Can someone explain to me the 2007+ high sulfur diesel thats out now?

What are the different grades of diesel? Why is it illegal to run this high sulfur diesel in older than 2007 trucks? What does it do?

Question came up today in a Global Economy class we were talking about Ohio Coal having a high sulfur content, and therefor being poor for burning at electric plants.

I thought of this new fuel and was confused...

As you can tell I don't know anything about diesel

-myers

 

The new fuel is Ultra LOW Sulfur Diesel (ULSD), not high sulfur. The current diesel that we have been running for years is LOW Sulfur Diesel (LSD). The sulfur content is rated in Parts Per Million (PPM). LSD has a PPM of 500 or less, and ULSD has a PPM of 15 or less. That's a big reduction in sulfur content.

It is illegal to run LSD isn 2007 diesels and newer because of 1) EPA laws and 2) the particulate filters which will be standard on every diesel beginning January 1, 2007. LSD will clog particulate filters (which are designed to trap the particulate smoke from diesel engines) and can possibly cause long term engine damage by stopping up the filter. The ULSD won't clog the filters and won't cause damage.

Diesels older than 2007 models can run EITHER fuel without damage (because they don't have particulate filters). However because of EPA standards, the LSD will no longer be available for highway use (this was in effect October 15th). Eventually LSD will be completely phased out by 2010.

Think of particulate filters as a really complicated catalytic converter. Gas had to be changed to unleaded when catalytic converters came out because the lead that was previously in fuel destroyed these systems. The particulate filters will eliminate all black smoke that puffs out of diesel tailpipes. Basically the exhaust that comes out will be as clear as from a gas engine.

Hope this helps.

 

wont this new fuel be hard on injectors because when u go from 500 to 15 ppm or less u will lose lubrication also?

 

additives are supposed to be introduced into the fuel to offset the lack of lubricity in the ULSD.

wether the fuel has an effect on injectors, I guess only time will tell. If you feel like being proactive, buy some fuel conditioner like Stanadyne or Diesel Kleen to aid in adding lubricity to your fuel.

 

Huh, i'll have to look again when im at the gas station.

Thanks for clearing that up guys.

So to get this right, the new ULSD can be run in older trucks, but the LSD cannot be run in the newer ones.

Which is preferable for operation in different conditions? Ive seen local places that advertise Off-Road Diesel or ... something else like work or load or something...

-myers

 

Correct

Off Road diesel is 5000ppm which is bad for your truck. Reason is it kill the pollution control equipment. I believe it is also illegal to run on the road. In the future off road is suppose to goto the LSD standard.

What others are saying about the ULSD is correct, it will have additives for lubricity that will conform to a standard. Whether it is more lubricity I dont know, what I do know is the old diesel didnt have a lubricity standard.

 

now someone correct me if i am wrong, but the new ulsd is for the new emmisions diesels, not the current ones in use, even if the truck year is 2007, its not the emmisions year of the engine, or something like that.

thats what the new 6.4 coming out is for, or thats why the ulsd is out for the 6.4 and other emmisions diesels.

 

ULSD is mandated in the 6.4, which was created to pass the EPA tier II emissions standards. The 6.0's, 7.3's, and older engines are not mandated to run ULSD. However, since that's all there's going to be in the way of fuel, they will in essence, be required to run it as well.

 

and you can still buy an '07 with the 6.0 after 01/01, since the engine was built BEFORE that date.

 

Yes, if the whole truck was manufactured with a 6.0 PSD before 01/07 you can buy it. All trucks manufactured on 01/07 and after will have to meet the new emissions requirements and will have the 6.4 motor. This is the new Ford 2008 SD, cause FMC is date challanged

So as of 01/2007 there will be no more 6.0 motors installed in SD.

Hope this helps

 

I just noticed my local HESS station has the ULSD. it's a new sticker, to cover up the old one that was there a while back stating that it was coming or something like that. oct is here and it's here.

the question is, how do you know if they company you are buying from has put lubes/additives in it, or if you have to?
i dont' want to put my own in, thinking there is nothing, and then end up having over done it. if that's possible.
also from a cost standpoint to have to put powerservice in each fill up can get costly too.

 

"Off road" diesel can also be low sulfer diesel fuel thats dyed to signify that the "on road" taxes have not been paid. This fuel is for off road use or for use by tax exempt entities such as county, state or public school district vehicles.
Its this tax exempt use, that will also have to go to ULSD, that will cause many fuel suppliers to switch from selling standard #2 diesel and #2 premium grade to selling the standard #2 as low sulfer and the premium grade will be all ULSD, as it won't be economically feasible for many suppliers to have high sulfer, low sulfer and ultra low sulfer available in standard and premium and in both dyed (off road-tax exempt) and undyed (on road-taxed) varieties.

 

Federal law requires diesel to meet a certain standard. This includes lubrication so as not to subject fleets of trucks to major damage.

 

Where I work ( for a school system) in the transportation department. We recieved our first ULSD during the summer. Most of our older buses pre 95 started smoking, running rough, operability questions. We swithed to a premium fuel with B5 soydiesel added and all our problems went away. We believe the new fuel isn't doing very well in the older vehicles as they was designed for high sulfur fuel and higher lube in thefuel.

 

Off road fuel is usually above 500ppm too. I would have to agree with bigred that the UL makes older machines run poor. So it looks like everyone will have to turn to additives.