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eatont9999 · #38 08-20-2012, 01:07 AM

I have learned that older Diesel engines will burn almost any kind of oil be it petroleum based, plant based or animal based.

I have also noticed that ATF will burn cleanly and does a good job of cleaning injectors, delivery valves and injection pumps. The lubrication qualities are better than ULSD but not as good as other oils.

I usually run Diesel Kleen out of habit and I like the cleaning qualities of it. It has been a standard for many IDI owners, not just the MB variety. It has never done me wrong.

Biodiesel in small quantities has been tested as the best lubrication additive but it can have an effect on rubber lines and seals; this being the main reason I do not run it aside from availability.

2 stroke oil is another good candidate. I should run it but I need to get out of my habit of running DK as my main cetane booster. Adding both wouldn't hurt. Actually, adding all of these options wouldn't hurt your engine as far as lubrication and combustion go.

If I had to fill up with ULSD and couldn't find any off the shelf lubricity additives, I would grab a bottle of engine oil or ATF, maybe both and add those to the tank.

Once you remove the EGR valve from a car that has been run on pump diesel all its life and see the nasty crud that lives in the intake system, you will soon realize that your perfectly maintained engine is not as clean as you think it is, so if you are thinking UMO and additives can kill an engine, pull off your EGR and let me know what you find. Your car has likely been breathing in crankcase gasses and exhaust, aka - engine oil and unburnt fuel, for the last 30 years. Stick your finger in past the EGR port and you may feel the oily sludge that is waiting to enter the intake valves.