Different diesel from different station causes smoke...WHY?
 

I like to fill up at the same station always. I don't have any visible smoke with their diesel. I filled up on "E" at a different station, and now I'm having very visible smoke. What would the difference in diesel be that would cause more smoke? This has happened before after filling up at a third site. I always see a change in running behaviour depending on where I fill up.:eek:

Ya gotta wonder if the deliver truck dumped some K#1in the D#2 tank, or some such.

BCingU, Jim

I have had the same experience and have wondered the same things. I have heard all kinds of stories about freshness of the fuel, advice to buy at truck stops since they have the least chance of having old fuel with algae in it and so on. In the end I have two regular guys I buy from that are near my home, near a highway, but never have trucks there. One is a Texaco station and all my cars do better with fuel from that station. The other is an Exxon staton and the Diesel is good there, and a little less costly than the Texaco station. I use Redline for my Diesels and have stopped wondering when I get a crummy load of fuel. I just fill up at the Texaco station the next time, take the station with the bad stuff off my list of Diesel stations to use, and forget about it.

Jim

Jim I do the same thing! I stopped using this station where I got the "smokey" fuel about 6 months ago. I forgot why I stopped using the station, and now I remember. I don't think they sell much diesel. I am going to stop buying diesel in town all together, and start filling up on the Interstate at the truck stops.:D

I had a very bad experience with water in diesel fuel several years and another car ago. Filled up at a station I didn't normally use. Had to have tank removed and cleaned.

Learned a big lesson to try and buy at same place to establish some sort of track record with them. Also, I do try to buy at truck stops where I believe and hope there is a faster turnover of the fuel.

Nic
'85 300CD

Cetane number!
 

More than likely you got into a station that sells low cetane diesel fuel.. Some stations (mostly those that sell 'premium' diesel) will post the cetane number. The higher it is, up to a point, the better it will be. The higher number means that it starts to burn easyer, and will probably produce less smoke. A higher number is more important in winter than in summer for easy starting.

Cetane number for diesel is like the octane number for a gasser. The higher the better for high performance engines. You can get some additives to help increase the cetane number of the fuel. Amsoil and Redline and a few others sell the stuff. Power services also sells a new product that is supposed to include a cetane improver along with cleaner.

You might want to check out this artical on the TDI club forums about diesel fuel properties..
http://www.tdiclub.com/articles/Diesel_Fuel_Guidlines/
Hope that helps answer your questions..

Drive ON!

Patsy, did your fuel economy go down? I agree with the idea of sticking with a good station when you find one. I routinely buy Mobil diesel from a car/truck stop just off the N.J. turnpike. I know their stuff is fresh. Oddly though, I don't recall seeing a cetane number on the pump. I just came back from visiting my folks in Virginia, and all the Texaco stations had "Premium Diesel" with a cetane rating of 45. When I first bought my car, I was buying my diesel locally and was getting about 25-27 mpg. After reading here about differences in diesel from one station to another, I tried this Mobil diesel. My fuel economy shot up to 29-30 mpg. The kicker is that this Mobil diesel cost less than the local stations.

Could the mystery fuel be biodiesel?

Unlikely. Biodiesel usually smokes less if there's any difference.

BTW, did you notice this thread is nearly 13 years old?

Were they even using Bio-Diesel 13 years ago?


Reading this old thread reminds me of the one ROY, WHUNTER started a while back.


http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/309367-warning-all-diesel-owners-random-poor-quality-fuel.html#post2841158

Charlie

Sorry, new here and it popped up on a search and caught my eye.