There are several diesel fuel properties other than sulfur that will change as a result of moving to S15 (ULSD).
* Lubricity:Lubricity is a measure of the fuel's ability to lubricate and protect the various parts of the engine's fuel injection system from wear.The processing required to reduce sulfur to 15 ppm also removes naturally-occurring lubricity agents in diesel fuel. To manage this change the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) adopted the lubricity specification defined in ASTM D975 for all diesel fuels and this standard went into effect January 1, 2005.
* The D975 specification is based on the High Frequency Reciprocating Rig (HFRR) test (D 6079) and requires a wear scar no larger than 520 microns.
* Energy Content:In general, the processing required to reduce sulfur to 15 ppm also reduces the aromatics content and density of diesel fuel, resulting in a reduction in energy content (BTU/gal).
* The expected reduction in energy content is on the order of 1% and may affect fuel mileage.
* Cetane Number:In general, the processing required to reduce sulfur to 15ppm also reduces the aromatics content resulting in an increase to the cetane number.
Notice that it takes out 1% of the energy content. This is probably the chemical energy content and by the time you take into effect the efficiency of a diesel engine, it may make that 1% bigger.
To those of you also with farm tractors, here is what John Deere says too. I did not realize that even off-road diesel will be 15 ppm by 2010.
I'm not sure why thickening your fuel is so popular. It's an annoyance, and it's a recurring cost (unless you do something crazy like add used motor oil, which I wouldn't advise). Seems to me the best long-term solution is to hook up a pressure gauge and adjust the internal pressure regulator -- that way you don't have to keep spending money on it.
I already have an oil pressure tester and a spare OUT bolt, now I just need to figure out a way to hook the two up. I'm thinking of just drilling the top of the bolt with a "small" hole and using a "small" tap to thread it, then adding an adapter to get from "small" to my oil pressure tester.
'82 Diesel Rabbit • '88 Fox (RIP) • '88 Jetta (work in progress)
Doesn't the out bolt act as a restrictor. If you drill a hole in it etc. what are you doing. And if you just drill the wrench flat and tap will you measure pump pressure or something else, like line return pressure to tank!
Seems to me the best long-term solution is to hook up a pressure gauge and adjust the internal pressure regulator -- that way you don't have to keep spending money on it.
I agree (even though I am paying for the oil I add only about 2 dollars per tankful), but as you yourself acknowledge, you have not yet figured out a way to hook up the device you would like to use. (I think Hagar posted some photos of his setup some months ago.)
FWIW, I too miss the smell of the older diesel fuel -- the new stuff smells like vinegar to me. Now that the weather is warming up I am going to start to add paraffin wax to my fuel (I have a good source in Pennsylvania who sells it in bulk).
Neither the oil or the wax will bring back that wonderful, golden tint and light-oily feel that the older fuel had -- and which our precious diesel engines loved to ingest (50-plus mpg to me is precious) -- but it will make the fuel more slippery and thicker which, it seems to me, is about as close to a desired end-state as we can hope, at least for the foreseeable future.
Exactly, even my wimpy city girlfriend cannot stand the smell from todays diesel trucks, it smells like a oil lamp after you blow it out!
I just visited the truck stop and picked up 200 gallons of non-highway fuel for my TD-14A and John deere 855 tractor, it too was ULSD- while talking with the station owner he said even off road pumps labeled high sulfur will be non-spec ULSD that is between 16ppm and 30pmm
He is taking it one step further and putting the gauge inside his car by simply using an oil pressure gauge.
I actually like the smell of diesel smoke and the smell of an old carb gas engine without a cat converter smoke. The gas fumes from a cat converter are nasty, not like the good old stuff. I am not saying I want to breath it, but a good whiff of it every now and then.
'89 1.6L NA Diesel Jetta (521,000 mi) w/ Rabbit Engine (230,000s mi)
'91 1.6L NA Diesel Jetta (1500 hrs since I have owned it)
'86 2.1L Gas Vanagon 7 passenger (123,000 mi)
Stopping wrote:Yes Fatmobile... good idea on starting this thread.
I don't have smaller images yet sorry for the size of these. If they too big please let me know.
I made a IP tester out of an old out bolt (my old N/A 1.6 shares the same bolt number). It has a hose so I can drive with it in place not rattle the living daylights out the gauge.
Oh the gauge is wrong, I know, it's just for the photo.
Those fittings can't be more than a couple bucks from your local plumbing supply or home improvement store. A little NPT tap would probably be the most expensive item (aside from the oil pressure gauge, of course).
'82 Diesel Rabbit • '88 Fox (RIP) • '88 Jetta (work in progress)
those brass fittings are under $5 at any hardware store, great idea.
As for memorys of the good old fuel, yup- I remember standing at the end of the driveway waitin for the school bus and smelling the diesel from an older cat 3208 engine running 5,000 PMM fuel back in 1988! That and my fathers old dodge 1977 360 V8 maxyvan running leaded fuel, very noticable smell!
OK today was the first day that I refilled my truck after adding the quart of oil and the results are good back to what I use to get 42.6 but in the last few months I was down to 36.
80 VW Rabbit Pickup 1.6 Hydraulic with 1.5 Non Hydraulic head
98 Subaru Legacy Wagon AWD
94 Ford Bronco F351/5.7
99 Plymouth Grand Voyager
