New guy here..........info on fuel conditioner

[RailroadJim]

got a 93' stock, i've heard i should be running a fuel conditioner for the pump, what kind? ratio? etc... if this has been covered please direct to thread/s

 

[RRFinch]

I hear much opinion on this subject. Personally, I use a conditioner. Better to use it and not need to than the other way around is how I see it. I use one I get from a company in Phoenix. I have them mail it to me and a gallon last about a year. 178,000 miles and no problems. If interested I can get the address for you.

 

[Philip]

Welcome to the TDR.



Fuel conditioner isn't to much of a issue. Our pumps are lubed off the fuel itself. #2 has enough lubrasisity (<-spelling) to not need conditioner.



If your think about using it for clean out the fuel system. That is another issue. Most of us run a batch threw every once in a while to keep everything cleaned out.



I use Power service myself. There are other brands around. But I use brands that I can find anywhere. The other brands might be hard to find out on the road.

 

[Graphic man]

i have never run it with 125,000 on the clock and still going strong "knock on wood" :-laf :-laf



it can never hurt to run it a lot of guys run it and sware by it!!

 

[RailroadJim]

Thanks everyone for the info, it's got 129k on it(38k of my own) and i'm pretty darn sure it's never been cleaned or even touched, i like the idea of it just as a cheap preventative messure, but i also like Mr. Philip's idea about getting anywhere off the shelf, basically i'm looking to drive a 1st gen (still looking for that creampuff w250) for the next 30 years or as long as parts can be got. Less wear is my goal so the Power service stuff sounds like a good thing.

 

[Philip]

Mr. Philip's

Philip is my first name. No mister needed. :-laf :-laf

 

[tugboatphil]

Philip is my first name. No mister needed. :-laf :-laf

However, you can address ME as Mr. Phillip, Esquire. Either that, or, "Hey, You!"



I also use Power Service because that is what my previous owner ran, and I can get it anywhere.

 

[RailroadJim]

Thanks for the info. i'll try the power service stuff, let me know if anyone uses a diff. ratio other than what's on the bottle and why.

 

[csnider]

I've been running fuel supplement ever since I had my pump rebuilt at 100K. . the rebuilder recommended I do so since (he said) there isn't as much lubricity in diesel as there used to be and the VE pump can use this extra lube..... I get Power Services Grey bottle at Walmart. . I use between 9 and 16 OZ at fill up. . Maybe too much? @ about $10 or less a month I'm not botherd by the extra expense. I don't know but I sure don't want to pull my pump again if I don't have too. My truck runs much stronger after the rebuild... .

 

[RWWinslow]

Original injection pump and no additive. Most important aspect is to keep the fuel ultra clean and do not skimp on the fuel filter changing interval or brand. Additive probably does not hurt anything but my $. 02 worth of experience says it is not really necessary, either.

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

I think I'm gonna toss my hat into the "use an additive" line... .

In general you could probably "get away with" not using an additive but the low sulphur fuel coupled with the fact that we try to make these pumps do rediculous/ludicrous/retarded things is a good reason to use an additive. . at least that's my personal thoughts on it...

Philip is correct though in stock trim you could probably get away with none...

The VE is lubed and cooled by fuel only... . you kinda need to make the call... .



The one thing that is not so much a "personal opinion" is the fuel grades... .

As an example in winter the fuel we get here in BC goes to "winter grade"... on my truck I see a loss of about 75-80 RPM at idle, poorer idle quality in general, slightly more smoke and a bit less performance.

When I use a good dose of additive which contains a cetane booster along with lubricity and so forth, I get my RPM back, the idle quality improves (still not quite as good as summer fuel) and the truck seems to perform a bit better. That's been my observations over the last several winters and so I use in all year round since the mandated cetane rating here in Canada is less than in the US to begin with.

You can go with Stanadyne Performance Formula, Power Service, Amalgamated (it's the very best in my opinion) as well as others.....

In regards, to Howe's treatment I've never seen the overall improvement as I get with the others. I think Howes is a decent lubricity and cleaner product but not that great for cetane etc... .

I can get Howes for nothing but still prefer the other choices with Stanadyne the most common one... if I have nothing else to use then I'll use the Howes to cover me over to the next fill until I can get some Howes.



One other product that seems to work fairly well is Lubtec products... they seem pretty good and have some "application/need specific" products so you can nail down the specific task you want looked after like, say, fuel system cleaning, or cetane only sort of thing... .



pb... .

 

[24V-DSL]

I agree with Pastor Bob... Amalgamated is, IMO, the real deal. Do a search on Amalgamated fuel additive to get more history. I recently posted about my results.



My engine purrs like a kitten with this stuff.

 

[Nate]

I run about 10oz of Power Service with every tank of fuel. It's about $12 for a large bottle, 96 oz I think. Can get it a Wal-Mart, etc.



I have seen Amalagated mentioned on here quite a bit, is this the webpage? http://www.amalgamatedinc.com/main.htm I would guess a person would have to order the additive through them?

 

[RWWinslow]

OK . . . . now to throw the fuel to the fire so to speak . . . . . in the late 90's API performed laboratory testing on the leading diesel fuel additives in North America. . . . . . the results were surprising in that none of the additives improved Cetane as advertised and there was great variability in how the additives responded to the different fuels in different parts of the country.



In summary, if the additive you are using sounds like it is helping your engine (i. e. your engine idles more smoothly and there is less smoke, etc. ) and the mileage figures back it up - then there probably is some value to what you are doing . . . . . . . . .



Winter diesel fuel, especially #1 Diesel, typically has 20% less BTU's per gallon than summer diesel - it is because of the refining process used to get the cloud and gel point down to the #1 Diesel performance levels.



Finally, their is no uniform national legal specification for diesel fuel with the exception of flash point and sulfur content - ASTM has established some nominal requirements for #2 Diesel and #1 Diesel, etc. Unless a vendor specifically states that their fuel meets the #2 Diesel specifications as delineated by ASTM, then there can be quite a variety in the fuel quality.



Hope that this does not muddy the waters too much . . . . .

 

[HonkinDiesel]

Welcome aboard the TDR club Railroad Jim;



I personally like to use Biodiesel. I get the same performance as regular diesel, my engine purrs nicely, get less smoke and is naturally lubricating. I would tend to believe Cetane is the same or maybe even higher (considering how it runs in this engine). Biodiesel is not too hard to make, but you can buy it too! (especially there in the US)



I typically use a 10 to 20% biodiesel mix to regular diesel but you will get the most dramatic difference at 5% and then tapers off around the 50% mark, after that you are just making yourself feel good. Anyway, these are my findings after lots of research and testing. Keep in mind the quality can very depending on your process (or manufacturers process). I have a good one and pretty consistant. I also find it kind of fun to make as well as a bit of savings off the fuel bill. Anyway you got more than my 2 cents worth on this subject.

 

[RailroadJim]

Luckily living on an island on the gulf of mexico i don't have to worry about "winter time" fuel. The truck is pampered and i ride my bicycle the 4 miles to work over half the time, so the truck doesn't even see 8,000 miles a year, but i want it to last forever with the least maintenance possible and be ready to go when i turn the key, just found the W250 i wanted so i'm going to experiment with the additive along with a fuel scrubber, bypass filters, transmission cooler, etc... definitely overkill for my needs but i figure i don't have cable tv like most folks so spending that same money on my trucks health will net many, many years of longevity and peace of mind, that's what i love about these trucks... . with a little tlc these tough, beautiful beasts will go forever. Thanks for the warm welcome, as i slowly upgrade this truck, i hope to glean some wisdom from time to time from the great diesel fraternity that is TDR, thanks again.

 

[GMichaels]

2006 diesel will contain 50% less sulpher

In 2006 diesel will contain 50% less sulpher which is the lubricant for diesel. There has been an additive (don't have the paper in front of me) that has been tested and provides real world mpg gain of 18% and provides the lubrication. It was in hard hat news. . can supply some details if there is any interest

 

[gtobey]

Fuel additives

Here's my 2cents worth. And merely my opinion... There are lots of products, and not one of them has a total corner on the market. There are some that are better than others, and some that are worse than others. If you find one that makes you and your truck "feel good", by all means, use it. If you don't want to put one in, then don't. The decision is yours, just like accessorizing your truck to your liking!



I've used Stanadyne Performance since they first made it. Have been hundreds of thousands of miles in diesels from VWs to GM 5. 7s and 6. 2s and Volvos. None required pump or injector work during my tenure with them. I added it every tankful, summer or winter.



Here's a couple links with information to check out: Performance testing of comparable brands

Performance Formula Brochure

 

[benefits]

Diesel Sulfur lubrication

Im not sure if I read this somewhere on TDR but the sulfur count in the diesel is not what lubricates the pump but the most common process in which sulfur is removed. I beleive is heating up the fuel which in turn reduces the lubricity. So if there is another way to remove the sulfur from diesel without losing the lubricity the we shouldent have any problems.

 

[biggieou]

So how much of say the Power Service do you guys put in per fill up? 5-10oz?