Q:  Why does fuel contamination seem to be worse than ever?

Questions and Answers

A:   Because the problem is worse than ever! New recently invoked      E.P.A. clean air standards have forced refiners to reduce the amount and type of fuel enhancers and stabilizers used in fuels. In some states the most widely used enhancers and stabilizers have been totally banned for environmental reasons. (MTBE)  At the same time new higher federal mileage standards required engine manufacturing companies to design engines that get increased fuel mileage and produce more power.  Engine manufacturers met the new standards by modifying engines and adding new ultra-high pressure injection systems that require cleaner fuels.

The result is refiners are producing less stabile fuels that breakdown faster and form solids quicker . Our new fuels have a shorter useful storage life and experience “fuel instability” that quickly leads to fuel system contamination. (Tanks, Filters, lines, carburetors and injectors)

A:   Statistics prove more than 75% of engine failures are fuel related! Gasoline and diesel fuels are organic based fluids and as such naturally deteriorate and oxidize as it ages. The deterioration can become apparent as soon as 30-days after manufacture and will begin to impact engine performance.  Chemical incompatibility, water, climate change and microbes lead to oxidation, polymerization and stratification. (crud in the fuel tank)

The result is fuel breakdown, tank sludge, varnish, sediment, bio-films and acids. The breakdown produces contaminates and by-products that clogs filters, corrodes injectors, damages  fuel pumps and tanks and causes higher fuel  consumption. The problem ultimately leads to carbon build-up, smoke, and loss of power and ultimately engine shut down.

A:   Yes! Both fuels have been recently reformulated to meet new           environmental standards. The new diesel fuels are referred to as ultra-low sulfur fuel and our new gasoline (RFG) now has a lower level and or less effective additives. The result is both fuels are less stabile, have a much shorter storage life and begin to breakdown faster.

A:   Engines will begin to idle rough, hesitate, become harder to start, stall and smoke excessively. You will see increasing amounts of water in your filter. Normally filter elements last for 600-1,000 hours of run time before changing. Fuel injectors should last 13,000-15,000 hours. If your filter clogs in less time you do have a fuel contamination problem. The injectors and fuel pump will be next to prematurely wear out or fail. (costing hundreds)

A:  They are very complex fuels that can actually increase horsepower and or burn cleaner than older formula fuels. However they do require new handling and storage techniques to keep them stable. They will decrease fuel  mileage and will deteriorate much faster than the previous formulas. For more detailed information see our ethanol and bio-diesel pages.

A:   Most fuel filtering companies do not clean gasoline at all and for diesel they simply filter the fuel and sometimes add a biocide chemical. That often solves the short-term problem (the symptoms) but the problem will usually reappear within a few weeks or months. We not only filter and clean the fuel. Our chemicals help remove excessive water and clean the fuel, tanks, walls & lines. (We treat the root problems) 
click these links to see actual photos   Diesel   Gasoline

A:   Yes, it will only get worse because our government introduces more stringent standards every year. Plus the shortage of refined fuels along with ever increasing demand and higher prices dictates faster production. That creates less stabile and lower quality fuels than we had a few short years ago.