Fuel Additives for Kubotas

[bstrom]

I've always used Power Service white bottle in my Kubota but just switched to Howes. It got to -7 the night before last and I had a frozen fuel filter the next day and maybe some gelling. Never had a problem with PS. Who knows? Not saying Howes is bad, could have been something else going on. It does come in a pretty gold, old fashion looking bottle though.

 

[lilranch2001]

My BIL, my stepson, and I all own post 2009 VW Common Rail Diesels with Bosch Fuel pumps.

My stepsons pump cratered about a year ago, requiring replacement of the entire fuel system, luckily under warranty. Befoe he drove away after the repair they gave him some snake oil.

For decades there have been reasons for additives:as a biocide, to get water out, to prevent freezing. But with the advent of ULSD lubrication has become important for fuel pumps designed for European fuel which has a lower scar rating. Here's a good excerpt: from here

So many modern fuel pumps require more lubricity. This may be accomplished by using biodiesel, but it needs to be done. VW has finally admitted it.

I use Opti-Lube.

I am a belt AND suspender kind of guy.....
I use Opti-Lube AND PS
:confused3:

 

[JWR]

I've always used Power Service white bottle in my Kubota but just switched to Howes. It got to -7 the night before last and I had a frozen fuel filter the next day and maybe some gelling. Never had a problem with PS. Who knows? Not saying Howes is bad, could have been something else going on. It does come in a pretty gold, old fashion looking bottle though.

Had you run it much since you put the Howe's goo in there ? If not the additive would not have gotten to and filled the filter where you then had the blockage. Maybe ?

 

[rScotty]

It's not really quite as complicated. The terms used 30 years ago are still accurate and very simple. "Number 2 fuel oil" is ordinary diesel fuel. Same thing as home heating oil exactly, no difference. Number 1 fuel oil" is also known as diesel #1 and Kerosene and 1-K and lamp oil and a few other assorted names. So you have #1 and #2 , that's it, the end. Beyond that simple situation you have low sulfur and ultra low sulfur and some degrees of bio-diesel variants, etc. plus whatever mysterious and never publicized (nor in my opinion believable) "winterization" that no one can depend on. I think VTForester gave us all some senior advice -- we should probably read his posts and ignore all 48 of the other posts on this topic. With current day low-sulfur fuel oil, the icing will take place earlier than gelling and most of the additives will take care of gel so we need to pay attention to additives that take care of the water too. And one more conclusion: older non-Tier n compliant engines readily tolerate mixing #1 and #2 for temps below around 14 or 15 degrees F. "Newer" engines (labeled Tier anything) are probably not safe to run a mix of #1 & #2. To me those few things summarize cold weather diesel fuel concerns and solutions.

There's a chart of the standard distillation products easily obtained from crude oil at: GCSE CHEMISTRY - What are the Names of the Fractions of Crude Oil? - Uses - Number of Carbon Atoms - Boiling Points - GCSE SCIENCE.
That site helps me understand how some of the fuels differ.
rScotty

 

[coobie]

I have used schaffers,primrose,stanadyne,howes,power service and opti-lube the past 15 years.My choice is opti-lube.

 

[94BULLITT]

Regarding Throttle response, easier starting, better mileage, more power etc...for diesel engines this boils down to Cetane.

ASTM spec Diesel Fuel (US standard) is required to be 40 Cetane. Engine manufacturers pretty much universally recommend 45 Cetane. If you see Premium Diesel being sold somewhere, it is required to be 45. Based on +/- 1000 lab tests for Cetane we run every year most that comes out of the refinery will hit 45 and very often it will get to 50 even without treatment. The problem is as a consumer you have no way of knowing what you got. If you are seeing a noticeable response from an additive it is likely you are regularly buying diesel on the lower end of the spectrum 40-42 cetane. If you see no response it is likely you are already buying higher cetane diesel because that's what is in your area.

From a practical standpoint, there is little to no benefit to a diesel engine when cetane goes beyond 52 or so. But you should legitimately be able to tell the difference in a machine you are used to between 40 and 50. Bottom line, try it, if it works for you, decide if the cost benefit is there.

Note: Instead of getting any deeper in the weeds I'm leaving out the difference between cetane number and cetane index. It does matter but not unless you are lab testing to prove one batch against another.

I thought that higher cetane fuels had a lower amount of BTU's in them. For performance I thought it was best to get 42 cetane and add a cetane booster to it, for performance.

The benefits of high cetane diesel fuel

 

[lilranch2001]

I'm no fuel expert but that's what I understood as well

 

[ovrszd]

I've always used Power Service white bottle in my Kubota but just switched to Howes. It got to -7 the night before last and I had a frozen fuel filter the next day and maybe some gelling. Never had a problem with PS. Who knows? Not saying Howes is bad, could have been something else going on. It does come in a pretty gold, old fashion looking bottle though.

This could open a whole new dialogue. My fuel supplier told me that PS worked better with their fuel than Howes. Maybe someone can clarify how that can be possible??

Sounds like you have that issue in reverse?

Either way, use what works.

 

[VTForester]

Absolutely true, but the BTU value change is relatively slight and the burn efficiency higher cetane can more than offset the difference.

If we all had mini refineries in our yards (for diesel fuel not the corn fed kind ) we could tailor our fuel to the equipment we own. Older equipment would benefit from higher sulfur lower cetane fuels with a little cetane boost additive just to help cold weather starting. Newer equipment and especially tier rated engines would get the high cetane, heavily refined low sulfur version.

The world we live in though is one where we have one product available. It is Ultra Low Sulfur, high-ish cetane at the expense of BTU value. We can't in any practical way tell if what we are buying at the pump is 40 cetane or 50.

 

[94BULLITT]

Absolutely true, but the BTU value change is relatively slight and the burn efficiency higher cetane can more than offset the difference.

If we all had mini refineries in our yards (for diesel fuel not the corn fed kind ) we could tailor our fuel to the equipment we own. Older equipment would benefit from higher sulfur lower cetane fuels with a little cetane boost additive just to help cold weather starting. Newer equipment and especially tier rated engines would get the high cetane, heavily refined low sulfur version.

The world we live in though is one where we have one product available. It is Ultra Low Sulfur, high-ish cetane at the expense of BTU value. We can't in any practical way tell if what we are buying at the pump is 40 cetane or 50.

Thanks for the reply. I buy my fuel from the oil company, it is 42 cetane. I know Southern States advertises premium winter fuel that is 50 cetane.

What do you think about adding bio diesel to regular diesel to increase lubricty? I heard it was a bad idea because they to may not mix and may create moisture in the fuel.

I know what you are saying fuel. I was talking about gas the other week with a guy that road with a truck driver to the pipe line one day. He said they might fill up out of a Shell tank and then go to a Exxon and a no name gas station and fill their tanks with Shell gas. My great uncle used to drive tanker and said the same thing. Who knows what you may be getting.