What is a good diesel additive/cleaner?

[Colington]

1989 cruiser 12HT h55 339,000km

Is there a recommended cleaner or additive to clean this old girl up? I get one puff of black smoke at start up and after that she's pretty clean. Obviously it's an oil burner so you still smell diesel when behind it and I feel a bit smoky after I've been riding around for a day. I was just thinking it couldn't hurt to give her a colonoscopy of sorts.

 

[BCR4619]

You can't beat getting injectors and pump rebuilt, there is only so much snake oil can do!

I have added liqui moly to the filter (whole can) when replacing it to clean a few things out.

It could also be pump settings

 

[John Galt]

What is a good diesel additive/cleaner?

Biodiesel

 

[BCR4619]

What is a good diesel additive/cleaner?

Biodiesel

I haven't looked but are they running a minimum of 5% bio in the Diesel down there, I know its Mandatory in BC but I don't know about elsewhere

 

[Wes]

I've heard good things about Seafoam, although I have no personal experience with it.

 

[Douglas S]

I used Liqui Moly Diesel Purge. Seemed to make a small difference.

A puff of black on startup is normal.

 

[IanB]

X2, injection pump goes to full fueling on startup, so the puff of smoke is totally normal. I fill a new fuel filter with seafoam when changing the filter, and it seems to make an improvement in idle and acceleration hazing (the visible stuff anyways), the smell doesn't seem to go away, and the haze at night with headlights behind you is still visible as well.

 

[gerg]

I did the diesel purge but got the engine good and hot first then ran the fuel line straight to the can and ran it for a couple minutes then let the engine sit for 10 minutes then ran for a couple more minutes revving it up a lot to get lots of rack travel then sit again for 10 minutes. Did this on and off as I worked on other stuff in the garage. Did 2 full cans this way over the course of several hours. I noticed a signifigant improvement with idle and smoke.

 

[Douglas S]

I did it straight from the can, but on a cold engine and did the whole can at once with varying rpm's. Might grab a couple more and try again sometime, but I don't think I have any significant issues that need to be cleared up.

 

[gerg]

My thought was I wanted to soak and disolve lots of crap built up in there. More time spent soaking just made sence. It's not really something you can rush I don't think. It is great stuff considering it's not overly expensive. There are more aggressive cleaners like ac delco "cleans" for example, but I wouldn't allow that to sit in it for long and I wouldn't inject it into the cylinders to combust. I'd pull the glow plugs and vent it. It is polychlorobenzine. A super not brain cell friendly chemical. It's proven to cause MS. It would be like aerosolizing Mercury.

 

[BCR4619]

I ran some sea foam in the crankcase just before the last chance, ran it for about 20kms.... truck seems to run smoother but its hard to say for sure. Maybe I will try it before next change and leave it in there a little bit longer like recommended.

 

[tmarx]

So what is the general feeling about doing a MotorVac CarbonClean ? I had it done once to my HZJ105 T and consumption suffered badly afterwards ??

 

[Greg_B]

Diesel Purge is good stuff and used how gerg mentions is a good way if you are working on an engine new to you or have an issue you are working through. It's not injector or pump rebuild in a can...but I've seen great results that have lasted. Trouble with just filling the fuel filter at service intervals for our later engines (better then doing nothing though I think) is the high fuel return rate gives it a single pass, then it's in the tank and diluted with whatever fuel is in there: Hence running it full strength from the can (supply and return into the can) at varying RPM's to use up the whole can keeps it at 100%.

Someone here a long while back mentioned Diesel Fuel Additives and Fuel Management and I have been using 4+ since. I ordered some ezypor caps and I have one container in each vehicle so measuring and adding is simple at each fill.

And pump timing. Just had my 13BT pump timed at Millson Motorworks on Vancouver Island and there is a noticeable improvement. Have to get some kms on it to really track the changes.

hth's
gb

 

[Douglas S]

I was very pleasantly surprised after re-timing my 1HD-T.

 

[gerg]

I don't know much about motorvac per say, but if you put in anything that softens and loosens top ring carbon and allow it to dry before you start the engine and blow it out it will freeze your rings 100%. I accidently did that with gm upper cylinder combustion chamber cleaner and couldn't get the engine running compression was so bad. Did the soak again for a second time without letting it all dry up and sucked it out and started it and compressed and blowby was incredible. Incredible in a good way that is.

I much prefer auto-rx as it takes a lot longer, but it's results are a lot more predictable and it only involves changing the oil and filter. The other stuff is horribly messy and very toxic.

 

[NSALT]

2 stroke engine oil added to the diesel is suppose to be a good additive for helping keep the pump and other bits well lubricated I can't remember what the mix ratio is Google is your friend

 

[John Galt]

I haven't looked but are they running a minimum of 5% bio in the Diesel down there, I know its Mandatory in BC but I don't know about elsewhere

minimum 5% is Canada regs. It needs to be 10% BD or more to get significant cleaning effects, both in terms of exhaust emissions and fuel system cleaning.
I also run a can of Seafoam into the hot fuel system and let it sit overnight once a year.

Dislodging years of built up crud will usually clog filters and screens. The ones on the fuel inlet in the tank, and the fuel input banjo fitting on the fuel feed pump, are not mentioned in the maintenance manuals and can be difficult to access.

 

[BCR4619]

Yeah there is a post somewhere around here by me when I first got the truck and ran some stabadyne.... Filter in the tank was plugged solid