Cetane Booster beneficial in a 7.3 idi?

[Dane Rickford]

Hey guys, I’m interested in what cetane booster does for our trucks performance and mileage wise. I don’t know how much conversation there has been on this topic, but I haven’t been able to find much. I am just curious to hear your guys opinions and experience with cetane booster in idis.

What are your thoughts and opinions?

 

[Scotty4]

I add dieselkleen every fuel up and when I did new filters, filled one with atf and then one with winter diesel kleen to get rid of it before moving. Ran great.

I've been between 15 to 17 mpg while using it as best as I could calculate. Coming down out of the mountains I did pretty well in the cross country trip. I buy the 1 gallon jugs which treat 200 gallons iirc.

Had a very long discussion on a job site with a Cummins engine tech (big generators) and he said they see improvements and that the antigel stuff is quite good. Maybe there is a thread buried here or another forum but if there were some real world observations or numbers it sure would make the $30 go away easier.

 

[hacked89]

I ran XDP cause a bottle came with the truck. And I'm doing a bunch of work to and will be using stanadyne when it's running again.
Ive heard alot of opinions good and bad about everything and all I can say is, It never hurt anything and it prevented my fuel from gelling in the cold PA winters. So I was happy with that.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[miles1400]

i use diesel kleen additives and i get 13-14 mpg right now, 4:10 gears suck. i use the diesel kleen winter addtive bottle in the winter and i dont think the fuel jelled even at -1 F, and my truck still started even without a block heater. my diesel tech teacher at vo tech school says that cetane boosters are a waste of money but thats just his opinion

 

[riphip]

I use Hotshots Diesel Extreme & Every Day Treatment.

 

[Dane Rickford]

I use Hotshots Diesel Extreme & Every Day Treatment.

That is the stuff that got me thinking about cetane. I was having issues with my pump and Wes told me to run a heavy dose of Hotshots Diesel Extreme, and it seems to have solved my issues. I’ll just have to experiment, but I’m thinking about using a booster on a regular basis now

 

[riphip]

Use the EDT to keep up the pump lubing properties. Set up account at hotshotsecret.com to receive discounts and specials
I use the Gas Treatment in my other vehicles (gas). GOOD STUFF

 

[Dane Rickford]

Use the EDT to keep up the pump lubing properties. Set up account at hotshotsecret.com to receive discounts and specials

I’ll look into that. Thank you @riphip

 

[groovemonster]

I use a cocktail of marvels mystery oil and diesel clean. I don't think my mpg's (I hover around 17) improve much but the engine is happier and The classic diesel clatter is a bit muted.

 

[nostrokes]

I run diesel kleen at every fill up. I can tell when I forget or don't have any at the time, the clatter is louder without it. The cetane helps the fuel burn more complete. There is lube in it to help lube the system since diesel now days is "dryer" than before with the low sulphur content. The white bottle is for winter with anti gel agents but I just run it year round, never gelled up on me in Colorado winters...

 

[mexicanjoe]

I run HOTSHOTS after speaking with Wespaul, I can say it makes a difference even in an old rig like mine.

 

[Kevin 007]

Cetane boosters have shown very little positive or negative results (for me) in the idi world. I have played with most of the different additives, watching EGT's closely and comparing numbers, monitoring "seat of the pants" performance, smoke output, starting etc.... There may be very subtle performance improvements, just none that I have noticed.

For me, its ALL about lubricity increase when it comes to additives. Not trying to make power from an engine that wasn't really designed to go fast. Im not going to add to the "which additives are the best" discussion, just saying lubricity additives are your best bang for you buck when it comes to overall cost of ownership and longevity

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I run diesel kleen at every fill up. I can tell when I forget or don't have any at the time, the clatter is louder without it. The cetane helps the fuel burn more complete. There is lube in it to help lube the system since diesel now days is "dryer" than before with the low sulphur content. The white bottle is for winter with anti gel agents but I just run it year round, never gelled up on me in Colorado winters...

Last month, while I was in Colorado, I noticed that the diesel clatter was louder than normal. I decided that it was from the "running rich", meaning that there is a lower amount of air in the cylinders for the same amount of fuel (N/A). A I was going back east, the clatter got quieter as I got back to the lower elevations. By the time, I got east of the Front Range, the clatter was almost as quiet as normal. I would definitely run a cetane booster in Colorado, I've heard that the fuel quality is pretty poor there.

just saying lubricity additives are your best bang for you buck when it comes to overall cost of ownership and longevity

I agree here. I usually run Opti Lube summer blend. I'm not trying to use the "best" additive, but it seems to be the most economical one (most gallons of fuel treated per bottle) and I like that part. The extra lubrication is what I'm mostly after.

 

[BeastMaster]

IDI, Do you think elevation mattered?

I've yet to run mine at elevation and wonder what to expect when I visit a friend in Colorado.

Incidentally, I am in the Diesel Extreme and Stanadyne camp. The engine seems to really like the stuff. Less clatter. It's with great expectation that I prolong my IP. I bought my beast off of Craigslist about six years ago...and after some replacement of wear items, it has been running like a champ. Still on the IP that came on it. Seems to be working perfectly, and I want to keep it that way.

Both Stanadyne and Diesel Extreme seem to have earned a good reputation on these forums, and I feel like a fool not taking the advice of professional truckers, farmers, ranchers, mechanics, and ardent lovers of these wonderful old workhorse engines.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

IDI, Do you think elevation mattered?

Did elevation matter in what regards? Mine's still N/A so it definitely made a difference in the power. Other than that, and the extra engine clatter, I couldn't tell anything different. Keep an eye on the tailpipe. When you start seeing black smoke, either let off the throttle or downshift. Although I couldn't see anything out of the tailpipe on the return trip since it was all made after dark, I only had to downshift on a couple of hills. I think that was mostly due to the fact that I couldn't see the hills before I started up them so I couldn't take a run at them. The first (highest) mountain pass that I went over was a slow one at any time. Most of it is speed limit 35 and it went to 20 or even 15 on the switchbacks at the top. I drove most of it in 3rd gear (ZF5) except for the very top of the pass where it didn't really want to run in 3rd at the low speeds that I was driving. I kept it in 2nd until I got over the top and headed back down. I was pulling my pickup box trailer and hauling 4 ATVs plus a lot of other camping related things. I think it would have performed differently if I had been empty.