Diesel bug reports

[DAKA]

I have learned of an unusual high number of diesel issues this year that could be due to one of three reasons and I thought a poll may help narrow the search.

Previous 5 years I have only learned of fuel issues from this forum, no problems with my own boat or cruising buddies.

This season I have learned of 3 issues from boats within a stones throw of my berth.
Could be

Bio diesel product higher content

cost decreasing fuel turnover and become more stale

More wide spread use of soltron

You can vote as many options as you like.
several options are the same so you can choose 1 2 0r 3 boats you know of.

 

[rich]

Allways used Soltron for the last 16 years, old engines 1974,no longer burn oil! I changed the fuel filters this year, first time since 2004,the filters were spotlessly clean.

 

[DavidJ]

Always used Soltron from new (2002). Last year for the first time had typical bug gunge in one filter so charged to Starbright product. Not checked the filter this year yet. I'm thinking that an immunity can build up to one product hence my change.

 

[oceanfroggie]

The duplicate questions in the poll make no sense.

 

[DAKA]

The duplicate questions in the poll make no sense.

Its not perfect , but it allows anyone who know of more than one boat to respond to two or three.
basically you just have to add the duplicate questions together in order to count the number of issues.


A Managing director at a prominent fuel retailer who has added Soltron agreed earlier in the year that he would rethink the soltron if his customers didnt want it.
He is a man of his word, if I can gather enough evidence he will stop selling fuel with the ****ing **** in it. (details of the ****ing **** here

 

[DAKA]

example to date

out of 17 known boats with fuel issues 6 were not dosed with soltron where 11 were dosed with soltron.

Far too early to deduce much from that but the believers will have to find some way to discredit it as they did with the PBO laboratory test which wasnt able to find any benefit from using it.

I am not suggesting it can do any harm BUT if people who are given it stop using their proven Bioxides then an increase in fuel issues is inevitable.

From independent tests I have seen the soltron fuel had a high water content suspended in it, (high water content can cause issues with some modern injectors including VP D4 and D6 series).

 

[KevB]

From independent tests I have seen the soltron fuel had a high water content suspended in it, (high water content can cause issues with some modern injectors including VP D4 and D6 series).

I have a friend who had new D3's 190's fitted to his 20 year old boat. because he kept his old tanks he thought he was doing the right thing by using fuel additive. He constantly got water in fuel alarms, stopped treating the fuel and the alarms stopped instantly.

 

[rich]

DAKA,
What is it about Soltron that BUGS you,

 

[DAKA]

DAKA,
What is it about Soltron that BUGS you,

LOL,

but on a serious note...........

If I buy 500 L of diesel @ £1 L , I want 500L, I dont want 490 L of diesel and 10 L of 'free' snake oil *.

On top of that IF it really does work and it can dissolve old crud from the sides of tanks I certainly dont want 500 L of diesel contaminated with part dissolved 20year old crud from the distributors tank.

In April I bought 'soltron diesel crud mix' and immediately noticed and smelt black exhaust.
I also had black soot around the exhaust outlet that needed cleaning off.

I changed pre filters, diesel filters and air filters

cost over £100 in parts alone, the black smoke continued until I used the tank up.

At the same time a cruising buddy also bought diesel from the same supplier and had water alarms going off and three wrecked weekends.











* The term snake oil is loosely used to describe a product that in my circumstance ie/ using fuel with a bioxide, by the retailers own statement renders soltron useless.

 

[DAKA]

current tally

out of 25 known boats with fuel issues this season

12 did not use soltron
13 used soltron


It appears the PBO test that said it didnt do much was correct, the test was carried out in a laboratory.

 

[rich]

Can I change my vote I put it here (I know of issue , soltron used ) It should be here (I do not know of any issues, I use soltron ) I think

 

[rich]

Do these guys know somthing we d'ont!




Workboats thrive on organic fuel treatment
06 Apr 2010
A recent MCA inspection of tanks on board the Williams Shipping tug Wilanne found them remarkably clean and completely eradicated from fuel contamination.
A recent MCA inspection of tanks on board the Williams Shipping tug Wilanne found them remarkably clean and completely eradicated from fuel contamination.
Southampton UK based workboat operator Williams Shipping Marine has been benefiting from ongoing fuel treatment over the past two years, eliminating diesel sludge and microbial contamination.

Williams Shipping operates and maintains its fleet to the highest standards, with good fuel management one of its key considerations. Its use of the organic based product Soltron IW has resulted in enhanced reliability and reduced emissions due to the continuity of clean, stable fuel.

Williams Shipping director Philip Williams has instructed his skippers to maintain use of the Soltron IW fuel treatment across the company’s fleet. A recent inspection of tanks on board the Williams tug Wilanne by the MCA found remarkably clean fuel tanks completely eradicated from fuel contamination.

In a recent study over the past 15 month looking into the use of organic microbiological alternative fuel treatment in regard to complex enzyme formation on large marine diesel engines, two large ferry operators completed a series of real-time monitoring to demonstrate the benefits of using enzyme treatments.

The first ferry company completed testing after 28 days and observed an improvement of 10.8% in specific fuel consumption. The company decided to continue and a year later, after some 4,000 hours of operation, the fuel consumption saving remained at nearly 11%.

The second ferry company to test enzyme based fuel treatments did so on two identical engines operating in tandem and producing very similar levels of output running simultaneously. Engine performance, fuel economy and emissions were recorded over a wide range of load points. An improvement of 7.4% in fuel consumption, a reduction in CO2, and lower exhaust gas temperature was recorded in the engine using enzyme based fuel treatments.

When enzyme based fuel treatments are blended with liquid fossil fuels there is a sufficient improvement in fuel consumption and an associated reduction in CO2 emissions. The enzyme treatment, when dosed at one part per 10,000, affects fuel efficiency, exhaust gas temperatures and carbon monoxide emissions of marine diesel engines.

The testing of enzyme based fuel treatments provided clear evidence of improved fuel economy and lowered CO2.

The use of fuel treatments such an enzyme based products is not confined to large ship operators. A number of smaller workboat operators such as Williams Shipping have experienced the benefits of using this product.

 

[DAKA]

Im not sure Rich, I expect the believers will believe and the non believers will assume the directors were at the same school.

Just as a rough guestimate about a 1/3 of the fuel used in the solent is now treated with soltron.

That is consistent with this poll too where about a 1/3 use soltron.

about half the boats with fuel issues are using soltron.

If 1/3 had fuel issues you could say soltron perhaps wasnt as effective as expected.

seeing as 1/2 have issues it appears the users of soltron are more likely to have fuel issues than non users.
It would appear further investigation is required.

This post shouldnt be regarded as conclusive , its just intended as a starting point .

PBO test can be downloaded here











.

 

[pappaecho]

Is it me or are several of the responses duplicated and one triplicated