Zero sulfur diesel fuel--the future?

[unkl300d]

So, Clinkton has forced Diesel fuel makers
to produce zero sulfur fuel by 2006 +.

Are there any other additives which can
more or less compensate for the lost sulfur
aside from the end user augmenting fuel with
over the counter additives.?

I realize that one of the senior members
brought to light the use of 2 ounces +-
of motor oil per fill up.

Any comments on the implications of this
new diesel fuel mandate?

Thanks.

[rickjordan]

I too would like to know about any additives. I just heard this low sulfur story on CNN. I am very interested in this because I have a fuel leak that I was told that was cuased by the already "low sulfur" diesel sold here in the states. My fuel leak is coming from the seal for the #1 injector line coming out of the injection pump. My mech. tried to tighten it, but no luck. He said new seals are not available. It, of course, only leaks while she is running. So as you can see, I don't want my problems to get worse, just because some people don't like the sight and smell of diesels.

I expect that the newer Diesels will be okay with this. The earlier cars (123's), your best bet will be just a smidgeon of good clean, cheap oil per tank. You should be doing this now on the older cars unless the injection pump barrels have been updated with the hardened ones.

The sulphur content was drastically lowered about 5 or 6 years ago. The irony is that our lawmakers in their infinite wisdom thought they would decrease pollution with this. In a Eutopian world they would have accomplished their mission. In the real world that we live in, they increased pollution because every trucker, farmer and construction equipment operator started pouring more sulphur in their fuel in the form of oil, ATF or additives, than the fuel had before the infinitely wise lawmakers worked their Eutopian magic.

Good luck,

[rickjordan]

Larry, you are saying to put motor oil in the fuel tank? How much would you recommmend? Any particular weight? Would this help any present leaks or just help prevent future ones? You mentioned this should be done particularly to the 123s. I have an '80 W116, so I imagine I should be doing this as well. I can imagine the looks I would get at the gas station, with me puting oil in my tank. Has anyone tried using that "Mystery Oil" product for this purpose?

Marvel Mystery Oil has solvent. You want oil, just a few ounces. I doubt that it will have anything to do with leaks. The only reason is to keep the injection pump barrels from wearing out.

I buy the cheapest clean new fresh oil I can get get and add just a splash. I have one 123 injection pump that has been updated with the hardened barrels. I don't add any oil to it.

Good luck,

[rickjordan]

So I guess that would be a "glug" or two of oil?

Rick, what is the deal with your leaking fuel line? How can a part not be available? What part is it? Have you asked the parts shop here? They can give you more info. I am curious too.

[rickjordan]

It's not really the line it's self that is leaking. If you were to look at the injection pump, where the #1 line comes out is where I have a leak. I was told the seal inside is bad. I was told that messing with the injection pump is definetly not a DIYer. The shop I bought the car from tried to tighten it, but couldn't get it to go any further. I was referred to another shop and they said the seals can not be bought anymore. They even tried the local MB dealer and they said "no-go" also. Being it that this is a real expensive pump, I don't want to mess with it my self. Maybe it's the pump barrels that Larry mentioned, I don't know. If it is the barrels, then it is something that can be replaced apparently. With it averaging 25 degs. outside, my "tinkering" has been scaled back drasticly. The leak doesn't appear to cause any problems except the slight whiff of diesel smell and spots under the car. I don't know how much this is affecting my fuel economy. My last fill up averaged 26 mpg.

My only idea is that it is the pipe connection copper sealing ring that is a 5 cent item and is still available I'm sure. My manual says that you can unscrew the male pipe connection on the injection pump, but not to unscrew the fork like bracket assembly that the male pipe screws into. If you undo the bracket assembly then you have to have the injection pump adjustment corrected. That is the not DIY part. I would bet that it is the copper ring.

Changing the copper sealing ring seams quite easy according to my manual.

[rickjordan]

I plan on buying a W116 cd, so I'll be able to see what you're talking about. Hopefully it is like you said a simple DIYer job. Even if that is the fix, this whole business of lower sulfur diesel is probably going to cause some problems for our "elder" diesels. If the eviromentalist had their way, we all would probably be fined for leaking a little diesel or oil on the ground.

Being new to diesels, I know nothing of what is good or bad fuel. In gas engines, the lead helped control detonation as well as lubricating the exhaust valve. I sounds like sulpher and diesel fuel is in a similar situation. Is the primary purpose of sulpher to lube the high pressure injection pump? It seems that I have been cautioned about using off road diesel, since it has a high sulpher content. What's the real story? I know that the off road is illegal since it does not have road taxes applied, but is it the same mix with a dye added? Is too much sulpher bad? I would guess a Texan (oil country) that has tractor experience would know the answer. I bet one of our Texas farm boys can help! Hmmmm, Larry Bible and TxBill come to mind! Please provide your insight, expert or otherwise!

By 2006, my diesel('79 300SD, last year before emissions equipment implemented) will most likely be dead. Rust never sleeps, and once the suspension components start falling off I will know the time has come. That alone should help the environment greatly. I should have a nice mid eighties diesel by then. Whatever I have to do to keep it going, will be fine with me.

I still remember the last tank of leaded gasoline I put in my "leaded only" '71 Karmann Ghia. I never noticed any change, and I still have the car with the same engine. I kept thinking one of these days I'll put an unleaded engine in here, but it has been unneccessary. I'm sure I have a high lead content in my soil. I live very close to the freeway, so I am aware of the exhaust soot that settles on the snow. I think about it every time I grow vegetables in my garden.

I personally welcome any improvements in the amazing diesel engine that I adore.

This is from a newswire, sounds very interesting:

A transmission being developed by
Torvec, Inc. holds the promise of nearly eliminating soot from big diesel
trucks. Torvec's transmission keeps diesel engines at a steady RPM during
acceleration and gear changes, the time when most of today's diesels send out
big puffs of black soot.
Keith Gleasman, President of Torvec, said, "Diesel engines with Torvec's
transmission are expected to meet President Clinton's goal of reducing soot
emissions ninety percent while maintaining the torque needed to power heavy
trucks. The technology to launch an all out assault on diesel pollution is
here today."
Torvec's transmission is based on the Company's proprietary and
patent-protected technologies for infinitely variable gearing and small,
lightweight hydraulic pump and motor. The Company is readying a commercial
prototype of its transmission. The transmission will be installed in a diesel
truck and tested against EPA standards to precisely measure improvements in
fuel efficiency and pollution reduction.
Torvec's founders invented and commercialized the Torsen differential,
which improves the handling of high-performance vehicles from General Motors,
Toyota, Audi, Porsche, Hummer, Mazda, Volkswagen and race cars.


Torvec, Inc., based in Rochester, New York, develops advanced automotive technologies including the
FTV(TM) tracked vehicle and patent protected advances such as the Infinitely
Variable Transmission, constant velocity joint with spherical gearing,
lightweight hydraulic pump and motor assembly, and de-icing and ice traction
technology.

[Palangi]

Does anyone out there know if the sulpher content of current European diesel fuel is lower than that of the North American fuel ? Just curious, since diesel automobliles continue to thrive over there.

There is some discussion about the forthcoming low sulpher fuel requirements on other forums as well. Some feel that it may ultimately be a good thing if we can get to the point where diesels become clean enough to meet the new emissions requirements, maybe MB and others will resume selling diesels in this country.

If you think back to the seventies, everybody fussed about the new emissions requirements for gasoline powered automobiles at the time. In retrospect, those requirements resulted in significant technical improvements to the engines. With old carburetted engines, it was quite rare for an engine to last 100,000 miles. Modern fuel injected engines routinely run 300,000 miles or more with much less maintenance than before. Much of this improvement is due to unleaded fuel, fuel injection, and improved lubricants, development of which was forced by the emissions requirements. As a side bonus, the air in the cities is significantly cleaner than it was 30 years ago. (I remember being completely amazed the first time I saw the red colored air hanging over Los Angeles.)

It will be interesting to see what happens with diesels over the next 10 to 15 years. I think that if you want to enjoy a diesel automobile, you better go buy a spare 240D or 300D right now, as the next 5 years or so there are sure not going to be any new ones. From 5 to 15 years in the future, I am hopeful for a rebirth of diesel cars.

( In the meantime, does anybody have a good low mileage 81, 82, 83 240D with manual transmission for sale ?)

I believe that the diesel fuel in Europe is indeed lower sulpher content than ours. There are very few 123 diesels left on the road over there. I expect that the few that are left have been upgraded with hardened barrels in the pumps.

The issue about the low sulpher fuel has little effect on the newer diesels. It's us poor folks still trying to keep the old ones going that it presents a problem for.

For now, MB is pulling away from the US diesel market, I understand that VW is planning to do the same. As much as I love diesel cars, they are not as advantageous as they used to be. Diesel fuel used to be much cheaper than gasoline and the diesel cars got much better fuel mileage than the typical gas engine of the day, and the diesel engines lasted longer. Now the gas engines are more efficient and are longer lived than they were in those days.

Merry Christmas,

[rickjordan]

Larry, what does it cost to upgrade to hardened barrels? What are the signs that the original barrels need to be replaced?