Power Service w/ cetane boost

[Ford 335]

I have two ford diesel tractors - 1976 and a 1968 model. Planning to add Power Service w/Cetane Boost. Never used Power Service products before. Do you know of any potential problems, warnings advice when adding this to older engines?

My other resource (provided by a diesel friend from Canada) has run out.

 

[sotxbill]

cetane will control the highest rpm the engine can run and is tested with a cetane engine in a lab. (Its really calculated in todays lab) Its a measure of how fast the diesel burns through it cycle. Cetane in modern diesel is high enough for engines running 6000 rpms in racing setups. Tractors running at below 3000 rpms rarley need a cetane additive. The lubrication additive is ok and running an injector cleaner every 5 years or so is good. Clean injectors and a block heater are best for cold starting.

 

[Fordfarmer]

I've been using Power Service for several (probably 10+)years, mainly to prevent gelling. Has worked well for that. No problems as far as how old the engine is - mine range from a '75 7000 to a '89 TW35, and used to include '66 and '69 5000's.
sotxbill- doesn't higher cetane fuel fire easier, to help cold-weather starting? Not sure, but I thought so.

 

[Brian in MA]

I hate to highjack a thread, but what do you recommend for injector cleaner?

 

[Larry NCKS]

(quoted from post at 09:35:18 11/30/09) cetane will control the highest rpm the engine can run and is tested with a cetane engine in a lab. (Its really calculated in todays lab) Its a measure of how fast the diesel burns through it cycle. Cetane in modern diesel is high enough for engines running 6000 rpms in racing setups. Tractors running at below 3000 rpms rarley need a cetane additive. The lubrication additive is ok and running an injector cleaner every 5 years or so is good. Clean injectors and a block heater are best for cold starting.

I hate to rain on your parade, but cetane has nothing to do with governing RPMs. Cetane rating is to diesel fuel as octane is to gasoline.

Today's diesel fuels are, for the most part, low on cetane numbers. The exception to this would be fuels like Cenex Fieldmaster or Roadmaster XL which are premium fuels. A cetane number of 45 or above is good fuel.

Ford 335, the long and short of my experience is that a good premium fuel does not need an additive. If cold weather operation is an issue, blend the premium fuel 50/50 with #1 diesel (fuel oil).

While I doubt if there are hazards to using the PS w/Cetane Boost, there may not be benefits either.

 

[Ford 335]

Thanks, Sounds like the Power Service product is good.

 

[Ford 335]

Thanks, I use No. 1 diesel but the last bit I am using is the summer type. The anti gel and the injector cleaner are the biggest things I am trying to achieve at this point.

I appreciate the information.

 

[Fordfarmer]

should add... I've been running #2 year-round since I've been using PS, too.

 

[souNdguy]

best I've found.. and by accident I might mention.. is a lil blue bottle made by prestone.. found it at walmart one day looking for power service as I felt my 5000 was missing a lil on one cyl... poured in the bottle, and heard a noticable change int he way the engine idled over the next 10 minutes... skip went away as well. Note.. i only had about 2g of fuel inthe tank.. so it got mixed pretty stiff.

soundguy

 

[john_Bud]

(quoted from post at 07:43:52 11/30/09) I've been using Power Service for several (probably 10+)years, mainly to prevent gelling. Has worked well for that. No problems as far as how old the engine is - mine range from a '75 7000 to a '89 TW35, and used to include '66 and '69 5000's.
sotxbill- doesn't higher cetane fuel fire easier, to help cold-weather starting? Not sure, but I thought so.

I've also used PS for probably 10 years too, but quit using it 2 or 3 years ago. Everything (EVERYTHING) I own that was diesel powered was gelled up hard when it hit -25F. Fuel was bought from different places and at different times, but I put a 2x dose of PS in the white bottle in it all. And it ALL gelled up. That was when they switched to the ULSD from the LSD and the additives didn't work for snit. PS may work fine now -- don't know -- don't care. I switched to Howes Diesel Treat and have had no problems since. In fact, adding a strong dose of howes got the tractors running. It took a 24 hour spell in a 65F heated shop to ungell my truck. And a new set of filters.

jb

 

[sotxbill]

actully no, its not the same.. read up on a cetane engine to determine the burning time of the diesel...low cetane diesel will take much longer to burn through on a fire cycle.. so the original method was a specifice cetane engines... although they use forumlas today to issue a cetane level based on analysis of the diesel aromatics, the actual true measurement of cetane is based on a cetane engine. look it up.

anything above 40 is considered ok by most refinery for todays engines... new uls is considered to above 42. once the burn speed or cetane level is high enough, more cetane will do an engine NO GOOD. Once the burn cycle is enough for the top rpm of your engine, adding more will not help.

cetane is based on burning fast enough. This standard is based on a special engine.
octane is based on not eploding based on a heat level.. ie a octane additive means the gas will not fire prematurely in a hot engine.So gas engines with extreame high compression ratio or hotter combustion chambers can benifit from higher octane fuel..HOWEVER.. ONCE ENOUGH OCTANE IS ADDED TO THE FUEL So IT DOES NOT PRE-EXPLODE, ADDING MORE OCTANE WILL DO ABSOLUTLY NOTHING TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE AND WILL SIMPLY ADD MORE POLUTION. direct fuel injection makes octane problems go away as the fuel is not injected till its time to fire anyway.

cetane high enough means the diesel will burn through it power cycle fast enough to achive the disired rpm. the fuel should burn in 2.4 milliseconds.

ie
The minimum cetane number for diesel fuel
(Grades No. 1 and 2) is 40. The fuel should also
meet a minimum cetane index of 40 or, alternatively,
contain no more than 35 volume percent aromatics.
Some manufacturers may recommend higher
cetane number fuels, so the vehicle or equipment
owner’s manual should always be consulted.
Table 1-1
Results of Inadequate Cetane Number
Poor Ignition Quality
Long Ignition Delay
Abnormal Combustion
Abnormally High Combustion Pressure
Potential Uneven Thrust on Piston / Cylinder
Louder Engine Knock
Excessive Engine Knock & Smoke at Cold Start

while the snake doctors will tell you different, once enough cetane is achieved, adding more will not help at all. also...

the common chemical for increaseing cetane does not work past a certain cetane level. ie you can add an additive and increase cetane from 40 to 42.. then it gets increasing harder to improve it beyond that with additives.

the new hydroprocessing of diesels has improve cetane several points over conventional diesel by removing aromatics so cetane is not a concern.


wiki
In North America, most states adopt ASTM D975 as their diesel fuel standard and the minimum cetane number is set at 40, with typcial values in the 42-45 range. Premium diesels may or may not have higher cetane, depending on the supplier. Premium diesel often use additives to improve CN and lubricity, detergents to clean the fuel injectors and minimize carbon deposits, water dispersants, and other additives depending on geographical and seasonal needs.

To measure the cetane number properly is rather difficult, as it requires burning the fuel in a special, hard-to-find, diesel engine called a Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine, under standard test conditions. The operator of the CFR engine uses a hand-wheel to increase the pressure within the cylinder of the engine until the time between fuel injection and ignition is 2.407ms. The resulting cetane number is then calculated by determining which mixture of cetane (hexadecane) and isocetane (2,2,4,4,6,8,8-heptamethylnonane) will result in the same ignition delay.

chevron site....
Cetane Number, Cetane Index
Cetane number and the cetane index are applicable primarily to gasoil and distillate fuels. The cetane number is a measure of the ignition/combustion quality of the fuel in a diesel engine. The higher the rpm of the engine, the higher the required cetane number.

The cetane number of a fuel is determined in an engine test procedure. The cetane index is a calculated value, based on the density and the distillation of the fuel.


Sooooooooooooo... again.. the speed of the burn cycle... is cetane.. once its fast enough for the top rpm that your going to run, then its high enough.. yes.. cetane does help modern diesels run clean because they delay the injection cycle to help eliminate emissions. When you delay the injection, the fuel has less time to burn, so a higher cetane can help in modern engines with delayed timing and high rpms.

but to a ford 4500, once cetane is above 40 adding more cetane will do NOTHING to improve power, and longevity of the engine.

as in a gas engine, once the octane is high engough that the gas does not pre-explode, adding more octane does nothing..

BUT... higher octane keeps the gas from exploding from a certain temperature till the spark plug set it off. Usually by adding lead or some other chemical.. and once the gas explodes the octane does not add anything to the power, so higher octane aviation gas will not produce anymore power than 85 octane gas. 110 octane aviation fuel will allow you to run higher compression with out pre-ignition or knocking. HIGH OCTANE GASOLENE PRODUCES NO MORE POWER THAN LOW OCTANE GAS. It does allow for higher compression which can produce more power, but the btu's and burn time, an exposive are the same.

back to cetane.. 40 cetane will run a diesel engine up to 5000 rpm and with turbos, higher in race applications... and your ford 4500 should be set for a rpm of less than 2500 rpms. Adding a cetane improver will do nothing for power or starting. Your wasting your money.

And again cetane and octane are not the same. Unless you sell snake oil..

like the test that comsumers org did with moly additives in oil.. once you have enough, adding more did NO good.

a ford 4500 is fine on cetane of 40.. even 38...

 

[sotxbill]

technically no.. higher cetane will not help with cold starting.. ie 2.407 milliseconds fire time..

diesel has to reach a certain flash point to fire. This temp does not change.. so how do you get there?? either by cranking and using compression heat, using glow plugs, using an air heater on the manifold ie a grid heater or thermostart, or other process,, but all of them get you up to flash point to start the diesel to fire off. adding cetane to fix one of these problem is not practical. you still have to get to flash point and higher cetane will mean when it just starts to smoke as the cranking cycle start to warm up, higher cetane will means it will take one less cranking cycle maybe at best if your engine is iffy??? Doubtful.. Once the engine does a hard fire, cetane will make no more difference.. so it might make you engine start with an achieved flash point of a couple of degrees less but, if you have this problem in the first place, the next morning when its a couple of degrees colder, the engine still will not start.. you must get the cyl to flash point by either cranking it and using the heat from compression or use a cold starting aid to get the heat up. If you have bad rings, cetane will not fix it or restore lost power or compression. and the one or two degree difference it might make,(doubtful) will not work when its one or two degrees colder.

Diesel has a auto-ignition temperature of 410 degrees.. at that temp it will readily burn. at about 408 degrees it starts smoking.. if your motor is so worn out that it will only get to 408 degrees, an increase in cetane might make it start or may not make it start. whats more important is that you get it to 420 degrees to run correctly and that is the real problem. cetane again is how long it takes diesel burns when its compressed to a known level. It limits the top rpm the engine can turn. If the diesel takes 2.407 milliseconds to burn at a cetane level of 40. Will running diesel that take 2.402 seconds to burn help your tractor start faster when cold?? doubtful but there is a bit of .005 seconds one could argue. And since uls(ultralowsulfer) diesel fuel already has a bump up of several points already above the older dieselfuel, so its even harder for the additives to add much to it.


if you have low compression,,, adding cetane to start you engine is kind of like buying a lake full of water to get a beer.

Now... if your running a blown turbo-charge diesel drag vehicle that gale banks is driving at 236 miles per hour.. cetane additives will definately help you squeeze out another couple hundred rpms at 6800 rpms... but a lot of cetane for a tiny improvement of burn time can be achieved.

again, at 2200 rpms on a ford 4500 tractor, adding cetane once your past about 38 will not show any benifits. No more power, no longer running, no less emissions on a 4500, the pump will not last longer from cetane, the engine will not last longer, the pistons will not become bigger... the tires will not go further... the fields will not become shorter.

large ship engines burn bunker c or basically almost a tar oil for fuel. the pistons travel about 20 feet strokes and the engine only turn 60 rpms max. so the burn time for these engine is very very very very slow as the top rpms is very very very very slow. So these very low cetane fuels work very well in these slow turning engines and the can achieve almost 90 percent efficientcy use of the btu's from the fuel. Very little heat is wasted or given off compared to our tractors. Again our tractors run at max torque or near it so they stay in the most efficient rpm range and burn very well on the cetane fuel availible. Trucking and automotive diesels have more range to cut down on gears so they run well above max torque and at much higher rpms. My vw jetta diesels that run at 5000 rpms are happy with diesel at 40 cetane and above. The 2.407 millisecond burn time of the cetane test engine at the rating of 40 is fast enough. The fact that most new diesel is now 44 to 50 is even more the reason not to worry about cetane.

cetane is simply how fast a burn cycle of diesel is, under a specified test engine. By the way "cetane gas" burns at the rating of 100 and all other burn cycles are compared to cetane fuel in the same engine, same condition.


Since most labs dont have the test engine, they use a chemical analysis and come very close the the correct cetane level by measuring the aromatic compounds in the diesel.

Did I talk about the part where several years ago i did an oil analysis for my old employer. Had a room full of books on hd motor oils and diesel fuel.. but now.. I know nothing.

to sum it up.. cetane will make almost zero differnce in cold starting once your past the minimum level requried for that engine. Running high test gas in most vehicles will also make no difference in performance..

but in the case of high performance, racing and other EXTREME applications it can make some.

Tractors run a relativly low rpms.. no way.
If your running a new computer controlled emissions tractor with retarded timing, it might help but doubtful. Again, your still not running the 5000 rpms the other modern engines are running and doing fine on existing pump fuel.

buying a new battery would be much better money spent that buying a cetane additive. Tractors are made to run on pump fuel when it comes to cetane.

 

[MarkB_MI]

It would be more correct (but still not exactly right) to say that cetane is the OPPOSITE of octane. Higher cetane numbers mean FASTER combustion, higher octane numbers mean SLOWER combustion. But even that isn't quite correct because octane and cetane ratings are used for totally different purposes: Octane indicates resistance to detonation (generally not a concern in a diesel engine), while cetane indicates ease of ignition (not usually a concern for gasoline engines).

 

[sotxbill]

There are serveral very good injector cleaners out there. A good clean injector can really really help start a cold tractor. I perfer BG 44k and buy by the case and put it in all the tractors I buy and sell. It works within 20 minutes of running or not at all... A clean injector will have a much better spray pattern of vaporized diesel fuel. This alone will help more than any cetane additive. BG 44k was originally one of the few cleaners approved for mercedes, vw, gm and other fuel injected gas and diesel engines years ago. since then there are several more products that work equally well.

clean injectors, clean battery cables and a good battery go along ways.

 

[Larry NCKS]

Higher cetane diesel fuels provide more power per gallon. Higher octane gasolines also provide more power per gallon.

You guys can write all the books you want. I'm sticking to what I said.

 

[RodinNS]

Actually... that's incorrect and there are books already written on the subject...

Without going and reading those books that I have around for the next hour.... I'd say octane is a measure of a gasoline's resistance to detonation. Ex. a higher octane number represents a higher resistance to detonation, thus it allows running a higher compression ratio. Mabey that will give you more power and a more complete burn of the fuel, but the fuel itself is of a lower specific gravity, containing less energy. It burns more rapidly and would normally produce less power...

Cetane is a measure of a fuel's ignition quality. The higher the cetane number, the more easily it will burn. Again... that does not imply more power. It just means it burns easier and more quickly. The actual specific gravity of a diesel fuel lowers as the cetane number rises IIRC... so a lighter fuel has a better ignition quality but less power. That's why #1 will burn more easily in winter than #2 and #2 more easily than #4... which burns more easily than Bunker C. However, Bunker C will have the greatest energy content, followed by #4, followed by #2.... Heavier always has more energy. Heavier always has more power available if the engine can burn it.

I think just about any edition of Diesel Mechanics by Schultz/Evridge will bear out what I've written here.... more or less. It's a while since I did any reading on that subject.

Rod

 

[showcrop]

Rod, I think that most people that are around motors do understand it but there are still a lot of guys that get it backwards. I hear about it when snowmobiling and at tractor pulls. But I don't say much, 'cause I need all the power I can get, and as long as it isn't knocking it keeps getting regular.

 

[john_Bud]

(quoted from post at 19:52:47 11/30/09)

I'd say octane is a measure of a gasoline's resistance to detonation. Ex. a higher octane number represents a higher resistance to detonation, thus it allows running a higher compression ratio.

Cetane is a measure of a fuel's ignition quality. The higher the cetane number, the more easily it will burn.


Rod

I agree

 

[jimNCal]

Well said.....apples and oranges in the above discourse.

 

[MarkB_MI]

High octane gasoline only provides more power when it's run in a high-compression engine. It's the compression ratio that makes the extra power, not the fuel. For a engine that will run without detonation on regular gas, you're wasting money to run high-test. (Of course most modern car engines that are intended to run on premium automatically retard timing when detonation is detected, so those engines will create less power on regular, but it has nothing to do with the BTU content of the fuel as you suggest.)

I don't need to write a book, thousands of books have already been published on the subject over the past eighty years.

 

[souNdguy]

I agree with most of the others.. cetane is similar in respect to octane for gassers.. here's some info gleaned from the web:

Cetane number is actually a measure of a fuel's ignition delay; the time period between the start of injection and start of combustion (ignition) of the fuel. In a particular diesel engine, higher cetane fuels will have shorter ignition delay periods than lower cetane fuels. Cetane numbers are only used for the relatively light distillate diesel oils. For heavy (residual) fuel oil two other scales are used CCAI and CII.Generally, diesel engines run well with a CN from 40 to 55. Fuels with higher cetane number which have shorter ignition delays provide more time for the fuel combustion process to be completed. Hence, higher speed diesels operate more effectively with higher cetane number fuels. There is no performance or emission advantage when the CN is raised past approximately 55; after this point, the fuel's performance hits a plateau.

 

[daman]

When it comes to lubricity for injector pumps and injectors Power Service is down on the list for performance,i mix a little non-detergent motor oil in with the fuel and add a few oz's of stanadyne fuel additive much better product then PS.

 

[JDemaris]

Adding used motor oil to diesel accomplishes just about nothing - except getting rid of the old oil.

Power Service makes several different formulas, so much depends on what exactly you want it for.

None are going to make your engine start and run better in normal temps. The one big advantage to Power Service in the white bottle is anti-gel protection at below zero temps.

If you want lube-additive to make your injection pump last longer, two-stroke oil is the "best bang for the buck" and used motor oil is a waste of time.

Here are some test results. The higher the micron improvement number, the better the lube protection.

Super Tech Outboard 2-cycle TC-W3 engine oil
HFRR 474, 162 micron improvement. Add at 200 to 1 ratio.

Power Service Diesel Kleen + Cetane Boost
Multi-purpose Cetane improver. HFRR 575, 61 micron improvement. Added at a 400 to 1 ratio.

Used Motor Oil, Shell Rotella T 15w40, 5,000 miles used. 2 micron improvement which is just about NO improvement. Added at a 200 to 1 ratio.

 

[Ford 335]

Thanks. I will get something to address the injectors as well.

 

[daman]

(quoted from post at 15:47:41 12/01/09) Adding used motor oil to diesel accomplishes just about nothing - except getting rid of the old oil.

Power Service makes several different formulas, so much depends on what exactly you want it for.

None are going to make your engine start and run better in normal temps. The one big advantage to Power Service in the white bottle is anti-gel protection at below zero temps.

If you want lube-additive to make your injection pump last longer, two-stroke oil is the "best bang for the buck" and used motor oil is a waste of time.

Here are some test results. The higher the micron improvement number, the better the lube protection.

Super Tech Outboard 2-cycle TC-W3 engine oil
HFRR 474, 162 micron improvement. Add at 200 to 1 ratio.

Power Service Diesel Kleen + Cetane Boost
Multi-purpose Cetane improver. HFRR 575, 61 micron improvement. Added at a 400 to 1 ratio.

Used Motor Oil, Shell Rotella T 15w40, 5,000 miles used. 2 micron improvement which is just about NO improvement. Added at a 200 to 1 ratio.

it's not USED oil,its clean non detergent new oil i would never use used oil my service manual states it can be used for that purpose and for storing.

yes i seen that same test results on a FORD truck site,adding a non detergent oil does help lube pump and injectors what do think 2-stroke oil is? same thing a low ash oil with slightly different additives,but yes 2-stroke oil works too.
.

 

[Larry NCKS]

(quoted from post at 21:52:47 11/30/09) Actually... that's incorrect and there are books already written on the subject...

Rod

Y'all can read, say or write what you want. And even if I'm the only one on this side of the fence, my real world experience backs up my statements. I could go into detail here, but I won't. Do y'all have any real world experience that'll prove me wrong?

 

[JDemaris]

Real world experience to prove what? Prove a negative and that you used oil and your injection pump didn't wear out? And therefore you say it works wonders and made it last longer?

And, what do you accept as "real world?"
I worked in three certified Stanadyne and Bosch injection pump shops dating back to the late 1960s. I've worked for many Deere dealerships over 30 years. I also own and use many diesel tractors, backhoes, and crawlers. I also live an area that gets temps down to minus 35 F.

I assume you realize it's just about impossible to prove a negative about anything. Proving a positive is different.

There IS proof in regard to controlled metal scar wear tests done by our military, Stanadyne, et. al. If you choose not to believe test data, OK. Believe what you want, but I doubt you've ever seen anything in the "real world" that proves positive benefits of motor oil in diesel, unless you're adding huge amounts. Note I DID post the mix ratios in my comments.

You would have to show X amount of metal wear over time with standard diesel fuel, and then X amount LESS wear over time with your oil recipe - along with your mix ratio. That would be proof positive which I've yet to see verified anywhere.

I've pulled apart hundreds of pumps over the years, and probably more. That being said, all I got to see is wear and rarely knew what really caused it or how long it took. All I could do is guess, like I assume you are doing.

On the other hand, controlled wear testing tells us something we might not get to know otherwise - if we choose to believe those tests and pay attention.

 

[RodinNS]

I don't spend much time screwing with race engines if that's what you're refering to... so no, not much in the real world experience department.
What I can tell you is that the book I referenced is written, I believe by two career mechanics, presumably with some experience... and was the standard text used in the second block of the trade when I took that 15 years ago...
I would expect they did research it correctly. The only 'real world' experience I'd ever believe with regards to fuels and additives would need some solid backing from a dynamometer.

Rod

 

[daman]

(quoted from post at 02:41:00 12/02/09) Real world experience to prove what? Prove a negative and that you used oil and your injection pump didn't wear out? And therefore you say it works wonders and made it last longer?

And, what do you accept as "real world?"
I worked in three certified Stanadyne and Bosch injection pump shops dating back to the late 1960s. I've worked for many Deere dealerships over 30 years. I also own and use many diesel tractors, backhoes, and crawlers. I also live an area that gets temps down to minus 35 F.

I assume you realize it's just about impossible to prove a negative about anything. Proving a positive is different.

There IS proof in regard to controlled metal scar wear tests done by our military, Stanadyne, et. al. If you choose not to believe test data, OK. Believe what you want, but I doubt you've ever seen anything in the "real world" that proves positive benefits of motor oil in diesel, unless you're adding huge amounts. Note I DID post the mix ratios in my comments.

You would have to show X amount of metal wear over time with standard diesel fuel, and then X amount LESS wear over time with your oil recipe - along with your mix ratio. That would be proof positive which I've yet to see verified anywhere.

I've pulled apart hundreds of pumps over the years, and probably more. That being said, all I got to see is wear and rarely knew what really caused it or how long it took. All I could do is guess, like I assume you are doing.

On the other hand, controlled wear testing tells us something we might not get to know otherwise - if we choose to believe those tests and pay attention.

Huh??? lol, i think your commenting on Larry NCKS post not mine calm down lol....

 

[RodinNS]

I have to disagree with you about cetane not improving cold starts. I ran a few tanks of furnace oil through early in the spring a year ago. Neighbours also got some in their storage tank the previous winter. The net effect of having that #2 oil with no cetane improvers was a very VERY hard starting engine. A smokey engine until it warmed up too. I had no trouble with it once they got warm but I also keep 188's in them so they run hot. The neighbour's manheim 329 quite clearly demonstrated 2 dead cylinders on furnace oil and 4 more that wern't so hot. They had to drain the tank and put clean ULSD in it to get it running properly again. Granted that was a 10K engine, so it surely had a bunch of wear... but the point being, that at least around here, Esso does put a considerable additive package in the diesel to improve it's ignition quality and add lubricicity. Cetane improvers are real and they do work to improve cold starting.

I sometimes use Howes Leaner Meaner Power Cleaner at a minimal amount. Sometimes their regular diesel treat at a similar amount... and if I have a freezing/water problem I'll throw a bunch of Kleen-Flo or methyl hydrate in to thaw/dry it out.
I really, honestly can't say that I've seen any tangible benefit to using any of them in terms of improved starting, power, smoke reduction or fuel efficiency. On the other hand I know people that claim they gained 3 mpg with Howes. I know another guy who uses a product from Lubri-Lab. He claims the truck will pull the hills 10km/h faster...
Me.... I need to see that proven on a dyno. I just plain don't believe it.
The only reason I sometimes use Howes is the 'what if' factor with regard to lubricicity as it doesn't really cost much to add it anyway.

I think if a guy kept water out of his fuel system he'd eliminate 9 out of 10 problems with CAV/Roosa type distributor pumps and probably save a bunch of injectors on the systems with inline pumps as they seem to have fair tolerance to water anyhow.

Rod

 

[sotxbill]

what was the cetane of your furnace oil?? 25?? then yes.. cetane will make a heck of difference.. you can NOT buy diesel fuel in the us with a cetane rating of less than 40.. even the older diesel. Most furnace oil is really diesel with a rating of 40 plus.. some furnace oil is dilluted with kerosine or jet fuels so its cetane is very can be very low or even very high.

so again.. once cetane is at 40 or higher, your engine is capable of running over 5000 rpms... adding more cetane to make it run at 7000 rpms will not help the average tractor or diesel. If your running a quaduple turbo charged engine and doing 7000 rpms and setting speed records on the salt flats, cetane improver will help a small bit.

try running a quart of gas in every tank of diesel fuel and see what happens to your power.. switch from no2 diesel to no1 diesel and see what happens to your power.. it drops big time even though the burn time took a slight increase. Cetane above 40 will be fine for a ford 4500 as long as it stays below 6000 rpms... Dont turn it into a high rpm with no power engine.. otherwise you could have just got a gas engine. Its the heavy hydro carbon chain that give you the extra power and btus over gasolene.

Your bigger problems are jelling and starting in winter. both are address with by blending a small amount of no1 diesel into no2 diesel. But they only blend in enough for that area the fuel is sold in. As you blend in more no1 diesel for jelling, the power drops off fast. removing 25 percent of your power just to get it started is not the way to go. Get a new battery or glow plug or block heater. Keep the starter spinning fast. Keep the air cleaner clean and unrestricted. run winter oils or hd mutiweight oils so the cold cranking resistance is low is much smarter money spent.

how much used motor oil was in the furnace tank?? how much kerosine? was there any bunker c fuel mixed in? how old was the fuel and what was the water content. was the fuel jets stopped up and had a poor spray pattern?? Did the fan compress it to high pressure? did the glow assembly or igniter need replacement. was the fire box clean or stopped up. was it full of spider webs and mud dobber nests?

Did the additive clean the nozzles and kill the algie growing in the tank?? Yelp.. that will do it.. lots of smoke..

a great injector cleaner will really help cold starting and smoking. not the crap you buy for 2 bucks at the grocery store in the red bottle.

by the way,, cetane or burn time IS NOT IMPORTANT in a furnace where there is a continuous burn. You really dont care if its cetane is 30 or 40 or 50 or 2000. it makes NO difference. 2.407 milliseconds cetane burn time under a set level of comression, is NOT a factor in a furnace what so ever. bad fuel and a dirty nozzle and weak air charge fan are critical for smoking. a weak or bad igniter can cause it. your high btu fuels are preferred to generate more heat per gallon, but bunker c is too thick to run in most furnaces. Lots of furnace fuel can contain use motor oil which is illegal. smoking in a continous burn furnace is not about cetane at all.

My concern is only for diesel fuel in tractors, not for furnaces that have a long continuous burn with bunker c or other fuel mixtures.

 

[john_Bud]

(quoted from post at 08:29:54 12/02/09)

Cetane above 40 will be fine for a ford 4500 as long as it stays below 6000 rpms...

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Awwwww Shucks! I was hoping to get the plowing done in 1/4 the time