diesel additives

[veloman]

Hello all,

 

New to the forum so obviously my first posting, I have been boating for about 25yrs, owning my own boat for the last 6yrs, I was recently made aware of threads being posted with regard to people adding small doses of 'mineral' two stroke oil to their diesel tanks in cars and lorries because of the poor quality bio fuel that is supplied these days.

 

There seems to be a mostly positive feedback with mention of quieter engines, more mileage and better lubrication of the injectors etc., I was wondering if this topic has ever come up before on the forum with regard to this practice being used in our boat engines.

 

Thanks Veloman

[mrsmelly]

Hello all,

 

New to the forum so obviously my first posting, I have been boating for about 25yrs, owning my own boat for the last 6yrs, I was recently made aware of threads being posted with regard to people adding small doses of 'mineral' two stroke oil to their diesel tanks in cars and lorries because of the poor quality bio fuel that is supplied these days.

 

There seems to be a mostly positive feedback with mention of quieter engines, more mileage and better lubrication of the injectors etc., I was wondering if this topic has ever come up before on the forum with regard to this practice being used in our boat engines.

 

Thanks Veloman

 

I can only say that in 26 years I have never added anything whatsoever to any fuel and never had any problems.

 

Tim

[waterworks]

Diesel oil lubricates the fuel pumps and injectors, you don't need anything else.

 

Do you have evidence that red Diesel is of a different standard ?

[nb Innisfree]

Our mk5 Transit diesel definitely ran quieter with 2 stroke oil added, no difference in mpg though.

[bottle]

Welcome to the forum.

 

It's a fairy story, diesel whether red or white is made to a set standard for diesel engines, end of.

 

Now long term storage...

 

Our mk5 Transit diesel definitely ran quieter with 2 stroke oil added, no difference in mpg though.

 

My vehicles always ran better after a service and if the air (atmosphere) was damp they ran even better, quieter.

 

Possibly auto suggestion.

[cuthound]

My understanding is that the bio content lubricated better than pure diesel. However for older engines, it can attack the natural rubber used for some of the seals.

 

This is not a problem for engines made in the last 25 years, as they use synthetic seals.

 

High concentrations of bio can also cause problems on coked up engines when first used, as it disolves the carbon build up.

[nb Innisfree]

My vehicles always ran better after a service and if the air (atmosphere) was damp they ran even better, quieter.

 

Possibly auto suggestion.

'Auto' suggestion lol!

 

Seriously it was quieter, we tested it by running it low and refuelling at a motorway stop with added 2 stroke. Same time and conditions, all four of us agreed it was less rattly. Did it on the return journey with a refill of straight diesel and it rattled more. Made no difference on our Fiat Panda though.

[Graham Davis]

Hello all,

 

New to the forum so obviously my first posting, I have been boating for about 25yrs, owning my own boat for the last 6yrs, I was recently made aware of threads being posted with regard to people adding small doses of 'mineral' two stroke oil to their diesel tanks in cars and lorries because of the poor quality bio fuel that is supplied these days.

 

There seems to be a mostly positive feedback with mention of quieter engines, more mileage and better lubrication of the injectors etc., I was wondering if this topic has ever come up before on the forum with regard to this practice being used in our boat engines.

 

Thanks Veloman

 

And people are now reporting problems with their DPF's who have been using 2 Stroke Oil.

[Loafer]

 

And people are now reporting problems with their DPF's who have been using 2 Stroke Oil.

 

DPF's? Wat Dat?

[Southern Star]

I put a dose of Miller's Ecomax diesel treatment in when I fill up but I really don't know if it makes any difference.

[nb Innisfree]

 

DPF's? Wat Dat?

Diesel Particulate Filter

[dmr]

There are numerous proper additives designed for the job which should be more suitable than 2 stroke oil.

 

There is real evidence that they work but whether they work enough to justify their cost is another matter.

Modern low sulphur fuels are less lubricating than the old stuff so some injection pumps might last longer with a bit of extra lubricity.

There is also the issue of removing water from the fuel, lots of stuff on this forum about that.

The cetane raising properties of suitable additives are scientifically established.

 

.............Dave

[Loafer]

Diesel Particulate Filter

 

Ta!

[Paul C]

 

And people are now reporting problems with their DPF's who have been using 2 Stroke Oil.

 

People are now reporting problems with their DPFs who haven't been using 2 stroke oil!!

 

The DPF is one of those pieces of technology, with a sting in the tail. They are made to last a long time - in fact, about 80,000 miles. BUT they are a service item, ie something which needs changing from time to time. Yes, I know they can be regenerated but that's only part of the story. And yes, they can be removed, pressure-washed etc but that's only part of the story too - this doesn't restore the life to "as new". And yes, I know about topping up with AdBlue, resetting computers which have a timer, needing a decent run to to a regen, etc etc

 

It just so happens that manufacturers' warranty periods stretch quite far, almost as far as the life of the DPF. And that cars depreciate....and people sell old cars and buy something a bit newer....and that DPFs are expensive. Also, at the (for example) 80,000 mile service interval, the DPF is an "optional" item to renew - if the customer is feeling rich (or maybe the company is paying for the service) they might choose to replace the DPF at 80k miles, before its completely worn out. But they don't need to - so a secondhand car buyer has no assurance that a car with FSH beyond this mileage, has had it replaced. Reported actual life of the DPF is around 100,000-110,000 miles.

 

So, if you see a secondhand diesel, which looks like a bargain, around that mileage, ask if the DPF has been recently replaced - if its not, then its just around the corner and is a significantly costly item. Cars with DPFs are just getting to the age where it needs a new one, and are flooding onto the secondhand market. Together with DMF issues (dual mass flywheel) and certain cars' injector issues too, the secondhand diesel around £2000-£3000 is no longer the ultra-reliable sensible choice of car.

 

Note, almost all Euro 3 diesels DON'T have a DPF, while most Euro 4 diesels DO have a DPF. The year change was around 2003-2006, many cars of the era have slight engine variations which means they could have one or another - check carefully.

[ditchcrawler]

My dad always had a shot of Red-ex when he filled the old Wolseley up. something about upper cylinder lubrication

 

edit

I dont think my BD3 has a DPF

Edited February 20, 2016 by ditchcrawler

[Loafer]

My dad always had a shot of Red-ex when he filled the old Wolseley up. something about upper cylinder lubrication

 

edit

I dont think my BD3 has a DPF

 

Great engine, dc. Mine doesn't either.

[WotEver]

My car always runs better when it's been washed.

[Southern Star]

My car always runs better when it's been washed.

Yes, it is said that a clean car runs better than a dirtier car, it was something I was told in my earliest days of driving and although there is no possible logical explanation for it, it has held true for my entire driving life.

[bizzard]

My dad always had a shot of Red-ex when he filled the old Wolseley up. something about upper cylinder lubrication

 

edit

I dont think my BD3 has a DPF

1d a shot from the ReDeX pyramid shaped can or 10d for a long shot from a bigger pump.

[ditchcrawler]

1d a shot from the ReDeX pyramid shaped can or 10d for a long shot from a bigger pump.

That's it

[ROBDEN]

 

People are now reporting problems with their DPFs who haven't been using 2 stroke oil!!

 

The DPF is one of those pieces of technology, with a sting in the tail. They are made to last a long time - in fact, about 80,000 miles. BUT they are a service item, ie something which needs changing from time to time. Yes, I know they can be regenerated but that's only part of the story. And yes, they can be removed, pressure-washed etc but that's only part of the story too - this doesn't restore the life to "as new". And yes, I know about topping up with AdBlue, resetting computers which have a timer, needing a decent run to to a regen, etc etc

 

It just so happens that manufacturers' warranty periods stretch quite far, almost as far as the life of the DPF. And that cars depreciate....and people sell old cars and buy something a bit newer....and that DPFs are expensive. Also, at the (for example) 80,000 mile service interval, the DPF is an "optional" item to renew - if the customer is feeling rich (or maybe the company is paying for the service) they might choose to replace the DPF at 80k miles, before its completely worn out. But they don't need to - so a secondhand car buyer has no assurance that a car with FSH beyond this mileage, has had it replaced. Reported actual life of the DPF is around 100,000-110,000 miles.

 

So, if you see a secondhand diesel, which looks like a bargain, around that mileage, ask if the DPF has been recently replaced - if its not, then its just around the corner and is a significantly costly item. Cars with DPFs are just getting to the age where it needs a new one, and are flooding onto the secondhand market. Together with DMF issues (dual mass flywheel) and certain cars' injector issues too, the secondhand diesel around £2000-£3000 is no longer the ultra-reliable sensible choice of car.

 

Note, almost all Euro 3 diesels DON'T have a DPF, while most Euro 4 diesels DO have a DPF. The year change was around 2003-2006, many cars of the era have slight engine variations which means they could have one or another - check carefully.

That is now a mot failure.