What is a diesel fuel stabilizer and how many types of diesel fuel stabilizer do you know? Your diesel fuel engine performance can be interrupted due to sludge build-up and sediment formation but, you can avert these problems with appropriate action such as the use of a diesel fuel stabilizer. In this article, our focus will be on the types and benefits of diesel fuel stabilizer.
What is a diesel fuel stabilizer?
Diesel Fuel Stabilizer is an additive primarily designed to enhance diesel engines’ overall performance by cleaning and lubricating the fuel system. It helps to keep your engine clean from sludge, sediment formation, protect against corrosion, and so on. Also, it helps to retain fuel’s quality for a long duration, reduces oxidation, and removes water efficiently as well as the overall maintenance of the engine.
Types of Diesel Fuel Stabilizers
There are various types of diesel fuel stabilizer, such as cetane boosters, fuel injector detergents, corrosion inhibitors, anti-gel additives, storage stabilizers, and performance stabilizers.
Cetane Boosters. This type of stabilizer improves fuel combustion and reduces delays during ignition. Also, cetane boosters cut off smoke emissions, deposits, and slow down fuel consumption with its quality maintained. Moreover, it is a known fact that diesel oil with a higher octane rating enhances diesel engine performance.
Fuel Injector Detergents. A good Fuel injector detergent helps in improving acceleration by cleaning dirt blocking the vehicles’ injector nozzle and other parts of the engine exposed to diesel oil. Also, it provides additional improvements when dealing with hard starting. Fuel injector detergents are essential because diesel fuel usually accumulates bacteria, molds, yields, and other organic substances, which in turn hurt engines.
Corrosion Inhibitors. This type of stabilizer contains metal alloy chemical compounds that prevent possible effects of crystallization. Although the water found in diesel is useful for condensation and stabilization of fuel temperature, it leads to rust and corrosion when the salt in it dissolves.
Anti-Gel Additives. Just like the name implies, anti-gel helps to keep diesel fuel from gelling during extreme cold weather conditions, improve cold-starting, and unblock diesel fuel filters.
Storage Stabilizers: These are stabilizers specifically designed to protect and keep diesel fuel fresh while in storage.
Performance: Although performance-based diesel fuel stabilizers keep fuel fresh, they are formulated to breakdown build-up in the engine due to fuel impurities to give your diesel engine the desired performance and efficiency.
Benefits of Diesel Fuel Stabilizers
The benefits of diesel fuel stabilizer include fuel saving, cold start elimination, clean fuel system, enhanced engine performance, and reduces exhaust emmision.
Save Fuel: Using fuel stabilizers keeps the fuel or gas in your vehicle or gas-powered equipment in storage intact. Instead of being drained or going bad, fuel stabilizers will keep it fresh for the period of storage.
Cold Start Elimination: Fuel stabilizers eliminate cold start problems related to engines after a long period of idleness. It will help give it a quick and easy start after a while of sitting.
Clean Fuel System: Fuel impurities will build up in your fuel system irrespective of the type of fuel you use, and invariably affects your diesel engine. Making use of fuel stabilizers will clean up your fuel system by taking the impurities out and also protect the vehicle against corrosive condensation build-up.
Performance: Cleaning your fuel system using a stabilizer will enhance your engine’s performance, temperature, and velocity. It will clean up the debris preventing the vehicle from working correctly and improve its power capacity.
Cost-Effectiveness: Using diesel fuel stabilizers reduce fuel consumption and the cost of repairs.
Vehicle Maintenance: Good fuel stabilizers contain lubrication and corrosion inhibitors that reduce wear and tear, thereby preventing engine breakdown. Therefore, you can drive or make use of your engine for some time before carrying out any maintenance on them.
Driving During Winter: Diesel fuel gels and causes hard starting of engines during extreme cold weather conditions, thereby making driving undesirable in such times. However, the use of a fuel stabilizer will eliminate the gelling problem by serving as an antidote and allowing you to enjoy your drive during winter without hitches.
Reduce Exhaust Emission: Stabilizers remove excessive gunk build-up, thereby emitting less carbon dioxide from the exhaust pipe. That is so because fuel additives improve vehicle and engine performance and reduce fuel consumption as well.
Tips on How to Select Diesel Stabilizer
In selecting a diesel fuel stabilizer, ensure it covers all your needs. Select the stabilizers with multiple ingredients because they do not only address the causes of fuel instability but are also cost-effective.
Ensure it has:
Anti-Oxidants: Anti-oxidants stop reactions in fuel as a result of exposure to oxygen.
Dispersants: Dispersants are very important in fuel stability. They disperse newly formed sludge, making it difficult for them to stick together to form larger particles.
Metal Deactivators: They prevent a chain reaction of all the soluble metals in the fuel.
Finally, read our detailed article on fuel additives for further knowledge.