Premium vs: #1 vs #2 Diesel: Expert Opinions?

[Leseid]

Not long ago, our little Golf was smoking quite a bit and making a lot of clatter on startup. It was a lot colder outside too. Someone here mentioned the quality of the fuel so I took this problem to my brother-in-law who drives an 18 wheeler for a living. He said better fuel was the cure (just like one of the helpful folks here). So he pointed out a couple of fuel brands here in MN that could up the Cetane ante:

Koch (Flint Hills Research) and Cenex. Both brands I'm using are rated as #1 diesel--which he claims is better than #2 etc. And the problems went away too. Along the way I also noticed 3 different color codes at the various stations that may or may not be a standard:
#1-Yellow
#2-Green
'Premium'-Red

Anyway, in another post someone suggested I'm not supposed to use #1 (something about it being heating oil). Is this just some misinformation somewhere along the line?

TIA

 

[RogueTDI]

That was me.

I followed you over here.

To follow up, I had just always heard that #2 diesel is what's needed for our cars. That is what the manual says, and this is what I have always "known." I also have understood that #1 is a heavier, possibly less-refined grade and is generally used as heating oil. There is some close relation between diesel and jet fuel too. OK, that's my bit. Again, I could be wrong.

 

[PackRat]

#1 is sort of like pure "arctic diesel", it has a lower cloud point than #2 and a lot of trucks fill up with that during the winter. #2 is often blended with #1 to make winterized diesel. #1 is also less efficient burning than #2 diesel. VW (as do most diesel vehicles) specify #2 diesel (although I don't know what ill effects would come of using #1 would be). CENEX is good stuff and I'm going to miss it when I move back to NM. The Roadmaster premium diesel is BD2 and is what I recommend you use.

 

[tadc]

#1 is KEROSENE! Or possibily a mix of diesel and kero. Definitely not a good thing to run in your TDI. Kerosene is a lighter oil and it does not have sufficient lubricity to properly lubricate the pump, and the pump is EXPENSIVE. A #1 blend is permissible in cold weather, but only up to a certain percentage (I forget how much but much less than 100%).

Some forum members run jet fuel(because they get it free), which is very similar to kerosene. They use a heavy dose of lubricity additive, but this still isn't a good idea and isn't recommended by VW.

RE: colors, are you talking about the fuel itself, or the pump handle or something? If you're getting red fuel, that's untaxed and not legal for road use. Green and yellow are fairly normal colors for diesel.

 

[Grady]

Some light reading for diesel fuel info:
http://www.chevron.com/prodserv/fuels/bulletin/diesel/L1_toc_fs.htm

 

[TEXAS_TDI]

http://www.bpdirect.com/products

No. 1 diesel fuel (also known as 1-d) is a kerosene-based diesel fuel most commonly used for low temperature operations. No.1 fuel has less wax content than No.2, thus providing lower cloud points. However, its lower specific gravity means less energy content compared to No.2. Available in Low Sulfur and Low Sulfur Dyed.

#1 Diesel MSDS
http://www.bpdirect.com/pdfs/No_1_Diesel.pdf

No. 2 is the most common grade of diesel fuel, designed for use in all diesel applications. No.2 diesel meets all ASTM D-975 specifications. Available in Low Sulfur, Low Sulfur Dyed and High Sulfur.

#2 Diesel MSDS
http://www.bpdirect.com/pdfs/No_2_Diesel.pdf

 

[Lightman]

as others have said, get some real #2 back in your car pronto. #1 is kerosene or similar, and has way less lubricity and btu's than #2(standard diesel). If your car doesn't run well on your local #2 source, find a better #2 source. If it still runs badly, something may be wrong.

 

[Leseid]

Thanks all for help sort out this mess. As to the question on the colors, I'm speaking about the nozzle handles etc., not the fuel itself.

As to the #1 diesel, my brother-in-law did say something about mixing #1 and #2 blah, blah, blah. I guess when it was apparent to him I wouldn't be doing any of that, he put me onto the Koch and Cenex varieties mentioned which appear to be #2--at least according to their websites.

I still have one more fuel to try that was recommended by RagTop69 over in St Paul. One of those weekend things to do when there's nothing else to do

 

[Leseid]

RogueTDI, I noticed your signature about GD

There are a lot of people around who feel that way that don't even live in CA ...hahaha. Guess I'd better not start on politics--it's enough to survive one of the oil discussions around here

 

[tadc]

If you have Amoco Premier or Powerblend in your area, these are supposed to be excellent fuels (no Amoco 'round here so I can't say from personal experience).

 

[RogueTDI]

RogueTDI, I noticed your signature about GD

There are a lot of people around who feel that way that don't even live in CA ...hahaha. Guess I'd better not start on politics--it's enough to survive one of the oil discussions around here

Yeah, if only the entire country could vote on it, we would be set!

 

[Clueless One]

They just might get the chance if he runs for Pres. Naw, can't get rid of him that easy.

 

[Leseid]

Somebody mentioned using Amoco in another post so I decided to give it a try today--their Premier. According to the spec sheet Premier Diesel is a #2 with a Cetane rating of 50 or better. Is that really true? I got some while I was out of town because my local Shell--where I got the previous tank of fuel--only has 40 Cetane. Hmmmm And of course my Golf has been slooooooooooow again

 

[africanguru]

Is it possible diesel 1 be the cause for a check engines

 

[Lightflyer1]

Somebody mentioned using Amoco in another post so I decided to give it a try today--their Premier. According to the spec sheet Premier Diesel is a #2 with a Cetane rating of 50 or better. Is that really true? I got some while I was out of town because my local Shell--where I got the previous tank of fuel--only has 40 Cetane. Hmmmm And of course my Golf has been slooooooooooow again

The spec is a minimum of 40. I doubt anyone actually sells 40 cetane fuel though. Some will be slightly above this, most will be in the mid 40's or better. Look at the 2018 Infineum fuel report for some examples. The cars still run fine on it. You are going to have to add a huge amount of additive (depending on the one you use to some extent too) to cover that big a spread. Most claim a gain of 5 points so go figure from there. A waste of money though if you ask me.

https://www.infineuminsight.com/media/2228/infineum-wdfqs-2018-v10-14112018.pdf

For the midwest are:

Maximum observed - Mean - Minimum observed
Cetane Number 60 48 42
Not definitive but gives you some idea. Data is old too and I would expect it to be the same or better now.