Reading Larry's thread got me thinking, are there additives recommended for the diesel engines? A friend swears by adding quarter to half a quart of Chevron automatic transmission fluid with every tank of fuel. Says it helps lubricate the injectors and keeps them clean.

My '87 300D turbo has 285,000 miles and is still running strong. Will I do more harm than good by messing with the fuel?

--Craig

Will I do more harm than good

Try Power Services Supplement. It is a good additive if you are looking for lubrication. You can find it at Wal Mart's, Auto Zone and Tractor Supply. Wal Mart and Auto Zone sell for $9.99 for 96 ounces. I believe tractor Supply is actually cheaper, but i have not bought any from them as of yet.

Also, this should not cause any problems since you have high mileage on your car. I would definitely recommend using PSS in place of tranny fluid. Johnny

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1986 300SDL 173K
1985 300D [sold]
1996 Explorer 62K

I think consensus was to not use ATF.
Larry likes to use motor oil
and some folks don't.
I use redline 85 Plus and or
catalyst.
Dealer sells only Redline product.
The performance products catalog offers
other additives. See archives.
cheers.

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1979 300D
133K miles
1989 300SE
1995 C280

In my way of thinking, there are two goals that you may be wanting to achieve with diesel fuel additives; lubricity and cleanliness.

Just a smidgeon of oil will do for lubricity if you have an older (123) pump that has not been upgraded with hardened barrels. There is no need for ATF, and certainly not that much of it. A few ounces per tankful would be enough.

The second, cleanliness, can be accomplished by any number of good additives on the market, with Redline certainly being at or near the top of the list.

In the sixties, when most additives were snake oil of somekind, ATF was used for cleaning things because it had lots of detergents. What they called "high detergent" oil was just coming into use. ATF was used to keep crankcases among other mechanical things clean. With the motor oils we have now, which are light years ahead of then, there is no need for using ATF for anything other than AT's. ATF can even cause harm to some things, such as power steering systems. Modern ATF has evolved into such a special purpose fluid that it's additives are not good for seals in other systems.

Good luck,

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Larry Bible
'01 C Class, Six Speed
'84 Euro 240D, manual, 533K miles
'88 300E 5 Speed
'81 300D Daughter's Car
Over 800,000 miles in
Mercedes automobiles

Of all the fuel additives I've used over the years, I've found Howe's Fuel Treatment offers the best of every thing (Power Service products are a single Florida ballot runner-up). It cleans the injectors & contains a lubricant to compensate for low sulfur fuel. Since using this product, exhaust smoke has been cut to unnoticeable in my MB's - once they've warmed-up. It's available at most truck stops for about $9 a bottle. If used as directed, a bottle treats 750 gallons! A bottle usually lasts me about 400 gallons ... over-use is not harmful. BTW, they have a "Power Cleaner" (also $9) that should be used for the initial treatment. I use it at each fuel filter change.

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1980 240d 393K
1982 300sd 240K