Any suggestions as to whether or not I should use a diesel Fuel Additive? I am driving a 2011 F350 Diesel and occasionally haul a 13000 lb 5th wheel.

 

For cold weather driving, absolutely add one of the diesel anti-gel additives.

One cold morning (18 below 0F) I started my truck. It ran fine for about 5 minutes and the fuel filter plugged up with jelly. It took 2 filter replacements, fuel removal, a portable heater, and half a day to get the fuel in the tank liquified again.

Lesson learned. It is easier to add a bit of additive than go through the recovery plan. You can't be sure that the gas station where you fuel up has *really* treated their diesel fuel for cold weather.

Lou Braun

PS: Changing filters in below zero weather with the associated diesel shower rates very low on my "fun" list.

 

Diesel kleen + ctane boost in the white or silver Bottle. I personally use the motorcraft adtive with good results.

 

I never had a fuel gelling problem even when I lived in Colorado, if you buy diesel in a typically cold weather state during the winter it'll have kerosene blended in already. Down to at least zero your fine straight from the pump, if you're worried use the white bottle of Power Service cetane booster, available most Wal Marts, Tractor Supply, and truck stops.

For a 6.7L use the Motorcraft stuff every tank as recommended. HPFP problems still seem rare, but every little bit helps

 

I have heard good things about the motorcraft, diesel kleen, and the Amsoil additives.

 

You might find this test interesting. Diesel Place commissioned a study of the lubricity improvement of various diesel additives:

Lubricity Additive Study Results - Diesel Place : Chevrolet and GMC Diesel Truck Forums

 

Thats a great study, I've seen it before. But lubricity is just one important part of fuel additives. In the beginning it specifically states that the test was to determine which was best at replacing the lubricity lost in going from LSD to ULSD.

Other things like cetane boosters will help the combustion process (performance) if thats what you are interested in, but the lubricity will help make your injectors last longer.

 

We have winter, we never add anything to the diesels.

Personally I use only 2 cycle oil in my diesel.

 

I have started using Archoil. I have noticed a slight increase in my miles per tank. I think it helps with cold weather operation as well.

 

Most of the others here have you covered but I would like to add one thing. Stay away from bio-diesel in cold weather. Bio gels much easier and is much harder to get the gel to go away. A few years back I filled up at a station that was still using bio during the winter. I added a full bottle of white Power Service and figured I was fine. On my way back home from my in-laws (it was about -10°F) my fuel gelled up and the truck ran like crap. I was able to limp into a gas station and had to wait for a tow truck and my father in law to come get us. In the end this one tank of fuel ended up costing me big. One fuel pump, and 8 injectors, most of it not covered by warranty because they said it was my fault for letting the fuel gel. The gas station owner wouldn't do anything for me either even after I made a complaint with the BBB, said it wasn't his fuel because his fuel is winterized (His fuel was pretty much the only fuel in my truck, I was close to empty and filled up).