Adding Lubricity to Diesel Fuel

I would love to try this stuff.

My experience with the Saab is that the current model I have has lasted nicely since 95. I only have 40 K on it. But that is partly because when I got it in 1995, I still had my old 1981. It had about 160k on the odometer, maybe more. The odometer died at 95000.

The support staff at the dealership here has only one Saab technician at present. Most Roanokers (and I fully intend to insult all Roanokers here) are pretty much incapable of getting over their fear of working on a computer driven car, even now, 15 and more years after they were introduced. WHile I don't usually like Roanoke naysayers, I agree with them that the problem with Roanoke is Roanokers. I like the cost of living. I do not like most of the weird attitudes that come from here.

Anyway the average Roanoker is scared to death of working on Saabs because it is a computerized car. They are also afraid of working on electronics and they are afraid of the two years they have to devote to get the Saab certificate of accomplishment. This is amazing because the mechanic salary for Saab dealerships is a lot. There is a base dollar amount and then a piece work rate they make. If you get fast at it, you can make double your salary maybe more on the piece work.

The service here is excellent, but there aren't many people who will work on the car and they are currently looking for another mechanic. They have even been advertising in national newspapers to get a permanent second mechanic.

Their staff is nice. Service has always treated me well. They have told me when something was under warranty even when I didn't know. You have to follow their schedule of warranty checkups to stay in warranty but that is ok.

They offer a shuttle service, so that you never have problems getting home or to work

I am not at all familiar with what you are talking about, but I imagine I will need to invest in a new car soon enough and this is interesting.

Well Charles, I don't have a Saab but I do have an '03 CTD in which I use Stanadyne Performance additive. It takes care of jelling and lubricity issues. I would rather use a known/tested additive in my Cummins. I paid a lot for it and want it to stay around for awhile.

FMB (North Mexico)

Don't use gasoline. Gasoline removes the lubrication quality of the fuel faster than it lowers the cloud-point. It's dangerous and damaging to your injection pump. Too much gasoline blended in your fuel could cause catastrophic engine failure.

Biodiesel is great for boosting the lubrication quality but it does cloud and jell at a warmer temperature than #2 diesel fuel. That temperature is dependent on the base stock that the biodiesel is made from. If the biodiesel is made from canola (rapeseed) oil, the cloud-point /could/ be as low as 14°F (-10°C). If tallow (animal fat) or palm oil is the base stock the cloud point /could/ be as high as 45°F (7°C). That's a very large variance in temperature, but that's for 100% biodiesel. You are only using

5% biodiesel. When mixed with #2 diesel fuel at 5%, the cloud point won't be nearly that high. I wouldn't be surprised if you could go down to 0°F at that concentration without clouding, but the only way to know for sure is to test your fuel. If you are buying it commercially, get a sample in a clean gas (or diesel) can. If it's already in your truck, the easiest way to get a sample of your fuel is by using the water drain on the fuel filter. To determine the cloud point of your fuel, put a sample in a jar and stick it in the freezer. When the fuel turns cloudy check the temperature. If you expect the ambient temperature to drop below the cloud point of your fuel you have to do something about it. I recommend blending kerosene (or #1 diesel fuel). It is very good at lowering the cloud point of diesel type fuels without hindering the lubrication quality too much.

OP (Charles),

These are all very good ideas. B20 (20% bio, 80% #2 diesel) is becoming very common in the south. You may check in your area for it. Soybean bio seems to be the most common around where I live. The gel point is 7F and offers *great* lubricity. As Ken indicated, blending Kerosene is a great solution for preventing gelling.

Here are some facts about bio-diesel from the top of my head:

B100. A 50:50 mixture of #1 diesel (kerosene) will put your gel point at 0F.

B20 mixed with #2 diesel will put your gel point at 7F.

B20 mixed with #1 diesel (kerosene) will put your gel point at a bit below 0F, as low as -15F depending on what kind of bio.

If B20 blended with #2 diesel is what you have in your area and you are worried about gelling, fill up 50-70% of your tank and blend the rest (30-50%) with kerosene. That should keep you safe to a bit below 0F and still give you great lubricity.

Here's link or two for your viewing pleasure:

I recommend that you avoid gasoline and ATF. You're asking for trouble.

On top of being a great lubricating agent, it also reduces dependence on foreign oil, is MUCH BETTER for the environment (air and water pollution), is a RENEWABLE energy source, and keeps the money in the U=2ES. Many times, directly benefitting farmers.

Fill-er-up.

Craig C.

ok who is it???

mk5000

"These GM gigolos have been touring the country but farmers are now discovering that ...the industry has rogered their fields and run off in the morning without being willing to accept the responsibility for the contamination which follows."--Alan Simpson