Lessons learned for small equip Gas and Diesel fuel

Lessons I have learned About Fuel for my small Equipment

Diesel Fuel

Diesel fuel is unique, and often, when someone purchases a small tractor, this is their first exposure to diesel fuel vehicle ownership and operation. Its my hope that paying attention to this advice prevents a lot of trouble for the owner of the diesel powered equipment.

Executive Summary- This blog is going to cover the specific equipment used, the diesel fuel additives and supplements used. It’s also going to talk about the common mistakes made and how to avoid them. Most consumers' understanding of diesel power and fuel is minimal at best. Taking the time to read this blog will answer questions many don’t realize they have.

 We will conclude by covering some critical actions to avoid when owning and operating a diesel-powered engine. If you own a diesel-powered machine, you will very likely find this information helpful, and it's likely to save you money and avoid machine downtime. Now, let’s get started.

In part one, I covered the fuel containers I use and why and also the manner I use to pump the fuel from the containers into the machine’s fuel tank. We also covered gasoline-fueled equipment and methods to improve fuel efficiency and reduce fuel system-related problems. Now, let’s dive into diesel power.

To understand diesel-powered equipment, it's essential to have a basic understanding of the differences between diesel engines and gasoline-powered engines. While there are other blogs that dive into this topic at great depth, let’s keep this simple and explain the differences between gas-powered vehicles and diesel-powered vehicles on the surface level so we can spend our time on how to properly handle the diesel fuel. Let’s briefly touch of how vastly different these two engine types truly are.

Explosion verses controlled burn.

In a gas engine, a spark from the spark plug(s) in each cylinder ignites the gasoline. Gasoline vapors ignite and burn very rapidly. If you have ever thrown gasoline on a brush fire, you know how the fire has the massive “whoosh” from the gas, but often the fire doesn’t even ignite the wood in the pile. However, if you dump diesel fuel on the brush pile and then try to ignite it with a match, you are going to find the fire often won’t burn unless you use a flare or other long-burning ignition source.

Diesel engines don’t have spark plugs. They don’t have ignition systems. The fuel is ignited when  its compressed by the high compression pistons in the engine and the fuel is pressurized from it’s 3 to 5 psi from the tank lift pump to being 22,000 to 30,000 psi when its injected into the engines cylinder.

Your typical small gasoline engine will have 8.5 to 1 or perhaps 10 to 1 compression ratio within the cylinders when the pistons compress the air and fuel pushed into engine. On a diesel engine, the compression ratio is 23:1 on the small Yanmar engines in many John Deere tractors under the 40hp level.

Cetane Number is important in the story of the diesel engine

The cetane number is a measurement of how easily the diesel fuel will ignite and burn. The higher the number, the easier the fuel will ignite. The easier the fuel ignites, the more consistently and thoroughly it burns. Most road diesel fuel has a cetane number of 42 to 47.

Since we know it takes heat and pressure to ignite the diesel fuel, doesn’t it make sense to improve the cetane number of the diesel fuel, so it will ignite easier and burn more evenly and thoroughly? The answer is absolutely.

Pressure builds heat. Extreme pressures build extreme heat.

We know that the diesel engines' internal compression ratio is more than double and nearly triple the compression ratio of gasoline engines. It takes this heat to ignite the fuel. But it also takes compressing the diesel fuel and building pressure so when its injected, the fuel is in optimal condition to burn. The compression of the fuel and its pressurization happen within the diesel engine's injector pump. This is a gear-driven pump attached to the diesel engine, which controls the fuel's delivery to the engine.

Compressing the fuel within the pump heats the fuel up and also causes the pump to build heat. The only fluid going through the injector pump is the diesel fuel. So the only source of lubrication inside of the pump to those parts compressing the fuel is the diesel fuel itself. A generation ago, the sulfur content in the diesel fuel was a natural source of some of the lubrication. But the EPA mandated Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel with a sulfur content of no more than 15ppm, yes, that’s 15 parts per million of sulfur inside the diesel fuel.

The refining process to remove the sulfur to the ULSD level also removes other lubricants from the fuel source. This leaves pump diesel fuel with inadequate lubricity; in other words, the fuel is so “dry” it causes wear in the injector pump parts and fuel system components. The more the diesel injector pump operates with insufficient lubrication, the faster it wears out the critical parts of the pump. As the pump wears, the pressure it produces declines, which affects the diesel engines performance and efficiency.

In summary, the engine needs the diesel fuel compressed to very high pressure levels before injecting into the engine. The engine needs to compress the air and fuel at high ratios to make the diesel fuel ignite. As the injector pump operates, creating this fuel pressure, it requires lubrication. Failure to do so will cause premature wear and critical engine performance issues.

If you could easily increase the diesel fuel's cetane number and also increase the fuel lubricity level to levels that properly lubricate the fuel system components, why would someone not take these actions?

Here are the most common reasons

1.      They don’t understand the importance of these issues.

2.      They are unaware of the process to improve the fuels cetane and lubricity levels.

3.      They are mistakenly told it is not necessary because those advising are either unaware or indifferent to the issues.

4.      They simply don’t think it's necessary because the diesel engine runs without their increasing the cetane number or improving the fuel's lubricity.

5.      They think the diesel engines operate like gas engines, and in fact, these two engines have more differences than similarities.

How easy is it to address the fuels lubricity and increase the cetane number? By adding the correct diesel fuel supplement to the fuel.

What are the other important benefits of treating diesel fuel with the correct fuel supplement treatment?

·       It protects the fuel against water contamination.

·       The fuels cold filter flow levels are reduced so the fuel flows in much colder conditions.

·       The fuels “cloud point” is lowered, potentially significantly, which is when it changes in viscosity and the parrafin wax in the diesel fuel solidifies and the fuel becomes too thick to flow through fuel filters properly, etc.

·       The diesel fuel burns more thoroughly and it produces more power.

·       And many, many more.

Being the contrarian, why would someone refuse to add the fuel supplement to their diesel fuel?

·       They are unaware of the benefits of adding the treatment.

·       They don’t understand the risks caused by not treating the diesel fuel.

·       They don’t think it's necessary because they believe the diesel fuel should be ready from the pump and not require any special actions or additives.

·       The operators aren’t used to adding anything to their gasoline, so why would they add anything to their diesel fuel?

Those who consistently use high-quality diesel fuel supplemental products year-round will find these benefits from doing so.

1.      Better fuel economy

2.      Less diesel emissions, less smoke, etc.

3.      Smoother running engines that produce more power

4.      Less downtime for repairs and even routine maintenance

5.      Lower operating costs over time due to improved efficiency and fewer repairs

Hot Shot Everyday Treatment is a great continuous use diesel fuel supplement. It increases the cetane number, it improves the fuel lubrication levels, protects against cold weather issues and so much more.

If a diesel powered machine is relatively new and has limited operating hours, you can start with the Hot Shot EDT and add it your fuel purchases. Ideally, you want to fill fuel jugs or a portable fuel tank at a diesel station and then transport it home. If you are in the situation of having fuel delivered to an on site storage tank, make sure to add the diesel treatment to the storage tank before each fuel fill up. You always want to have the fuel blended into the treatment for the maximum effectiveness.

If the machine is more than a year old and has more than 100 hours of use, its probably best to start the fuel enhancement with a treatment using Hot Shot’s Diesel extreme. The diesel extreme is a powerful cleaning agent for the fuel system and it increases the fuel's cetane number and lubricity. However, Diesel Extreme does not protect against cold weather issues, so you should make sure to either resume using the Hot Shot Everyday Treatment with Cold Weather Protection or add the stand-alone “anti gell” product to the Diesel Extreme product.

To achieve the best results, follow these guidelines for product use for all diesel fuel additives

1.      Always add the product enhancement to the fuel container BEFORE adding diesel fuel. You want the treatment or additive to be blended into the fuel when the fuel is added, instead of adding the treatment or additive to the machine's fuel tank directly.

2.      Make sure the additives are kept warm in the winter months; you would want the additives to be ideally at least 45F to 50F before being added to the fuel jug or fuel storage tank.

3.      Surprisingly, the products that protect diesel fuel from freezing will themselves freeze, if not blended into diesel fuel.

4.      Use a top-quality, reliable product with known results and follow the directions.

These are very important handling rules to consider for the diesel fuel machinery.

·       Always refill the fuel tank after each machine use. The less air space in the tank, the less moisture can build up in the tank and lead to water issues.

·       Keep fuel jugs sealed and out of direct sunlight if possible.

·       Diesel fuel is hydroscopic, so it attracts moisture from the atmosphere. It's important to keep fuel containers sealed to reduce this risk.

·       Diesel engines return some diesel fuel to the tank continuously. The fuel that is pulled into the injection pump system, which the engine doesn’t need, is returned to the machines fuel tank via a return line. The fuel being returned is always warmed from the pressurization and its proximity to the engine. This is another reason why the fuel tank needs to kept filled after each use as the air space in the tank leads to moisture creation, and when warm diesel fuel is returned to the tank, the temperature difference raises the chance for moisture content to increase.

·       Avoid running the engine out of fuel at all times. When the engine runs out of fuel, the injector pump is dry and it is very hard on the pump for it to run dry, even for a matter of seconds. One more reason to keep the machines diesel fuel tank topped off at all times.

A word about Biodiesel fuel and Petroleum Diesel Fuel

Biodiesel fuel is a renewable energy source refined from various natural sources. These sources include “corn, soybeans, vegetable oils, and other food-based or grown products.” These sources make the biodiesel based upon substances which use water to grow and live. There are also versions of biodiesel fuel now being produced using algae and other grown sources.

These sources of biodiesel are refined and turned into Biodiesel fuel. If you own a small tractor with a Yanmar engine and it's rated at less than 40 hp, ensure you use diesel fuel that is at least 80% petroleum-based. Engine manufacturers, with Yanmar being one, and also John Deere, have stated regarding their smaller machines with Yanmar engines that using a biodiesel fuel blend in the tractor which is more than 20% Biodiesel will void the manufacturer's warranty.

Larger John Deere produced engines, in larger agricultural machinery are designed to run on higher blends of Biodiesel fuel. Always check your owners manual for details regarding the fuel requirements for your machine. Using a diesel fuel that fails to meet the standards outlined by the engine manufacturer can lead to catastrophic engine damage and failure. Make sure to avoid Biodiesel blends above 20% Biodiesel content if your machine has a Yanmar powerplant unless your specific tractor model indicates that Biodiesel blends are approved for powering the machine.

In conclusion, keep your fuel jugs clean and sealed and use a good diesel fuel supplemental product. Always follow the directions on the product and ensure you understand its operational method. Some diesel fuel treatments focus on separating water from the diesel fuel, while others purposely bind the water droplets to the fuel to defeat the mechanical water separation methods. You don’t want to force water into any engine as water is abrasive and severe damage can and will result.

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