I saw this about a week ago or so. Been meaning to post it sooner. The subject of fuel additives is like the subject of OCIs, what type of oil to use and what viscosity to use; everyone has their own views and what works for them.

But the reason I wanted to post this was that when I first bought my first diesel truck in December of 2016, I knew nothing about not only my new truck but the modern day ULSD fuel it uses and this video does a great job in explaining what I found and learned when I looked into it.

I'm not pushing for Amsoil or any other additive. I just believe this is an informative video and wanted to pass it along.

 

Great information pertaining to diesel fuel pitfalls of which to be aware, thanks for the video!

 

My experience causes me to believe that the need for additives is grossly overstressed. The guy immediately launched into this dire need for anti-gel additive in every single tank of fuel or we'll find ourselves stuck on the side of the road. The fact is, when that big truck that delivers fuel to the station picks up it's load "packs" are added to the fuel in anticipation of predicted weather temperature.
Various things come into play here - how often is a given fuel station served new diesel fuel? Some obviously more than others, probably none every day. And where are you going to be driving? In "winter" I could leave relatively warm West Virginia and drive to very cold New York with fuel that was not formulated for temperatures that low. Another scenario is the transitional period from fall to winter or winter into spring. One week it could be 70°F and the next 30°F. Regardless of what packs may or may not be added to the fuel truck, it could be difficult to keep up with what pack may be in the fuel in your truck.
For these cases I do use FoMoCo's anti gel additive. Generally speaking, when winter approaches I'll use anti gel additive for a couple tankfulls until the service stations have a chance to catch up to the weather. If I'm driving into winter, I'll add the anti gel before heading out.
I tried Cetane boost for a while and decided it was just like octane boost for gas engines. It mostly empties your wallet.
Lubricity additives are another one where marketing preys on our fear. It's apparent by the millions of CP4s operating for hundreds of thousands of miles that the lubricity provided by diesel fuel is sufficient to the task. The majority of fuel pump issues are caused by water in the fuel getting into the fuel pump. The best solution there is to only buy top tier fuel at quality stations. If you try to save ten cents per gallon by getting fuel at that seedy single lane one pump convenience store, you're probably going to be looking for an additive to deal with the water.
Use additives with caution. Not all are very clear about what they contain. Heet is a very popular brand (or used to be) with the Ram crowd (CP3 pumps). But it uses alcohol in it's gel recovery formula which will strip a CP4 pump bare and definitely destroy it.

One time I let myself get into a winter environment with fall formulated fuel. In the morning when I started the truck it would barely run and I got a low fuel flow warning on the dash. I poured a bottle of Ford anti gel in the tank and it quickly recovered. When I refueled I did not add anything to the tank and it ran just fine.
Interestingly I bought fuel at an Esso station out West in the winter on my way back to Indiana. I don't remember which State it was, but I do remember that I got amazing mileage out of that tank of fuel. If you assume that "diesel fuel is diesel fuel" then the conclusion is that it's the additive pack formulation at the fuel dump(?) that makes the difference in performance.

 

A very oldie but goodie at this point....

https://www.jatonkam35s.com/DeuceTec...itive_test.pdf

Obviously only lubricity, not anti-gel.

 

Fuel quality varies across the country.


some areas have b5 fuel as a standard at all pumps….which is good since b2.5 has superior lube value than any additive you can add.

the rest of the additives have a varying need depending where you are in the us. Colder climates moreso than warmer climates.

I can understand why someone who lives in a warm climate which has b2.5 as a standard would think this is all snake oil and not needed.


also…I think ford secretly started pinning their cp4 pumps and why would they do that if all these co4 failures were due to operator error or neglect.

 

I use Hot Shots Secret as an insurance policy. It's cheap insurance as it is only 50 cents an ounce and a 48 gallon tank uses 2 ounces tops. OTOH if I were to put 50 cents in a jar to pay for a CP4 pump, it would take 4000 fills to have enough money for the pump. I also use it for my tractors, and store 50 gallons of diesel in a transfer tank that I have in the barn. It helps keep the diesel fresh and dry. I never have to worry about the fuel quality using HSS even though I only use name brand fuels with high turn around. I did have to make a partial fill in Alabama due to distance to the next Loves, and used 2 ounces for 10 gallons, just to be on the safe side.

 

I'd certainly be the last to debate the use of fuel additives as a concept. I'm from 'Murica where some's good and more's better!
However, in the case of the cited video, I do believe the need for additives is overstressed, or perhaps I should say the direness of the situation is a tad overblown. Nobody knows what the failure rate of the CP4 actually is. It's estimated to be between 5 and 7% - so call it 6%. Of that 6% the lion's share of failures came from the GM engines that did not use an electric lift pump, while Ford and Ram both use the electric lift pump and have far fewer failures than GM. Side note: Ram voluntarily recalled over 200,000 diesel trucks and refitted them with the CP3 at no cost to the customer. Not a fan of Ram trucks, but boy, in a time when manufacturers routinely leave the customer holding the bag, that is a real breath of fresh air as far as I'm concerned.
The lawsuits that are routinely cited as evidence of extraordinarily high failure rates don't actually address the failure, instead they address the damage to the fuel system caused by the failure. Ford refuses to warrant fuel systems that are damaged due to contamination, and their position is bits of metal from a failed fuel pump is contamination (way to step up there, Ford!).
I think that installation of the DPK is (currently) the smartest move that can be made. I also think the CP4 to DCR conversion will be an even better option since failure of that pump can't send metal throughout the fuel system like the CP4 can.
Cetane booster: if you buy fuel that has a Cetane level lower than recommended by the manufacturer, you probably will see a performance/mileage improvement. As mentioned earlier in the thread, nobody posts their Cetane ratings on the pumps.
Lubricity additive: there is no proof that adding more lubricity to the fuel is going to prolong the life of the CP4. This is where I think the marketing teams play on our fear of pump failure. It's difficult to dismiss the claims out of hand, especially if, like me, you believe "some's good, more's better!
Really, all I'm trying to say is, there are millions of CP4 equipped trucks on the road and while 6% of millions is a lot, it is still not much. I wouldn't bet my house on a horse that only had a 6% chance of winning!
Also, if you turn your key on and let the lift pump run for a few seconds before actually starting the truck, you will have done far more to extend the life of your CP4 than any fuel additive can do.

 

You're more than welcome...

 

I been using K100D since the truck has been brand new just about...

When I've been out of state, it was in my truck and added when I fueled.

K100 is a multi-function additive. It has no petroleum products in it. It's just organic chemistry. I've gotten into plenty discussions here about it and was told to stop using it because it has alcohol in it. The reality is is that there are hundreds and hundreds of compounds containing alcohol but it's not the HEET you were talking about. I've been using this stuff, every tank, for over 100k miles. If it didn't add lubricity like they claim and it was wood alcohol or grain alcohol, Houston would have already had a problem on my truck... I'm not pushing this on anybody, I'm just saying I use it.

Not making fun of you but you said something that many have said here... "The best solution there is to only buy top tier fuel at quality stations." and something along the lines of buying fuel at busy fuel stations. Please let me explain myself. This is where there's a gamble because not only can you not see inside the tank, unless one was to pour some fuel in a container prior to putting it in the truck, so how do you really know you're getting what you think you are? Number two, a lot depends on how they maintain their tanks and if they check for moisture or not. Do they add any additives to address moisture if there were any present and also, is there any corrosion in the tanks?

I buy from a local car wash chain who I believe has good fuel... I still use it as it is a cetane improver (small amount), fuel system cleaner, anti-gel (winter time -- double the dose), fuel stabilizer, lubricity adder and more. Like I said, this is my view and why I use it. This is the same thing when it comes to CAIs and oil choice/change interval... to each their own. I just wanted to post up that video and present it for conversation and information.

I'm just a "I'd rather have it and not need it, then need it and not have it" kind of guy you could say.

 

I've been running Exxon/Mobil Diesel Efficient now for ~5 years and for the vast majority of that time I don't use any additives. I recently tried a bottle of Hot Shot EDT fuel additive and couldn't see any difference which probably means the diesel fuel I'm using is a good quality fuel with additives.

 

Turn the key?? I assume you mean push start without your foot on the brake, correct?

 

yes .

 

With my own diesel truck I did a lot of research on diesel motor oils and found from indepenedent lab testing that the worst in terms of protecting a diesel engine were the motor oils from Amsoil and they were no better than the bargain Wal-Mart diesel motor oil. In the top tier were Valvoline Blue (used by Cummins), Pennzoil, Red Line, and Delo 400.

Important to realize that engines sold after 2016 have different motor oil requirements than for older engines. Oil used on newer engines needs to meet the revise SAE standard. With diesel engines though the additive mix, which can be as much as 25% of a gallon of oi, is still critical and cost is not a good indicator or the performance of the motor oil. Amsoil spends a great deal on marketing to sell their mediocre motor oil.

Diesel fuels so in the USA is very dirty, though substantially less so than that sold in Europe, and it has a lower Cetane rating than what is sold in Europe. A cetane booster may help but how much is anyone's guess.

An injector cleaner is a good product to use on any engine with injectors. When there is a buildup the spray is not as fine and there is less combustion of all the fuel going into the cylinders. The more you oeprate an engine before it has reached its operating temperature (more than twice as long for a diesel engine) the more issues with both deposits on the injectors and more fuel buildup in the crankcase oil and greater clogging of the DPF or particular filter. Making trips of less than 30 minutes constitutes "severe durty" and best to follow the maintenance schedule accordingly.

 

Your not going to see any differences either. With the exception of anti-gel, it's more of future proofing than anything else. You buy insurance in case of a crash or house fire, and this is no different, insurance against future possible fuel related failures, much like the DPK. Chances are 94% of it never failing, but when it does, the DPK keeps the repairs to a minimum.

Case in point, my B2410 Kubota is going on 22 years now, always used an additive of one sort or another, especially since it doesn't use fuel at the same rate the truck does. It runs as good as Day 1. Whether that is because of the additive, or not, it is worth the pennies per tank.

 

I see your point about marketing with Amsoil, but the fact remains that when the sulfur is hydrotreated to get the sulfur out of the fuel, that reduces the lubricity of the fuel. That's a big reason why I use K100D. The reading I did said that that very process of hydrotreatment itself makes the ULSD fuel more prone to absorb more moisture than the the older LSD. I also forgot to mention that if there's moisture or water in the fuel, that's where the growth of "bugs," or microbes comes from... control the moisture and you will control the bugs... no water, no bugs.

Plus the fact with me being in a cold climate, I use K100D to deal with potential moisture issues when the warm fuel in the tank cools down and gets cold.

Prior to buying my truck and when I did, I still had no idea about the finickiness of modern day diesel truck emissions. My daily driving routine and where I live, in the hills south of Buffalo, keep my truck and its emissions happy and functioning because there's no short drives, it's gets hot and I monitor active regens and allow them to complete on a 65 mph expressway.

I don't know what oil has to do with a discussion on diesel fuel additives but I'm thinking you used that to make your point about your disdain for Amsoil.

I changed my fuel filters in January this year about 6700 miles ago and found the DFCM filter to be in pretty good shape. I'll have to find the pic and post it up here since we are talking about fuel additives.

Another additive I use is Pittsburgh Power's Max Mileage FBC which is rebranded Better Diesel FBC I believe. I don't have a cover on bed yet so I have to keep it in the cab of the truck and since that schitt really stinks, I keep it in a sealed ammo can... works great. No smell but once I open the can at the station... phew... nasty stuff.