fuel additives? - Printable Version

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fuel additives? - encantotom - 12-09-2012

this is a question about our detroits, kubota/yanmar diesel engines and fuel additives.

i know there are a variety of opinions on additives. i was reading on the wanderlodge site about leaky o rings on fuel injector pump o rings and how to repair them (on a kubota).

one person said he ran a diesel fuel additive. then i know there is additives to prevent algae growth.

now that we have low sulphur fuels at the pumps, it is different than what alot of our engines was expecting when they were designed (or is that the case?).

anyway, i would love to hear from some of you on what your thoughts are on putting fuel additives in. it can get pretty pricey given the size of our fuel tanks. (200-320 gallons)

thoughts?

tom

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RE: fuel additives? - rheavn - 12-09-2012

Froze up a fuel pump on my Cummins in my Country Coach. Of course Cummins related it to just normal mechanical failure. I had three fuel related failures on the Cummins AFTER low sulphur fuel was released. I now use a fuel additive on every fill up. Does it do any good? If you ask Detroit Diesel, NO. If you ask the additive folks, YES. Bottom line is I feel better, so I do it.

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RE: fuel additives? - encantotom - 12-09-2012

hi steve, what additive do you use?

tom

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RE: fuel additives? - rheavn - 12-09-2012

When I was selecting an additive I would ask the truckers at the truck stops as I fueled up. I use Howe's. It is readily available and reasonable in price. Haven't had a fuel related problem since I started using the Howe's in 2006. Certainly not a scientific finding, but works for me.

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RE: fuel additives? - Bill and Sonja - 12-09-2012

Howe's Diesel Treat - no problems and it makes me feel better.

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RE: fuel additives? - Chester Stone - 12-10-2012

I use "FuelPrep", but only when going into storage.

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RE: fuel additives? - lbrachfe - 12-10-2012

I always liked Lucas products and still do. Used them in my race cars too and they weren't even a sponsor....

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RE: fuel additives? - RB1 - 12-10-2012

(12-10-2012, 12:45 PM)lbrachfe Wrote:  I always liked Lucas products and still do. Used them in my race cars too and they weren't even a sponsor....

Here are some comments from an article, "How to Build a High Performance Cummins Diesel", regarding Lucas Diesel Fuel Additive:

When the government of the United States made it mandatory for all of the on highway trucks to use low sulfur fuel, we suffered with low power, stuck injectors and leaking fuel pumps. We had numerous phone calls from owner operators asking what can they add to their fuel to help gain back the power and fuel mileage they lost. In my brother's 444XT and my Dodge Cummins pick up we tried many products to see if they would work. Unfortunately, no change in power or fuel economy, I thought we were going to have to live with garbage fuel. During the month of April 1994, Bill Jones, owner-operator of a Kenworth Conventional powered by a high performance NTC BCIII 400 Cummins called Diesel Injection and asked if we have ever heard of Lucas Fuel treatment. My answer was no but why do you ask"? Bill stated that his friend tried 1 gallon in his 400 CAT and after 100 miles of driving felt an improvement in the performance of his engine. Bill's Kenworth has all of the necessary gauges to monitor a performance engine and he has a steady haul of bark mulch from Montreal to Boston. His trailer is 45 ft long, had ribbed sides, triaxle and a walking floor. Certainly not an easy pulling unit. Bill tried 1 gallon of the Lucas Fuel treatment and also noticed a power increase after approximately 100 miles of driving. Bill's manifold pressure increased by 2 to 3 Ibs, his pyrometer was 50 deg. cooler and he pulled the hills one half gear higher than he did before.

This seemed like a truck stop story to me. However, Bill Jones from Manchester, New Hampshire is an outstanding mechanic and is very well respected by the owner-operators he works for. He trucks and wrenches. This way he never gets bored.

With this kind of recommendation I had to call Forrest Lucas in Riverside, California to find out what was in this treatment. I ordered one case, 4 gallons, at $17.99 per gallon. I gave one gallon to my brother for his 444XT and the next day he called and said that his engine was also running better. When he ran out of Lucas Fuel treatment he felt a loss of power and response. Prior to the recession, my brother was an assistant golf pro. He understands golf clubs, not engines. For him to feel an improvement in response was surprising to me. My Dodge Cummins pickup now performs as it did with high sulfur fuel.

One gallon of Lucas fuel treatment will condition 400 gallons of diesel fuel. At $17.99 per gallon, it costs 4 cents per gallon to treat your fuel. My feeling is as follows: with this conditioner you will gain approximately 5% fuel mileage, which saves you 20 gallons of fuel every 400 used. At $1.00 per gallon your fuel savings will be $20.00 minus the $16.95 for the conditioner, or a total savings of $3.05 every 2100 miles driven, or approximately $158.60 per year. Forget the savings, I like the fact that my engine responds once again.

Always use Lucas fuel conditioner with every tank of fuel. Diesel fuel is very dry today and does a poor job of lubricating the fuel system. The Lucas fuel conditioner does an excellent job of lubricating the barrels and plungers in the fuel system. Many owner-operators have reported back to us that an increase of 2 to 3 pounds of turbo boost is noticed after using the Lucas. Also, the Lucas dl stabilizer helps to protect the rod and main bearings in a performance engine.

Added power increases the load on the bearings and its nice to have that extra lubrication in the oil.

Lucas fuel conditioner: this stuff works. Many times we have had reports that the engine will develop 3 more lbs. of turbo boost while using Lucas in the fuel. When turbo boost increases without increasing fuel delivery the exhaust gas temperature will drop by 25 degrees per pound of boost. Lucas also adds lubricity to the fuel, which greatly expends the life of the fuel pump and injectors.

Attached is the complete PDF article which has good suggestions for increasing performance and fuel mileage in ones diesel engine.

RB1

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RE: fuel additives? - HoosierDaddy - 12-11-2012

I have represented Central Petroleum Company for 30 years.They market primarily to Agriculture, industrial and,mining operations. The products tend to be built to a performance level rather than price. I have used their fuel conditioners with excellent results for years.

http://www.cen-pe-co.com/Products/CenPeCo%20Diesel%20Fuel%20Additives.html

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RE: fuel additives? - encantotom - 12-11-2012

dean,

there are 4 different additives on that web site. which one do you use?

tom

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