power service addative

[Soundguy]

Speaking of ULSD.. what about bio blends... I imagine they gell up worse?

soundguy

 

[john_bud]

Lets be fair... cold gelled fuel has left you by the roadside a half dozen times... it wasn't the PS.. in a 'blind' test of using PS or NO addative.. I bet using 'no addative' would have left you stranded as well!

Defining how good a product is based on the temp of the place it is manufactured in is almost as bad as saying you can't eat decent seafood in a land locked state... or that only wisc chees is good.. etc..

too many variables for those kind of statements..

soundguy

Fair? I'm not here to be fair. The things I've posted are factual - not fair. Using "no additive" would certainly have left me stranded as many thousands of vehicles were. Using PS has left me stranded. Using Howes, has allowed me to continue driving, whle people I know with other diesels were laying in the snow changing filters.

If anyone wants to use PS, they should feel free. If they want to use Howes, that's (IMHO) even better. There are other products like Stanadyne and even Scamsoil that can be used. Heck, if they want to rely on the guys blending the fuel to add enough that's ok by me too. I feel it's foolish, but it's their truck/tractor and wallet.

And a company that is in a cold (-40F and lower) location making a product to eliminate cold weather caused problems has more weight in my book that one based where the yearly low is +30F. It was posted that PS has changed the bottle and presumably the formulation to meet the needs of ULSD. Why did they wait until a year or more AFTER the change to ULSD? My thought is because the product failed miserably in cold weather with the ULSD. It also fails with bio-D, but many fail there too.

 

[AKfish]

I know some swear by the PS products. I swear AT IT. Using PS in the white bottle has left me on the side of the road a half dozen times. 2 years ago I switched to "Howes Diesel Treat" and have had no problems since.

Here's a comparison;
Howes is made in Canada where it gets COLD
PS is made in Texas where cold means wearing socks with your sandals
Howes is cheaper than PS white
Howes is Guaranteed to not leave you stranded (has some requirements to prove use)
PS is NOT guaranteed to do anything except drain your wallet
Howes has a pleasant odor
PS - not so much
Howes can reverse gel on a filter (not its prime function, but it does)
PS does not do a dern thang to reverse gel

Naturally, this is my opinion and YMMV

jb

John - I take your advice at face value. I don't doubt that Howes is a worthwhile product and it does what it's supposed to do.. I've never seen it available here in Alaska - it sure could be - I've just never ran across it.

I've only had diesels since 2000; so, my perspective isn't that long on the horizon..

Only gelled once in that time and that was my tractor. Never stuck out on the road someplace (knock on forehead)!

PS has worked for me. But, I sure do hate using that stuff each and every time I fill up! And the bottles always leak and that stuff is WAY NASTY! It has stained every vinyl or rubber type material in the back of my truck!

If I come across Howes - I'll give it a shot.

AKfish

 

[Ford850]

I'm on the fence between John Bud and Soundguy. After buying a large new bottle of PS this fall, and seeing they changed the doses, I planned to buy Howes next time to be safe. I finished the old bottle of PS with a double dose to summer blend diesel that I am still running. We had -17 and -19 degree nights a few days ago. I started the tractor with no problems (thanks to a block heater too) and ran for hours clearing snow. It was closer to -5 by the time I started it, but I think if the fuel would have gelled at -19 it would still be gelled today since it hasn't reached 20 degrees for a week.
PS has never failed me, but it has failed others. I think my fuel must react well to it, or at least better than others' fuel. I still might try Howes next time, as this new bottle of PS has me concerned (no double dose for winter).

 

[Soundguy]

And a company that is in a cold (-40F and lower) location making a product to eliminate cold weather caused problems has more weight in my book that one based where the yearly low is +30F. It was posted that PS has changed the bottle and presumably the formulation to meet the needs of ULSD. Why did they wait until a year or more AFTER the change to ULSD? My thought is because the product failed miserably in cold weather with the ULSD. It also fails with bio-D, but many fail there too.

That's a 'faith' type corelation. No facts to back it up.. just a feel good statement.

You can't determine a products contents or performance based on the physical location it was manufactured at! Product performance must be evaluated under controled conditions and testing.

soundguy

 

[Thumper & Buttercup]

Hey Guys,

My first diesel was a 1984 Blazer with a 6.2. I've been using Power Service since then. I have never gelled a tractor or truck, I do add extra, I also add it to my House fuel which is a indoor tank with #2 in it. I was driving a Semi that started to gel up, added a jug of PS and stirred the tank with a stick, in 20 min she was good to go.

That Blazer we traided her in with 250,000 miles, never had the injectors worked on, I did have the impeller drive replaced with a metal one on the pump but that was because it was a plastic one from the factory.

I trust PS, I've used her down to -40 degrees, but it's still important to have a good mix of #1 fuel with the #2.

 

[dirtworksequip]

I think it's more of a fuel problem than what additive you use. Anymore with the way they have been adding bio, you just have to chose your weapon and hope for the best.

Sincerely, Dirt

 

[kevinj]

John - I take your advice at face value. I don't doubt that Howes is a worthwhile product and it does what it's supposed to do.. I've never seen it available here in Alaska - it sure could be - I've just never ran across it.

I've only had diesels since 2000; so, my perspective isn't that long on the horizon..

Only gelled once in that time and that was my tractor. Never stuck out on the road someplace (knock on forehead)!

PS has worked for me. But, I sure do hate using that stuff each and every time I fill up! And the bottles always leak and that stuff is WAY NASTY! It has stained every vinyl or rubber type material in the back of my truck!

If I come across Howes - I'll give it a shot.

AKfish

I found Howes around here at the local NAPA store.

 

[kevinj]

but it's still important to have a good mix of #1 fuel with the #2.

Years back I drove for Amoco and Shell oil. We used a mix of 25% #1 in all diesel tanks and outdoor home heating tanks. Never had a problem with our trucks without any additional treatment. Of course this was in the 70's before LSD & ULSD

 

[LBrown59]

I'm on the fence between John Bud and Soundguy. After buying a large new bottle of PS this fall, and seeing they changed the doses, I planned to buy Howes next time to be safe. I finished the old bottle of PS with a double dose to summer blend diesel that I am still running. We had -17 and -19 degree nights a few days ago. I started the tractor with no problems (thanks to a block heater too) and ran for hours clearing snow. It was closer to -5 by the time I started it, but I think if the fuel would have gelled at -19 it would still be gelled today since it hasn't reached 20 degrees for a week.
PS has never failed me, but it has failed others. I think my fuel must react well to it, or at least better than others' fuel. I still might try Howes next time, as this new bottle of PS has me concerned (no double dose for winter).

All 3 of my BX tractors are filled with summer blend treated with
.5818181 ounces of power service per gallon.
A double dose would be .640000 ounces per gallon,so I'm only off .0581819 ounces per gallon .