, or just the hired hand was filling up out in the field in a thunderstorm and didn't have the sense to protect the fuel. ONE DOES GET WATER IN THE FUEL.

When this happens, and it does HAPPEN, it comes at not a convienent time and has to be figured out. Bad fuel, injector, pump, filter, or fuel line??? Where to start fixing and then figuring it out takes time, energy, and money.

Fitch.....YES YOU HAVE BEEN LUCKY....At least from my point of view. As a victim of letting the ritual of putting in the Cetane/Lucas/Marvel in with a fuel dump for a few tanks; sure as the devil we got water in the fuel tank......Pain in the tail to change the filter, drain the fuel and then filter it. Sure as shootin there it is in the catch basin of the filter funnel.....So, yes, for me, putting additive in the fuel is a must.

Should I go on and on about putting some Techron in my gas engines from time to time????.....NOW THAT STUFF WORKS FOR SURE!!!!!!!!!!!

God bless...Dennis
 
I've never gotten water in my fuel that created a problem. I'm very particular where I buy fuel. Very particular about storage. Very particular about age. Only use additive for gelling prevention. Change fuel filters once a year on tractors,etc. Twice a year on road vehicles.

I think there has to be a wide range in quality of fuel. Seems some people fight it all the time.
 
Ampoules fuel treatment works great. I've used it in tractors, trucks and mowers. All Diesel Engines
 
We use Power Service (white in winter and silver in summer) in our Kubota L48, RTV900, Bandit Chipper, and '14 RAM CTD.

Been using it every fill-up, every time since 1999.

I consider it cheap Insurance.
 
ovrszd said:
I've never gotten water in my fuel that created a problem. I'm very particular where I buy fuel. Very particular about storage. Very particular about age. Only use additive for gelling prevention. Change fuel filters once a year on tractors,etc. Twice a year on road vehicles.

I think there has to be a wide range in quality of fuel. Seems some people fight it all the time.
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Its not about the moisture its about the xtra lube.
 
I use the Power Services stuff too. It touts... "keeps injectors cleaner", and "prevents fuel gelling in cold weather". Those in addition to the lubricity make it cheap insurance. I worked as a diesel mechanic for lots of years and like all those things in my fuel.
I also use PRI-G in my stored diesel. Again, cheap at twice the price.
 
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