Power steering fluid in fuel
 

Has anyone heard of filling up the fuel canister with powersteering fluid when changing out the fuel filter?

:nope:

power steering no

ATF yes

couldn't see why

ATF no !

You fill a fuel canister with FUEL - nothing else. ATF is not meant to be burned.

A while ago a driver had us fill his new fuel filters with atf during an oil change on his peterbilt. Seemed to work ok, he claimed it added lube.

"ATF is not meant to be burned" I keep seeing that and variations on that in various threads. Well that's true, but Dresden wasn't designed to be burned, either. That lit up ok.:w2:

That's a stupid and careless comparison with no respect for the victims of war which lost their live.
The city of Dresden was jam packed with refugees during the air raid.
300.000 refugees burned in Dresden instead the estimated 30.000 residents.

Now back to ATF:

- Different flame points
Diesel will burn sooner and longer than ATF. That translates in a longer, forceful piston downstroke with diesel than ATF

The claimed reduction in EGT's is true. Less BTU's- less burn time equals into less heat. Less heat equals into lower EGT's.

- Hydrocarbon deposits will be left
Since ATF is not designed to be burned ATF does not vaporize as good as diesel. This is dangerous for high pressure pumps like Common Rail or VP IP's since pressure shafts are known to break. CP3 pumps and piezo injectors are sensitive and costly devices.

- ATF is formulated completely different.
It contains a high level of detergent. Designed to transport and to encapsule contaminants. But do you remember? ATF does need operating temperatures of 176°F and above to work. It causes wear via abrasion below this temperature...
ATF does not consist any lubrication properties against shear forces- a good lube, huh?

Come on,
running ATF because you are not able to see the bad does not mean it is good for your engine.

Trusting a hillbilly mechanic does not really show any educated point of view.
It might be good or might not be good. But-physical and chemical facts are simply against it.

Wow...what won't people throw in fuel.

It is basically light hydraulic oil...it will burn but don't expect it to help anything.

The additives in atf are very hard on the tight tolerances of the modern day injection pump. Hey its your truck i could care less what you put in the tank.

Sorry Dieselstinkr, I used the first example of a well known fire of something that wasn't intended to burn that I could think of. Didn't mean disrespect, any example I give is bound to piss off somebody.

Anyway, the fact that something isn't designed to burn means pretty much squat when it's injected under high pressue into a combustion chamber preheated by compression. You guys finally came up with some good reasons not to put atf in the fuel system.

I understand and it is no problem to me.:tu:

There are several additives on the market that are intended to mix with diesel fuel and add lube for the pump and injectors. Rev-x, Stanadyne, Lucas injector cleaner, Howes, etc. Most have supporters and detractors, depends on who's argument you find most persuasive. If your running an older diesel on ulsd I would recommend adding some kind of lube, a brand new truck should be designed to run with the reduced lubrication that ulsd offers, additives may not be necessary.

Wrong. What about the ash thats left? Where does that go? Like I said, its not meant to be burned.

That doesnt even address what the attitives in the ATF do to the injector pump. Adding ATF is an old school diesel mechanic trick however it does not take into consideration the huge changes that ATF has had in the many years since ATF was first added to diesel.

I wouldnt ever put it in my tank theres lots of other good additives that actually increase lubricity.

Finish reading the post. Just because something isn't designed to be burned doesn't mean that it won't burn. In this case, the ATF will leave ash and contaminants behind. THAT'S the reason not to put it in your fuel system, not the simple fact that the chemists designing it didn't add that use to the label. Anyway, yeah, get something intended to act as a lubricant in diesel fuel.

:pca1:

Certain others haven't posted on this thread yet, figured I'd nitpick Doc's post.:tttt:

So what do you say to guys who have fueled thier truck with filtered waste atf for many miles without problems :pca1:

Here's your sign.

Fixed it for you.
The funny thing is those people always sell their trucks just in time to poor people not knowing what piece of junk they get.
Waste ATF is even more difficult. Just have a look inside an VP and watch those extremely small supply slots. Then take a (working) injector. And see how the plunger slides down the injector stock. It's precision fitment.

Do you really want to disturb that tight clearance with pre-contaminated fluids? The logic must say no. The cheap ass says I don't care- I will sell the truck in time...

In the end it is your own decision (beside from polluting the air with unecessary stuff), your own risk.
Would I buy that truck knowing been driven with ATF? No.

The original question was about filling the fuel cannister with power steering fluid during a filter change. In my experience that's done with new fluid to improve lubrication, probably doesn't get that accomplished, and there are better products to provide lube to your fuel system. Using waste atf, waste motor oil, waste veggy oil, etc. as alternative fuel sources is another question entirely, covered in other threads.

I prefer Stanadyne performance formula. HAd a kabota that wouldnt run right, couch and miss and belch black smoke. Filled the fuel filter housing , ran it for about 30 seconds, and then sit for an hour, came back stareted it up and idled it up to 1250 and after maybe 4-5 min the smoke all cleared up and it ran like new again. Proof enough for me.

I had an '85 F250 with over 275,000 miles on the original motor and injectors, etc. One clutch though :choochoo: After the diesel fuel changed back in ~'02 my injection pump would drag horribly during start ups, especially on cooler fall and winter days. Plugging in my block heater had no effect. After replacing various fuel system components and different small town Ford dealers telling me to replace various injection parts of system, I wasn't going to replace every part of the system. I was going to college at University of Idaho at the time. I went home one Thanksgiving and took my pickup to a larger Ford dealership. This dealership had seen of number of the pickups and even though the pickup was almost twenty years old at the time they called me the next morning to tell me what was wrong with the pickup.

Newer fuels had been given less and less additives, often filtering the fuel further and actually contained fewer lubricating properties. That makes diesel less "slick," at least this is how I understand it. This is done to help meet emission standards becoming stricter and stricter, thanks primarily to the great EPA. Thank you to the government bureaucrats!

Back to my point of the story, the dealership told me to pour an entire quart of AFT into the pickup every other tank of diesel fuel. I could run a quart every tank if desired, but that was not a necessary part for the smooth running of my diesel.

I had to sell the pickup a few years later. It was still a strong running motor that gave me no problems. I had to sell the pickup because I lost use of my right arm due to a motorcycle wreck.

I still miss my '85 with nearly 300,000 original miles. :c: