Going Diesel: Types of Diesel Fuels

Types of Diesel Fuel

Diesel engines run on diesel fuel, which is more efficient than gasoline because it contains 10 percent more energy per gallon than gasoline. It's also safer than gasoline because its vapors don'texplode or ignite as easily as gasoline vapors.

When the exhaust from conventional diesel fuel was found to cause cancer, clean diesel engines were developed. Although thousands of conventional diesel fuel-burning vehicles are still on the road, public pressure and environmental organizations have prodded individual states and the federal government to enact legislation and fund replacement programs to take them out ofuse as quickly as possible.

Standard Diesel Fuel

Much stricter diesel fuel standards have had a huge impact on cleaning up diesel exhaust. By 2007, the sulfur content of diesel fuels was restricted to 15 ppm (parts per million) compared to the dirty diesel previously in use that averaged something like 550 ppm. This ULSD (ultra low sulfur diesel) is derived by extra refining of the same high-sulfur petroleum diesel oil as before, but biodiesel fuels derived from agricultural and waste products are becoming more popular in North America. I cover biodiesel fuel in the nextsection.

Standard diesel fuel (sometimes called diesel oil) comes in two grades: Diesel #1 (or 1-D) and Diesel #2 (or 2-D). Just as gasoline is rated by its octane, diesel fuel is rated by its cetane, which indicates how easy it is to ignite and how fast it burns. The higher the cetane number, the more volatile the fuel. Most diesel vehicles use fuel with a rating of 40 to 55. You won't have to worry about which type to use because all diesel automakers specify Diesel #2 for normal driving conditions. Truckers use Diesel #2 to carry heavy loads for long distances at sustained speeds because it's less volatile than Diesel #1 and provides greater fuel economy.

Remember: Don't confuse diesel fuel grade ratings with API (American Petroleum Institute) categories for oils used to lubricate diesel engines.

Diesel fuel also is measured by its , which has to do with its thickness and ability to flow. Like any oil, diesel fuel gets thicker and cloudier at lower temperatures. Under extreme conditions, it can become a gel and refuse to flow at all. Diesel #1 flows more easily than Diesel #2, so it's more efficient at lower temperatures. The two types of oil can be blended, and most service stations offer diesel fuel blended for local weather conditions.

Tip: If you plan to drive in very cold weather, choose diesel fuel rated at least 10 degrees lower than the coldest temperatures you expect to encounter. Consult your owner's manual for specifics.

Caution: Because emissions from conventional diesel fuel have been found to be extremely toxic to humans and other living things, until safer forms of this fuel are developed, be careful not to inhale the fumes while pumping it into your fuel tank. (The same goes for gasoline!)

Tip: The diesel fuel sold at truck stops is often cheaper than at service stations, and the fuel is fresher, too. Freshness is important because diesel fuel can easily become contaminated by the water vapor that condenses in fuel tanks, and although it's rarely found in North America these days, really dirty fuel can contain fungus and other microbes that can clog filters and fuel injectors. If you find yourself at a station that arouses your suspicions, look for slimy stuff on the nozzle of the fuel pump. Try to fill up at a truck stop on a Saturday morning, when commercial trucking action is light. Weekday evenings are the worst times to buy because muscling a small vehicle into acrowd of big rigs isn't easy!

Biodiesel Fuel

Biodiesel fuels derived from agricultural materials have the potential to provide a clean-burning alternative to dwindling sources of petroleum.

Rudolph Diesel's first engine was designed to run on peanut oil, and Henry Ford envisioned plant-based fuel as the primary fuel for transportation and partnered with Standard Oil to develop biofuel production and distribution. However, the only type of biodiesel fuel that can be used in vehicles in the United States and Canada without violating manufacturer's warranties is B5, a blend of 5 percent biodiesel and 95 percent regular diesel. Most diesel engines run just fine on blends of up to 30 percent biodiesel.

For higher blends, the engine control unit's (ECU) electronic fuel "mapping" system, which regulates timing, fuel/air mixture, and so on, has to be reprogrammed to perform efficiently. The reason is that, although there's no mechanical difference between a diesel engine that runs on diesel oil and a biodiesel-burning engine, biodiesel has slightly different energy and burning characteristics than regular petroleum-based diesel.

Biodiesel vehicles in the U.S. have been modified by do-it-yourselfers and specialty shops so that they can use higher biodiesel blends and fuels made from a variety of substances. It's possible to make biodiesel from most any crop-based oil, and the news is filled with stories about modified vehicles that run on biodiesel made from french-fry oil and other restaurant grease, fresh-pressed cottonseed oil, you name it. But some of these oils contain compounds that can eat through gaskets and may be prone to going rancid if stored too long. Also, because biodiesel is a better solvent than standard diesel fuel, it can remove deposits in the fuel lines. That sounds like a good thing, but those deposits may foul up fuel filters and fuel injectors as they move through the fuel system. As a result, federal standards for the chemical composition of biodiesel fuel must be in place before it's available in widespread use and before automakers will permit its use under warranty in anything but very diluted amounts. This should happen very soon.

From Auto Repair for Dummies, copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.