Fuel Recommendation Questions

[Jerry/MT]

I post this here after posting it in the wrong forum. Sorry.

Manual for my B2320 says use fuel with a cetane rating of 45 minimum or higher. All the fuel pumps I have seen are either marked 40 minimum or are not marked at all. Questions: 1) What is the true meaning of cetane rating ? 2) What are, if any, negatives in burning fuel lower than 45 ( I most definitely don 't want to trash my new tractor ) ? 3) Is it possible I just haven 't been to the right fuel station yet ? I live in the U.S.A. I 'm totally confused about diesel fuels in general when it comes to manual recommendations.

The cetane number is a measure of the ignition characteristics of fuel for compression ignition (Diesel) engines;specifically the ignition delay period. A fuel with a 40 cetane number will exhibit the same ignition delay as a mixture of 40 parts of cetane(cetane number =100) and 60 parts of alpha methyl naphtalene(cetane number =0) when tested in a special test engine under certain controlled conditions.

If the engine is designed for 45 cetane and you use 40 cetane fuel, there would be a little more ignition delay than what the engine was designed for. The impact of that delay on performance needs to come from Kubota. They might tell you to advance the injection timing slightly.
I doubt you will "trash" your engine by using 40 cetane fuel but as I said before, Kubota needs to provide an answer since 40 cetane fuel is all that you have available. It's their engine design and it's not your fault that you can't find 45 cetane fuel.

 

[Jerry/MT]

I post this here after posting it in the wrong forum. Sorry.

Manual for my B2320 says use fuel with a cetane rating of 45 minimum or higher. All the fuel pumps I have seen are either marked 40 minimum or are not marked at all. Questions: 1) What is the true meaning of cetane rating ? 2) What are, if any, negatives in burning fuel lower than 45 ( I most definitely don 't want to trash my new tractor ) ? 3) Is it possible I just haven 't been to the right fuel station yet ? I live in the U.S.A. I 'm totally confused about diesel fuels in general when it comes to manual recommendations.

The cetane number is a measure of the ignition characteristics of fuel for compression ignition (Diesel) engines;specifically the ignition delay period. A fuel with a 40 cetane number will exhibit the same ignition delay as a mixture of 40 parts of cetane(cetane number =100) and 60 parts of alpha methyl naphtalene(cetane number =0) when tested in a special test engine under certain controlled conditions.

If the engine is designed for 45 cetane and you use 40 cetane fuel, there would be a little more ignition delay than what the engine was designed for. The impact of that delay on performance needs to come from Kubota. They might tell you to advance the injection timing slightly.

 

[LBrown59]

1*Diesel fuel is either #1 diesel or #2 diesel.
It's that simple.
2* #2 diesel is thicker and will do more work per gallon. #1 diesel is thinner and is better for cold weather.

1* Actually these are both the same fuel.
2* Once again Both of these are actually the same fuel.
#1 is nothing more than #2 with kerosene mixed in with it.

I guess I came across as running any type of sewage through a diesel that one could buy. That was not my intent. I have always bought BP diesel and keep my fuel very clean. The injectors will not tolerate dirt.
3*I don't buy enough fuel to justify home delivery from Country Mark. Country Mark is good stuff.

It don't take much to justify home delivery.
25 to 55 Gallon a year justifies it for me.

 

[NIdaho]

LBrown59,

You are absolutely WRONG !

Whistlepig stated it pretty clearly, you should do some research.

Diesel fuels are covered by the ASTM D975 standard. Since 2004, this standard has covered seven grades of diesel:

No. 1 Diesel --A special-purpose, light middle distillate fuel for use in diesel engine applications with frequent and widely varying speeds and loads or when abnormally low operating temperatures are encountered. Higher volatility than that provided by No. 2-D fuels.

• No. 1-D S15 15 ppm (Max Sulfur Content
• No. 1-D S500 500 ppm
• No. 1-D S5000 5000 ppm

No. 2 Diesel -- A general-purpose, middle distillate fuel for use in diesel engines, especially in applications with relatively high loads and uniform speeds, or in diesel engines not requiring fuels having higher volatility or other properties specified in Grade No. 1-D fuels.

• No. 2-D S15 15 ppm (Max Sulfur Content)
• No. 2-D S500 500 ppm
• No. 2-D S5000 5000 ppm

No. 4 Diesel -- A heavy distillate fuel, or a blend of distillate and residual oil, for low- and medium-speed diesel engines in applications involving predominantly constant speed and load.

Heavier fuel oils Grade 5 and 6 (residual), which are used primarily for heating purposes, are described by ASTM D396.

 

[LBrown59]

LBrown59,
*You are absolutely WRONG !
Whistlepig stated it pretty clearly, you should do some research.

1*Diesel fuels are covered by the ASTM D975 standard. Since 2004, this standard has covered seven grades of diesel:

2*No. 1 Diesel --A special-purpose, light middle distillate fuel for use in diesel engine applications with frequent and widely varying speeds and loads or when abnormally low operating temperatures are encountered. Higher volatility than that provided by No. 2-D fuels.

• No. 1-D S15 15 ppm (Max Sulfur Content
• No. 1-D S500 500 ppm
• No. 1-D S5000 5000 ppm

3*No. 2 Diesel -- A general-purpose, middle distillate fuel for use in diesel engines, especially in applications with relatively high loads and uniform speeds, or in diesel engines not requiring fuels having higher volatility or other properties specified in Grade No. 1-D fuels.

• No. 2-D S15 15 ppm (Max Sulfur Content)
• No. 2-D S500 500 ppm
• No. 2-D S5000 5000 ppm

4*Heavier fuel oils Grade 5 and 6 (residual), which are used primarily for heating purposes, are described by ASTM D396.

*I think not .
1*This is out of touch with current practices.
Things have changed since 2004.
ASTM D 975 relates to the amount of sulfur the EPA permits in the fuel.
Astm d975 is strictly and environmental EPA issue not one of fuel grade or quality.

No. 1-D S15 15 ppm (Max Sulfur Content
No. 1-D S500 500 ppm
No. 1-D S5000 5000 ppm

No. 2-D S15 15 ppm (Max Sulfur Content)
No. 2-D S500 500 ppm
No. 2-D S5000 5000 ppm
No producer is required to produce a fuel for each of the 6 standards.
Since 2004 I'd say most producers have switched over to just one of these requirements.

2* and 3*
Both of these are the same except #1 has kerosene mixed in with it.
4*Home heating oil or fuel oil as it's also called is the same as diesel here.
I can't buy both but I can get one fuel and use it to heat my home or run my tractor.

 

[smfcpacfp]

NIdaho,

You might just as well try explaining how things are to a tree.

 

[sailorman]

Just a follow up to let ya 'll know how things turned out. Fueled up fresh today with the ps additive and cetane booster. Seems engine is staring better, and running smoother, clatter much reduced. Now I know my mind might deceive me looking for a preferred result, but I'm a pretty objective guy when it comes to that. I do think it did some good and what the heck if it didn 't. I'm just out a few bucks on the additive. At the mix ratio, the stuff will last me a very long time as I will never be a heavy fuel user.

 

[WH401]

Just a follow up to let ya 'll know how things turned out. Fueled up fresh today with the ps additive and cetane booster. Seems engine is staring better, and running smoother, clatter much reduced. Now I know my mind might deceive me looking for a preferred result, but I'm a pretty objective guy when it comes to that. I do think it did some good and what the heck if it didn 't. I'm just out a few bucks on the additive. At the mix ratio, the stuff will last me a very long time as I will never be a heavy fuel user.

I don't think your hearing things, I've notice the same on all my diesel powered engines that I run PS in. I've noticed the biggest difference in winter when the engines aren't plugged in, they start much easier and the loudness of the diesel "knock" is greatly reduced.

 

[bpattie]

sailor man. I use supplements in the Winter but that has already been addressed. My only recommendation in regards to diesel is to buy from a dealer/station that sell a lot of diesel. Fuel is typically in better shape, i.e. no water.

 

[sailorman]

Good thought bpattie. I hadn 't thought of that.