I have a 1987 190D 2.5 Non-Turbo with 221,000 miles, and was considering a dose of SeaFoam in the hope to get rid of some of the excess smoke. I plan on changing the oil after...I figure it'll be even dirtier than usual after the treatment. If you guys could let me know what additives you use to keep your diesel cars running smoothly, let me know!

 

Additives are snake oil, pure and simple. Keep the car in proper mechanical condition in order to avoid problems.

 

Not ALL fuel additives are snake oil. This time of year the addition of a good cold-flow product such as Amsoil Diesel Cold Flow Improver ACF is a good idea.Service stations supposedly add a cold flow improver for cloud point management this time of year but I always treat my own fuel just in case. Been stuck on the road one too many times in February to take chances.

 

Additives in general are not snake oil. The fuel you buy has additives especially now with the low sulfur. They have added to help lube the injector pump. Additives only to stop gelling don't usealy help performace. I have tried 4 different additives with success. Lucas has one that helps keep injectors clean also will boost old gasoline Stadnye [ spelling ] these two helped boost mpg from 15 to 18 in 7.3 ford but do not notice a mpg drop if stop useing for a few tank fulls. Beleive it mainly cleans the injectors for better compression also lubricates the pump.
Atf will lube the pump for longer service and make a quiter running motor. I also have added straight light crude My 87 300D was getting 25-26 mpg added 1gal to each tankfull and getting 28-28.5 mpg over the last 5000 miles. The motor is also quiter and seems to perform better.
If you have not run any additive yet simple way is to fill your filter when you change it for a through cleaning of your injectors. This sends a concentrated form through and works qicker then the fuel tank

 

I've heard good things about lubro-moly. Limited experience.

 

yes seafoam is the way to go. i use it all the time in deisels. i dont know what kinda fuel filter you have but if is a screw on (looks like a oil filter) just get a new one and fill it with seafoam and install it and fire it up.

or you might have to just pull a vacuum line and stick it in the seafoam can. this works good on gas engines too (lots of white smoke but thats how you know its working lol )

good luck

 

Treating diesel fuel is absolutely necessary since October 2006 when the sulfur limit was lowered to 15ppm or less. This is essentially zero sulfur.

All Diesel fuel should now be treated year around.

Fuel additives will generally perform 3-4 basic functions such as:
Cold flow improver
Cetane boost
Mileage improver
Horsepower improver
Lubricity additive
Moisture Displacer
Injector cleaner (Cummins L-10 spec is the best available)
Rust & Corrosion inhibitor
Extended storage stability
Deicer & Water dispersant (non-alcohol is best)

There may be others but these are the main additives used. It's hard to find a "Full Spectrum" additive that will do all of the above. The best additive I've found is made by Schaeffer's of St. Louis Missouri. The product is #137ULSW.

Finally, burning ATF in a diesel engine is an ignorant mistake. This will create gum and varnishing of the injectors as the ATF cokes in the combustion chamber.

"The Diesel Place.com" did a great study of fuel additives around November of 2006? This is a Chevy diesel website. They ran lubricity tests on every available additive they could find including used motor oil and 2-stroke oil. Some of the results will scare you because some additives made the base fuel WORSE! I think those additives could indeed be labeled "Snake Oil"

You asked for my opinion...I gave it!

 

"The Diesel Place.com" did a great study of fuel additives around November of 2006? This is a Chevy diesel website. They ran lubricity tests on every available additive they could find including used motor oil and 2-stroke oil. Some of the results will scare you because some additives made the base fuel WORSE! I think those additives could indeed be labeled "Snake Oil"



What's the complete site address Fergie? THanks.

 

Here's the address for the fuel additive lubricity study done by "thedieselplace.com":
http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=177728

I have a copy of the original 10 page report I downloaded when it first came out. I would be happy to email you a copy if you like. It has a great color chart summarizing the results.

I found the cost of the Schaeffer's listed in the report was wrong. Buying this product by the gallon makes the cost per treated gallon about $0.04.

My observation was that most fuel additives are not "full spectrum" addidtives, that is they only accomplish 3 or 4 tasks, furthermore most of these other additives cost $0.075 to $0.12 per treated gallon.

Pay particular attention to the dillution rate. The Schaeffer's product is 1000:1. Most others are 400:1 but if you read the fine print you'll find that the treat rate needs to be 200:1 or even 50:1 for the product to work in cold weather. This is another way that some of the companies earn the "Snake Oil" award!

 

I hope that works out for you!