Low Sulfer

[mk1TD]

What do we do about the ULSD fuel?  I understand that diesels rely on sulfer content in the fuel to help lubricate injection componients.  With the fuel now having less than 15 PPM when it was about 500 PPM that has to have some effect on injection componients I would think.

 So what is everybody doing to restore the sulfer content in diesel fuel?

[RabbitJockey]

originall it was 5000, they cut us down alot over the years lol, alot of people are putting additives in it, i'm not concerned quit frankly, i already used additives and still do, but its cause they make it run better regardless, ulsd has additives for lubrication, i don't know why every is so scared... do you really think they'd change it on us when it would obviously break every mechanically injector diesel on the road, which i'm going to assume is the vast majority of them.

[FineFrank]

It's not the sulfur that lubricates, but when the refineries remove the sulfur, they remove the stuff that lubes too.
 
There's been an interesting thread (albeit hard to follow) over at vwdieselparts.com- Hagar has been adding canning wax in the summer and Aeroshell 120 in the winter to his NA bunny to raise the viscosity of the fuel (which provides lubrication). I used canning wax last summer, and didn't notice any performance change, but the motor ran a bit quieter.
I'm currently using Costal ND40 in my fuel and I'm going to use Aeroshell 120 next fill up.

Some of the mechanics at the school bus garage are adding inexpensive two stroke oil to their fuel. I'm not clear on which to use, air cooled oil or water colled oil, so I'm a bit leery about it. I'll see how the injectors look next month and go from there.

[AdAm84]

the only thing that i really heard negative is that it will clean your system out. so i'm gonna run a tank through then change my fuel filter. but our 6.5L turbodiesel suburban has had no problems and we ran it for like two months before our supplier told us it had been switced. i dont think it really makes a difference.

[Op-Ivy]

originall it was 5000, they cut us down alot over the years lol, alot of people are putting additives in it, i'm not concerned quit frankly, i already used additives and still do, but its cause they make it run better regardless, ulsd has additives for lubrication, i don't know why every is so scared...

I wasn't concerned either until the seals in my fuel pump started shirking due to a loss of size because of the new fuel. Now I am probably going to just rebuild the entire pump eventually...

do you really think they'd change it on us when it would obviously break every mechanically injector diesel on the road, which i'm going to assume is the vast majority of them.

Yes I do. Problems with fuel viscosity will not affect newer diesel engines as much as it will older ones. You have to remember that half the world is trying to reduce emissions. Older cars, diesel or not, will polute more than a newer engine that has to go through more strict emissions testing then ours ever did. I'm sure that they aren't purposly trying to destroy our cars, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were trying to weed us out.

[myke_w]

I'm really surprised nobody has mentioned a biodiesel blend as a solution.. It has high lubricity and raises cetane, and has some aromatics that may help maintain seal swell inside the pump.. it's about the cheapest solution you can find per gallon..

[RabbitJockey]

the mechanical pump isn't like an old thing though either that only people with 80s cars need to worry about,  tdis up into the mk4's have mechanical pumps, althought computer controlled, they still need good lubrcation, this is the same for dodge pick ups up until 98 and many other vehicles...

[burn_your_money]

I either use air cooled 2 stroke engine oil or the C-tire stuff. I have lots of differant lubes/additives in my shed, it just depends on what I put in my trunk. I don't notice any differance with them but it's cheap insurance at the very least.

[jtanguay]

well my pump is leaking ulsd all over... thats my only real complaint.  they do add lubrication additives though...

maybe this explains why diesel is going up in price... the extra refining process to get rid of sulphur, and mixing additives...

[RabbitJockey]

from what i have heard once the change over from old diesel to this new crap is done the price should start to come down, either way i don't care i barely spend 20 bucks a week on fuel and i drive alot

[firestorm13666]

One thing i can say about ULSD is there is going to be more water getting into your fuel.I work at a truck stop shop and we have been seeing more and more fuel filters problems because of water in fuel.

[jtanguay]

One thing i can say about ULSD is there is going to be more water getting into your fuel.I work at a truck stop shop and we have been seeing more and more fuel filters problems because of water in fuel.

just another reason to use additives now more than ever...  this is excellent information.  i absolutely love this forum!

[Op-Ivy]

I actually replaced my fuel filter last week and I drained quite a bit of water out. I decided it was because I hadn't drained it in a while, but the ULSD could be the reason as well.

Firestorm, why does the ULSD do this?

[firestorm13666]

I am not sure why myself as i am still learning about diesel's.I think it is because diesel has the habit to absorb water.

[burn_your_money]

So how many tankfuls can I run before I have to drain my filter? I get kind of lazy with maintenance in the winter... for some reason -20 and cold metal don't excite me