After all the reading I've done here (so much great info), I've decided to use the Opti-Lube XPD for the winter (New England), and probably the XL for the summer for my 2020 F-450. I've only filled the tank once so far and the XPD hadn't arrived yet. Been using Power Service (silver bottle = summer ; white bottle = winter) in my 97 7.3 for years. I consistently get close to 20 mpg in the old truck with 145K (2wd, .373 LSD).

 

From the little bit of research I did on fuel additives the consensus was bio-diesel is best solution for lubrication. Problem is bio-diesel has a higher gel point so the fuel suppliers reduce the amount of bio in our fuel during the winter months, and possibly remove it entirely in the northern states.

Opti-Lube appears to provide the best lubrication properties out of all the products on the market. I currently use PM-22 which is a Gold Eagle/Sta-Bil product in every tank. I will be switching to Opti-Lube after my supply of PM-22 runs out because PM-22 provides very little lubrication from what I read.


@Overkill2 I follow a small engine repair shop on YouTube that is currently doing a fuel additive experiment for small gasoline powered engines and K100 is one of the additives he is testing. Not sure if this is the same product that is used for diesel fuel but I found it interesting that the engine using the K100 was the first engine to not run after 6 months into this test.

Link to the playlist of the videos posted each month when he starts the engines.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...L10PgZ19A72rz5

Video when K100 engine failed to run. Fast forward to 6:23 for the proof and 12:21 for the carb bowl removal.

2:48 - 6:36 in this video for the reason it wouldn't run.

 

@dirthawg The gas additive is a different product. Thanks for posting. I'll check it out.

As to their diesel additive, there's two. One for normal use and one for extended. So I'm really not bothered by this but I will check out "Bubba's Engine Repair" video.

I have a 32 oz bottle of K100 gasoline additive that I have used with no problems on my end. But I also buy ethanol free gas. Before I even knew about K100 gas treatment or ever used it, I had so many problems with the e gas. I just stopped buying it. The lawnmower at the start of this season had a full tank of e free gas and some K100 additive in it. It started right up this year and no problems whatsover. Maybe there are problems with ethanol gas and K100. But I have not had that experience. Thanks for sharing.

 

I was using K100 for a while in my small gas engines but was still having issues with the carbs. I switched quite a few years ago to Startron enzyme treatment and it's been smooth sailing ever since. If you're open to trying new things, it's definitely worth a look. I use it in the motorcycle (single cylinder dual sport thumper), lawn mower and snow blower and I haven't had to rebuild any of the carbs in at least 5 years. I just top them off at the end of their respective seasons and they fire back up at the start of the next.

 

Appreciate the tip. But I don't have any issues with the Ethanol free gas.

And this is a diesel fuel thread. I don't want to keep hijacking it.

 

I second the endorsement of Startron for small gas engines. Never have any carb issues with mine and always start first pull/crank after a season of storage.

 

I only use Sta-bil in my gas motors and cars. I have been using The Motorcraft cetane booster in the truck. I am not sure how much Bio Diesel is mixed with our diesel here in Ca. I have looked on the pump and it says nothing. We don't get stupid cold here so they wouldn't have to change diesel here like in the frozen tundra of northern Minnesota LOL. I will talk to my diesel guy at my dealer and see what he thinks.

 

Startron apparently has a diesel version also. I can’t find a whole lot of testing on it so I haven’t used it. My old man uses it in his Duramax every so often. No idea if it’s any good or actually doing anything. His diesel lives a fairly charmed life.

 

dirt, I have to be honest here and say that I don't have much faith in this video about K100. What I find interesting and maybe suspicious, is how the untreated fuel is still running if even rough.

I've done my own experiments with the K100 diesel additive to see the water just disappear when I added K100 to it. Then stick a rolled up paper towel in it as wick to see it burn clean with no smoke as the water pops off as steam. I couldn't see anything but I could hear it. IMO, the stuff works. I'm sure I'll be reporting back sometime down the road with 100k miles and my 6.7 still stroking. But I appreciate the input bud.



Okay, I looked into K100 gas additive and the Starbrite. Startron additive for gas. It was the 143 Series for small engine formula.

For the K100 G+ gas additive, they have an initial treatment of 1:150 and the ongoing treatment is 1:300.

For reference here, the K100 gas ratio is a stronger dose as compared to their K100 D+ diesel additive. Summer treat ratio for K100 is 1:1000 while the winter is 1:500. With the lower ratio or more concentrated dosing for the Ethanol gasoline, that tells me that the problem with moisture in ethanol gas has to be bigger than with diesel fuel, but not saying it's not a problem in our trucks, especially with an expensive HPFP that uses fuel as lubrication.

The Startron has an initial treatment of 1 oz per 3 gallons which is 384 oz. So to convert it to K100s ratio, it's 1:384. The ongoing treatment is 1 oz per 6 gallons which is 768 oz. That would be a treat rate of 1:784. I wanted to keep it with 3 gallons which I'll use with the K100 so the ongoing treatment for 3 gallons would be 0.5 oz per 3 gal.

After doing the math, K100 initial dose for 3 gallons would be 2.56 oz. Then the ongoing treatment would be 1.28 oz per 3 gallons. In the spirit of an experiment and the experience, I am going to buy a 5 gallon container of ethanol gasoline soon. I'll treat it with the initial dose and let it sit for the winter to try it out next spring in the lawn mower. I'll let this thread know.

I have confidence in K100. I have changed my fuel filters three times so far. I watch my iDash fuel pressure from the DFCM at the HPFP PID to keep an eye on the pressure to keep track of fuel filter performance. The only times I have drained my fuel is when changing the filter. I collect the fuel from the DFCM to look at it for moisture at that time. I have seen none. Some will say I'm lucky. But I let the K100 do its thing and I don't worry about water in fuel. If I'm wrong, I'll be the first to come on here and say I was wrong.

Like the Optilube that Larry uses, K100 is designed to break the water done to the molecular level, bond with the water molecule, encapsulate it with a burnable compound and keep it in permanent solution. I have faith in it. I'll keep using it. Good night.

 

I use Hot Shot's Secret every day diesel treatment.


Don't know how well it works (if any). Could just be a placebo.

 

Is an additive really required or are we paranoid of the CP4 pump? I highly suspect there are literally millions of trucks on the highway using the CP4 pump, whether Ford or Chevy or..., that have never had any problems nor run any sort of lubricity additive. Some in the norhthern states may have use an anti-gel additive at times but bets are many don't and still no problems.

We all want our trucks to live a long time and no issues with the CP4 or any other parts. I would be willing to take a SWAG and say if we filled up at high volume reputable fuel outlets, we would not have any fuel related issues. The only issues we might encounter would be self induced from the lapse of our attention span.

Nope, not telling anyone to stop using their additive nor switch to a different brand, but if your additive makes you feel more secure and less apt to have an engine issue, by all means continue to use it. Just remember, forums magnify problems and issues. The subset of forum members to the total truck population that uses the 6.7l PS engine is minuscule.

Keep on trucking and do what makes you happy and content....as the song goes, it Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody going to be happy....same goes for a dead truck...

 

@Just Strokin, generally, I agree with you 100%. There are thousands of vehicles on the road that don't get any sort of special maintenance, fuel treatments or the like. Many of these, what I'd call neglected, vehicles run well over 100k miles, many over 200k miles without a major failure. I figure, if I make a little extra effort in my vehicles, hopefully I can keep mine in good running condition and avoid some potentially expensive repairs down the road when mine creeps up in mileage. I don't think it's necessary at all, but maybe if I get a batch of fuel that's marginal, the additive may keep me out of trouble. Obviously, if the fuel is really bad, I'm screwed, no additive is going to make the engine run on water and sediment. I view fuel additives as an extension of preventative maintenance.

 

Pugga, as stated, if it gives you some security with your truck and its mechanical functions, by all means use it. I was for sure not trying to convince anyone to stop they preventative maintenance rituals.

 

I'll admit that I use K100 every tank because of my view of the fuel. It's adds lubricity value, adds 1.5 to 2 cetane points and takes care of the water. I remember checking out diesel fuel specs and there is an acceptable level of water in the fuel. With very process of removing sulfur from the fuel making it more susceptible to absorbing moisture, I use it for peace of mind.

In winter, the dose doubles and it's an anti-gel and prevents wax formation in cold weather. It also prevents microbe growth in the fuel and cleans the fuel system. I will not run my truck without it. Overkill? Probably but I am Overkill.

 

i run the Same in my truck- I have a question though when switching over from summer to winter do I need to run a tank or two to make sure that the summer is out of the tank before I run the winter additive?