Stanadyne ??? Afters Years of Use Has Let Me Down

[sixdogs]

I have used Stanadyne Performance Formula for 25 years in tots of tractors and never a problem. Part of this was in Maine with very cold temps and dino oil. Things always started but I parked in a barn. I thought there were two kinds of Stanadyne; Performance Formula and something else. Make sure you have the right one.

It's not as cold here but it has been five below and with synthetic oil and a good battery, things always start right up. They may chug for a maybe 20 seconds but then it's off to the races. That's my story and experience.

 

[coobie]

I have always used Stanadyne Performance Formula year round as a fuel additive and anti-gel. I have also bought my fuel at the same truck stop for over 15 years and trust thier fuel. Well today I plugged the filter - never happened before. It was cold, minus 5 F and the tractor soaked at minus 22 all night. In trying to figure what happened I notice that the Stanadyne spec states that the plugged filter temp is reduced by 25* F. I never realized that was all. So I guess all these years I have been unknowingly relying on the fuel blender to help winterize the fuel.

Anyway the question - Stanadyne says use a 500:1 ratio, temperature independent. My question is, if I use a lower ratio will I get a larger temperature reduction ?? I ask because I see Power Service instructs you to double the additive below 0 degrees F. However PS does not publish (that I can find ) how much temperature reduction you get by using it. That would be good to know too. Thanks

gg

I switched to Opti-Lube winter formula which is good to -52 below.Good stuff.

 

[thepumpguysc]

There are NO "pro's" w/Bio..
Gov. crammed it down our throats.. and we're supposed to swallow it like good "sheeple"..
Same w/ ethanol.. THEN YOU have to pay EXTRA to get the fuel w/o the Bio or ethanol..
Sorry for the "rant" but its a sore spot w/ me..

 

[thepumpguysc]

The Stanadyne product is not a "cure all" .. Its MAIN function is Lubrication.. With the introduction of ULSD fuels way back when, the fuels were EATING-up the fuel systems due to metal to metal contact.. remember, the fuel inside the pump is used to lubricate the components..
THEN they saw a market for improved C-tane, so they started marketing THAT product..
With that being said, there are products on the market that ARE marketed as a "cure-all".. but the Stanadyne bottle isn't one of them.
In independent lab tests, Stanadyne is WAY DOWN on the list in terms of lub, ctane & other tests, compared to "others"..
Howes topped the list in every test results list, I've ever seen..

 

[Gordon Gould]

Here is a graph from Howes on cold filter plug point. It shows it gets you to -12 F with an 18 degree improvement over untreated fuel. Stanadyne claims basically the same with a 20 to 25 degree improvement. I don't know about Power Service. It seems to me that when you run at very cold temps you are relying on the fuel supplier to produce a blend with a lower cold filter plug point because the additives you buy do not lower the cold temps enough by themselves. It seems if you think the additive is all it takes then you are kidding yourself ????????????




In my particular case I think this is what happened. I keep four 5 gal containers of fuel. When they are empty I go into town and fill them all. I checked my fuel slips. The fuel I put in on Christmas eve was actually purchased on Nov 30. I took a week to hunt and was using my smaller tractor more so my fuel usage was down some. Maybe the Nov 30 fuel was not blended for -25*F back then. I will be more careful now.

Always something new to learn - I never had to look at this before.

gg

 

[sixdogs]

The Stanadyne product is not a "cure all" .. Its MAIN function is Lubrication.. With the introduction of ULSD fuels way back when, the fuels were EATING-up the fuel systems due to metal to metal contact.. remember, the fuel inside the pump is used to lubricate the components..
THEN they saw a market for improved C-tane, so they started marketing THAT product..
With that being said, there are products on the market that ARE marketed as a "cure-all".. but the Stanadyne bottle isn't one of them.
In independent lab tests, Stanadyne is WAY DOWN on the list in terms of lub, ctane & other tests, compared to "others"..
Howes topped the list in every test results list, I've ever seen..

I'm open to looking at other brands, especially for lubricity which is why I use Stanadyne. Where can I find comparative results?

 

[crazyal]

The Stanadyne product is not a "cure all" .. Its MAIN function is Lubrication.. With the introduction of ULSD fuels way back when, the fuels were EATING-up the fuel systems due to metal to metal contact.. remember, the fuel inside the pump is used to lubricate the components..
THEN they saw a market for improved C-tane, so they started marketing THAT product..
With that being said, there are products on the market that ARE marketed as a "cure-all".. but the Stanadyne bottle isn't one of them.
In independent lab tests, Stanadyne is WAY DOWN on the list in terms of lub, ctane & other tests, compared to "others"..
Howes topped the list in every test results list, I've ever seen..

Howes and Power Service are easy to get but neither are that great when it comes to lubricating. Howes was worse than the Power Service on a test that someone posted a link to here a few years ago so I usually use PS. Opti-lube is suppose to be great but I don't know where to buy it locally so I've never bothered. I think the Stanadyne with the centane booster and anti-gel was even worse. But I think they all were pretty close to each other. The PS gives a chart on the bottle for what ratio to use and what temp it'll be good for. I suspect the diesel you bought wasn't blended well and didn't have any anti-gel in it. You may want to just mix in a little kerosene (if they sell it at the station) if you know we have a cold snap coming.

 

[coobie]

I'm open to looking at other brands, especially for lubricity which is why I use Stanadyne. Where can I find comparative results?

Goggle Arlen Spicer diesel additive test.Good read.

 

[newbury]

Ive always been a little Leary of bio-diesel. Just staying with petroleum based fuel. I'm not a guy who is big on change. What are the pros and cons of bio-diesel???

Pro - adds lubricity
Con - above 5 or 10 % invalidates VW TDI standards

There are NO "pro's" w/Bio..
Gov. crammed it down our throats.. and we're supposed to swallow it like good "sheeple"..
Same w/ ethanol.. THEN YOU have to pay EXTRA to get the fuel w/o the Bio or ethanol..
Sorry for the "rant" but its a sore spot w/ me..

Fo rural areas bio is not like ethanol, it does add lubricity whereas ethanol was just to reduce MTBE groundwater pollution. From the wicki

Gasoline containing up to 10% ethanol began a decades-long growth in the United States in the late 1970s. The demand for ethanol produced from field corn was spurred by the discovery that methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) was contaminating groundwater.[27][30] MTBE's use as an oxygenate additive was widespread due to mandates in the Clean Air Act amendments of 1992 to reduce carbon monoxide emissions. MTBE in gasoline had been banned in almost 20 states by 2006. Suppliers were concerned about potential litigation and a 2005 court decision denying legal protection for MTBE.[citation needed] MTBE's fall from grace opened a new market for ethanol, its primary substitute.[27] Corn prices at the time were around US$2 a bushel.[citation needed] Farmers saw a new market and increased production. This demand shift took place at a time when oil prices were rising.

Howes and Power Service are easy to get but neither are that great when it comes to lubricating. Howes was worse than the Power Service on a test that someone posted a link to here a few years ago so I usually use PS. Opti-lube is suppose to be great but I don't know where to buy it locally so I've never bothered. I think the Stanadyne with the centane booster and anti-gel was even worse. But I think they all were pretty close to each other. The PS gives a chart on the bottle for what ratio to use and what temp it'll be good for. I suspect the diesel you bought wasn't blended well and didn't have any anti-gel in it. You may want to just mix in a little kerosene (if they sell it at the station) if you know we have a cold snap coming.

I've been buying 1 and 5 gallon containers of Opti-lube on line from the mfg when they had sales.

 

[crazyal]

I've been buying 1 and 5 gallon containers of Opti-lube on line from the mfg when they had sales.

And that's the problem, lol. It's one of those things I don't think about until I need it. When I need it I just want to grab it off a shelf and be done with it. How are they on shipping? I really hate to buy something that'll cost as much (if not more) to ship. Usually all I use is one smaller bottle of PS per year. 1 gallon (depending on the ratio) could last me years.

Just went to their site and it's $20 to ship one $15 quart size bottle and $25 for a $50 1 gallon jug. No dealers close by so my choice is to buy a quart of PS for about $7 which I can get anywhere around me or $35 for a quart / $70 for a gallon of Opti-Lube. If they would get some dealers close by I would most likely use it.