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