www.me.iastate.edu/biodiesel/Pages/bio17.html this link might help with answers on the differences.

Bob

 

I talked to Shell's technical service line this morning...yes, the refineries have added a package (incl detergents and emulsifiers) to make up for the reduced sulphur content.

Sulphur BTW, is a corrosive chemical...

 

well i will continue to use atf. i dont care who knocks it....... there is a reason why we use as much of it as possible in the pullin tractors.

i have a question tho, is it "illegal" to run crude over the road??? i have been told that, but it was far from a reliable source. just wonderin if anyone has any real info

 

wow people are getting hot about the topic! i've never owned a deisel so i just wanted to know what people do if anything when its really cold. i might as well just go ahead and get a remote starter with a timer on it. that way it always stays warm.

 

we arent gettin hot....just friendly debate and it looks like were mean because there isnt any emotion in text. i hope i dont offend anyone, and if i do, i apoligize

 

No offense taken!

Running crude...if I'm misunderstanding what you mean by "crude", my apologies...but crude oil in it's natural form is chock full of a plethora of hydrocarbons and contaminants. Dunno if it's "illegal" in your state, but there may be some "tax" issues if you're not paying a road tax. Probably the same as running homemade biodiesel...for now there's not much of a problem, but sooner or later there will be a tax levy on it to compensate for the reduced tax revenue from pump fuels.

Big ship engines CAN run less refined (or barely refined) oil, but they have centrifuges, filters and heaters to make the oil flow so it can be injected and burned.

 

vontrapp, you are exactly right, it is a major violation to run untaxed fuel in your truck. Otherwise, most people that had both an oil burning boiler in their home and also owned a diesel truck could very easily run the heating oil through their engine. Same issue with kerosene. It's not taxed as a road fuel, so you can't (and really shouldn't anyway) run it. I'm sure if you wanted to be perfectly legal and wanted to make your own biodiesel that you would need to charge yourself tax and pay it to the government and they would probably regulate the quality of your fuel too. I've considered making my own biodiesel, but if I do I will run it as an "additive."

 

So does this mean I should stop running the #2 fuel oild from my furnace in my truck? I am not a big fan of taxes ya know :-)

 

red dye shows that you are running home heating oil there for not taxed and carries fines, in connecticut first offence 500 second 5000 dollars.bio desiel no dye so who will know. Keep the empty atf bottles to cover up,if you use it as additive.

 

I haven't been around for a few days and this on is still going....hehe

 

Big Hoss, Where does one buy a drum of crude?

 

When I worked at DelDOT ATF was my secret weapon to "fix" the injectors on our HEUI (Hydraulic Electronic Unit Injection)3126 Cats and our Electronic DT466 Internationals (and our New Holland 5640, 6610, 6640, TS-90, and TS-100 tractors) was to purge the fuel passages and filters with pure ATF. That would eliminate the deposits and buildup of gunk on the nozzles and prevent me from having to pull the injectors. Cleaned them out in about five minutes. They went from smoking misfiring sluggos to running like champs. All the other mechanics were pulling out the injectors and replacing them, while I never had a problem and they never came back into the shop with the same problem. I also used to pre-fill all the fuel filters with ATF during a service, and all the equipment I was responsible for maintaining had far less fuel related trouble than did the other equipment that others were servicing with conventional diesel. But nobody would believe it, and they kept pulling injectors, while I ran ATF through 'em and got the same results for practically free. International truck uses a version of Cat's HEUI on it's diesels (including the Powerstroke) so I doubt that the ATF would hurt it. If the viscosity were the problem, then the injectors would fail whenever the fuel gelled. Just my practical field experience with modern, electronic injected diesels. Cat's warranty rep even praised me for doing this since it was saving them money.

 

ARGO: my husband would like to know if there was a specific brand or make of ATF that you found to be successful ?

 

FYI, this is the "other" side of the ATF as an additive argument. This is from Diesel Injection Service, a large, multi-location diesel shop here in Texas:

 

Back in the mid '70s when I worked as an island boy at a truck stop in Nebraska it was very common for the truckers to ask for some ATF to be added to their tanks in addition to the diesel during a fill up. It was also common for some to ask to have some gasoline added along with the diesel.

Good or bad, they would ask for it.

An interesting point about using ATF as an additive was pointed out by one of my friends who is a fuel broker/distributor. ATF uses the same red dye No. 3 that is used for the off road diesel fuel and will show up in the fuel filters and tank should someone check.

Interesting . . .