ATF in fuel filter

[nhwrench01]

From what I've found, synthetic's burn "harder" than non. But in small amounts, its ok.
i have run straight waste ATF in my 2nd tank "rear" for years . Straight, not cut with anything and its fine, as long as the engine is hot, and its not cold outside,/.. flow problems. at 30-40 deg...
lots of good people here, some with tons of info, and more knowledge than me on this, but ATF has a high content of detergent in it and "could" help clean the fuel system.
I run it because ... 1 . I get it for free. 2 , I filter it cheaply.. 3, I think it cleans the fuel system as i drive. 4. I have driven over 10,000 miles ( in the summer, warm weather) so far and no problems from running aft...
If your just looking for a "cleaning" of the fuel system, and have 1 tank, maybe pour in 1 quart of atf at every fill up....
hope this helps ..

 

[chris142]

Atf does NOT contain any detergents. That is a wives tail that goes way back. It is a hydraulic fluid with addatives to help clutches work. No idea how it helps an injection pump work better.

 

[264WSM]

I think the additives are there for the heat issues of an automatic. Most hydraulic systems don't run that hot. You are correct = it is 10w or 15w hydraulic oil with an additives package.

 

[Lonewolf182]

Has anyone tried doing this with Marvel Mystery Oil?

 

[Oldfrogdiving]

Ok my neighbor told me about this, I put half qt of ,ATF and diesel clean in my tank at every other fill up, my IDI runs well but every once in awhile when i start it or come off the throttle at stop light it chugs a bit, then tap pedal it goes away been doing this since i have owned it. Once I get my PSD up and running im gonna try this.

On a similar subject last year I experimented with filtered WMO in the front tank 15 gals of WMO 1 gal of gas a little ATF and diesel clean then filled up with diesel probably like 3 gals. new oil and fuel filters. Started on the rear tank straight diesel, switched over to the front tank after warmed up no noticeable difference not even much smoke but it did smell a bit like burn oil, I ran that tank down to 1/4 it would even start on this concoction I ran 3 tanks of this (to use up all my oil I had been collecting), then went back to diesel. I just wanted to see if things go south the girl would run on WMO. I checked the fuel filter after about 1200 miles just cause I was curious, it was definitely filtering dark and ugly looking. I DONT suggest doing this unless you have back up transport. But its good to know just in case. I have done similar things with an old mercedes 4 banger.

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

Atf does NOT contain any detergents. That is a wives tail that goes way back. It is a hydraulic fluid with addatives to help clutches work. No idea how it helps an injection pump work better.

In my opinion, the added viscosity and lubricity are what makes this trick work. The injectors are hydraulically "fired" and they should go off a little higher with ATF versus ULSD as the slightly higher viscosity helps at the pump and the injectors. Your injector pump loves a dose of ATF as it's far closer to hydraulic oil than any diesel fuel. Think about it: your injector pump is really a hydraulic pump, and nobody in their right mind would use diesel fuel as hydraulic oil. It only got worse when they went to ULSD as even more lubricity was removed. Diesel fuel is not ever a good hydraulic fluid, which is why all the newer injection technology went to oil over fuel at the injectors. Motor oil is a much better hydraulic fluid than diesel, which is why you'll see HPOPs typically lasting much longer than IDI injector pumps. I think even with additives every fuel fill up, the old adage of your IDI fuel system lasting 100K miles is a myth thanks to the advent of ULSD. IMHO, if you aren't using some type of additive on every fill up on an IDI, you should expect your injector pump to wear out significantly faster.