Like many on this forum, I’ve been wincing every time I fill my car with road diesel - £1.30 a litre for road diesel certainly brings very few smiles at the pump.  Interestingly, my car hasn’t seemed to notice the fact that it is running on nearly 50% vegetable oil from my local Asda, however I can’t recommend it as you might try it and break your car… (And the veg oil is now up to just over £1.00 a litre)

So I’ve been talking to a few colleagues at work;

For a start, the: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heating_oil link might start a few thoughts for those who have oil-fired central heating at home.  One colleague was complaining about paying 60p/litre recently.

Another, used to run some, er, ‘equipment’ (Painted matt green!) on aviation jet fuel (Untaxed) but the fuel was issued to him because the normal diesel was a little waterlogged, it was just used, even thought the running temperature of the engine rose significantly.

For those with older ‘chug-chug' diesels, the veg oil cut with diesel might be a way to see fuel costs reduce a but. (Remember, no liability accepted!)

Nothing to stop you running on keroscene-whether aviation grade or central heating grade BUT if you do it without adding lubricating oil of some sort-two stroke for example your injector pump will not last long as neither will your engine as keroscene(paraffin) will dissolve any engine oil lubricating the cylinder walls and has no lubricating properties in it.

By the way whether keroscene or red diesel price is now up to 70p/litre.

Phil

Anyone who advocates running their Diesel Engine on Kero is asking for trouble. Kero is a) too dry a fuel, b) too high volatility being between diesel and gasoline.

You will a) run too hot and destroy seals, cylinder bores and even possibly blow holes pistons, b) ruin your inj. pump, c) may do untold unmentionable to exhaust systemand valves.

BUT mix Kero with straight diesel up to 15 - 20% will give a good diesel able to survive UK winters without waxing, run well in any diesel engine - with a spot of lub oil added to keep pumps etc. happy.

Beware that most diesel available is nowadays already cut with Kero or RT as diesel grading has come on a long way since the old days 0.2% Sulphur Gasoil. Todays EU diesel is averaging 20 - 30ppm sulphur, with 10ppm as the new standard recently imposed. These lower sulphur levels are the reason for companys such as mine adding various to the diesels to replace lost lubrication quality etc.

We also blend various grades - heating oils, marine, domestic and road and I can honestly say that I am amazed at some of the advice I read on the web about diesel and mixes ! One of our major works is the BioDiesel blends that are on market as well. Many people do not realise that they are already often running 5% or more FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester ...... BioDiesel to the public) added to standard diesel. At that level it does not have to be labeled BioD and is effective in curing the lost lubrication quality. So anyone out there adding MORE veg oil is increasing the gumming aspects of the fuel. We spend a lot of trouble making sure that the fuels do not gumm up or fall out of specification, to hear that various web pages etc. then basically destroy all the work we've done. (TBH - we are paid for our work - so what happens after it leaves the forecourt pump is buyers problem !!)

I am lucky that each month the out of date samples in lab are more than my boats fuel need - so I don't have same problem of having to buy at forecourt. (Out here in Latvia forecourt diesel is running at about 80p / ltr and price fast rising ... )

The more I hear about what diesel consists of the more I become angry-dont fuel suppliers realise that those of us who have been driving diesel vehicles over past 40 years dose our fuel with parafin/anti wax additive in winter to stop it waxing-I had no idea whatsoever that forcourt fuel had already been dosed!

Also understood that sulphur does have lubricating properties?

I become ever less suprised that my high pressure common rail supply pump on my Citroen failed after about 70,000 mls or that my turbo is going after 110,000 mls.

Luckily to date my boat engine continues to purr along on general purpose gas oil-one of various fuel options listed by Mercedes Benz in their work shop manual for the OM 636

Phil 

EN590 is a Standard by which diesel is sold to public. Whether public person doses his fuel or not is not concern of fuel supplier.

Let's take example of Public Service Vehicles such as Buses. They have to run summer and winter.No driver is going to dose his fuel, that has to be sorted before it hits bus fuel tank. Diesel trains ? The list is large.

You also have to understand that Fuel Quality is not a hit & miss affair and has to be formulated for climatic / environmental conditions of each location / market. Selling diesel into EU areas is strictly controlled and not in fact a choice of supplier as to quality - EN590 dictates !!

I get impression that you blame modern blende fuels for your fuel pump failiure and pending turbo. Why could it not be what I call the "lightbulb syndrome" - Built in failure ?

Finally I can g'tee that whatever additive you buy across a car access'y or garage forecourt counter will be a poor cousin of professional additives as we use. In fact I would suggest you'd be better of adding a few % of petrol to your diesel instead of some witches brew !!!  Of course it's your wallet - not mine !! Sorry to be blunt and certainly not trying to be rude !! I have serious business blending thousands of tons of fuel for EU distribution each month and I take it very seriously.

Thank you Nigel, for warning us of the wisdom of 'a few colleagues at work' and the mistaken need for additives.

So, it seems that summer fuel is suitable for summer, and winter fuel is suitable for winter.

May I summarise your advice in this way? - 

Mess with fuel formulas at your own risk!

My point is that thru Nigel on this site we have become aware the extent to which diesel is blended-I was just unaware to what extent this took place.

As for the engine it is quite apparent that it is both designed for limited life but also to run on the current EU standard of blends.

In my opinion we buy into fuel economy at expense of longevity-said vehicle well maintained is on its way out at a little over 100,000 unlike OM636 in boat.

Never forget Citroen excusing not changing fuel filter at 10 000 mls as per owners handbook because it said that British fuel is cleaner than its European counterparts!!

Oh and must admit that I do dose with Petrol-problem hereabouts in winter is that a weeks worth of minus fifteen plus is not uncomon.

Oh well!

Phil

EN590 is a strict quality spec for diesel in all markets affecting EU and surrounding areas. The spec is specific to season. Google fore it and you may get a limited version of it displayed. It's commercial data and we have to pay for full spec details !!

Winter spec in UK is at least -15C CFPP and summer is unnecessary to additivate as standard untreated diesel is about -7C anyway.

I would always agree that a touch of kero or petrol in diesel in winter aids starting and also helps keep things clear. It is not unknown for night-time temps to drop in winter enough to start drop out of waxes and parafins.

Other qualities such as Oxidation Stability and Lubricity are strictly controlled as well - so really no need to concern with those.

Its important to appreciate that a lot of the special additives are only present in "Winter Diesel".

Its one of the reasons I put white diesel in my tank and run it trough when laying up. It has all the anti-waxing stuff and corrosion inhibitors as well.

Talk to your nice friendly filling station (if you have one!) The usual Shell/Esso garages have no idea what is in their tanks!

"..... Its important to appreciate that a lot of the special additives are only present in "Winter Diesel"."

Sorry but this is not strictly true. Diesel additives widely used :

Cetane enhancer

Lubricity

Anti-static

Anti-oxidation

Dyes

CFPP

The only one specific to winter is the last one - CFPP (Cold Filter Plugging Point).

Lesser used additives :

WASA (German specific additional to EN590)

Anti-smoke

Pour Point

I just recognised another example of what I have christened "averagisation"-UK winter diesel spec. is minus 15.Four years ago we had a week here in our Glen where it never rose above minus 15 during the day and plummeted well below minus 20 at night.So what you might say but The Scottish Ambulance Service coverage for much of the Great Glen is based here with the ambulance parked outside the duty drivers house! Averagisation means that there are no engine heaters and use standard winter diesel.

Averagisation is equally applicable to 8mb broadband;Mobile Dongles;price of fuel;ability to buy white diesel off the quay for your leisure boat;Digital terrestrial TV reception etc;closure of rural telephone boxes Etc.-if you live in or close to urban centres you get these services.

Tough luck if you happen for eg. to be one of the 6 million who will never get terrestrial digital and believe it or not there are suggestions to stop analogue radio.So what you might say-take telephone boxes.-in Inverie known as the remotest village in the UK for a hundred years you could make a telephone call from the public phone box(now defunct) and absolutely no radio or mobile phone reception.For the first time ever in my life I found no contact with the outside world-and its only 10 miles from the Caledonian Night sleeper terminus at Mallaig.

And I thought Spurn Point was remote and isolated!

W.

I'm sorry for generalisations and those areas that suffer extremes. The simple answer here is to add some petrol or kerosine to correct the fuel. CFPP additives can be had of shelf - but as with most retail products are poor relation to commercial ....

The specification -15C is a recc'd spec and required by EN 590. But local and environmental issues should dictate fuels in that area - and is not impossible. Fuel distribution is a serious and organised biz. They should pay attention to these matters.