ULSD in Baja

The folks that really could offer professional answers are probably thoroughly intimidated by the thought of having legal action brought against them by vehicle owners, the EPA and various state emissions departments. All I can say about ULSD is that Mexico, the city refuses to purchase buses with particulate filters, so they purchase nothing because the manufacturers threaten to hold void the entire warranty on the vehicle if the particulate filter is removed. The buses are way past the "push over a cliff" point. It is causing a huge scandal and political firestorm.

My question is this Are all vehicles the same? Meaning a particulate filter operates and acts exactly the same way on all brands and types of vehicles? Do manufacturers say anything at all more than "Vehicle must use ULSD or vehicle warranty is void"?

Is Mexican diesel higher in ppm sulfur than USA regular diesel? If so by how much or how many ppm is the USA diesel.

Jeez what a guessing game (

For the last 6 years I have traveled down the West Coast of Mexico in a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a Mercedes 6cyl turbo diesel. I have had no problems running on non-ULSD. The regen occurs with blue smoke which is rather dramatic when you first experience it. I very much doubt the Sprinter went into limp mode because of the lack of ULSD

Isn't spanish great? Back in the sixties and asked for "pavo" in a carniceria. The butcher looked at me like I was nuts. GUAJALOTE! GUAJALOTE! he repeated. "Trailer" in mainland Mexico, "Camion" in Baja California.
Autobus in Baja, Camion on the mainland.

An autopista is seldom called that. Cuota instead. There is formal español and spoken español. I am truly guilty of the latter :)

pipas, Spanish for tankers

Mexicowanderer just an FYI pipas is Spanish for pipes. Petrolero can be used for tanker.

Tequila wrote:
All of Baja including the south is now ULSD according to Dan Goy of Baja Amigos.

I know lots of people running late model diesels down as far as Manzanillo & back every year that have not had issues.

Baja California Sur is all pure Mexican refined diesel according to Petroleos Mexicanos. I guess you'd have to draw a clear jar sample, of fuel like I did from a Baja Sur station and compare it to Antonio's gasolinera ULSD which is water clear in El Rosario. The Vizcaino diesel for instance is unquestionably more yellowish. Ask a chofer de pipa (that's a tank truck driver) dumping fuel in Guerrero Negro where he picked up his load "Pichilingue Señor. Pipas do not come south of El Rosario"

Yeah, I can really see a tanker making a 2,000 mile run from the tank farm in Ensenada... The next main entry point (pipeline) is through El Paso / Juarez and that line does NOT run to Cabo San Lucas.

People with a vested interest in not losing prospective customers due to the no ULSD issue may not have the best perspective of the point.

The only other storage point on the mainland is in Guaymas. I did notice a tank farm (small in Santa Rosalia. The joint venture refinery in Deer Park is taxed enough as is to produce ULSD for the Houston area (Shell) plus northern Mexico.

If regeneration does not reduce carbon, what is the point of regeneration? I am not a diesel expert.

The point I ponder is the one about someone loudly voicing an opinion that they have traveled extensively "all over Mexico" with a diesel supposedly sensitive to the ULSD requirement and bragging about it. Not the bragging -- if maybe he ended up faced with a bill for replacement of the particulate filter costing of thousands of dollars and did not have the gumption to make public the fact that he had made a costly mistake.

Time is the key. Operating the newer sensitive diesels on LSD. If nothing is heard in the next several years then I might be more convinced than I am now. The kicker is that diesel from regular refineries could be treated in the future to halve the amount of sulfur and a person would never know about it. I used to load tank trucks bound for Stauffer Chemical at a Shell Oil refinery. The molten sulfur was transported 40 miles then converted to sulfuric acid, returned to the refinery to make alkylate. This entire process needs to be adopted big time by Pemex and Mexico. The Houston refinery makes alkylate and some of it finds its way into Pemex Premium gasoline.

There was a guy with a mercedes diesel sprinter which went into limp mode this year after about 8 tankfulls. He took it to diesel mechanic, not quite sure what they did, but he made it home. Maybe they are mores sensitive than than ford, dodge & gm. Or maybe it was coincidence.

The Op wrote " We would appreciate it if anyone out there has experienced a bad outcome from using ULSD in southern Baja, will you please let us know?"
So far, and after following this question in one form another for years, the answer seems to be that NO ONE has ever posted a comment on using the diesel in Mexico that has caused a problem mechanically or warranty wise. I do remember one person claiming his truck was doing a regen burn more often than he recalled. But this was one person and I doubt it would fit in any scientific equation.
if there were any real problems, you can bet it would be all over the forums. And it is not, even after all these years.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Topolobampo Sinaloa Pemex sends DIESEL across the gulf by barge to Pichilingue. Tank farm to tank farm. From Pichilingue, pipas, Spanish for tankers haul the fuel northward as far as Jesús María, the last real Pemex gasolinera for many hundreds of miles.

Topolobampo fuel except for USA manufactured premium gasoline comes from either the Pemex refinacion in Salamanca, Guanajuato or Salina Cruz, Oaxaca. The Magna and the diesel are manufactured in Mexico. Pemex does not classify this fuel as being UBA or Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel. Pemex assigns a maximum permissible sulfur content of 300 PPM as compared to 15 PPM sulfur for UBA. No UBA diesel is manufactured in Mexico.

With the exception of Villa Jesús Maria, and Bahía Gonzaga, every PEMEX gasolinera in Baja California (this is the north state) has sold ULSD for the last five years. None of the Bala California Sur, gasolineras sell ULSD, UBA diesel.

I have been traveling south to the tip of Baja for the past 13 years and this is also my understanding. I drive a pre 2007 diesel. Someday I would like to upgrade to a newer truck but until I am assured that ULSD is sold in Southern Baja I will hang on to my old truck.

Nik

All of Baja including the south is now ULSD according to Dan Goy of Baja Amigos.

I know lots of people running late model diesels down as far as Manzanillo & back every year that have not had issues.

Mexicowanderer: I ma certainly no expert but the only way to "clean" the DPF is via a machine or by regens. Switching to ULSD would not help but infrequent usage of the high sulfur fuel should not cause any problems as the DPF will be cleaned with a regen. Just maybe a little sooner. I don't know what happens if you continuously use ULSD. Porbably plugs the DPF. The on vehicle cleaning is done by injecting raw diesel into the filter and lighting it on fire!!!
( A dramatic explanation). When Cat was still building OTR truck engines they had an access door on the DPF and sold a kit one could use to clean the filter.

Moisheh