Fuel Quality?

the1andonly

the1andonly

Joined
Jan 27, 2018
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Northampton
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Rapido & Bongone
Fuel Quality?
The big question .
A friend Talks about this being important and uses Premium fuel and additives ( i regularly add injector cleaners) but is there any backup to this theory other than he has the best injector variance graph i have seen.
Recently i seen a fuel report taken for an van on its second rebuild from Fiat. It was interesting reading (after i read about fuel testing). The main conclusion was the contamination levels were 10 times the limits, this was very significant at the bacteria sizes and though no reference was made this could well have been Diesel bug.
So a question (or 2)
Does diesel bug assist or promote soot production, unclean burn?
How do we know we have diesel bug, any simple tests on fuel?
do additives have anti bacterial agents to keep them at bay?
a quick search gives
Some of the ways to tell if your fuel is contaminated include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Blocked filters that need changing on a regular basis
  • Sediments that may look like coffee in the filters
  • Engines suddenly losing power
  • Bad or rotten fuel smell or black smoke from the exhaust
  • Fuel injectors needing frequent cleaning and replacing
  • Increase in fuel consumption
  • Sudden engine stoppages or Difficulty in starting the engine
  • Fuel discolouration – milky and cloudy appearance
Knowing which signs to look for and acting quickly can help you to prevent problems associated with the diesel bug.
Modern diesel fuel is so highly refined that it begins to break down after 6-12 months. This is when the danger begins for diesel bug. As water is more dense than diesel it will sink to the bottom, allowing the bug a better hiding place from any cursory checks. The boat world have a greater knowlege on this subject, So boatys on here ,words of wisdom and experiance please.

So what this all about then?
please think about it are you suffering or have any specific knowledge.
What would be a good treatment plan?
What would be a good way forward? any suggested products.

Has this any specific relationship to Twin egr pre Adblue having Injector/ egr issues, anybody had both?
 
I had one that just lost power. I drained the tank and it was like brown pond weed. I dropped the tank and power washed it out and allowed to drain over night. The pick up was clogged and has a wash in the dish washer. I blew the fuel line through including the return pipe. Refitted added some clean fuel. return pipe diverted into a bottle just to keep a look out for anything. Full tank and a long run proved all was well. Return hooked up and no bother since till I sold it anyway.
Now the source was a supermarket in Kent where several other motorists mostly taxi drivers complained about bad fuel. Said supermarket said the tank was almost run dry so it could not be them. Most fuel deliveries have detergents and other additives in them from refinery. I added some marine stuff can't remember the name and probably intended for in situ tank cleaning and may have been overkill. This was 20 years ago.
 
A mechanic who works locally on diesel pumps and injectors suggested an additive every fill up due to the build up of bacteria especially if vehicles are stood for sometime.
 
Clivefog said:
I had one that just lost power. I drained the tank and it was like brown pond weed. I dropped the tank and power washed it out and allowed to drain over night. The pick up was clogged and has a wash in the dish washer. I blew the fuel line through including the return pipe. Refitted added some clean fuel. return pipe diverted into a bottle just to keep a look out for anything. Full tank and a long run proved all was well. Return hooked up and no bother since till I sold it anyway.
Now the source was a supermarket in Kent where several other motorists mostly taxi drivers complained about bad fuel. Said supermarket said the tank was almost run dry so it could not be them. Most fuel deliveries have detergents and other additives in them from refinery. I added some marine stuff can't remember the name and probably intended for in situ tank cleaning and may have been overkill. This was 20 years ago.
Click to expand...
They know its a problem ;)

 
Here's another

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Get yourself a Microbiological test kit, available from Marine Chandlers.
Basically a small fuel sample is placed in a petrie dish or on a sample card, any bug will grow and be visible as stained blotches.
If severe, a bug treatment is poured into the tank.
Motorhomes are often left parked up for a long time with partially filled tanks, this encourages condensation. This condensation settles to the bottom of the tank, unlike boats and aircraft we have no water drain points so the water lays there awaiting a passing deisel bug. Once there it thrives upon the interface of the fuel and water, as it breeds it excretes an acid. It will, in time, form into mats that can block filters.
 
Thanks for your input. Is there any real data out there concerning ultimate diesel fuel or additives other than sales info.
 
So would the easy fix to this problem be to:
1. Ideally, Use the vehicle as many as possible with regular re-fills (difficult for us users maybe)
2. Keep the tank brimmed to the top.
3. store the van with very little in the tank.
I am not shy of saying I am not sure, never had to worry about this with a car, but that is used much more often than the van, even though shortish journeys, so not ideal.
So its either option 1 or 2 for me being realistic.
LES
 
All the above applies apart from keeping the tank half full or empty. Condensation allows the anerobic bacteria to breed and once you have the bug then it is very hard to remove. Prevention is way better than cure and if someone want to use a precautionary biocide additive then that is fine,
 

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