ULSD 1 Cummins 0

[TBartlett1]

Apparently ULSD is here in Mass a friend with a 93 CTD started having problems starting then he noticed his injection pump was wet with diesel so he checked the oil and it was way over full. All the seals were leaking!

So I let him use my garage so he could remove the pump and replace the seals. Took him 3 days but he got it together at 3am just in time for the Nor’easter. Anyone else having problems?

 

[HunterShawn]

no prob. here in idaho i run additive that may help

 

[hotram03]

A friend of mine runs Cedar City Diesel here in Lebanon,TN and say they are replacing 1st Gen pumps like crazy, I bought a case of the Stanedyne Additive he sells, I was using Seafoam, but case of 12 was 70. 00, takes 1 can and a half for a full tank, 1 bottle of the Stanedyne does 4 tanks as it is a super concentrate type, and its only 54. 00, gonna run it in every tank

 

[HunterShawn]

ya we run the stanedyne additive in 4 of our trucks i like it ive tryed power servies and didnt like it Oo.

 

[cruiser_2]

I have seen some problems with my Injection pump throttle sticking in colder weather, and quits when it comes up to temp. I am going to try some lube on the linkage and have added some conditioners and hopefully that will take care of it. I have had no problems with my MB 300D yet though.

 

[RWWinslow]

Maybe below will help and maybe it will not. . . . . . my work location is one of the largest diesel consumers in this part of the country. . . . . we have just complete a very in-depth technical review of the benefits and challenges associated with ULSD. We have found that there are quite a few myths and rumors about ULSD that are not true. ULSD has been out since June, 2006 for most of the country and has been produced and used for multipled years prior to that date in California.



From the Chevron web site on 1-23-07:

"Will low sulfur diesel or low aromatics diesel cause fuel system leaks?

The introduction of low sulfur diesel for on-road use in the U. S. was accompanied by fuel system leaks in a very small percentage of vehicles. Investigations into the cause of these leaks suggest that the problem was linked to the change in the aromatics content of the fuel and to seal material and age.

Diesel fuel systems contain "O-rings" and other parts made of elastomeric materials. These elastomers swell slightly when they contact diesel fuel, because they absorb aromatic compounds from the fuel. Exposure to a fuel with a lower aromatics content will result in some of the absorbed aromatics being leached out, causing the elastomer to shrink towards its original size. If the elastomer is still pliable, this shrinkage will not cause a leak. However, if age or service at higher-than-normal temperatures has caused the elastomer to loose its elasticity, a leak could occur. Vehicle owners should be aware that elastomeric parts have finite lives and should be replaced as necessary.

By itself, low sulfur or low aromatics diesel fuel does not cause fuel system leaks. They are caused by the combination of a change from higher to lower aromatics fuel and aged O-rings and elastomeric parts that have lost their elasticity. "



Generally, if the elastomeric seals are going to start leaking they will do so within one to two tanks of fuel. I would suspect something else may be going on with the winter fuel blend if the pump is now leaking at the seals.

 

[JLEONARD]

Good info... thanks

 

[msperos]

I had the lift pump on our 02' at work start leaking. The truck only gas 56,000miles on it. When I talked to the parts guy at Rocky Mountain Cummins he said that they have seen quite a few fuel system leaks since the switch to ULSD. On the plus side the pump was starting to loose pressure anyhow

 

[unclemarc]

I'm in phoenix,no problems so far. marc

 

[dpuckett]

I had my one pump redone in Sept, then ran it til about Nov. Within 2 tanks of the swap (old seals on old pump), I had some seepage into the AFC housing. By the time I pulled it off in January for the rebuild, it was a full blown leak, and MPGs were down to 14 or so. Mom's did the same thing, though not sure when it started leaking.



It is my belief that the seals in some vehicles are getting old (though Mom's pump got redone in 02), and the switch to ULSD just pushed them over the edge. Guy who did Mom's pump said he has been as busy as a one armed paper hanger all fall and winter. The fuel may not be THE cause of leakage, but based on what I see, it doesnt help things.



Do the numbers- the total of 1stGens out there make up a small percentage of diesel pickups on the road today. So, even if ALL 150,000 of them or so had leaks, it still is a drop in the bucket when compared to the millions of diesel powered rigs on the road today. I wonder if CHevron did a study of older, pre-94 (which have endured 2 fuel changes) engines/ fuel systems, what they would find? Bet the percentages of fuel related leaks would be higher.



Daniel

 

[John Martines]

I'm running Bio hoping it might help in the lube dept. So far no problems!

 

[boatpuller]

When these seals fail is it an instantaneous thing, or does the pump start leaking slowly, so that if I am on a trip far from home I'll be able to make it home or is it ussually a catastrophic failure?

Planning on a trip to Arizona in April, was wondering if I should pull my pump and have it resealed first?



Thanks,

Caleb

 

[TBartlett1]

It would be peace of mind and certainly cheaper to schedule it at home than on the road where you'd be at everyones mercy.

I would rather be proactive than reactive!



Tim B

 

[Nate]

ULSD has been around since this summer

 

[dpuckett]

In some areas- I know for a fact the fuel smelled changed in mid to late Sept. I dont think it was mandated til Oct1. Around here, they'll run the old stuff til Sep30.

 

[RWWinslow]

Our technical review data indicates that the seal failure occurs as Daniel described above. We are also finding a much higher seal failure rate east of the Rockies than for the Intermountain Region and areas to the west. California has been using the ULSD for the past 2 years without a significant number of problems. We also know that the ULSD out of each refinery is different - for example some refineries are not having any problem maintaining cold flow properties and other refiners are seeing marked changes in the fuel cold flow properties.

 

[flatlander]

Add me to the (growing) list of victims of gelled fuel and leaking lift pumps this month #@$%!

 

[boatpuller]

Our technical review data indicates that the seal failure occurs as Daniel described above. We are also finding a much higher seal failure rate east of the Rockies than for the Intermountain Region and areas to the west. California has been using the ULSD for the past 2 years without a significant number of problems. We also know that the ULSD out of each refinery is different - for example some refineries are not having any problem maintaining cold flow properties and other refiners are seeing marked changes in the fuel cold flow properties.

So that means when it goes it begins slowly, allowing somone time to return to"homebase" to get the pump resealed? Sounds like the lift pump may be first to go?



Thanks,

Caleb

 

[RWWinslow]

Failure of these components is a determined by age of the lift and injector pump, the service it has endured, etc. For example, if you are still using your original lift pump and have re-worked your injection pump, I would expect the lift pump to fail first, if failure is going to be accelerated with ULSD. Even without ULSD, I would still expect the lift pump to go first since it has the highest number of cycles in service in this scenario.



Unfortunately there are too many variables to correlate - watch your fuel systems and plan accordingly.

 

[TBartlett1]

My son called form school today to tell me the injection pump has an external leak. Told him to keep an eye on oil level and keep me posted. He will be home during spring break so in the meantime I'll remove the pump from my spare engine and replace all the seals so all we need to do is a pump swap.

I knew it was going to happen; now I can stop worrying!