California
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2004
- Messages
- 14,771
- Location
- An hour north of San Francisco
- Tractor
- Yanmar YM240 Yanmar YM186D
I've used Power Service Silver Bottle in the two-cylinder YM240 for 20 years. The improved Cetane tames some of the harsh clank these have. Plus a little TC-W3 2 cycle oil if I find that free at HHW (described above). And the same fuel for the three cylinder YM186D, even though it normally runs smooth and doesn't need the Cetane improvement.There are only a few diesel additives that I will use and have used with good results. Opti-Lube is a great lubricity additive, Hot Shot's EDT, Hot Shot's Winter Anti-Gel and Howes, which some people will have various things to say about. However I have used all of these additives for years and never had a fuel problem, unless I run out of fuel (most recent issue). I will say that Walmart's "Super Tech" Tc-w3 outboard 2 cycle oil is a great lubricity additive to use too, but not in any common rail engine, just in our older diesels.
The bad diesel I drained recently had a witches brew of additives put in it over a couple of years, now that I think about it. Power Service, the Sta-Bil I described above, plus SeaFoam Injector Cleaner and some Peak Blue injector cleaner left over from long ago, all intended to fight the increasingly poor running. I think I overdid it.
Used ATF as fuel? No way, particulates could cause harmful damage. But I've read of people burning clean ATF and other low-viscosity lubricants - anything that will blend with diesel - in old simple diesels like mine. This 1970's design YM240 and it's marine-engine twin, were designed to run on whatever quality of diesel was found anywhere in the world. Its manual declares more frequent filter changes when the fuel has a tablespoon of water or debris per fillup.