Are diesel conditioners needed for new

[ROUSTABOUT]

I been seeing injector pump failure because of dry fuel. Add a little oil to your fuel.

 

[Bobrown14]

I feel like the answer is ”no” in a new engine, but as engines age and fuel systems get progressively dirtier, the answer changes to yes.
Water & condensation are scary issues. I would like to see every diesel with a water separator and 2 fuel filters.
With each tank, more water accumulates.

Always buy fuel from a place that sells a LOT of fuel.

This is spot on specially for an LS tractor. I used fuel from a backwoods gas station 1x - never again. Got water in my fuel filter, gelled fuel in the winter and my tractor went into limp mode in the middle of pushing a crap ton of snow.

Get best fuel you can find from an over the road diesel stop - we have T/A in town. We get our diesel there and always add in conditioner.

After that mis-step the next regen was crazy smokey too. VERY smokey.

 

[ruffdog]

Like Forrest Gump would say, diesel fuel is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. I bought brand name fuel at a big exit of the freeway last winter and tested it by putting some in a bottle and leaving it outside. That stuff was the worse I have seen as far as gelling and I was wondering about those trucks filling up.
That is why I always test some before I throw it in the equipment.

 

[4x4moses]

Are any diesel fuel conditioners needed or would be good to use on Subcompact tractors, about 21 hp. Mines new LS122 and mostly sits. It works a few hours a week? Tks

I also put very few hours on my Kioti DK4510 (279 hours since 2018). Ultra low sulfur fuel is all that is available in my area. I use Howes fuel conditioner/stabilizer, and a tiny bit of Killem to kill slime/bacteria.

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

It has to have an MSDS cautionary label to be a biocide, plain and simple.

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) has now been shortened to Safety Data Sheet (SDS), and not everything ships with one sometimes you have to request/download it from a site

Anyone who has been around for a while will know what you're after when you ask about an MSDS.

But then, there's that new kid that'll say "MSDS? We ain't got none of those." while a pile of SDS sits right behind him.

 

[5030]

Every bottle of Bio-Kleen I buy has the cautionary labelling attached to the bottle. Never seen one without. Same applies to all the pesticides and herbicides I purchase, they all have it attached to the jugs and additionally, the supplier I buy from (Wilbur Ellis) has the cautionary statements right on the invoice as well. Of course 99% of the herbicides and pesticides I purchase, you can only purchase with a valid and current Michigan applicators licenses anyway.

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

There's always someone who gets away with doing nothing and ends up fine. I'm not that guy.

I can take every precaution I know about only to be brought down by the one that I didn't know about.

I use additives in my F-450 and since I have them I use them in my tractor as well.

Diesel can oxidize, gell, gather bacteria, and grow fungus, and tanks can accumulate water from condensation.

Some additives along with the biocide function can bond with water, increase the cetane rating, and help clean and lubricate the fuel system.

Interstate stations have a high turnover of fuel and are typically better than those stations off the beaten path, but when the swap over from winter to summer blends occurs is not something that is generally broadcast.

Once the 6.4L in the F-450 is history I'll probably continue to use additives if for no other reason than it makes me feel like I've taken a step in the right direction in preventing a problem from occuring.

 

[Trackerjoe]

Are any diesel fuel conditioners needed or would be good to use on Subcompact tractors, about 21 hp. Mines new LS122 and mostly sits. It works a few hours a week? Tks

I think fuel you buy for your truck is treated with anti gel in the winter months, but not in the summer. My tractor doesn't get a lot of use, so when I'm plowing snow in December I may be using fuel that was purchased last August. So I add Howes every time I fill up.

 

[mrmikey]

My tractor doesn't get a lot of use,

I'm in the same boat. I make sure I purchase enough fuel in/during the winter/fall to last to the next season, that way I'm always running winter fuel in my tractor. I still use Hawes fuel treatment as well.

 

[big bubba]

lots of good info in this thread. seems to me there are 4 basic reasons to use a conditioner for diesel fuel: 1) lubricity 2) anti gel in low temps 3) moisture removal 4) biocide for algae, etc.
don't see many conditioners that cover all these conditions. seems to me the conditioner choice depends on your location & also your fuel storage size. my fuel consumption is low so i use 5 gal containers from high volume fuel sources, so i don't have the problem that larger tanks face.

been using Howes for years w/o incident, my parts guy says lots of truckers use it so the type conditioner you choose depends on location & size fuel storage. Going to check out Optilube next time, seen good reviews regards

 

[ruffdog]

I'm in the same boat. I make sure I purchase enough fuel in/during the winter/fall to last to the next season, that way I'm always running winter fuel in my tractor. I still use Hawes fuel treatment as well.

Get a sample in a small plastic bottle and put it in your freezer for a few days. My one freezer is at -4F and some fuel is mostly clear (good) while some looked like milky thick jello (bad).

 

[mike5511]

I’ve used Optilube 2 cycle oil in my small engines for years. Best stuff there ever was! The only diesel I have now is my Volvo truck w/Cummins motor, I pull my 5th wheel with. Always use the Cummins recommended Power Service products. May have to check out the Optilube stuff though.

 

[5030]

Cummins, Caterpillar and DDEC (Detroit Diesel Engine Company) all recommend Power Service Bio-Kleen and Kleen Diesel additives as well as the cold weather anti-gel.

Don't know about VoMack.

Good enough for me.

 

[MutantGenepool]

Two things I can think of.
Never use biodiesel as it has a high water content.
Fill the fuel tank when you finish for the day.

 

[Hay Dude]

Don’t know if I mentioned this, but theres an old time diesel rebuilding shop nearby. I know the owner well. He says with todays “dry” diesel fuel, he recommends adding ATF to the fuel as a lubricant.
I have a noisy CAPS pump on my 8.3L Cummins and do NOT want it to fail. I added several gallons of ATF (tractor has 180 gallon fuel tank) and I found it helped quiet the pump and reduced the amount of the “surging” it had. I will continue to add 1-2 gallons per tankful to keep the pump alive as it is over $5,000 to replace. I would probably just change pumps if it failed, but don’t want to until it’s necessary. I don’t think most TBN members understand what an expensive job it is to replace todays pumps.

He told me they have had tractors brought in with nearly ruined pumps, fed high doses of ATF into them and rescued them from complete failure. I have seen diesels run just fine on a high level of ATF mixed into diesel fuel.

I would recommend ATF be added to older diesel tractor fuel systems. It will lubricate the pump and keep it alive.

 

[mike5511]

Don’t know if I mentioned this, but theres an old time diesel rebuilding shop nearby. I know the owner well. He says with todays “dry” diesel fuel, he recommends adding ATF to the fuel as a lubricant.
I have a noisy CAPS pump on my 8.3L Cummins and do NOT want it to fail. I added several gallons of ATF (tractor has 180 gallon fuel tank) and I found it helped quiet the pump and reduced the amount of the “surging” it had. I will continue to add 1-2 gallons per tankful to keep the pump alive as it is over $5,000 to replace. I would probably just change pumps if it failed, but don’t want to until it’s necessary. I don’t think most TBN members understand what an expensive job it is to replace todays pumps.

He told me they have had tractors brought in with nearly ruined pumps, fed high doses of ATF into them and rescued them from complete failure. I have seen diesels run just fine on a high level of ATF mixed into diesel fuel.

I would recommend ATF be added to older diesel tractor fuel systems. It will lubricate the pump and keep it alive.

What year range are you calling "older"? I've got friends that use ATF in their fuel. I'm not sure what the ratio is to say 100 gallon? But 2 gallons would seem to be a lot I'm thinking.

 

[ruffdog]

Use ATF as a fuel modifier? Maybe you shouldn't anymore.....read:

Adding ATF to fuel? - Dodge Diesel - Diesel Truck Resource Forums

 

[Hay Dude]

What year range are you calling "older"? I've got friends that use ATF in their fuel. I'm not sure what the ratio is to say 100 gallon? But 2 gallons would seem to be a lot I'm thinking.

Well my magnum is 24 years old, but it depends on your pump is. I added ATF based on a tractor shop with a lot of experience. Definitely helped. It’s an older tractor.

 

[Hay Dude]

Use ATF as a fuel modifier? Maybe you shouldn't anymore.....read:

Adding ATF to fuel? - Dodge Diesel - Diesel Truck Resource Forums

I did. It has a mix of people who agree and disagree.

Here’s what a John Deere Diesel tech said in the thread:

”I'm a diesel tech at a John Deere Dealership where we get the new Large frame 7's ans 8R's in all the time with the same black sticky junk as described in one post earlier. It's beginning to be a bigger problem all the time. We have to flush the injection system with a flush kit and special formula to get rid of that stuff. Funny thing is, these guys don't add anything but JD fuel conditioner to their fuel. North American diesel fuel is dirty and burns dirty, contrary to popular opinion. Ask the VW TDI guys that. As for the burning ATF in a pan or spoon example, next time you try that, use an infrared thermometer to measure the heat of the flame. Then get in your diesel and mash the throttle. Take a quick look at that pyrometer and compare that temp reading with the infrared reading - cylinder temps are much higher than the pan cooker. Some substances need higher temps than others to burn. In a cylinder with the nice high combustion temps, the ATF actually burns pretty clean. We find that a couple of the guys that started adding some ATF to their fuel all of a sudden didn't need to come in for the usual flush - engine stayed running properly all year. ATF IS oil and it's a great lubrcant and a super cleaner. Next time your hands are greasy, try washing in ATF. You'll be surprised how well it works.”

 

[ruffdog]

Another thread on adding ATF to diesel fuel:

Oil & Fuel - ATF and diesel fuel