I just bought my first diesel truck (02 7.3 F-250), it has 207K miles and one of the questions brought up to me is if the ULSD fuel needs to have anything added to it for a pre-2007 motor.

I am sure this has been discussed many times on here but I couldn't find it.

 

You do not need to use additives or worry about using ULSD fuel. Some people worry themselves about it and insist it is needed or they can "feel" the difference when using an additive or 2 cycle oil, but I would highly doubt it and chalk it up to placebo. Not that some added lubricity would be a bad thing, but it isn't necessary.

 

i put around 250,000 miles on my 88 before ULSD was mandated
and close to another 250,000 miles since then.
i never use any additives, and never saw any problems.

the ULSD sold in the united states has all the lubricants you will ever need added when it is made.

 

Makes me feel better, my dad is Mr. Gloom and Doom and made me think it was going to tear things up.

 

2 cycle oil does add lubricity to the fuel; that's been proven by analysis. Will you feel a difference? No. Will you hear the difference? Maybe. Will it help extend the life of your injectors? It could conceivably do that. Well, the fuel side of them, anyhow.

 

WELCOME to FTE!!

Yes, additives are highly recommended by many people and organizations including the Engine Manufacturers Association, Alliant & Bosch (injector manufacturers), Ford, Cummins, Caterpiller, major fuel supply companies, and some large third party research groups from universities.

The issue is not the older engines as much as it is the changes in fuel chemistry which took place with the ULSD. Even the newer engines need the additives for some of the same reasons. The newer engines which utilize high pressure injectors are actually facing deposit formation problems within the fuel delivery systems that the older additive chemistries cannot address.

I've attached a few PDF booklets which contain more information than you want to know about ULSD, but within them are the reasons behind what I've shared above. A couple of the booklets I had to remove color pictures to get down to an uploadable size, and one of them I had to break into three separate files.

Enjoy your new diesel!!

 

Analysis has also already proven that current fuel has enough additives in it to provide the necessary lubricity. Personally, there's no way in hell I would ever add any kind of oil to the fuel that will be pushed through a modern day injector.

 

This simply is not true. If you read through the research conducted while ULSD was being developed and all the OTR testing done with those types of fuels, and then compare that vast quantity of information to the current "federal specifications" for diesel, you will find that the current specs do not fully satisfy the recommendations from the research groups.

There is a difference between "having all the lubricants you will ever need" and "having ENOUGH of all the lubricants you will ever need".

Besides, it has only been in the last 4 years which the entire diesel supply system has become 100% ULSD. Prior to that, you could still get LSD fuels.

 

here in the northeast, it has been against the law to use anything but ULSD in on road diesel engines for over 8 years, and we have been running it for close to 12 years.
the LSD was for off road equipment use only.

 

Tom, I stand corrected regarding the timeline. I believe what I was remembering was something associated with pump labeling at the fuel stations (or perhaps the station I always use simply did not comply with the labeling requirement until four years ago ).

I stand by my other comments, though.

For the record... the timeline is/was as follows...

"Ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel was proposed by EPA as a new standard for the sulfur content in on-road diesel fuel sold in the United States since October 15, 2006, except for rural Alaska who transferred in 2010. California has required it since September 1, 2006. This new regulation applies to all diesel fuel, diesel fuel additives and distillate fuels blended with diesel for on-road use, such as kerosene, however, it does not yet apply to railroad locomotives, marine, or off road uses. Since December 1, 2010, all highway diesel fuel have been ULSD. Non-road diesel engine fuel was required to move to 500 ppm sulfur in 2007, and further to ULSD in 2010. Railroad locomotive and marine diesel fuel also moved to 500 ppm sulfur in 2007, and will change to ULSD in 2012. There are exemptions for small refiners of non-road, locomotive and marine diesel fuel that allow for 500 ppm diesel to remain in the system until 2014. After December 1, 2014 all highway, non-road, locomotive and marine diesel fuel produced and imported will be ULSD."

"On June 1, 2006, U.S. refiners were required to produce 80% of their annual output as ULSD (15 ppm), and petroleum marketers and retailers were required to label[13] diesel fuel, diesel fuel additives and kerosone pumps with EPA-authorized language disclosing fuel type and sulfur content. Other requirements effective June 1, 2006, including EPA-authorized language on Product Transfer Documents and sulfur-content testing standards, are designed to prevent misfueling, contamination by higher-sulfur fuels and liability issues. The EPA deadline for industry compliance to a 15 ppm sulfur content was originally set for July 15, 2006 for distribution terminals, and by September 1, 2006 for retail. But on November 8, 2005, the deadline was extended by 1.5 months to September 1, 2006 for terminals and October 15, 2006 for retail. In California, the extension was not granted and followed the original schedule. As of December, 2006, the ULSD standard has been in effect according to the amended schedule, and compliance at retail locations was reported to be in place."

quotes above taken from .... Ultra-low-sulfur diesel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

no problem at all Pete. we still have pumps here in joisey that have LSD tags on them, even though you have not been able to buy LSD for on road use since 2002

 

I disagree also with not needing to add anything, I use optilube xpd.

I can HEAR it idle smoother, which is opinion based, but my extra 1.5 MPG or so is not opinion based (although people will still argue the conditions and consistency of that statement)

Another popular one is Power Service Diesel Kleen

 

It is interesting to me to see the difference in opinions and research. looks like I have my work cut out for me to become informed and make my decision.

 

Need is a subjective word... some things are just habit. If something quiet down the engine smooths the idle out the person that drives it everyday will better than anyone...

I put 2 quarts of transmission fluid in every fill up. This is my 3rd diesel pickup and I've done it on all 3. My truck idles smooth and is quiet. I get 21 mpg empty as a daily driver.
Ultimately it is your choice if you run additives or not