I never used Diesel additives until today

[Oldoak]

Or you could say one of the worst beefed up gas block engines running a lousy diesel top end.

That would be the old 350 engine.

People paid a premium price to get the diesel engine and a few years later received a lower trade-in price if the vehicle had that diesel engine in them. A double whammy!

 

[rScotty]

I didn't used to use any fuel additive at all except sometimes some anti-gell winterizer from JD if I was late in the season changing from #2 diesel fuel (summer) to #1 fuel for the winter.
Then when the ULSD fuel started getting popular in the early 2000s I noticed that the fuel I was buying seemed more like the old #1 year round but even less oily to the feel.....so I began using an additive. Sometimes two stroke oil, but usually Opti-Lube XPD in the dosage recommended on the bottle. Opti-lube is sort of expensive, but not when compared to diesel problems. And the price isn't so bad buying in larger quantities.
Sometimes I'll miss dosing the tractors for a few tanks - particularly in the busy summer. I've never noticed any difference in the way it runs with or without the additive.
rScotty

 

[Texasmark]

I remember in the 80's there was this guy pouring tranny fluid in his tank on a olg GM diesel in a suburban. Of course I had to ask him about it. He said he had 900K miles on ( one of the worst diesels ever made) and he poured in tranny fluid every third tank of fuel.

in OTR usage, back in the early '90's, I used 1 quart of ATF to every 100 gallon tank fill up, running a tank a day, Big Cam Cummins 800 cu in, 400 hp....that was before I "discovered" PS products.

 

[Texasmark]

That would be the old 350 engine.

People paid a premium price to get the diesel engine and a few years later received a lower trade-in price if the vehicle had that diesel engine in them. A double whammy!

I remember waiting for the diesel to come out, the disappointment, the problems, the disgrundled owner's, one in particular, a guy that bought a 98 Olds and got swapped a Chevy V8 gasser.....he was pizzed and let everyone in town know it....ran an ad in the local news paper. Don't know how that all came to rest.

 

[Buggs67]

in OTR usage, back in the early '90's, I used 1 quart of ATF to every 100 gallon tank fill up, running a tank a day, Big Cam Cummins 800 cu in, 400 hp....that was before I "discovered" PS products.

On a tangent: I had a friend in my 20s who was a mechanic. He said ATF had more detergent in it and advised putting in a qt or so in the crankcase and running the engine awhile to remove sludge etc. In the 70's before syn oil was common and we changed our oil every 2500-3k mi.

 

[Buggs67]

.....so I began using an additive. Sometimes two stroke oil, but usually Opti-Lube XPD in the dosage recommended on the bottle. Opti-lube is sort of expensive, but not when compared to diesel problems. And the price isn't so bad buying in larger quantities.

rScotty

I was playing with the cost of some of these additives and it was $.08-.10/gal. Not so awful. I just wish I knew what was in the offroad I'm buying at the local Shell so I don't duplicate anti-gel/lubricity/cetane/etc boosters.

 

[ovrszd]

I was playing with the cost of some of these additives and it was $.08-.10/gal. Not so awful. I just wish I knew what was in the offroad I'm buying at the local Shell so I don't duplicate anti-gel/lubricity/cetane/etc boosters.

If your supplier isn't touting additives on the pump or store signage, there's nothing added.

Red diesel is simply dyed for tracking purposes in avoidance of road tax.

 

[Buggs67]

If your supplier isn't touting additives on the pump or store signage, there's nothing added.

Red diesel is simply dyed for tracking purposes in avoidance of road tax.

I know about the dye. I just figure the off-road isn't being formulated for just this station; there are many large farms around here who are prob getting off-road delivered and it's prob a basic formula. Maybe anti-gel in winter. No one advertises anything about any fuel.

 

[ovrszd]

I know about the dye. I just figure the off-road isn't being formulated for just this station; there are many large farms around here who are prob getting off-road delivered and it's prob a basic formula. Maybe anti-gel in winter. No one advertises anything about any fuel.

My point was dyed fuel isn't "formulated", it's dyed.

The far North guys get treated fuel with little fanfare. It's expected.

I'm guessing you are served like I am. If it's winterized fuel there will be notice posted.

I never trust a supplier to treat my fuel.

 

[CMV]

So a few dumb questions:

1. let's say I do nothing and have summer fuel and it gets cold enough to gel. But the tractor is just sitting & next time I go to use it it's warmer - say 45* F or so....Would the fuel have gelled and then went back to normal and be transparent to me (I would never know it gelled) or does it stay gel until fixed somehow?

2. I did add the PS white bottle winter stuff. What's the reason to switch to a silver bottle or other brand or whatever for the summer? Any harm in just using the white bottle PS all the time? Reason I ask is I mostly fill at gas station about 1/2 mile away, but if I don't want to be bothered running down the road, will use stored 5 gal cans instead. The 5 gal cans can sit for months so it would make sense for me to add the PS white to those in case I don't think about when the fuel was purchased (if we even get a different flavor of diesel in NC for winter months).

3. Is there one that just does everything that can simply be used year-round? Prevent gel, boost cetane, add lubricity, deposit fairy dust on cylinder walls....whatever they all do....Is it necessary to use X this time of year, use Y that time of year, sometimes add in some Z too....seems like a "do everything" solution would be less hassle.

4. With the newer tier 4 & DPF filters....does that change what you should/shouldn't add? Like the deep fryer oil , ATF, 2 cycle, unicorn tears, whatever - are there some things that you should never add with CRDI and DPF?