Is ULSD a magic pill or what? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

DieselAddict · #1 10-02-2006, 01:15 PM

Well, I'm just kidding about the magic pill, but last Friday I finally got my hands on some ULSD for the first time, and my '96 E300D had the honor of being the first one of my cars to try it. I must say I'm impressed. I can't comment on the fuel economy yet and I have read reports of mileage dropping with ULSD, but what's amazing is that so far I can't smell the exhaust anymore. Usually the way I sample it is by putting my hand under the exhaust and then smelling my hand. With LSD, there was always a diesel smell, kind of that typical sweet, bus-like smell. But with ULSD I could hardly smell anything. I guess that sweet diesel smell was from the sulphur. Another amazing thing that I have a hard time believing is that my IP's o-rings stopped leaking on ULSD, at least for now. I guess they were swollen and the ULSD, with its seal shrinking tendency, reversed the aging process somehow, but who knows. Has anyone experienced anything unusual with ULSD or any mileage drops?

Old300D · #2 10-02-2006, 01:34 PM

Interesting, no more diesel smell. That's the one thing I hated about diesels, I'm glad it's going away.

#3 10-02-2006, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old300D

Interesting, no more diesel smell. That's the one thing I hated about diesels, I'm glad it's going away.

I like the smell when B100 is used.

bgkast · #4 10-02-2006, 02:03 PM

I'll miss the smell. Always reminded me of boating.

uberwgn · #5 10-02-2006, 02:29 PM

I filled yesterday for the 2nd time with (Shell) ULSD. I was concerned that MPG was going to be way off but it wasn't the case. Fuel calcuation showed my 2nd best MPG ever. Smoking is virtually non-existant on this 2nd fill. Not the case with the initial fill...probably purging dirty fuel. Odor is minimal. Car runs nice

pleiades · #6 10-02-2006, 02:51 PM

Brand new spin-on clogged after 300 miles on ULSD.

michakaveli · #7 10-02-2006, 02:51 PM

Any lubricity concerns folks? Do the engines run and sound the same as before? Better worse?

POS · #8 10-02-2006, 02:56 PM

My mpg seems to have dropped, but I'm not 100% certain it's the fuel. My current tank is being tested...

F18 · #9 10-02-2006, 03:09 PM

I liked the smell of diesel exhaust in the morning....it always smelled less caustic than gasoline emissions!...almost sweet...

I have not had any measurable changes in performance or economy that I can attribute to ULD, B20 or ULSD that I have used. Through the area I travel
in New England, changes in topography and elevation have much more of an effect on my fuel economy than changes in fuel. I live at 80ft. elevation and in two hours travel time I could be making a business call at 3,000ft.

aklim · #10 10-02-2006, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michakaveli

Any lubricity concerns folks? Do the engines run and sound the same as before? Better worse?

I don't know how accurate it is but I have checked witht he diesel shops around here and their line seems to be wait and see. They don't think it will have an issue but because it is so new, they don't know for sure. I think I ran a tank and the sound was about the same.

Not sure why anyone cares about the should but I can't really tell the difference. Even less sure about why anyone goes sniffing their exhaust to see what it smells like. I could care less what it smells like since I am driving the car and the exhaust is pointing towards the rear and not into the cab.

Old300D · #11 10-02-2006, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

I don't know how accurate it is but I have checked witht he diesel shops around here and their line seems to be wait and see. They don't think it will have an issue but because it is so new, they don't know for sure. I think I ran a tank and the sound was about the same.

Not sure why anyone cares about the should but I can't really tell the difference. Even less sure about why anyone goes sniffing their exhaust to see what it smells like. I could care less what it smells like since I am driving the car and the exhaust is pointing towards the rear and not into the cab.

You haven't been behind a UPS truck for any distance then. They can be most foul; ULSD will be a godsend if it removes that horrible stench.

diametricalbenz · #12 10-02-2006, 03:48 PM

I ran the 240D on ULSD last year when the ARCO pump had it.....they then switched it back to #2 after a few months. It's hard to determine any difference due to inconsistent driving locations for each tankfull. It did still smell like diesel and the fuel was blue! It ran fine but I had been blending it with a cube of SVO and filling the rest with ULSD.

The Chevron i got ULSD more recently in the W123 240D is clear or close to it. I have yet to run a full tank through it but it appears to be yielding near the 30mpg mark but i'll have to see at fillup time.

pawoSD · #13 10-02-2006, 04:37 PM

I noticed better mileage and less diesel smell, more of a burnt smell than on normal diesel. And the fuel is blue.

TheDon · #14 10-02-2006, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uberwgn

I filled yesterday for the 2nd time with (Shell) ULSD. I was concerned that MPG was going to be way off but it wasn't the case. Fuel calcuation showed my 2nd best MPG ever. Smoking is virtually non-existant on this 2nd fill. Not the case with the initial fill...probably purging dirty fuel. Odor is minimal. Car runs nice

are all shells selling ULSD? i filled up with shell diesel(cheaper than my local stuff when i was out of town) and i had better milage that week.. i got 27 mpg instead of 24.. woo

DslBnz · #15 10-02-2006, 05:13 PM

ULSD...

I have gone through two spin on and two prefilters. Little black spots of crud are flowing to the prefilters. And even finer particulates are being caught by the main.

When my filters aren't clogged, there is no smoke, no matter how hard the flogging, and they start in the morning faster than I ever remember. Feels like I added a bottle of Diesel Kleen to the tanks as far as response.

No smell, consistent performance, and a MASSIVE improvement in highway power (engine speeds in excess of 3.5K rpm).