Have your CAT had its Asphaltene today???

[Reworked LMTV]

I was unaware of this nightmare contamination that can occur in diesel fuel. It showed up on my diesel tractor, but I think it is relevant here.

I was driving my diesel tractor and it suddenly lost RPMs and died. I thought, maybe water in fuel. The fuel filter had collapsed and there was thick, very tar like build up in the bottom of the plastic filter can. I tried various solvents, but MAF sensor cleaner was the best result, still I had to use a pick to get that crap out.

Asphaltene - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Anyone had this contamination and what did you use to prevent it in the future? Additive, etc.

 

[MatthewWBailey]

I was unaware of this nightmare contamination that can occur in diesel fuel. It showed up on my diesel tractor, but I think it is relevant here.

I was driving my diesel tractor and it suddenly lost RPMs and died. I thought, maybe water in fuel. The fuel filter had collapsed and there was thick, very tar like build up in the bottom of the plastic filter can. I tried various solvents, but MAF sensor cleaner was the best result, still I had to use a pick to get that crap out.

Asphaltene - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Anyone had this contamination and what did you use to prevent it in the future? Additive, etc.

Never heard of this myself. I found this article which talks about fuel additives as the main preventative. The master mechs on here would know for sure.

Understanding a Common Culprit for Lost MPG: Asphaltene - Diesel Direct

dieseldirect.com

 

[98G]

Apparently it happens in oil wells also. The flowing liquid suddenly turns into a solid black crayon.

 

[NDT]

Maybe I have that. Thought it was some kind of wax that precipitated out of the diesel. I used lacquer thinner to cut it in the primary filter, trying ethanol in the fuel tank. This is a LMTV.

 

[chucky]

Hes got a 1088 and when was the last time the filters were changed ? Weve all seen old equipment thats sat 20 yrs out in fields that the diesel didnt do that sounds like something was poured into your tank ! I put a half jug of HOWES twice a year in mine has done a good job !

 

[MatthewWBailey]

Hes got a 1088 and when was the last time the filters were changed ? Weve all seen old equipment thats sat 20 yrs out in fields that the diesel didnt do that sounds like something was poured into your tank ! I put a half jug of HOWES twice a year in mine has done a good job !

Meaner Kleaner or Diesel Defender?

 

[chucky]

 

[tennmogger]

Removing asphaltenes

Anyone know of a way to dissolve the stuff while its in the tank?

www.steelsoldiers.com

 

[ehinlein]

Removing asphaltenes

Anyone know of a way to dissolve the stuff while its in the tank?

www.steelsoldiers.com

 

[ehinlein]

Acetone. Had 1/2-3/4” in bottom of backhoe tank. Scoop it out then acetone to get the rest. Bought 5 gals at HDepot.

 

[NDT]

E85 ethanol gas appears to cut it. Now to get all these chunks out of the tank.

 

[Reworked LMTV]

Hes got a 1088 and when was the last time the filters were changed ? Weve all seen old equipment thats sat 20 yrs out in fields that the diesel didnt do that sounds like something was poured into your tank ! I put a half jug of HOWES twice a year in mine has done a good job !

I have a m1088 tractor and a tractor. The issue showed up on my Mitsubishi tractor, but since I thought it was relevant, I thought I would share it here. No, sorry this is classic asphaltene. It matches the characteristics of asphaltene consistency and solvency.

 

[Bearkiller]

I was unaware of this nightmare contamination that can occur in diesel fuel.

There are two entirely different fuel contaminants that grow inside diesel fuel tanks, "Algae" and Asphaltenes.

The Algae is organic and the Asphaltenes are chemical.

If you can get your fingers on the problem, it is real easy to tell which you have.

Algae is slick and slimy and will wipe right off.

Asphaltene is the most sticky stuff you have ever had on your hands; you won't just wipe it off with a rag, nor will plain old soap and water cut it; a good citrus hand-cleaner with pumice will take off a layer of hide and the sticky stuff with it.

There is a lot of contradictory information and a lot of confusion of someone seeking information about Asphaltene and everyone volunteering what they think they know about an Algae infestation.

What will work for one will not work for the other.

I have had Algae infestations in the past and am currently dealing with a bad Asphaltene situation.

Algae will tend to be a floating mat on top of the fuel in the tank.

Asphaltene will be a sludgy, extremely gooey, sticky, tar-like layer adherring to the bottom of the tank.

Many many people have a bad Asphaltene issue and are completely unaware as they have no means of draining and seeing inside their fuel tank(s).

Also, whether the problem be Algae or Asphaltene, so many vehicles only have the one fuel filter that is purpose-designed to stop up at the slightest excuse so your only recourse is to buy another.

I am a firm believer and user of the GoldenRod deep plastic bowl filter assemblies as a first line of defense.

The GoldenRod has many advantages incorporated in it's simple design that used to be common on all fuel filters way back before we were born.

The GoldenRod has a very deep see-thru plastic bowl with a drain right in bottom-center.

Any water observed in the bowl can be drained out without molesting the filter.

The actual filter itself screws up into the head and is miles from the bottom of the bowl.

The See-Thru plastic bowl can be unscrewed from the head without disturbing the filter cartridge which stays screwed in place.

One huge advantage of having such a deep bowl with the actual filter being high above; anything that would stop a metal-encased filter in it's tracks will most likely rinse away and settle to the bottom of the bowl.

There are only two additions I make to my GoldenRods, one being drilling/tapping 1/8-NPT and installing a bleeder-cock in the very top of the filter head; opening this "vent" allows the bottom drain to drain freely.

I also add a cut-off valve on the inlet side.

I have a whole gauntlet of various filters and separators after the GoldenRod and I haven't changed a single one of them since installing the GoldenRods.

I say GoldenRods for a reason; to get the most benefits, one must be first in line at every tank if you have more than one tank; that way whatever may come out of a tank will be stopped before it obstructs something else.

Having a good arsenal of filters will not cure an Asphaltene problem; but, it will keep that problem before the filters and fuel lines.


There are plenty of Snake Oil products claiming to clear up either problem, Algae or Asphaltene, as simple as buying the product and pouring it in your tank; maybe it works and maybe not; most consumers don't have any means to tell whether it helped or not --- and this all falls back to not being able to see inside the fuel tank and only having metal-encased filters.

Maybe I missed it; is your situation slick and slimey or extremely sticky ?

 

[Reworked LMTV]

There are two entirely different fuel contaminants that grow inside diesel fuel tanks, "Algae" and Asphaltenes.

The Algae is organic and the Asphaltenes are chemical.

If you can get your fingers on the problem, it is real easy to tell which you have.

Algae is slick and slimy and will wipe right off.

Asphaltene is the most sticky stuff you have ever had on your hands; you won't just wipe it off with a rag, nor will plain old soap and water cut it; a good citrus hand-cleaner with pumice will take off a layer of hide and the sticky stuff with it.

There is a lot of contradictory information and a lot of confusion of someone seeking information about Asphaltene and everyone volunteering what they think they know about an Algae infestation.

What will work for one will not work for the other.

I have had Algae infestations in the past and am currently dealing with a bad Asphaltene situation.

Algae will tend to be a floating mat on top of the fuel in the tank.

Asphaltene will be a sludgy, extremely gooey, sticky, tar-like layer adherring to the bottom of the tank.

Many many people have a bad Asphaltene issue and are completely unaware as they have no means of draining and seeing inside their fuel tank(s).

Also, whether the problem be Algae or Asphaltene, so many vehicles only have the one fuel filter that is purpose-designed to stop up at the slightest excuse so your only recourse is to buy another.

I am a firm believer and user of the GoldenRod deep plastic bowl filter assemblies as a first line of defense.

The GoldenRod has many advantages incorporated in it's simple design that used to be common on all fuel filters way back before we were born.

The GoldenRod has a very deep see-thru plastic bowl with a drain right in bottom-center.

Any water observed in the bowl can be drained out without molesting the filter.

The actual filter itself screws up into the head and is miles from the bottom of the bowl.

The See-Thru plastic bowl can be unscrewed from the head without disturbing the filter cartridge which stays screwed in place.

One huge advantage of having such a deep bowl with the actual filter being high above; anything that would stop a metal-encased filter in it's tracks will most likely rinse away and settle to the bottom of the bowl.

There are only two additions I make to my GoldenRods, one being drilling/tapping 1/8-NPT and installing a bleeder-cock in the very top of the filter head; opening this "vent" allows the bottom drain to drain freely.

I also add a cut-off valve on the inlet side.

I have a whole gauntlet of various filters and separators after the GoldenRod and I haven't changed a single one of them since installing the GoldenRods.

I say GoldenRods for a reason; to get the most benefits, one must be first in line at every tank if you have more than one tank; that way whatever may come out of a tank will be stopped before it obstructs something else.

Having a good arsenal of filters will not cure an Asphaltene problem; but, it will keep that problem before the filters and fuel lines.


There are plenty of Snake Oil products claiming to clear up either problem, Algae or Asphaltene, as simple as buying the product and pouring it in your tank; maybe it works and maybe not; most consumers don't have any means to tell whether it helped or not --- and this all falls back to not being able to see inside the fuel tank and only having metal-encased filters.

Maybe I missed it; is your situation slick and slimey or extremely sticky ?

Extremely sticky. Used a pick to get it off the bowl. I am going to try a product from FuelOx.

 

[Reworked LMTV]

Acetone. Had 1/2-3/4” in bottom of backhoe tank. Scoop it out then acetone to get the rest. Bought 5 gals at HDepot.

Can the acetone be run through fuel lines or is this just a clean and dump solution?

 

[Bearkiller]

I have recently read so much on the subject that it is all getting mixed up in my skull.

It seems like I read that with Acetone, one should be careful where they use it.

I may be completely wrong about this; I think one must restrain use of Acetone to steel tanks and fuel lines, keeping it away from plastic tanks, rubber lines, seals, and such.

I have a coating of the sticky stuff in a big plastic tank; and, every time I read of some miracle cure or other that just dissolved the Asphaltene and rinsed it away effortlessly, I then read somewhere that it will also dissolve the plastic tank.

Everybody everywhere was regaling the wonderful cleaning attributes of E85 Gasoline and I then come to find out that it will make the plastic tank walls swell up.

Nobody with all these warnings ever specifies if all these dangers are a long term thing or an immediate thing.

Nobody ever says that, so long as you just pour the stuff in, let it soak a few minutes, and pour it back out, things will be alright.

I mean, you can gargle Hydrogen Peroxide, swish it around, and spit it out, and not fall dead in the bathroom floor; but, drink half the bottle, swaller it down , and your outcome might be different = you'll be at Kenneth Bernard's by suppertime.

 

[Bearkiller]

I am going to try a product from FuelOx.

Get some good samplings of the goo, both on a steel screw-driver and a plastic spatula; and, mix a few jar-fuls of the Ox stuff at the recommended dose ratio.

Place your samples in individual jars of the mix and observe what takes place.

I am very interested in whether this Ox stuff actually works or is just some petroleum stuff in a jug.

 

[Bearkiller]

I was driving my diesel tractor and it suddenly lost RPMs and died. I thought, maybe water in fuel. The fuel filter had collapsed and there was thick, very tar like build up in the bottom of the plastic filter can.

OKAY, I stumbled upon this and it makes more good common sense than anything else I have read on the subject:


This info excerpted from a thread titled "Asphaltene in Diesel Fuel" at a site called TDI Club, dated 23-February-2010

Asphaltene in Diesel Fuel

I posted this in someone's TDI101 fuel filter question but I wanted to start a new thread specific to this question. The fuel filter I changed in December on my 05 Golf (PD) had black fuel drain out of it. It turns out my in-tank lift pump was dead as well, so when I changed that out last...

forums.tdiclub.com

Post #13 by member ranger1


"This quote was taken from this site:


NOTE: Clicking on this link took me to a Vietnamese TV site, although the address bar showed the address I wanted.
As the link is obviously compromised, I removed it; though, I would have liked to see whatever other information that site may have had.
No need to click here anyway as the guy has already copy/pasted it below.

> Q: What are asphaltenes?
>
> A: Asphaltenes are tarry, organic particles that naturally occur in #2 diesel fuels.

Asphaltene particles are generally thought to be in the one-half to 2 micron range and are harmless to the injection system, as they are soft and deformable.

Concentrations of asphaltenes in diesel fuel vary widely and can increase through heat and fuel oxidation.

As these tiny particles pass through the filter media they tend to stick to individual fibers.

A build up of asphaltenes is the normal mechanism that plugs diesel fuel filters, not hard particles.

> Reference FMC TSB-95-1R1"

After studying and puzzling over this, I am in agreement and believe the information has hit the nail squarely on the head.

I like the part about Asphatlenes being much too soft to harm anything mechanical, such as the injection system.

I also agree about most fuel filter stop-up events being due to the sticky Asphaltene adherring to the filter media until enough gets stuck there to stop the flow of fuel.


I, myself, am currently dealing with a inch-thick layer of the stuff firmly stuck to the bottom of one of the three fuel tanks on my over-the-road truck.

Until I removed the fuel gauge port for entirely different reasons, I had no idea the gunk was even in there.

The truck and tank are 39-yrs-old; this may have been building in there for years.

I have not had a filter to plug in over fifteen years; so, the gunk must just cling to the bottom of the tank and stay there until otherwise molested.

I will say one thing ----- it sure is the stickiest stuff I have ever dealt with; and, whatever it gets on, it stays on.

I opened the bottom drain and hosed the tank out with a plain old water-hose and got more of it out than one would imagine.

I then poked the nozzle of my pressure washer in the gauge port; and, those areas where the washer could hit, it seemed to blast the gunk away to where I could see the tank bottom.

However, with a stiff/straight pressure-washer nozzle poked through maybe a 2-1/2" opening, I am very limited as to where I can hit.

I am in the process of rigging up two rotatable 90-degree attachments that I can adjust and orient to blast every square inch of the tank insides.

For the last few weeks, I have the gauge port blocked off with a block-off plate and the tank right at half full of water and several bottles of Dawn Ultra Platinum, hopefully sloshing violently around in there as I drive; however, since the truck rides like a dream and I also drive accordingly, the water might not be sloshing at all.

After reading that article/information, I am not going to obsess about the stuff.

I am going to get as much out as I can and then fill her full of fuel and drive the wheels off it.

One thing I have added that I didn't have before; my main biggest tank has always had a GoldenRod Filter/Separator; but, neither of the two smaller tanks did.

Now, I have GoldenRods first-in-line at each of the three tanks.

Nothing is going to get past a GoldenRod; I am a firm believer in them.

Now, properly equipped with one for each tank, if a bit of the gook happens to get caught up in a fuel line and happens to manage to cling to the GoldenRod Filter, if it does shut down the flow, I can simply switch to either of the other tanks and address the situation when I get back home.

 

[sue]

We have several diesel vehicles. And some set for a month or two.
If we see that we are going to be traveling or for what ever reason we drain
or siphon as much fuel as we can out because we can use it in another vehicle.
say with a hmmvee or a m-35 pour a gallon of regular unleaded gas in the
hmmvee and a couple gallons in the m-35.
it will stop a lot of algae from growing and will stop asphaltenes from forming.
Filling up the tanks or there abouts before operating vehicles is necessary.
detroit, Cummins,Mann, catapiller and a host of other diesel engine manufacturers
allow up to 10 % of gasoline in diesel fuel if the temperature of the fuel is under
120 degrees interning the injection pump.
never had a problem with algae or asphalt in any vehicle.
helped a friend who had a over the road truck used on the farm and he never
opened the ball valve to his right tank and one day he did. Bad move.
Fuel had been sitting there for who knows how long?
towed it to my shop and took the tank off pressure washed, it cleaned the lines
out, new filters and primed it, ran good.
a few months later I go over to his farm and asked him about his truck and
told me how he keeps fresh fuel in there.
I open the right tank, probably got 50-60 gallons in there and stick my fingers
in there and algae everywhere. Fresh fuel means no more than a month tops.

 

[Bearkiller]

We have several diesel vehicles. And some set for a month or two.
If we see that we are going to be traveling or for what ever reason we drain
or siphon as much fuel as we can out because we can use it in another vehicle.

I have a number of diesel vehicles around here and I have decided to implement a new plan of action.

I am in the process of putting bulk-head drains in the lowest point of every tank on the place.

I snagged a whole bunch of manual two-tank selector valves at a swap meet.

I am mounting one of these in every vehicle --- even if it already has multiple tank selector valves.

Position "1" will be the main tank; position "2" will be my portable 2-gallon tank with quick-coupler hoses.

If a vehicle is not going anywhere, whatever fuel is in it will be drained and put in something that is being driven.

If I need to use or move the vehicle around the place, I will quick-couple my 2-gallon portable tank and run off that.

After reading your post, I may pour a gallon or two of gasoline in the empty tanks to mix with the 1/4-inch that is below the top edge of the bulk-head fitting.

I may also instead pour in a few gallons of used engine oil; I have found used engine oil to be the best algae killer available; it may not work so well on Asphaltene, so I may stick with the gasoline.