[Vwdiesel] Fuel additive

[James Hansen]

Just to note for future William...
Algae growth occurs in your tank because there is water present in the 
tank (condensation)- and the growth occurs at the interface between the 
water and the fuel.  Keep the water out, you keep the algae growth out. 
  If you live where it freezes, the algae gets killed off by the frost. 
It is not a temperature dependant thing, but certainly will grow faster 
when it is warmer. 93 degrees F means nothing to algae, it's just warmer 
and grows faster than at 70 degrees.

So... to plug my favorite additive, Stanadyne fuel conditioner (made by 
the largest pump manufacturer in the world) has chemistry that disperses 
water- so water is "dissolved" in the fuel, and goes through the fuel 
system harmlessly. Among other things like fuel system lubrication, 
cleaning, and increasing your cetane level, it removes and keeps water 
out of your fuel system, eliminating the possibility of algae growth in 
your fuel tank by preventing the conditions that cause algae growth.
    Stanadyane has been tested, proven effective, increases mileage 
significantly enough that is is a break even proposition in a worst case 
scenario, and turns a slight profit in normal circumstances.  All I can 
say is to just use it.  There are one or two other additives that list 
members use that do work well also, Diesel Purge made by Lubro-Moly for 
instance, but LMDP is more of a fix a problem thing than a maintenance item.

Some additives are not just belly wash. You are right in believing that 
lots are junk, they are all still designed to do their job well.  It's 
just that some are designed to do stuff in your fuel system, while some 
are designed to do stuff to your wallet. It's figuring out which one is 
which is the trick.

When it comes to fuel additives, none of the popular entertainment media 
you listed have very high credibility in the diesel world.  You tend to 
get better additive advice from users like us cheap bastards on the list.

-James


William J Toensing wrote:
> It sounds too good to be true. When I start seeing test articles in
> Motor Trend, Road & Track, Consumers Reports, Popular Science, &
> Popular Mechanics saying it works, I will believe it. I have seen
> similar claims for a little pill from Financial Freedom. I didn't
> believe it would work. However, a lady at our local APPLE (Alliance
> for a Post Petroleum Economy) pestered me to try it. Sure enough, it
> didn't work. In fact, I think my MPG got worse. I would like to
> believe their claims but don't. There is a product called Stabil
> which keeps gas from going stale. It works. There also is a biocide
> you can put into diesel to prevent algae growth which can occur in
> diesel fuel when the fuel temperature rises above 93 degrees F. It
> works & I use a product called Biobar J H. I would add a couple of
> drops to Amsoil's Diesel Fuel Modifier. I bought two cans back around
> 1980 while living in LA & still have almost one almost full can still
> left. Back in 1980, I had trouble with algae growth in a t 
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