Why do we use cetane boosting fuel additive in our beloved diesel pickup truck SEEMORE? Last year, sadly, SEEMORE suffered a catastrophic engine failure. Specifically, the EGR (environmental gas recirculation) cooler failed. We ended up needing to replace both the EGR cooler and the oil cooler with new units. It was quite an ordeal, and not easy on the wallet.
It’s a sad day when your tow truck needs a tow.
As we were leaving the service center, I had an interesting chat with an engine technician.
“What should we do,” I asked, “to help maintain our engine in the future? Are there any products you recommend?”
“Get a cetane booster fuel additive,” he replied. “It will really improve the fuel.” He then went on to say some unflattering words about what the government has done to diesel fuel in recent years.
So I picked up 80 ounces of this stuff: Power Service Diesel Fuel Supplement. This 80 ounce container treats 250 gallons of diesel, so that’s about 10 fill-ups in our truck.
We’re now running this diesel fuel supplement in our Ford F250 pickup truck. One 80 oz. container treats about 250 gallons of fuel. If it delivers the claimed fuel economy benefits, the additive pays for itself! (Click the pic for more info.)
What are the claimed benefits?
1. It cleans dirty fuel injectors and prevents injector sticking.
2. It boosts cetane up to six numbers, so diesel engines run smoother with faster power delivery (less lag) and faster cold starts. It also boosts power, and thus reduces the need for downshifting during high-load conditions like towing an RV.
3. It claims to improve fuel economy up to 8 percent. If this claim is true, the fuel savings actually exceed the cost of the additive!
4. This formula also contains Slick diesel lubricator for maximum fuel lubrication. This lubricant protects pumps and injectors from accelerated wear.
5. Magically tranforms ordinary cloth seats into luxurious leather.
Okay, benefit #5 is complete baloney. But there remain at least 4 benefits offered by this additive. It’s effective in all diesel fuels, including ultra low sulfur diesel, biodiesel and biodiesel blends.
Clean your diesel: it’s the right thing to do. Bonus points for stealing one of your wife’s “Pampered Chef” measuring cups in the process.
We are now running Power Service diesel fuel supplement in every tank of fuel. I will be tracking our fuel economy this summer to see whether the claimed benefits transfer to the real world.
By the way, many of you have asked about the status of our truck. Thanks for asking: at the moment, SEEMORE appears to be healthy and ready to go tow. I will be writing (and videoing) more about our truck in the near future. Stay tuned!