Oil Sludging in Diesel and Gasoline Engines More and more OEM engine manufacturers both diesel and gasoline are seeing problems with oil sludge formation and subsequent problems from oil starvation to engine parts. Today engines are operating at much higher internal temperatures and oil is being asked to due more than ever before. There is [...]
Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel Cold Weather Information
Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel Cold Weather Information The Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD (S-15)) that we started to receive in mid 2006 has shown some dramatically different cold weather characteristics from the earlier High Sulfur (HSD (S-5000)) and Low Sulfur Fuels (LSD (S-500)). These new characteristics including higher temperature gelling, wax dropout, icing, and difficulty in [...]
Winter Problems with ULSD
Latest update on cold weather problems with ULSD Welcome to February 5th 2007, the first real winter weather with the "new" Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD). After being told by refiners and many distributors that ULSD would be the "be all, end all" magic problem solver for all diesel engines, this is what really happened when [...]
Phase Separation in Ethanol Blended Gasoline
Water problems in gasoline containing ethanol Did you know? In a 10% Ethanol Blend, it takes as little as 18 gallons of water in a 6,000 gallon tanks to cause Phase Separation. In a 2% blend it takes only 3.6 gallons to cause Phase Separation What is "phase separation", and how do I deal with it? [...]
Black Fuel Filters
Asphaltene Production and Re-polymerization in ULSD Fuels Have you seen filters that look like this. There is a difficult new problem with ULSD fuels. Today most ULSD is derived using the process of catalytic cracking. This form of refining uses very high temperatures, high pressures, and chemicals known as catalysts to refine crude oils into [...]
NRLM – Non-Road, Locomotive, and Marine Fuels
Off-Road Fuels EPA Mandated Changes NRLM - Non-Road, Locomotive, and Marine Fuels Non-Highway, Off-Road Diesel Fuels As of June 1st, 2007 refiners and distributors of Non-Road or Off-Highway Diesel, which is designated NRLMwill be required by the US EPA to dramatically reduce the sulfur content in these fuels. Diesel Fuel which is used for agricultural, power [...]
Use of Diesel Fuel Additives
Why you should use additives all the time It's not just for winter anymore Once upon a time diesel engines were relatively simple pieces of big heavy, hard to break iron. You could put almost anything from kerosene to heating oil in them and they would run, maybe not well, but they would run. Diesel [...]
Issues with Biodiesel
What are the issues? Biodiesel is referred to as a diesel equivalent. It has been used in various forms as a fuel for diesel engines from the very beginning. The first engine designed and built by Rudolph Diesel was run on peanut oil. Biodiesel is defined as alkyl esters made from the transesterification of vegetable oils or animal fats. Transesterification refers [...]
Fluids Maintenance in Vehicles and Equipment
What you Need to Know about Fluids Fluids and fluid maintenance are one of the most important areas of vehicle and equipment maintenance. The need for engine oil service is fairly well known and recognized. Oil additives that help oil perform and protect, tend to break down or get used up over time and no [...]
Winter Blended Diesel Fuels
Are You Getting What You Pay For? You can improve the cold weather characteristics of diesel fuel in several ways. You can remove some or even most of the wax. This lowers lubricity, reduces Btu?s (causing lower mpg and engine power output), and raise the refining cost. You can add #1 Diesel, Kerosene, or Jet [...]
