I'm looking at buying a 2003 Ram 3500 DRW CTD5.9.

One quick question for the forum;

Are there any issues regarding the use of ULSD in this truck? Would a fuel additive have to be used?

Thanks in advance for all replies.

jbm

 

It will run it without a problem, but additive is definately something you'll want to use. When they took the sulfur out it removed that natural layer of protection and lubrication. The same idea as what happened to gas when they took the lead out of it.

The are many different additives you can run such as Power Service, Marvel Mystery Oil, Lucas, 2 stroke oil, etc. I run power service, 16 oz. per tank, in both my trucks.

 

I would not run Marvel Mystery Oil. Article on here that showed that it does not add any lubrication. Powerservice, Standadyne, Lucas all do. And some say that adding Wally World regular (not synthetic) 2 stroke oil (ashless) helps as well with the lubrication that was lost with the ULSD.

 

You might want to check out Opti-Lube. It was rated very high in a test for diesel fuel lubricant additives.
http://www.opti-lube.com/dfi.htm

 

It doesn't have to be used, but many of us here like to use something just for peace of mind...

Some trucks run better with certain additives vs. other's with this additive...

But don't let that scare you away from buying a CTD by any means!

 

I run an additive every couple of tanks, but have had no problems running ULSD...

 

Just the occasional dose of Schaeffer's here,no problems yet. I think using additives in every tank is over rated and a waste but thats just my opinion.

 

same here. No issues with ULSD

 

i ad a quart of 2 cycle oil almost everytime i fill up, and truck runs better, less smoke too.

 

i run 2 stroke oil too at 2 bucks a quart it easy to do.

 

the only problem is fuel mileage . when all i could get is ULSD my mileage dropped around 2 mpg

 

If you can find it Biodiesel is better than any of the above mentioned products for lubricity. You only need 5% Bio, so if they had B 20, like around here, you could just put a few gallons. I just fill it up with the B20 an never have had any problems. I'm like the other fellows though, if I can't get bio, I put in 1 quart of Wally World 2 stroke to 20 gallons. They are supposed to add the additional lubricity agent, because the sulfer removal removes lubricity. (The sulfer is not the lubricant)

 

Schaeffers makes a good product, I use to use their Soyshield additive and it worked well. Don't use it anymore because the guy I use to buy it from doesn't sell it any more.


I currently use 2-stroke and either Stanadyne or Howes Lubricator. A good 2-stroke oil to use is the Tech brand Walmart carries, its about $10 for a gallon jug.

 

powerservice diesel kleen, grey in summer white in winter

 

I quit running additives and the truck seems to run exactly the same and get the same fuel mileage (hand calculated of course), pretty sure the fuel companies are adding the necessary lubrication to keep the CR fuel system happy. Until I hear of ULSD being the root cause of a fuel system failure I'll save my money and run it once in awhile to keep the injectors clean since the truck is not worked hard much.