Is diesel formulation changed already?
 

I have a 92 300d and just had my pump o-rings changed out by my VERY good indy shop. I went over there yesterday for lunch with the owner and they had FIVE benz's in for fuel leaks. Shop owner said that someone must have changed the diesel fuel to a new formulation because he has NEVER had that many fuels leaks before. His usual number is one a month. Anyone know anything about this? Ernie in Louisville, KY

Are they adding biodiesel to the mix?

Its quite possible the transition to low sulfur diesel has began in some areas.

Just curious, but were there any OM61x engine equipped models with fuel leaks too?

I sound like an AOL newbie, but...
 

Me too! My once tight as a drum 87 603 sprouted mutliple leaks in the past couple weeks. I've replaced IP side gaskets, and now delivery O rings. Coincidence?
Pertinent to our situation:
http://www.chevron.com/products/prodserv/fuels/diesel/ulsd.shtml#A11

No bio
 

Just regular cars. And all types. a couple of SD's, a couple of 124's and some newer 97's and 98's. This surely is not by chance! Ernie

OM60x engines have been developing "O" ring leaks since the introduction of low sulfur diesel (LSD 0.05%) in the early '90s. Seems to me that about 1-2% developed leaks every year. Never figured out why some did and some didn't (I've owned 7 different OM60x engines). The OM61x engines seemed almost immune to those leaks. As my cars age however, I've noticed that the fuel lines are deteriorating and starting to seep/leak. ALL of my cars date from '84-'87 and old to new, every one has had at least ONE fuel line start to seep. Based on past experience, that's just the effect of age - my cars are all about 20 years old and most of the lines ARE original. None of my cars have experienced ULSD. All have used LSD for more than a decade and several of them have had tanks of run B20 run thru them. That has changed NOTHING. With higher concentrations of Bio, older fuel lines and seals may deteriorate RAPIDLY.

I expect that there will be some number of failures with ULSD, but that's largely a matter of how much the old seals have swelled. When the ULSD is used, the "O" rings and seals try to return to their original size, but if they are seriously distorted, they will not be able to seal as they shrink and will leak. That's NOT really the fault of the ULSD but of the fuel that was used previously (and it's sulfur or additive content) causing the seals to swell and the aged seals no longer being pliable enough to seal as they shrink.

Marshall

The only fuel leak I have seen lately on my car is a small puddle under the tank vent.

we've had LSD here in Florida forever and don't seem to have the problems that are starting to be reported.

Danny

You should be able to tell if the fuel your running is ULSD, as it will smell way different in the exhaust, that sharp "diesely" smell will be essentially completely absent and it will smell quite a bit different. In europe I got a whiff of diesel exhaust on the stuff from our own car, and it smelled almost like rubbing alcohol.

The switch is happening. I had to pump some petro-diesel today (my peanut bio was plugging the filter this cold morning) and the pump had a notice saying not to use this LSD in newer diesel engines.

Several of the major oil companies have completed the transision to ULSD. depending on your location and the oil company that supplies your area, the sulfur content of your fuel could be a low as 7 PPM to an average of 125 PPM. The transision to ULSD that is mandated by the EPA HAS to occur before the end of the summer and possibly earlier depending on the agreement the oil company has with the EPA.
After August in our area there will be no diesel for sale unless it has been in a tank for some time or it is for off road (railroad) use and that will be over 10PPM.
The ULSD will look like water, there should be no yellow color, there might be a slight bluish tint to the diesel if it is in a clear container. There is a mild odor that is hard to describe. Personally I am looking forward to it.
Just my .02

I thought I heard you say on another board that we don't have to worry about the ULSD screwing up the IP. Is that still true? Someone mentioned that while the IP is oil lubricated the pistons might still be susceptable to the lack of lubricity. So what is the final answer as to whether we have to worry or not?

Yeah I was wondering that too, will it hurt the IP or should I dump a quart of Dexron III into per fillup?

Odd, just today as I went over to get in the car I smelled diesel and popped the hood, looked around my 603 engine and discovered the 18 month old return hoses are weeping, the one to the filter is dripping fuel.
My other 603 has Viton hose, hopefully its going to be oK since its less than a year new. This could be time to order some Redline 85-plus, I'm out of it, and I presume it helps with ULS fuel.