Interesting diesel additive comparison
- Thread starter The Evil Twin
- Start date
You can always send a sample of properly mixed fuel yourself. I'm going to wait until I'm near the end of my current supply and have an alternative ready.
For me, XPD is overkill. The pump fuel is 50 cetane already. I just need lubrication, and demulsification.
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I am lucky, we have really good fuel here in northern Ontario, no need for additives. But I do run Howes mainly just for some extra lubrication.
Only reason I'm sold on Howes is I used to run one ton diesel pickups hauling new travel trailers all over the country and one time tow injectors in my Powerstoke went dead. I had Power Service in the fuel.
Stopped at a Ford dealer in Coldwater Michigan, they couldn't get me in for repair but did diagnose two dead injectors. So I had to drive it back home to Canada. I stopped to get fuel, they only had Howes, so I put some in and within 10 minutes or so on freeway those injectors unstuck and it ran perfect.
Coincidence? I don't know, but used Howes ever since.
Like I say could have been coincidence, but all I know is I always put a little Howes in my slip tank now when I go get fuel, so that means it also goes in my furnace oil tank since I haul my own fuel and I've never had a fuel issue.
I have a friend who is poor with maintenance and has a 70HP tractor he uses at his farm for everything. A few years back he was ready to trade it in because he had just changed oil and the engine was rattling. I suggested he drain a couple qts of oil and add some Lucas. He mumbled some, but did it anyways. He's still using the tractor with no noise.
I don't put additive in much, but sometimes there is nothing to lose.
The minimum cetane rating for diesel in the US is 40. Typical fuel is between 42-45. I have never seen a fuel dispenser in the US that has a sticker for 50 cetane rating. Europe and Japan do have standards that require 48-50 cetane depending on where you are.You can always send a sample of properly mixed fuel yourself. I'm going to wait until I'm near the end of my current supply and have an alternative ready.
For me, XPD is overkill. The pump fuel is 50 cetane already. I just need lubrication, and demulsification.
Oil Analysis Lab Inc
Texas (IIRC) is 47. California is 50 or 52.
In my area Southern States has both on and off road 50.
From my research California and parts of Texas are the only states I have found that have a requirement above and beyond the US standard ASTM D975. There are retailers selling "premium" fuels that may have a higher cetane rating but it is not required. And lets face it how many people by premium fuel? So most of the country is running on 42-45 cetane fuel.
We ran into this problem with some Kubota built engines that had to have software "adjusted and reapproved by the EPA due to blue/grey smoke when warm. This was due to the fact Kubota tests their engines in Japan using 50 cetane minimum fuel and most of the fuel available in the states does not meet that standard.
We ran into this problem with some Kubota built engines that had to have software "adjusted and reapproved by the EPA due to blue/grey smoke when warm. This was due to the fact Kubota tests their engines in Japan using 50 cetane minimum fuel and most of the fuel available in the states does not meet that standard.
Thats all fine and well. Back to my original post, I don't need a cetane booster. I use 50 already.
I believe my manual in the K calls for 50. Makes sense if that's what they normally use in Japan, and design the engines for.