High or low sulfur????

[warlord381]

Ok, I'm not sure where to throw this so Aux equipment it is... A local gas station has both high and low sulfur diesel! I have a 1985 M1009 a 1987 MEP003A, and a duece. Should I use high sulfur in all? I herd (here somewhere) that high sulfur is more lubrication? Is that true or does it matter? The gas station advertises the low sulfur as highway fuel and the high sulfur as off-road 4x4 type fuel. FYI my CUCV has 40,000 miles and the MEP003a has 24 hours! Which should I use? I really didnt expect to have to choose...

 

[warlord381]

Anyone? Buehler? Buehlur?

 

[akonitony]

Use the cheap stuff. Sulfer does act as a lubricant. You can use regular gas mixed with 1 qt filtered used motor oil per every 15 gal of gas in the multifuel. Enjoy...

 

[panic_button]

I run high sulfer when I can find it. If you can't find it a little bio helps on the lube of the fuel, keep it less than 5%. On my trucks/tractor/dozer I can tell the differance with the high vs. ulta low.

 

[Jimma]

If they got the high run it.

 

[mikeroot2]

Off road fuel is cheaper because you're not paying the "road tax" It will be dyed to identify it. If you get pulled over by one of our fine Michigan State Police Officers and they dip your tank you are screwed(would only worry about that in the deuce). Maybe it will never happen, maybe it will. Is the cost savings worth the risk? Maybe Maybe not. Been debated many times. It's made for off road equipment like excavators, bull dozers, diesel dewatering pumps, etc, not made for 4x4's, although I guess if they're only driven off road they would qualify. Your generator is a fine example of what it is for. The deuce IP is not lubricated by the fuel so the sulfur won't help it(the IP). Not sure about the M1009. If you want to risk the dyed "high sulfur/off road" It sure won't hurt anything mechanically.

 

[beanman1]

i got a station close to me that sell me the off road all the time i run it in my m1009

 

[tractors0130]

FYI, high sulfur diesel (HSD) has > 500 ppm sulfur, low sulfur diesel (LSD) has < 500 ppm sulfur and Ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) has < 15 ppm sulfur. As more of the sulfur is removed, the lubricity goes down also. Usually off-road diesel that has no road tax is dyed red at a rate of 3.9 # per 1000 gallons and is regulated and it is best to not get caught running this on the road. Some states even have signs posted that read "Report Fuel Tax Evasion".

 

[warlord381]

****, this is a whole new world to me. I thought diesel was diesel. Ok, so if I read you guys right I should run high sulfur in the genny and low in the duece and 1009 (to be legal).

 

[mikeroot2]

To be legal, yes.

 

[Isaac-1]

I read a report online a while back regarding wear issues in the MEP-002/MEP-003 etc. caused by running various types of fuel other than old fashion high sulphur #2 Diesel. This report was mainly geared at non-U.S. produced fuel alternatives for the middle east, including Russian jet fuel. The short version is some of these common alternatives caused very increased wear (1/4 -1/2 normal life) for parts in the injection pump. Given a typical injection pump rebuild costs nearly as much as surplus MEP-002's typically sell for on GL, (I just paid $634 for a rebuild on a 30 year old Roosa Master pump off an Allis Chalmers engine last week, base rebuild, plus some extra parts) I would run high sulphur when/if I could. Note there are sulphur containing additives you can buy for highway vehicles that are legal to run in ones built before about 2000.

Ike

 

[hklvette]

Some states have a "fuel blender's license" that allows you to run anything, including off-road diesel, so long as you "keep track" of what you use and pay the piper at the end of the year.

 

[Speddmon]

I'll bet if you track down the supplier to your local station you'll find that the so called "high sulfer" diesel is actually just ULSD dyed red. A station by me advertises the same thing, I called the distributor for them and was told that it was in fact ULSD. It is a federal mandate that high sulfer diesel is no longer sold even in offroad applications (IIRC)

 

[glcaines]

I think we are mixing things up a bit. There is both high sulfur and low sulfur diesel that has road tax added to the price. Previously, all diesel with road tax was high sulfur. Offroad diesel is the same as highway diesel, except there are no road taxes added, and a red dye is added to tell the difference.

You do NOT want to get caught running untaxed diesel on the highway. This happened to a fiend of mine in Alabama and it cost him dearly. I would run high sulfur diesel on the highway if you can find it and off-road diesel in the MEP-003A.

 

[m16ty]

Around here some stations still offer low sulfur diesel in addition to ultra low sulfur diesel. It's my understanding that high sulfur diesel has been illegal for awhile now to run on road. That is, you won't get in trouble for running but it is against the law for stations to sell it for on-road use. If you can find it, I'd say run it. It has nothing to do with tax, it's a EPA reg to help control pollution. They are also phasing out low sulfur diesel for on road use and doing away with high sulfur altogether.

The tax issues are a whole different story. If the fuel is dyed red ( no matter what the sulfur content is) it is for off-road use only. The fines can equal several thousand dollars and is just not worth the risk IMO. People used to get away with mixing WMO into the off-road diesel so you couldn't see the dye but the government has gotten wise to that. Now they use a fluorescent red dye. If they hit the fuel with a blacklight and it glows, you're busted.

 

[glcaines]

Around here some stations still offer low sulfur diesel in addition to ultra low sulfur diesel. It's my understanding that high sulfur diesel has been illegal for awhile now to run on road. That is, you won't get in trouble for running but it is against the law for stations to sell it for on-road use. QUOTE]

You are correct. I should have used the terms low sulfur diesel and ultra low sulfur diesel instead of high sulfur diesel and low sulfur diesel. It is the same where I live - you can still find low sulfur diesel as well as the newer ultra low sulfur diesel. Thanks for catching my error.

 

[MATT]

On older diesel engines, 2007 and earlier, buy what ever is the least expensive. BUT buy a quality diesel fuel lubricant like BG Products and add it to your fuel tank at every fill.

As most of you stated, the ultra low sulfur diesel does not have the lubricant older diesel engines need. Adding lubricant is cheap insurance... I add it to my 1999 Cummins and our entire fleet of 140 mil vehicles.