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crobertson1 said:
Ryan,
What about overdosing the Performance Formula? Would that help or not? I wonder how much damage I've done not using any additive for 7500 miles.
Signed,
Paranoid in Colorado
Don't be paranoid. You won't hurt it by overdosing the fuel with the Performance Formula. VW has done extensive testing on the additive before they recommended it (as have many other OEMs)... read more about it here in a copy of
VW Technical Bulletin 00-03. They experienced no problems in a double dose situation, in fact, they recommend it for their diesel vehicles, and below -22degreesF they recommend 12oz per 15 gallons of fuel. I have used it since 1981 in every tank of fuel in every diesel vehicle I have owned and in every diesel vehicle owned by every company I've worked for. In millions of miles on all of the vehicles, I have never had a fuel pump or injector failure. I never mixed it more than 8oz to 30 gallons, and @ -22degreesF my Olds (yes, I had one of those too) started and did not gel up! At that time, I was running a 2 micron fuel filter on my fuel system. If any wax crystals were clinging together, then it would have clogged my filter very quickly. The additive did it's job in keeping the parafin in suspension so that it would pass on through the filter like it was supposed to. I thought it
amazing that the engine would start at that temp, much less the fact that it ran around town and down the interstate without losing power or gelling up. On a Chevy 6. 2L my company owned, an '84 K-10 4WD with over 263,000 miles, I took the pump off and tore it down to see if there was anything wrong or might soon be going wrong, and found that there was minimal wear, with no varnishing or deposits! With that many miles on it and not having had the pump off before, I couldn't imagine it would last much longer! Boy was I wrong! We have experienced that here in our fuel injection repair facility over and over again on customer's equipment if they use the Stanadyne additive! The folks at Stanadyne engineer and manufacture diesel fuel injection systems, have done so since Vernon Roosa started Roosa Master fuel systems under the name of
HMS, Co. (Hartford Machine Screw Company), and the engineers do know what should and should not go into your fuel to protect the pumps and injectors.
Regarding
my choice to add some extra lubricity to my fuel, I am absolutely certain after conversing with the engineers while at their facility in CT, that Stanadyne has put in the correct amount of lubrication in the Performance Formula for diesel fuels that are supplied today. But, I have been reading about the ULSDs, and the nightmares that have occurred due to the lack of the lubrication additives put into it, and when I travel, I am not 100% sure that I won't get a dose of it from some tank somewhere. With the "fuel shortages" resulting from Katrina's damage to the refineries and this high fuel oil demand during this heating season, I would rather err on the side of safety than to have to pay later for the damage.
Even if ULSD almost looks clear, how would I know for certain if either my wife or I got a tank of ULSD? Rather than try to find out before pumping or discover it later from damage, I'll try to cover my truck with a small bit of insurance by adding just a bit more of the Lubricity Formula. Hey, we all talk of using the best in synthetic oils, the best oil filters, the best air filters, this accessory, that accessory, making more power, etc. , so it is my choice to try to protect against the known potential problems, and take care of the ones I don't know about when and if they arrive.
Cummins has already issued an Early Warning Bulletin that if an engine comes in with leaking fuel lift pump, then the dealer should determine if the customer has used ULSD fuel after using low sulfur diesel. The lift pump can leak between the bracket and the body or at the electrical connector.
As I have said before, pick your own "snake oil" and be happy with it. But most of all, educate yourself about it with as much info as you can find. And when you test it, do it scientifically and not subjectively. Best wishes!!!