Diesel Additive

[robthefive0]

Diesel newb here. Just bought a 6.7l Cummins Dodge Ram 2500. I have never owned a diesel before. Is there a fuel additive that will clean and improve fuel mileage? I've used these things on my gasser with success. Is this a recommended thing to do or are there cons about it too? Thank you for your help.

 

[U&A]

@SYN


SYN is the diesel additive man!!


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[robthefive0]

@SYN


SYN is the diesel additive man!!


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

Not sure what you mean by that

 

[U&A]

Not sure what you mean by that

I “tagged” a member to help you out. He may respond to you post. He knows his stuff about diesel additives.

His name is “SYN”




Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[mtnrider]

There is no miracle juice for your truck to increase mpg, it pretty much is what it is. Ram/Cummins endorses the Power Service brand additive but there are others out there as well. I've seen no real data to convince me one is better then another, just peoples opinions.

I'll throw some power service (or other brand) in the tank a couple times a year just because but not sure it's doing much?

.

 

[lpfm1990]

I run howes lubricator, power service is ok, but pushes water to the filters. Howes doesn’t (my dad is a truck driver and his work ran power service and it causes more harm then good)

https://www.walmart.com/ip/HOWES-LU...PlouKLvGwWIUBdu1Z3SYvT0xO9U0BfBBoCclsQAvD_BwE


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[muzupan]

When I had my 2016 2500 with the Cummins I ran Lucas diesel deep clean. It keeps the injectors clean and is supposed to help keep the DEF filter clean. It was recommended to me by the dealership diesel mechanic, he said it works and they use it in the garage when some of the Rams come in running rough. It is easily available at Tractor Supply and Auto Zone, that is where I purchased it. I would run one bottle for 3 tanks of fuel.

 

[DodgeDude99]

Lucas products, that’s funny.

 

[Marine Les]

I don't know anything about the def motors but my old (2000) 5.9 has hardly any smoke using Diesel Kleen and its hard to quantify but I think the mpg goes up enough to pay for it. If I go a tank or 2 without it I can get ********* clouds on hard acceleration and I hate that. I've used it for most of the 190k and it starts with less than 1 second starter time and runs like new. ?, Doesn.t the def have injector cleaner and cetane boost in it?

 

[crash68]

Doesn.t the def have injector cleaner and cetane boost in it?

Nope, DEF is just 67% deionized water and 13% synthetic urea. It does not go into the engine or fuel system. DEF is injected into the SCR which is after the DPF on modern diesel emissions exhaust systems.
If someone accidentally pours DEF in the fuel and starts the truck, it's certain death for the fuel system. If brought to the dealer, they will quote you an entire fuel system replacement including injectors, HPFP, lines, filter assemblies, tank, etc

 

[Marine Les]

Nope, DEF is just 67% deionized water and 13% synthetic urea. It does not go into the engine or fuel system. DEF is injected into the SCR which is after the DPF on modern diesel emissions exhaust systems.
If someone accidentally pours DEF in the fuel and starts the truck, it's certain death for the fuel system. If brought to the dealer, they will quote you an entire fuel system replacement including injectors, HPFP, lines, filter assemblies, tank, etc

Wow! I had no idea what it did. Now I know why the value of my old pre emission 5.9 went up in value when def and the emission mandate started. So, would an additive work for a def motor? or is it not needed?

 

[BossHogg]

Diesel newb here. Just bought a 6.7l Cummins Dodge Ram 2500. I have never owned a diesel before. Is there a fuel additive that will clean and improve fuel mileage? I've used these things on my gasser with success. Is this a recommended thing to do or are there cons about it too? Thank you for your help.

The owners' manual does not recommend any fuel additives. Once a year, in the fall to winter change, I use a fuel additive that prevents fuel gelling since stations do not advertise when the diesel fuel is changed from a summer to a winter blend.

 

[Marine Les]

I also use the anti gel additive in the winter since my fuel gelled and left me on the side of the road. -23 did that. I wonder why the no additive recommendation on the newer Cummins, possible catalytic issues?

 

[crash68]

So, would an additive work for a def motor? or is it not needed?

None of the manufacturers recommend additives, probably in part that there are so many out there. Unless you have a problem diagnosed by them. There were two EcoD owners (both in the Pennsylvania area) that had problems with asphaltenes. It occurs in common rail diesel injection systems. They form when diesel fuel is heated and put under high pressure, exactly what a HPFP does.
I run OptiLube XPD year round, it is the top diesel fuel additive available and completely safe for modern diesel engine/emissions. I use it primarily for the added added lubrication it adds since the the process to remove the sulfer from the fuel reduces diesel's natural lube.

https://opti-lube.com/diesel-fuel-improver/xpd-diesel-fuel-additives.html

 

[PaulTGarrett]

A few times a year I'll dump three bottles of Lucas injector cleaner into a full tank of diesel. Especially if I'm getting ready to hook up to a very heavy trailer for a long trip (overloaded trailers are a part of my work life)... Love Lucas or hate it, it's still well rated on the fuel additive polls... I can't honestly say I've seen any improvement but it hasn't hurt anything...

 

[BossHogg]

I also use the anti gel additive in the winter since my fuel gelled and left me on the side of the road. -23 did that. I wonder why the no additive recommendation on the newer Cummins, possible catalytic issues?

Diesel is refined and additives are added to meet government mandates. The engines are designed to consume the fuel that is made (I use to work in the Duramax powertrain group at GM, left in 2006) and meet emissions. Because people can not resist the urge to add additives, Cummins, being the healthy capitalist company it is, endorsed (for a fee I'm sure) a fuel additive.

https://www.cumminsfiltration.com/additives

Anyone adding a fuel or oil additive to current production diesel engines is doing it from old school beliefs likely read from very old internet posts or passed down at the family dinner table, they fail to consider the newer engine and fuel designs. I remember reading stories on the Cummins forum where a few old schoolers would add two-cycle oil or transmission fluid to their fuel to replace the lubricity that low sulfur fuel took away. They had $10,000 plus repairs. I think this practice came from farmers that still run 50-year-old diesel tractors.

Considering the fuel is filtered down to 3 microns and the engine computer manages multiple fuel injection events into each cylinder at precise times, I'll follow the manufacturer's recommendations. I don't need any issues or expenses while traveling our country pulling our fifth-wheel.

 

[Marine Les]

Diesel is refined and additives are added to meet government mandates. The engines are designed to consume the fuel that is made (I use to work in the Duramax powertrain group at GM, left in 2006) and meet emissions. Because people can not resist the urge to add additives, Cummins, being the healthy capitalist company it is, endorsed (for a fee I'm sure) a fuel additive.

https://www.cumminsfiltration.com/additives

Anyone adding a fuel or oil additive to current production diesel engines is doing it from old school beliefs likely read from very old internet posts or passed down at the family dinner table, they fail to consider the newer engine and fuel designs. I remember reading stories on the Cummins forum where a few old schoolers would add two-cycle oil or transmission fluid to their fuel to replace the lubricity that low sulfur fuel took away. They had $10,000 plus repairs. I think this practice came from farmers that still run 50-year-old diesel tractors.

Considering the fuel is filtered down to 3 microns and the engine computer manages multiple fuel injection events into each cylinder at precise times, I'll follow the manufacturer's recommendations. I don't need any issues or expenses while traveling our country pulling our fifth-wheel.

When I don't run Diesel Kleen in the silver bottle (white bottle is anti-gel) my Cummins will spew big clouds of soot under hard acceleration especially when I have been drive around town at lower rpms. When I use the additive, no soot cloud so it must be working and as I log in a note book every time I add fuel it appears to improve my mpg by 1 to 2 so I will use it. I have read nothing that says something negative about the additive I use or cetane boosting additives in general. The newer diesels seem to burn a lot cleaner as I don't see soot clouds coming of their tailpipes like the older ones.

 

[SouthTexan]

Government fuel mandates are not the same in every state. California and Texas are the only states that require higher cetane and lower aromatic content percentage than the US federal minimum amount of 40 cetane and 35% aromatic content. California's minimum cetane is 53 with a 21% aromatics content and Texas minimum cetane is 48 with a 10% aromatics content. Additives affect these numbers.

If I am not mistaken, the minimum scar rating is different too, but I am not 100% on that.

 

[John Jensen]

I believe in fuel additives and support the Ram-Cummins statement, "The addition of high quality fuel additives is now an important element in every good diesel engine maintenance program."

Diesel fuels are not all the same. SouthTexan gave an excellent example. Boss Hogg said, "Diesel is refined and additives are added to meet government mandates." True, but their mandates are minimum requirements at best and vary across the country.

Diesel fuel's lubrication is important. crash68 said, " I run OptiLube XPD year round, it is the top diesel fuel additive available, etc. I use it primarily for the added lubrication." XPD was rated top in an old test (2009) of only the additives' lubrication ability. That test did not include all available additives. Plus new or improved additives have been added since that test was performed. The point being, XPD may no longer be "top" and/or there may be other additives just as good or better.

Additives may not be necessary but they are certainly a fuel improver. I have never seen, heard of or read any case where an additive was harmful, only beneficial in some way.

IMHO additives should not be purchased solely to improve MPG as MPG improvement is very marginal if at all. I recommend and use them for preventive maintenance, injector cleaner and prolonged engine life.

 

[Marine Les]

Jensen, I agree the additives should be used for the health of the motor not for increased mpg and I may get a small increase in mpg but not enough to warrant adding it.