05 fuel additives?

[jimnance]

What about the guys who use their used engine oil for an additive. I haven't done it yet but it doesn't sound like a bad idea as long as you filter it first. Anyone here do that?

Used lube oil has a lot of bad stuff in it that can't be simply filtered out. Put simply, bad idea.



If you really want to be cheap you might consider cheap two stroke oil. It should readily mix with the fuel and provide some lubrication. It's designed to be burned so I don't see any harm. OTH, I'll stick with products specifically formulated for our diesels.

 

[TexBamBam]

I been noticing that a little of the stuff in the silver bottle at Walmart makes the knock go away for a while...

 

[KCrispens]

Personally, I've chosen to go with Primrose Powermaster 405 because, it is very highly concentrated, has everything in it, and is more economical to use, for me.

Hey Buffalo, I have never heard of this stuff and was wondering where I can I find it? I currently use PS diesel kleen, but have been thinking about switching.

 

[Buffalo]

KCrispens,

I bought mine directly from Primrose Oil Co. , Inc. I spoke with James Moon, in sales, 1-800-275-2772, www.primrose.com



I believe on your side of the country you can contact Lubrication Specialties, Inc. , 1-800-341-6516, Lubrication Specialties.com



or



Avlube.com



Hope this helps.



Joe F. (Buffalo)

 

[KCrispens]

Thanks Buffalo.



I will look into these 2 companies and see what they carry.



Every little bit helps, especially for a diesel newb like me.

 

[Chugiak]

"... if you buy good quality fuel there is no need to use fuel -additives... ". Now, what does "good quality fuel" mean?

And who gets to define "good quality fuel", you? Cummins? The dealer? The fuel supplier?

Good fuel means it conforms to the Cummins fuels bulletin 3379001-08 which outlines the salient characteristics for fuel that meets the engine company's requirements, see what the engine manufacturer's organization is saying about fuel quality.

How do you know if you are using "good quality fuel"?

It's simple - you dont'. We're counting on the fuels distributors to make a product that conforms to an ASTM standard for #2 diesel (ASTM-972). While it may leave the refinery conforming, too many things can impact the quality before it hits your fuel tank to make sure it still meets quality standards.

I think that additives can take fuel of "questionable quality" (and I think all fuel is of questionable quality, especially with respect to lubricity) and make it "better quality" by boosting lubricity (among other things). I don't think additives can improve fuel economy by any measureable amount. They may make the engine run a little "better" if they include a cetane boost.

I agree. Here is Cummins' position on fuel additives (from Service Bulletin 3379001-08:



Cummins Inc. engines are designed, developed, rated, and built to operate on commercially available diesel fuel as listed in Required Diesel Fuel Specifications; therefore, it is not our policy to recommend fuel additives.



In extreme situations, when available fuels are of poor quality or problems exist which are peculiar to certain operations, additives can be used. However, Cummins Inc. recommends consultation with the fuel supplier or Cummins Service Engineering Department prior to use of fuel additives.



Among the situations where additives can prove useful are the following:



A cetane improver additive can be used with low cetane fuels.

A pour point depressant or flow improver additive can help with high pour point fuels.

A wax crystal modifier can help with fuels with high cold filter plugging points (CFPP).

An anti-icer can help prevent ice formation in wet fuel during cold weather.

An anti-oxidant or storage stability additive can help with fuel system deposits and poor storage stability.

A lubricity enhancer can be used to increase the lubricity of fuels so that they meet the requirements given in Table 1.

A biocide or fungicide can help when fuels are prone to contamination with bacteria or fungus. Although other additives can provide some performance benefits, Fleet-tech™ Microbicide (quart - CC2661 and gallon - CC2662) and Microbicide SP (pint - CC2671, quart - CC2672 and gallon - CC2673) are the only products recommended by Cummins Inc. to treat fuels with biological contamination problems.

Fleetguard's Fleet-tech™ Turbo Diesel All Season Fuel Additive (pint - CC2588) can be used with low cetane fuels to boost cetane values. Although other additives are available that will boost the cetane number, Fleetguard's Fleet-tech™ All Season Fuel Additive is the only diesel fuel additive recommended by Cummins Inc. for cetane number improvement.

Fleetguard's Fleet-tech™ Asphaltene Conditioner (quart - CC2597 and 2. 5 gallon CC2596) or Fleetguard's Fleet-tech™ Turbo Diesel All Season Fuel Additive (pint -CC2588) can be used to clean carbon deposits from injectors and improve lubricity in fuels that fall below the recommended lubricity specification in Table 1. Although other additives can provide some performance benefits, Fleet-tech™ Asphaltene Conditioner, and Turbo Diesel All Season Fuel Additive are the only diesel fuel additives recommended by Cummins Inc. for use with fuels that do not meet the lubricity specification in Table 1.

Fleetguard's Fleet-tech™ Winter Conditioner (pint - CC2591, quart - CC2592, 2. 5 gallon - CC2595, 5 gallons - CC2593, 55 gallons - CC2594, and bulk - CC2590) and Turbo Diesel All Season Fuel Additive (pint - CC2588) can be used to improve the pour point and cold filter plugging point of diesel fuels in addition to preventing ice formation in wet fuels during cold storage. Although other additives are available that can provide some winter performance benefits, Fleet-tech™ Winter Conditioner and Turbo Diesel All Season Fuel Additive are the only diesel fuel additives recommended by Cummins Inc. for winter performance improvements.

Fleetguard's FS20000 lubricity enhancing fuel filter can also be used to improve the lubricity of fuels that fall below the recommended lubricity specification given in Table 1. The FS20000 is required for Tier 2 QSB engines running Jet A or JP8 Fuels.

Premium diesel fuels can possibly contain several additives that can accomplish the same as buying additives and adding them to lower quality diesel fuel. A premium diesel fuel is defined by the Worldwide Fuel Charter as described on page 1.



Cummins Inc. recommends the use of a premium diesel fuel during winter (ambient conditions at -7°C [20°F] or below) operating conditions.



Great care must be exercised in the choice and use of additives. Some fuel additives can be harmful to the engine. Fuel additives containing ash forming materials will cause combustion chamber deposits. Most legitimate fuel additives perform only one function. Multifunctional fuel additives are mixtures of several additives. All fuel additives perform differently in different fuels; therefore, the additive used must be one to which the fuel will respond. There are no known additives that increase the power or improve the efficiency of a properly maintained engine.

These are purely my opinions. Many people will disagree.



-Ryan

Sorry for the long post, but I've seen this thread over and over. In the northern climes, you pretty much HAVE to use a lubricity additive to bring you fuel up to minimum specs. Well, maybe you don't HAVE to, but you can put up with the shortened life of the fuel system components and associated cost if you don't.



Cheers,



Chugiak



P. S. If anyone is really interested, PM me and I'll email you a copy of the service bulletin.

 

[rbattelle]

Many thanks for that post, Chugiak. Can you check the link you posted... I tried to use it but it came up as a dead end.



This quote I found very interesting:

Great care must be exercised in the choice and use of additives. Some fuel additives can be harmful to the engine. Fuel additives containing ash forming materials will cause combustion chamber deposits. Most legitimate fuel additives perform only one function. Multifunctional fuel additives are mixtures of several additives. All fuel additives perform differently in different fuels; therefore, the additive used must be one to which the fuel will respond. There are no known additives that increase the power or improve the efficiency of a properly maintained engine.

In particular the part about multifunctional fuel additives. I happen to use a multifunctional additive; one that is not approved by Cummins (Stanadyne PF). Are the Fleet-Tech additives the only ones approved by Cummins?



I think that caution is doubly important with these sensitive common rail fuel systems (what's good for jerk pumps is not necessarily good for our systems).



-Ryan

 

[Chugiak]

Many thanks for that post, Chugiak. Can you check the link you posted... I tried to use it but it came up as a dead end.

Ryan, I checked the site again and it failed on me. It is the site referenced in the fuels bulletin -- apparently it's died since the bulletin was posted.

This quote I found very interesting:







In particular the part about multifunctional fuel additives. I happen to use a multifunctional additive; one that is not approved by Cummins (Stanadyne PF). Are the Fleet-Tech additives the only ones approved by Cummins?

I also use Stanadyne. However, Fleetguard's Fleet-Tech is the only fuels additive recommended by Cummins, Inc. Be careful that Fleetguard has a number of products labelled "Fleet-Tech". The one that improves lubricity is the Asphaltene Conditioner, the other products are intended to lower pour point in cold conditions, clean injectors, etc.

I think that caution is doubly important with these sensitive common rail fuel systems (what's good for jerk pumps is not necessarily good for our systems).



-Ryan

Cheers,



Chugiak

 

[AlSmith]

Asphaltene

I have been using Fleet-Tech's Asphaltene for several years in my 96 B6 12 valve and have noticed a difference when I forget to reorder more from Geno' Garage. It only takes an ounce to a tank and sometimes I skip a few tank fulls without a problem. But, if I go over 4-5 tank fulls I can tell the difference in rough running The only problem is it stinks, smells like asphalt. Also, it needs to be in a better pouring bottle, something with a spout, but, it is good a good lubricator according to Cummins. Any body else use this smelly stuff?

 

[rbattelle]

I have been using Fleet-Tech's Asphaltene for several years in my 96 B6 12 valve and have noticed a difference when I forget to reorder more from Geno' Garage.

I bought some from Geno's 3 or 4 years ago and never used a drop of it. I still have it.



I couldn't figure out whether it was any good for the common rail engines.



Ryan

 

[MickeyMiller]

What about the Valvoline Fuel Injection Cleaner and Lubricant with the big Cummins "C" on it, sold at the Cummins dealers? I bought a case from the Cummins dealer in El Cajon and continue to add 1 oz/8 gal. I had arough idle condition about 30K miles ago and filled the fuel filter housing with Sea Foam and it cleared the rough idle. That's when I bought the Valvoline. So far the rough idle has not returned. BTW, I consider Sea Foam to be more agressive than I want to run all the time, but the rough idle was pretty bad!

 

[AlSmith]

I sell trailers for a living, not mobile homes, but the one's that throw rocks at your windshield on the highway and basically hog the road. Many of my customers that use the Cummins line of engines use the Asphaltene religiously. Several have been told by Cummins to try it for lubrication and injector cleaning. That is where I learned about it originally. Cummins South used to stock it but they were higher priced than Geno's. At $8 for 32 oz. that is about the cheapest additive I have found. The bottle is not marked but it does have a clear see thru line on side. I just ordered 2 bottles last night from Geno's for about $20 including shipping and tax and a free "CUMMINS TURBO DIESEL" windshield decal.