Adding two-stroke oil for lubricity - this study says NO.

[MarcusOReallyus]

Well, well, well, the things you stumble across on the Internet! Fuel for the debate fire! Or, useful information, depending on your viewpoint.

I was looking for information on the use of common mineral oil to improve the lubricity of diesel, and didn't find any useful information. But I did find an interesting study on the use of two-stroke oil. They gave the idea a big thumbs down.

The results of the study support a view that the practice of dosing diesel with 2-stroke oil is surprisingly ineffective in terms of lubricity and cetane improvements. Engine performance, fuel consumption and emissions were also unchanged; however the use of 2-stroke oil in diesel is potentially harmful to modern diesel injection equipment. Trace amounts of zinc, an element which is found in most 2-stroke oils, are well known to cause injector nozzle fouling and the study measured high levels of injector fouling when the test engine was running on diesel dosed with 2-stroke oil. While the oil industry may not mind the additional revenue from the sale of 2-stroke oil with each tank of diesel, this study demonstrated that it is not in the best interest of the user to do so.

(Emphasis added.)


Now, I suppose the question remains, since they specify "modern diesel injection equipment", does this apply equally to older diesels like our 6.2? This companion article on the same site says, yes, it does.

Using a low sulphur diesel reduces both the environmental pollution and the pollution of engine oil. In order to produce low sulphur diesel, the sulphur has to be removed and the process that removes the sulphur reduces the lubricity of the diesel. ...

As fuel refineries have produced lower sulphur diesel, so too have they added lubrication substitutes to the new diesels to the point that lubrication is now even higher than that of high sulphur diesel.

 

[n8roro]

One local gas station has 20 percent biodiesel. What do you think about that?

 

[ODFever]

I'll stick with the 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' philosophy. I don't add anything to the fuel tank on my M1009. The engine runs fantastic on ULSD. I wonder if your above quote is specifically related to vehicles designed for ULSD, DEF, and the other pollution control/emissions additions.

 

[m715]

The 20% biodiesel is one of the best fuels for lubrication , as long as its SOY derived bio.

 

[snowtrac nome]

reading the article, the use of 2 stroke oil is going to damage your emissions system, like egr, and dpf, I could see it gumming up a vgt to, but it isn't going to hurt your injection system. As readers, I wouldn't worry about it I haven't seen a tactical vehicle with that stuff on it come up for auction yet. If you own a new truck with pizo injectors and common rail injection, don't add any thing to the tank your engine was designed to run off ulsd.

 

[sneekyeye]

I pulled up to the circle k to fill up, and there was a 10% ethanol sticker on the diesel pump. I ended up going somewhere else. I put howes diesel treat in the m1028, an ounce per five gallons. It's not expensive, and it makes me feel better. That has to count for something.

 

[usabamaman]

I am not sure what the effect on the injectors are, but it sure does make the clicking sounds under the hood quieter. I think that may be the injector noise. Also, when I use the 2 cycle oil in the diesel, the slow drips from the injector pump stop.

 

[cucvrus]

Last time I mentioned using straight diesel fuel here I was verbally abused. No I never added anything but a little ATF a few times. That was ineffective so I discontinued that also. And if you have a dripping injection pump fix the leak. Not sure how the 2 correlate. Adding 2 stroke oil is a chain saw / weed whacker must. But adding it to diesel is just a waste and adding to the emissions output. I have a few friends and relation that put a gallon of filtered drain oil in a 6.2 and run it with no adverse effects. Other then smoke. But that is a form or recycling and repurposing. At a cost of air pollution. Not I. Straight fuel out of the Speedway diesel pump.

 

[ken]

It seems the only way to know is after a IP failure. Then pull the head off and see if it is scored up. I personally have never tried 2 stroke oil. Maybe I will put some in a mason jar with some Diesel fuel and see if it will stay in soulition or settle to the bottom. It's hard to believe that it would not add lube qualities to the fuelthough. Or why not try a oil with a high sulfer content? Like gear oil. If the author of the article is concerned about emissions it would seem he might be biased tward what comes out the pipe and not how long parts last.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

IIt's hard to believe that it would not add lube qualities to the fuelthough.

That's what the tests show. And that's not the only such test that shows the same thing.

Or why not try a oil with a high sulfer content?

I'm guessing you didn't read the article, because that was specifically addressed. The sulfer is not a lubricant. The process of removing the sulfur compounds also removes lubricity. Putting sulfur back in won't help.

 

[snowtrac nome]

Actually sulfur is a lubricant and that is why its added to hypoid gear oil, it will help lube the moving parts in the fuel system. The article is biased on the emissions side, and states it will harm the emissions system not the moving parts. The reality is all diesel fuel sold meats the ATSME fuel standard's for specific gravity and lubricity. I know I work in the bulk fuel field, yes the standard's are usually around the minimum, if you have an older mechanical nonemissions engine go ahead and add a little clean 2 cycle oil, it will improve lubricity. I have seen some tests that show used products will not add lubricity and some times not add btu's , if you change viscosity too much you will harm hard parts in most mechanical injection systems.

 

[Sharecropper]

I add 8oz of Stanadyne Performance Formula at every tank fill up. It reduces fuel freeze and cleans/lubricates the entire fuel system. It inhibits internal corrosion and improves cetane. Why use anything else?

http://www.stanadyne.com/docs/puba/99549 Additive brochure rev 1-11.pdf

 

[FrankenCub]

I've read all the threads here I could find concerning additives and haven't really found anything I'm interested in using unless I need an anti-gel for weather. Something I did wonder about was using MMO, we've always used it in overhead valve engines in old tractors, garden tractors, or in cars that sat a while and had some valves sticking. It works great as a top end lube for those.
I just put a new IP in this truck this year so just like to get as much life out of it as possible. I only have 2 choices for fuel near me. One is the local Sunoko and a Mirabito not too far away that also sells bio diesel. I try to run the bio as much as possible seems it's cheaper.

 

[UNIMOG-GUY]

I am not sure what the effect on the injectors are, but it sure does make the clicking sounds under the hood quieter. I think that may be the injector noise. Also, when I use the 2 cycle oil in the diesel, the slow drips from the injector pump stop.

I have found that adding 2 stroke oil or SVO (filtered to at least 1 micron) to the tank helps quiet down the sounds coming from under the hood as well.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

The article is biased on the emissions side, and states it will harm the emissions system not the moving parts.

Another person who didn't even read the study.


Adding two stroke oil REDUCED the lubricity. That's what the scar test measures - damage to the wearing parts.

 

[frank8003]

filtered below one micron?
Where am I going to get 1.7 gigawatts!

 

[pmramsey]

Screw the fancy, expensive, salves, creams, and lotions in the CUCVs. Seriously, I go to Costco and buy stupid size bottles of food grade soy bean oil. It works out to be about $4 a gallon. When I started this process about ten years ago, it cost no more than $2 a gallon. No filtering required. I add a gallon of the oil when I fill-up. Sometimes I add more, sometimes less. It quiets everything down under the hood. No smoke and smells like the back end of a KFC on Saturday night. It is more acidic than highway diesel so watch your fuel filter for little black specks as your fuel line rots from the inside. Premium replacement lines are better all around. I found the black specks early in the first truck but installed new lines in my other three trucks when I started using the stuff in all my other CUCVs. Its been ten years and all the trucks have another 60-70,000 miles on each and no more fuel lines or IPs have been pulled. I stop adding the soy bean oil during the winter as soy bean oil congeals at about 38-40 F.

 

[ken]

I would take issue with the idea that sulfur ins't a lube. This has been known for decades. Hence the reason IP's were dying left and right in the 90's when they started removing it. IMHO this article is a little misleading. Yes 2 stroke oil will not make a difference in a CRD engine. Really there is no reason to think it would help to increase cetane. In reality there isn't a need to increase cetane in a Indirect injection diesel. Yes Zinc MAY foul a Injector designed for CRD. This is highly unlikely in a 6.2. The fuel avalible in the 1980's was filthy by todays standards. I have personally seen others run 50% WMO through them back when fuel was $4.50 a gallon. Yet no fouled injectors. I would not try this myself. My engines are too expensive to take that chance. Burning soot can't be good for piston rings. I will stick with my earlier statement. There is now way to know what works on a DB2 pump with out taking it apart after a failure.

 

[The FLU farm]

I have personally seen others run 50% WMO through them back when fuel was $4.50 a gallon. Yet no fouled injectors. I would not try this myself.

I stopped at 40%, as I recall. Lots of smoke and starting was getting hard. But about 10% sure made the 6.2 run smooth.

 

[rustystud]

Well, well, well, the things you stumble across on the Internet! Fuel for the debate fire! Or, useful information, depending on your viewpoint.

I was looking for information on the use of common mineral oil to improve the lubricity of diesel, and didn't find any useful information. But I did find an interesting study on the use of two-stroke oil. They gave the idea a big thumbs down.


(Emphasis added.)


Now, I suppose the question remains, since they specify "modern diesel injection equipment", does this apply equally to older diesels like our 6.2? This companion article on the same site says, yes, it does.

Well I read the whole article and the companion article. First, there was no mention of "older" diesels (Pre 1999) in the companion article. Second the tests referenced where from 1999. They used the "scuffing load ball test" which was discredited over 10 years ago. Third this whole article was from a third world country (South Africa) . Personally I do not trust any "Tests" done by a third world country.
Now I personally don't use 2 stroke oil in any of my diesel engines. It was not designed for diesel fuel. I personally use "Opti-Lube XPD" in all my diesel fuel. It is well documented to "help" increase lubricity in the injection pump.
Now for those who do not believe in using any additives in their CUCV, I would point to "Stanadyne" who makes a great fuel additive and by the way is the "Manufacture" of the injection pump used in the 6.2 diesel engine. Why in the world would the manufacture of the injection pump say to add anything to the fuel if that fuel was OK ? Just saying.
Now if your running a modern diesel engine there is no need to add anything to the fuel. The injection system has been designed to handle "Ultra Low Sulpher Diesel Fuel" . Just a reminder to all. ULSD has only 15 ppm of sulpher while the older fuel in the 1980s had over 2000 ppm of Sulpher.