Diesel fuel treatment

[thelazyl]

Does anyone have experience with the fuel treatment product I have attached?  I had a treatment added 7 months ago when I first purchased the RV and we've put on 3,000 miles since then and ~30 minutes of generator time. 

Am I correct in assuming that I don't need to use the same brand of treatment now - i.e. the same that my mechanic put in 7 months ago?  I am waiting to hear back from him.

I am a novice and appreciate any advice you have. 

 

[ClassyC]

I haven?t used the exact product you attached but I?ve used Power Service regular diesel treatment for many years to treat all my diesel. Not sure what part of the country you are from but Rural King stores have a great price on it.

 

[RVRAC]

Never used additional stuff in the diesel engines except during winter.

 

[Robert K]

I have switched on my pickup for work between different additives 300,000 miles no problem. I use Lucas with my 96 3126 Cat every tank. Older engine using these new fuels with less lubrication I think it helps.
Getting in on this one early will find out how wrong I am ;D

  Bob

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You shouldn't don't need any fuel additive for normal use, but if it makes you feel more confident, go ahead.

Any fuel tank, diesel or gas, can accumulate water from condensation if stored unused for lengthy periods, so a drying agent maybe helps. As far as a "cleaner", though, that is just sales blather. Your fuel filters do any cleaning necessary.

 

[malexander]

I have a 2009 Dodge 3500 diesel and my 2007 Bounder 38N with the 330 Cat C-7 engine. And several diesel backhoes and machines. I've never put any additives or supplements in any of them.

 

[xrated]

I have a F350 Dually 6.7L diesel and had a F250 6.7L diesel before that.  Every single fuel fill up that I've done gets the Motorcraft PM-22 diesel fuel treatment (1 oz. treats 6 gallons).  The HPFP on these truck's will be at somewhere around 30,000 psi, so needless to say, the pump tolerances are extremely tight.  Combine the tight tolerances with the extremely low lubricity of the ULSD fuel and you are taking a chance of severe damage to the fuel pump/system if any amount of moisture gets into the pump and washes away the lubricating properties of the ULSD fuel.  To me, it's cheap insurance.  HPFP and the associated fuel rails and injectors being replaced can run 10,000 - 12,000 dollars.  It simply isn't worth taking the risk for me to not run the additive in every tank of fuel.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Granted that an injector pump failure is a huge expense, but is there any statistical evidence that injector pumps fail less often when diesel lubricative additives are used?

I'll also note that the product in the original post does NOT claim any lubrication qualities - just longer-lasting filters.  Filters that should last at least a year on a typical motorhome regardless.

 

[xrated]

Ford does recommend that product and it does ad increased lubrication.....which can't be a bad thing.

 

[GE4CFARMS]

BEEN A DIESEL MECHANIC FOR 40 YEARS AND SEEN ALL TYPES OF ADDITIVES. BEFORE LOW SULFUR FUEL WE ONLY ADDED FOR WINTER RUNNING TO STOP JELLING, THEN WITH LOW SULFUR ON MECHANICAL PUMPS THEY WOULD STICK THE METERING VALVES SO WE ADDED STANADYNE TREATMENT TO LUBE THE SYSTEM. WITH THE NEWER SYSTEMS THE FILTERS SHOULD BE ENOUGH UNLESS IN VERY COLD CLIMATES. KEEP YOUR FUEL/WATER SEPERATOR DRAINED AND WATCH FILTERS FOR ALGAE BUILDUP.

 

[Gizmo]

You shouldn't don't need any fuel additive for normal use, but if it makes you feel more confident, go ahead.

I believe this was true before the advent of low sulphur fuel and would agree with you there, but low sulphur diesel fuel is problematic, creating performance issues and ultimately pre-mature injector failure.  For example with low sulphur fuel is  essentially dry, meaning little lubricity which is where good additives can help, by increasing those properties. Low sulphur diesel fuel also creates a dirtier combustion process leaving deposits along the fuel system, good additives will help to clean the fuel system especially the injectors. 

To answer the OP, I have used in my wife's previous car a Jetta TDI and then in my TD truck Power Service Diesel Kleen.  I never noticed any performance enhancement but kept using it to at least boost the lubricity of the fuel and presumably to provide some cleaning benefit.  Recently I was reading reviews on the various diesel additives and the one which stuck out with the highest reviews is Hot Shot. I spoke with my trusted diesel mechanic and asked their opinion, and they recommended and use Hot Shot.  Hot Shot for diesel fuel comes in two products. Hot Shot Extreme and EDT which stands for every day treatment.  They recommended starting with the Extreme for the first application and then the EDT with each fill-up thereafter, returning to the Extreme at 6K miles or 6-months.  On our journey across the country I decided to try them, after the initial Extreme application and a half tank with the EDT I noticed my motor running much smoother and the fuel mileage has become to creep up.  As of now I am impressed having seen first hand positive results.  So I as of right now recommend trying Hot Shot, but certainly Power Service, Standyne have been around a long time.