Diesel Fuel Grade

Stop reading worthless articles on Diesel Fuel, It all the same out there (USLD) and won't hurt a thing on your MH. I've been burning it for the last 150,000 miles or so.

That is all you will find and I have noted we have lost a few tenths in fuel mileage since that is all that is available.

k.jensen6 wrote:
I am a new owner of a 2001 diesel pusher and have read articles about low sulphur diesel grades. As long as I am using highway fuel, do I have to worry about fuel grades?

Basically, On Road Diesel Fuel is just that, ULSD. If you get caught running dyed red Off Road Diesel Fuel, the fine is very steep. But you probably will not find it at truck stops or gas stations, so you don't need to worry. You will find premium or supreme ULSD now and then. It will be a couple cetane points higher than regular diesel, and have gone through a couple more filterings, but that is it. Premium or supreme ULSD is not necessary for any diesel engine. So all you need is ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel). In the winter months if you travel in the colder temperatures you will want to make sure it is a winter blend. The pumps should state that. And ULSD will run just fine in older diesels, contrary to what you might read!

I would not worry about US diesel on the road. ULSD has not harmed my Cummins ISC one bit, and I remember there being a memo from Cummins about ULSD not having harm to older ISB and ISC motors. I do find that my injection system (2001 ISC is a CAPS based motor) does benfit from a full tank of treated fuel once a year. But that is as far as I go other then using additives to stabilize the fuel during storage.

In addition to ULSD, there is also bio-diesel with different percent blends. For example, B20 is 80% petroleum diesel and 20% bio-diesel.

Bio-diesel has slightly less BTU's/gallon and shorter shelf life. If I have a choice, I don't use bio-diesel.

All engine manufacturers have specs BY ENGINE FAMILY AND ENGINE YEAR as to maximum permissible percent of bio-diesel. They also have published specs that biodiesel must meet. Note, Bubba making bio-diesel from McDonalds fryer may NOT meet the engine manufacturer's requirements.

JimM68 wrote:
no. Ultra low sulfer diesel is the only fuel that can be purchased in the usa for over the road vehicles today, and it is perfectly suitable for all diesel engines.

X2.

no. Ultra low sulfer diesel is the only fuel that can be purchased in the usa for over the road vehicles today, and it is perfectly suitable for all diesel engines.

In the USA you will only find ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel), Biodiesel or Biodiesel blends. This is 15PPM sulfur vs. Low Sulfur Diesel which was the predecessor fuel at 500PPM sulfur.

You can do some searches here for various opinions on Biodiesel. Most say it can cause fuel filter clogging, but I have never used it and therefore have no first hand experience. Some truck stops are either offering the Biodiesel blends or have it exclusively from what I have read on this forum.