Rob,
ULSD has a lubrication additive added to it by the direction of the government. There is no issue using it with any injection system-in fact-the lastest 2007 over the road highway diesel engines have the tightest clearances in the injection systems ever. This is needed because emmission directives are so stringent. Wait until 2010 for diesels!!! You haven't seen anything yet.
On the point of having Stanadyne or Howe's Lubricator increasing your mileage 1 to 1.5 mpg is simply not believable - sorry. If that ~ 5% increase was valid the diesel engine manufacturers would be knocking on their doors. We never saw this improvement in our test cells at DDC where we could see minute improvements in BSFC. Injection shops don't have the technical knowledge chemist and test cell performance engineers have. Don't get me started on magnents !!!!!
Gary,
I did know that the ULSD had something added but what I was not sure. I do know that I have been using additive long before ULSD was even considered as I have been driving diesels for years. I also know and understand that ULSD is probably the best diesel fuel available simply because it has to work in the super-tight clearances of the very high pressure injection systems on modern diesels.
Thats said, I would like to tell you simply that the 1 to 1.5mpg increases are in fact real. I used to track mpg religiously, every single tank, volume and miles logged. I did this for years in little notebooks under the seat of each vehicle. Yes, I am that anal retentive. The results were proved, back to back and repeated, averaging 6 fillups with additive and six without. I tested each vehicle 3 times over a period of years. Each time the results were the same. The vehicles are a 1984 Mercedes Benz 300D and a 1993 Chevrolet C2500HD with the 6.5TD that currently have 180K and 254K on them respectively. Since these are both older IDI engines is it possible this is a factor? Is it possible that the quality of fuel available when I was doing these tests was poor and the increase in cetane made a difference? I realize that the testing is anecdotal however I wouldn't have said anything if I didn't see the results myself.
One can only go on the recommendations of "experts" When a reputable injection shop states that regular use of Biobor is thought to cause deposits on injectors, well then I don't use it. But then again I have never had an algae or water problem in any of my diesels and thats hundreds of thousands of miles..... Maybe I'm lucky. If I have a problem then I will use it.
I never said anything about magnets and I know they are pure crap.
The other main reason I use additive is gelling in winter. Everyone I know with a diesel has had at one time or another had a problem with gelled fuel. I have towed a few people home to the heated garage to thaw them out. I have NEVER had a fuel related problem, EVER. No gelling, no water, no bugs, injector issues or anything else. All of my diesels will start at 0*F without being plugged in so they are happy and healthy. Well, I did once have a pump seal start dripping on a VW but it had 300,000+miles on it so I think it had a reason....
I probably over-maintain my engines but I have never had any problems in hundreds of thousands of miles in diesels. The only time I have been stranded is a battery that had a dead cell and a starter that had a bad winding. So is it the additives? Can't say for sure but it seems like I'm doing something right. I'm not about to change a good thing, the additives are small change anyway.
RT