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#1
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Diesel fuel additives
I'm going to take my Cummins turbo-diesel powered trawler on the Great
Loop next summer, meaning I will be in some warm places where things might grow in my tanks. I also read all sorts of ads indicating I need stuff in my fuel to clean injectors, increase cetane, clean carbon, reduce wear, increase mileage, etc. Is any of this true? What do I really need to add to my fuel? Capt. Jeff |
#2
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Tamaroak wrote:
I'm going to take my Cummins turbo-diesel powered trawler on the Great Loop next summer, meaning I will be in some warm places where things might grow in my tanks. I also read all sorts of ads indicating I need stuff in my fuel to clean injectors, increase cetane, clean carbon, reduce wear, increase mileage, etc. Is any of this true? What do I really need to add to my fuel? The best guys to ask would be the engineers at Cummins. A turbo diesel is a little more sensitive than the old fashioned heavy haulers. My own theory (and experience so far bears this out) that good storage practice & good filtering prevent any problems. One of the key differences between diesel & gasoline is that gas is a solvent, diesel is a lubricant. If you add biocide, you're just negating some of the natural properties of the fuel and putting crud in it that your engine won't like. If you add other magic potions that "break up" impurities in the fuel so that it goes thru youor filters, then it goes thru your injector pump & injectors... and they won't like it. Sur eit saves the work of changing the filters, but which is more work & money, changing filters or rebuilding injector pumps & replacing injectors? We're plannning on doing the Loop in a few years. Should be a lot of fun! Fair Skies Doug King |
#3
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2 micron filter elements in the Racor, changed every 100 hours. No
additives, no problems. Cheers, Dick B. M/V "Annie" (with 150 Turbo Cummins). "Tamaroak" wrote in message ... I'm going to take my Cummins turbo-diesel powered trawler on the Great Loop next summer, meaning I will be in some warm places where things might grow in my tanks. I also read all sorts of ads indicating I need stuff in my fuel to clean injectors, increase cetane, clean carbon, reduce wear, increase mileage, etc. Is any of this true? What do I really need to add to my fuel? Capt. Jeff |
#4
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A trawler will probably burn the fuel fast enough for it to not be a
problem. However, on my sailboat, here in N. FL, leaving diesel in the tank without a biocide has caused me some problems. The fuel will soon look like ink. So, I would only go with a biocide if it was going to sit for any length of time. |
#5
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If your tanks are clean to begin with, you have a good water
separation/filtration system, and you are using the boat frequently, you probably do not need any additives. On the other hand they don't really hurt anything if used as recommended. The biggest risk you face is that your tanks already have diesel bugs growing on the sides or bottom of the tank and you do not yet know it. The crisis point occurs when you go out in rough seas for the first time and suddenly your filters start clogging up at a very inopportune time as fuel sloshes around and knocks the tank slime loose. Older boats/older tanks are particularly prone to this issue but any boat which sits around a lot and/or never gets run in rough conditions may be suspect. If you do not already have dual Racors with selector valves and a vacuum guage, I highly recommend that you make that investment, particularly on a single engine boat. The vacuum guage will allow you to monitor the status of your working filter and swap to a new one before any problems develop. It is worth its weight in gold. A vacuum guage reading of 5 inches or more is generally regarded as the right time to change filters. The other issue you face with a turbo engine is running too slow. You must run the engine at near maximum cruising speed for at least 20 to 30 minutes a day to prevent carbon accumulation in the turbo. If not, expensive, premature overhauls will result. |
#7
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Its all mostly snake oil sold by the same type of charlatans who
invented and hocked slick 50 to all you putzes who bought it. just a bit of marvel mystery oil will lick any problem diesel may have, it even slicks your hair back nicely in a pinch. Meye, friend to capt. neal and like minded fellows of the sea. |
#8
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Just be cautious with adding oil to diesel fuel in
turbo-diesel engines as the higher energy content of the added oil may increase your EGTs. As a previous poster stated, one quart per 100 gallons would be a good ratio. It will help with the lubricity for the high-pressure injection pump, injectors and, to a small degree, the fuel-lift pump, but that would be it, pretty much. It won't help with top-cylinder lubrication because it's not spray injected with the fuel into the cylinder during the intake cycle, like a gasoline engine. Too much and you may also affect the cetane rating and do damage to the top of your pistons and cylinder walls (that is, for direct-injected diesels versus pre-combustion chamber diesels). Franko "Meye5" wrote in message ups.com... Its all mostly snake oil sold by the same type of charlatans who invented and hocked slick 50 to all you putzes who bought it. just a bit of marvel mystery oil will lick any problem diesel may have, it even slicks your hair back nicely in a pinch. Meye, friend to capt. neal and like minded fellows of the sea. |
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