When should I start running a fuel additive in my truck? It has just under 1,100 miles on it. I've had some tell me that it's okay to run on the first fill up, and others say to wait till the first oil change to ensure the injectors are broken in all of the way. Not sure what to believe, all I know is that I hate how no stations around here have Cetane ratings posted at the pump. From what I have read on here and various other forums where fuel has been tested, a lot of the ULSD does not truly meet minimum ratings in many cases. SO, I would like to run an additive for peace of mind.

 

I don't have the manual in front of me, but I remember it suggesting the additive and I don't remember a mileage milestone. I'm not sure how the Ford recommended additive could negatively affect the system. On the other hand, I also don't see how waiting until the first oil change could hurt too much. For the record, I've only run the additive for the last 1.5 years .... say from 75k miles to 101k miles.
I must say that in all my travels, I've ONLY seen the cetane rating on one station in Gulfport, MS.

 

I do have the manual right in front of me, pay attention to the very first sentence.

Diesel Fuel Additives
It should not be necessary to add any aftermarket additives to your fuel if you use a high quality diesel fuel that conforms to ASTM industry specifications. Aftermarket additives can damage the fuel injector system or engine.
Use Motorcraft® cetane booster or an equivalent cetane booster additive if you suspect fuel has low cetane. Use Motorcraft® anti-gel & performance improver or an equivalent additive if there is fuel gelling. Do not use alcohol-based additives to improve cetane quality, to prevent fuel gelling or any other use. The use of alcohol additives may result in damage to the fuel injectors and system. See Technical Specifications (page 57).
Your warranty may not cover repairs needed to correct the effects of using an aftermarket product that does not meet Ford specifications in your fuel.
Note: Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel is designed to meet the emissions standards for the 6.7L engine and is backward compatible as well (for example, it can be used in the 7.3L, 6.9L, 6.4L and 6.0L diesel engines in Ford vehicles.

I'll treat the fuel I put n my aux tank when I use it on long trips. People will call use on every tank "Cheap Insurance", I use quality sources of fuel and I already have "Expensive Insurance" on my truck. Not worth the expenditure in my opinion, and Fords according to the above highlighted text.

 

That's a mighty big "IF" pardner. That's where they get you. Define "high quality diesel fuel". All of the commercially-available fuels are required to "conform to ASTM standards". Cetane rating of 40 minimum is required in US, which is the lowest in the world. You will get away from "high quality" fuel in the blink of an eye. Consider this - If you only get a rating of 40, which is generally the case, and that is the minimum rating allowed, wouldn't you say this meets the criteria for "if you suspect fuel has low cetane" ? I'm not trying to sell you the booster ... just food for thought.

For me, I see no mileage boost. I use it for lubricants and to increase cetane - hopefully its better for my rig. I live in the south but understand cold climates need the anti-gel mix. This is a personal choice for you. I've seen fuel system failures that no insurance or warranty cover - bad fuel or water in fuel. I've been around fuel testing and have some exposure that a lot of people don't ... I purchase diesel at high-volume locations only.

Good luck -

 

You can use the additives anytime your wallet feels like it's got too much green in it. Exception is anti-gel for cold weather climates.

 

I too will use the PM23 if I spend any extended amount of time in sub-freezing temps.

 

I started using Opti-Lube Summer Plus (Use Motorcraft® cetane booster or an equivalent cetane booster additive if you suspect fuel has low cetane.) right from the first fill up. While I never got a chance to see if fuel mileage improved, I skipped it for a couple of tanks and the fuel mileage dropped. During an 11,000 mile towing trip, I NEVER saw cetane above 40. CA and TX have higher standards (50 and 48 cetane, I believe) so you might not see much advantage there. But you might ask if cetane additives are unnecessary, why do those two states and the rest of the world have higher standards?

 

Never really noticed much of a difference in Florida running or not running additives, always did on my long trips because I never knew what I was getting. Few places put Cetane ratings on the pumps. I don't care that big rigs all fuel up here and I did too. Just means it's fresh, poor quality fuel. And I did notice that several of the big rigs are all adding something to the fuel tank too.

Since I am in the land of the cold now, out of habit it's easier to just always run a cetane and anti-gel additive with every tank. I know all costs add up, but it's less than a cent per mile for me to add one. That is getting a $11 to treat 100 Gal. bottle. And I get 14 MPG on average. Those that get 18-20 the cost is even less per mile. Not having to deal with gelled fuel is worth it, IMHO. And I had treated summer fuel reach the CFPP, luckily not the gel point. Luckily some more anti-gel got it started and I immediately when and topped off with winter blend fuel and all was good the remainder of the winter.

As far as waiting, I've never heard of waiting to run better fuel... But I'm not an engineer either.

 

While I do use a cleaner/lubricant additive, I get the most peace of mind from seeing the fuel before I fill the tank. I keep a couple half gallon glass jars in the bed to inspect a sample of the fuel for dirt or water. I've only driven away from one pump that had scary fuel, but that one time made me feel like it the effort is worth it. Ounce of prevention vs pound of cure.

 

For me, it was never too early to start. I started treating my fuel on the second tank. Is it a pain? YES. Does it cost more? Yes. Do I care? NO. It is for MY peace of mine!

Does it help with mileage? Couldn't tell you. Never run without it.

Between how picky the 6.7 are with fuel, and the cost of a replacement fuel system, and the unknowns about quality of fuel, no matter where you buy from. It's for MY peace of mine!

I do know this. My Active regens only happen every 400-500 miles, and last 18-20 miles. So it must be helping something.

 

Just my opinion and I could be wrong however, if you get a good slug of water in your fuel all the additive in the world ain't going to help.

 

This is TRUE... But also why I run the Diesel Site extra filters. So I can see want I am got!

 

Yep. I am not running additives for the protection against water. It's why I have full coverage on my truck through my auto insurance. No way to protect against that. If it isn't a manufacturer defect that let the water in insurance covers it. If is, Ford covers it.

Even a dieselsite filter won't protect you is got a large enough slug of water.

 

I installed Dieselsite pre filters shortly after buying my 2012 f350 new in 2013, add cetane booster, either motorcraft or stanadyne at each fill. I also try to fill up at truck stops when ever possible. That being said, I still have bought water on two occasions and the water separators probably paid for themselves. As for the fuel additive, I pulled the upper intake manifold at 123k chasing a waste gate issue and was appalled at the amount of soot caked inside and inside the intake butterfly valve. They say the cetane booster helps prevent coking. If that is the case it probably wouldn't have been running. I think the cetane booster probably does more toward lubricating the injection system and piece of mind. R&R the upper and lower manifolds, intake butterfly, and cac air hoses, soak them in a mix of simple green and dawn for about an hour and steam clean them seems to work pretty well. Once it's done it's not that big of job

 

My thoughts/ question.... im not in the least concerned with fuel mpg but after reading about cp4 failures i keep pondering the idea of adding a fuel additive to help protect/prevent the failure of the fuel system. Any mpg gain would be noce bit avoiding a 20k stop at the dealer is my fear. Anyone thought of this? I know back in the day i used 2stroke in my 6.0 for a few years with a noticable difference in my 2004 truck. My 06 truck didnt seem to change noise wise.