I occasionally read "top tier Diesel fuel" in a thread and wonder :

What are the bad brands to avoid ? .

I was recently filling up a clear plastic jug @ Chevron and not only was the pump's nozzle black and fuzzy, the fuel dispensed was tea colored ! .

Glad I wasn't filling my tank with it .

I let the jug sit a few days, nothing at all settled out so I discared it into my waste oil .

I normally use ProPel biomass Diesel, it's always clear and never has crud, chunks nor fungus in it .

I also use Unocal 76 and Mobil .

Are these O.K. ? .

Should I avoid Chevron's Diesel from now on ? .

TIA,

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Top tier doesn't mean ****. That station probably stored the diesel fuel for too long and likely has algae growing in it.
All California diesel is minimum 53 cetane, 56 cetane on average with less than 14% VOC. Most of the diesel fuel produced in California is exported and very different from the rest of the US.

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You're lucky to have 53 cetane. In NY, I haven't been able to find better than 40 cetane for years. Amoco used to sell 50 cetane here, but they're long gone.

US fuel is supposed to be dyed to reflect it's type and use, could what you're seeing be some sort of added coloration? Have you tried this at a different station?

HPR, the diesel fuel sold at Propel in California has a cetane rating of 75
and is a little cheaper than regular diesel fuel.
I have used it in my second tank in the trunk for a couple of years with no problems.

About Diesel HPR | Propel Diesel HPR

Jeff

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1984 300SD 300,000 miles--two tank WVO setup
2.88 diff & 500SEL anti-squat rear end

Diesel HPR = "The Magic Elixir".

If you live anywhere near a Propel station, it is well worth the drive to use that stuff.

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Current rolling stock:
2001 E55 183,000+ Newest member of the fleet.
2002 E320 83,000 - The "cream-puff"!
1992 500E 217,000+
1995 E300D 412,000+
1998 E300D 155,000+
2001 E320 227,000+
2001 E320 Wagon, 177,000+

Prior MBZ’s:
1952 220 Cab A
1966 300SE
1971 280SE
1973 350SLC (euro)
1980 450SLC
1980 450SLC (#2)
1978 450SLC 5.0
1984 300D ~243,000 & fondly remembered
1993 500E - sorely missed.
1975 VW Scirocco w/ slightly de-tuned Super-Vee engine - Sold after 30+ years.

Federal diesel is min 48 cetane. Has been even since ULSD was mandated.

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Keep discussing please .

Dyed Diesel Fuel is for off road use and no, this piss wasn't that .

My Son is who got me to use the ProPel HPR fuel, like everyone else I talk to he claims it makes his big Chevy CrewCab pickup truck run better and get increased fuel economy .

@ tjts1 :

Algae needs sunlight to grow, you'll never find it in Diesel Fuel, Fungus yes .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

That's not the case. Federal diesel is 40 cetane minimum, see ASTM D975. Some states have different standards. Texas is 48, California 53.

As for dye, red is for boilers or off-road, blue for police and emergency, undyed for road fuel. That was the way it used to be, but I'm not sure if these new high-cetane biofuels fuels require something different. The purpose of the dye is so the Diesel police can make sure you have the right stuff in the tank. If CA has a different standard, they may specify a different color. Just a guess. It would be interesting to hear if other stations are selling "dirty" colored fuel.

"Diesel algae" is actually a bacteria, not an algae. It will live on water and diesel, no sun required. Typically, it consumes all the available water and dies. The only time you have a problem is if there is a steady source of moisture.

In our area, and I suspect most, ALL fuel is the same. I'm in San Diego and all the fuel comes down to a common fuel farm with shared tanks, from a refinery in LA. As the tanker trucks fill up to make their deliveries to the various stations, any branded additives and appropriate dyes are added at that time. The dirty little secret is that the primary purpose of the additives is to "mark" the fuel to prevent stations from transferring to other stations.

I've gotten virtually all my fuel at one "unbranded" station for more than 100k miles.

The fuel is clean and comparatively cheap. In fact I haven't changed my fuel filter in 100k miles. (Not recommended, but I run a fuel pressure gauge to monitor pump and filter performance)

I wouldn't worry about brand, rather look for stations where you see commercial vehicles fuel up and where there is lots of traffic. This will help ensure you get clean, fresh, dry fuel. Commercial vehicles can't afford to get bad fuel! ...and share experiences within their community.

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Current Stable

• 380SL (diesel)
• Corvette C5
• Manx
• Baja Bug
• F350 Powerstroke
• Auburn Boattail Speedster replica

Diesel around here can be clear, slight yellow/green tinge, or straw/amber colored. As long as the fuel was a consistent color, not cloudy and no red dye, and(as Mach4 says) as long as the station has decent turnover, I'd have run it.

I WISH we got HPR diesel around here. Hope that stuff goes nation wide.

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617 swapped Toyota Pickup, 22-24 MPG, 50k miles on swap

Only "off road" fuel is dyed, used mostly for agriculture. It's not taxed, much cheaper, and sometimes people are tempted to cheat, but in places where it's prevalent the police often check at random if the fuel pulled from your tank is dyed it's a huge fine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetane_number tells most of the story, what's interesting is according to this cetane index and cetane number are different values for the thing...so, it does get confusing.

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1983 W123 300TD US spec Turbo engine, with Euro bumpers and manual climate control, and manual transmission.

Well, there's really no such thing as "Top Tier Diesel" here in the US. If anyone thinks that they're getting better diesel (i.e. additional additives for engine/fuel system cleanliness) at BP, Shell or (insert other Top Tier Gasoline retailer here)....they are sadly mistaken.

I think BP still offers Diesel Supreme, but which stations or markets it's available in I don't know. A few retailers may add additives to their diesel, QuikTrip and Meijer come to mind, but mostly it's best to just buy fuel from a station that has good turnover and add your own.

It would be great if Propel biomass diesel was more widely available!

THANK YOU ALL .

I'd hoped for some discussion of brands etc.

The tea colored swill I got in Jurupa, (? SP ?) Ca. was from a Chevron filling station right off the I15 freeway, a very busy station indeed .

I used to get only clear or lightly tinted blue/green Diesel fuel, now more and more I get Lemonade or darker colored fuels and it concerns me greatly .

I'm wondering if I should begin avoiding Chevron stations entirely ? .

I do often use Power Service Diesel Kleen as it makes the engines run noticeably stronger and increases the fuel economy at least three MPG .

The ProPel HPR stations are not too close to me but whenever possible I make a point of filling up there .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Do you have 2ehn for sale in your country ?,its a cetane booster you add to compensate for poor burning fuels such a wvo etc.
One ml to a litre of fuel and mixed well equals lightspeed

I'm 80 miles from the nearest propel station so whenever I'm in LA I make full use of my Jerry cans and 23 gallon fuel tank. 2 Jerry cans fit nicely in the w124 trunk side pockets. It's like the trunk was designed for it.
http://i.imgur.com/oue27.jpg

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