Ford 6.0L designed to require centane additives???

[FATCAT]

Now get this, I'm looking at the Ford site and see a guy tell a story about his conversation with a very good Ford mechanic.



The mechanic says that the 6. 0 was designed for 45% centane and almost all refineries can't produce 35% centane levels ... so 6. 0 owners need to use additives to prevent starting problems or no-start problems ... and that the dead pedal (what ever that is) is normal for the Ford diesels!



So ... is this guy right about the centane levels in the US refined diesel? Is there some concern for us Cummins owners? I've never had a no-start or hard start problems unless it is below 0.

If the 6. 0 needs additives ALL the time, potential Ford 6. 0L buyers now need to factor in the cost of Centane additive to their expected fuel costs ... not that would be very expensive over the long haul.

 

[Ncostello]

I knew a mechanic like that. They seem to know the most unusual things about exactly how an engine was designed and all the other parameters surrounding it and the rest of the industrialized world... except for the life of him he could never figure out why my 97 Chevy burned oil and pinged like submarine from the day it was new (solved it on my own).



Its amazing International never considered the truck needed fuel that wasn't available in the Western Hemisphere. Maybe they had to ship it over from Europe in 50 gallon drums for the trial runs. Wonder if its in the owners manual that additive is a must.



From what I've seen... the Cummins B motors were designed to run on the most crappy fuel available in any third world country. Of course good fuel is nice... and Cummins stated that additive is not recommended for the ISB.

 

[mcoleman]

I've been running a trial of sorts on fuel that I get from my local truckstop. They sell #2, #2 plus and #2 premium. After 6 trial runs and I switched back and forth between fuels I noticed at the very least a 1/2 mpg difference and most of the time it was closer to a 3/4 mpg difference using the #2 premium. I wonder what is in the stuff that makes it get better mileage. The truck also felt a little better in the SOP meter but after 20 years of dragracing I don't generally trust the ole SOP meter to be honest. Prices run from 1. 48 for #2 to 1. 55 for the #2 premium. Any ideas. The #2 plus doesn't seem to help the mileage any.

 

[JFinke]

Do they have differant barrels for the three types or does it all come out of the same barrel? If they actually have separate barrels it could be that the premium is the most used and runs better as it's fresh. I was talking to a friend that runs a station that sells regular and premium, and thay are out of the same fuel barrel. The fuel they get meets the premium criteria so they sell it as both. He said about 50% pay the extra nickel a gallon to pump it through the premium hose. He also said some guys will brag about how much better their truck runs on the premium. Jake

 

[RustyJC]

If the #2 premium has a higher cetane number (say, 45 versus 40), it's a faster burning fuel. (A higher cetane number equals a higher propensity for combustion - just the opposite of octane number in gasoline). This effectively advances your "ignition" timing which could give you a slight fuel mileage improvement.



Rusty

 

[mcoleman]

It is coming out of a separate bulk tank as is the #2 plus. I figured the plus had an anti-gel additive in it and the premium had the anti-gel plus a cetane enhancer. My other station I buy from sells all of their fuel with Howes mixed in at the pump also. I tried the premium numerous times when I noticed the mileage improvement just to see of it was a fluke or not. We should start seeing normal fuel at all of the stations around here before long. That will wipe out any gains from the premium unless it still enhances the mileage over the summer fuel mix which I doubt.