Bad Diesel? How Fuel Quality Is Quietly Killing Engines
The Diesel Podcast
The Diesel PodcastMay 13, 2026
Bad Diesel? How Fuel Quality Is Quietly Killing Engines
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57:08
Concept
seasonal transition from winter
This is about how diesel needs change with the seasons. In winter you worry about cold-weather problems, and when spring arrives you adjust what you do so the fuel system keeps working well for summer driving.
Anti-gel is a chemical you add to diesel in cold weather. It helps keep the fuel from turning thick or gel-like, so the engine can still get fuel and start.
Cummins is a company that makes diesel engines used in lots of trucks. If Cummins is endorsing something about diesel fuel, it’s because it affects how their engines run and last.
When it gets cold, diesel can start to thicken and turn into a gel-like substance. If that happens, it can plug the fuel system and prevent the engine from getting fuel.
Fuel treatment means adding an additive to diesel so it stays pourable in cold weather. That helps prevent clogs that can stop the engine from running.
Power Service is a brand of additive you put into diesel fuel. People use it in winter to help prevent fuel from turning into a gel and causing starting or fuel-flow problems.
Term
fuel year round
They’re saying you shouldn’t only treat diesel fuel in winter. The fuel can still cause problems in other seasons too, so treatment and care may be needed year-round.
The injection system is how a diesel engine delivers fuel into the engine. If the fuel is bad or contaminated, it can cause the engine to run poorly and can contribute to damage over time.
Winterization means getting a diesel ready for cold weather. People use special fuel treatments so the fuel keeps flowing and the engine starts and runs correctly in winter.
They’re talking about how fuel quality affects the cost of running a fleet. Better fuel handling can mean fewer maintenance problems and longer-lasting parts.
Diesel engines need fuel at the right pressure to inject it correctly. If the fuel pressure isn’t right, the engine can get the wrong amount of fuel and run poorly.
Common rail injection is how many modern diesels deliver fuel. It keeps fuel under high pressure and sends it to the injectors in a controlled way, so bad fuel can cause more trouble.
Concept
transitioning from gasoline to diesel
If you’re used to gasoline, diesel can feel different because the engine’s fuel system works differently. With modern diesels, poor fuel quality can cause problems more easily.
“Commingled” means different batches of diesel get mixed together before they reach the pump. So the fuel you buy may not be exactly what you think based on the station’s name.
The episode argues that diesel fuel is effectively “unbranded” because it’s blended and distributed through shared supply chains. The key claim is that branding at the pump doesn’t guarantee the same additive content (like lubricity, detergents, or ignition improvers).
Diesel lubricity additive is something mixed into diesel to help fuel “slide” smoothly through the engine’s fuel system. If the fuel doesn’t lubricate well, parts can wear out faster.
Diesel detergents are chemicals in the fuel that help prevent gunk from building up inside the engine. Less buildup helps the fuel system work the way it’s supposed to.
The segment describes how diesel fuel properties can vary by geography and supply chain—so a truck that fills in one region may get different fuel characteristics than it will later. Those differences (like cetane and cold-flow behavior) can affect drivability and fuel-system stress.
Cetane is basically a “how easily it lights” number for diesel fuel. If the cetane is different, the engine may burn the fuel more smoothly or less smoothly.
Cloud point is the cold temperature where diesel starts to “turn” and form waxy stuff. That wax can plug the fuel filter and make it harder for the engine to get fuel.
If diesel sits in a tank, it can grow organisms in the fuel—often when water gets in. That contamination can clog filters and make the fuel less effective for the engine.
Brand
C-Tain Boost product
This sounds like a diesel fuel additive/treatment. The point they’re making is that it helps adjust fuel quality so the engine’s fuel system is better protected.
This is an industry group that helps set guidelines for what diesel engines need from the fuel. The goal is to make sure the fuel won’t cause extra wear.
ASTM is a standards organization that writes the rules for things like fuel quality. Those rules help manufacturers and suppliers agree on what “good fuel” means.
A lubricity test checks whether diesel fuel can “lubricate” the moving metal parts it touches. If the fuel doesn’t lubricate well, those parts can wear out faster.
In testing, a “wear scar” is the mark left after the fuel is run against metal. A smaller scar means the fuel is gentler on parts and lubricates better.
A pipeline spec is the quality requirement for fuel as it moves through fuel distribution infrastructure. The idea is that the fuel delivered through pipelines should meet minimum standards (like cetane) so engines and fuel systems can operate as intended.
Combustion rate is basically how well the engine burns the fuel. If it burns slowly or incompletely, some fuel can go out the exhaust and create extra soot for the filter.
A DPF filter catches the smoky soot that diesel engines make. If the engine burns fuel poorly, extra soot gets sent to the filter and it has to clean itself more often.
General Motors is the car company behind these parts brands. The host is saying GM stands behind the parts they recommend.
Concept
premium diesel
“Premium diesel” here refers to the idea of paying for higher-quality fuel (often with better lubricity/cleanliness) to better match what modern diesel engines and fuel systems need. The host’s point is that engine requirements and fuel quality don’t always line up automatically, so choosing the right fuel matters.
A test cell is a special room where an engine can be run in a controlled way. It lets engineers compare results using the same setup and the same fuel.
Concept
lab-tested fuel vs real-world retail diesel
They’re saying engines are tested with a certain “premium” diesel in a lab, but most trucks won’t get that exact fuel once they’re on the road. If real-world fuel is different, the engine may not behave the same way the lab results suggest.
“Diesel clean” is a consumer fuel-treatment product the host describes as the only way a truck would actually get the premium diesel fuel used in testing. The key idea is that lab-tested fuel quality doesn’t necessarily match what’s available at everyday retail pumps, so products like this are meant to bridge that gap.
Diesel injectors are the parts that spray fuel into the engine. If they start having problems, the engine can run worse or even get damaged, and bad fuel quality can be one cause.
In a diesel engine, injectors are the parts that spray fuel into the engine. If they don’t spray correctly, the engine can run poorly and may need repairs. That’s why the fleets with injector problems end up with more warranty claims.
A warranty claim is when a customer asks the company to cover a repair because it’s covered by the warranty. If there are lots of claims for injectors, that suggests those parts are failing more often. The episode uses claim counts to compare different fleets.
A diesel fuel supplement is an additive product mixed with diesel to improve how the fuel behaves in specific conditions. In winter months, supplements are commonly used to help with cold-start performance and fuel stability. Here it’s contrasted with a different product used in non-winter months, implying a fuel-quality strategy to prevent injector problems.
Fleet Guard is a company/brand that makes products for diesel trucks. Here, they’re talking about a diesel additive Fleet Guard used to sell, and then they stopped making it.
“No harms testing” means they test an additive to make sure it doesn’t cause problems for the engine. The point here is that it took a long time to prove it was safe/compatible.
Detergency is how well an additive helps prevent and remove gunk. In a diesel, that gunk can build up on fuel parts and make the engine run less smoothly.
A DPF is a filter that catches soot from diesel exhaust. If soot builds up too much or the filter doesn’t regenerate well, emissions systems can struggle.
The injection pump is what sends fuel into the engine under pressure. If the fuel is bad or contaminated, it can wear out or damage the pump, and repairs can be very costly.
The fuel tank is where your diesel is stored before the engine uses it. If the fuel quality is poor, it can cause problems in how the engine runs over time.
Concept
fuel quality testing/benchmarks
“Benchmarks” and “hurdles” here refer to predefined test criteria a fuel-related product must meet to prove it performs as expected. The idea is that the product must clear specific performance targets during evaluation, not just be assumed to work.
Diesel can sometimes contain a little water. That’s bad because it can cause corrosion and make the fuel behave differently in the engine.
Term
renewable diesel content
Renewable diesel content means the diesel blend includes fuel made from renewable sources. Because it’s chemically different, it can affect how the fuel performs in the engine.
They’re talking about testing lots of real diesel fuels from many places, because diesel isn’t identical everywhere. Different fuel chemistry can behave differently in engines. So the goal is to make an additive that works broadly, not just on one “perfect” sample.
Lubricity is how “slippery” the diesel fuel is to the engine’s fuel parts. Some fuels don’t lubricate as well, which can cause extra wear. Fuel additives can help make the fuel gentler on those components.
Winter operability means how well the diesel will work in cold weather. In winter, diesel can become harder to start or can thicken. Fuel additives can help it keep working reliably when it’s freezing.
Diesel has to act like a lubricant inside the fuel system. The “lubricity number” is a test result that tells you if the fuel is slippery enough to protect the engine’s fuel parts.
They’re talking about how the quality of diesel fuel can quietly cause problems in diesel engines. Then they mention a fuel system upgrade meant to reduce the harmful stuff in the fuel.
Diesel fuel often includes additives that help keep the engine’s fuel parts clean. The “detergent package” is the part of the formula meant to prevent gunk from building up.
“Clean diesel fuel” means the fuel is free from things like water and tiny debris. Cleaner fuel helps the engine’s fuel system stay healthy and run efficiently.
This is an aftermarket device that cleans up diesel before it goes into the engine. The idea is to remove water and tiny particles so the fuel system doesn’t get damaged or clogged.
Microns measure particle size. “Two microns” means the filter is catching very tiny junk in the fuel that could otherwise wear out or clog fuel-system parts.
Duramax is GM’s diesel engine line used in some heavy-duty trucks. A remanufactured Duramax is a rebuilt engine that’s been put back into service with testing and a warranty.
Powerstroke is Ford’s diesel engine line used in heavy-duty trucks. A remanufactured Powerstroke is a rebuilt engine that’s been tested and sold with warranty support.
ISO 9001:2015 is an international quality-management standard that focuses on how consistently a company can produce products and services that meet requirements. In the remanufactured-engine aftermarket, referencing ISO 9001:2015 signals that the rebuild shop follows documented quality processes rather than relying only on informal checks.
A warranty is the promise that if something fails, the company will cover repairs or replacement. When they say it’s “industry leading,” they mean it’s better or more comprehensive than what you usually see.
OEM means “made by the original manufacturer.” Here, they’re saying you can buy an engine built to factory specs, but some people want a higher-spec option to avoid repeating the same failure.
These are different “types” of remanufactured engines for different jobs. “Street” is more for everyday driving, while “tow haul” is aimed at trucks that do heavier towing.
Concept
Speed of Air series
“Speed of Air” sounds like a specific engine build package from that shop. It likely focuses on how air moves through the engine, and the hosts have discussed it in a previous episode.
Pistons are the parts that move up and down inside the engine cylinders. They help turn fuel combustion into motion, and better piston design can help the engine handle harsh conditions.
Torque is the engine’s pulling force. More torque generally helps the vehicle accelerate and move strongly, especially when you’re not already at high speed.
The valve train controls when the engine’s valves open and close. Upgrades can help the engine breathe better and handle more demanding performance setups.
Term
diesel pump
The diesel pump is the point where diesel is dispensed, and its usage pattern can be a clue about how frequently the fuel is moving. If a site mainly serves gasoline customers, the diesel tank and lines may turn over more slowly, increasing the odds that the diesel has been sitting.
Concept
fuel sitting in storage
If diesel sits too long in a tank, it can get worse or pick up moisture and dirt. That can lead to engine problems because the fuel isn’t as clean as it should be.
A fleet is a bunch of vehicles used by the same company. How they buy and manage fuel can affect how reliably the engines run.
Term
bulk diesel fuel
Bulk diesel fuel is delivered and stored in large quantities (often at a facility) rather than purchased in small retail tank volumes. Because it’s stored on-site, bulk fuel management—like tank cleanliness and turnover—strongly affects fuel quality and consistency.
An injector is a part that sprays fuel into the engine. If the fuel is dirty or the wrong type, it can make injectors work less reliably, so injector makers care a lot about fuel quality.
Fuel additives are products you put into diesel to change how the fuel performs. Some are meant to help protect the fuel system from problems caused by poor fuel or contaminants.
CP4 is a type of high-pressure fuel pump in many diesel engines. If it fails, it can damage other parts of the fuel system, and the repair bills can get very expensive.
Fleet maintenance is how companies keep lots of vehicles running. Since they can’t afford vehicles being out of service, maintenance and repair costs matter a lot.
The CP4 is a diesel fuel pump that pressurizes fuel for the engine. When it fails, it can break down and send metal particles through the fuel system, which can cause major repair bills.
This means the pump parts are rubbing directly against each other without enough lubrication. That rubbing can grind off metal particles and lead to bigger problems downstream.
Diesel fuel isn’t just for energy—it also helps lubricate parts in the fuel system. If the fuel doesn’t lubricate enough, the pump can wear out sooner.
Concept
fuel system replacement
A “fuel system” on a diesel truck includes components that deliver fuel under high pressure and precisely meter it to the engine. When fuel quality or contamination causes damage or severe clogging, shops may replace major parts of the fuel system, which can become an expensive repair.
Ultra low sulfur diesel is regular diesel, but with much less sulfur in it. That matters because sulfur can affect emissions and how modern diesel systems handle the fuel.
Biodiesel blended fuels are diesel mixed with a renewable fuel called biodiesel. The blend can change how the fuel behaves in the engine and fuel system.
High pressure common rail engines are modern diesel engines that pressurize fuel very strongly and deliver it to the injectors precisely. If the fuel is dirty or inconsistent, it can cause expensive problems in the fuel system.
Fuel injectors are the parts that spray fuel into the engine. If they fail—often because the fuel isn’t clean enough or has the wrong properties—the engine can run poorly or stop, and repairs can be costly.
A fuel filter is like a screen that keeps junk out of the fuel system. If it plugs up too quickly, the engine can starve for fuel and you may end up stranded or needing frequent filter changes.
Term
ELOG
ELOG usually means an electronic log system for driver driving-time rules. If the truck isn’t running, the driver can’t keep working as planned, which can hurt income.
Diesel fuel also acts like a lubricant for parts inside the fuel system. If the fuel isn’t slippery enough, those parts can wear out faster and cause failures.
Additive packages are special chemicals mixed into oil or coolant. They’re there to help the fluid protect the engine and cooling system instead of just doing the basic job.
A DPF is a filter that traps soot from a diesel exhaust. A “flush” is a cleaning process meant to clear out that soot so the exhaust system can work properly again.
A “failure code” is a warning stored by the car’s computer when it detects a problem. In this case, it points to something not right with the fuel injector.
Diesel cars periodically do a “cleaning cycle” to burn soot out of the exhaust filter. If that cycle doesn’t work right, the car can feel off and show warnings.
This means the engine isn’t getting the same amount of fuel in each cylinder. When fuel delivery is uneven, the engine can shake at idle and feel less powerful.
Injection pressure is how strongly the fuel is pushed through the injectors. If fuel quality is poor, it can interfere with how well the injectors spray it.
Emission systems are the parts on a diesel truck that clean up the exhaust. They can be affected by what kind of fuel you put in, because the exhaust chemistry depends on it.
Concept
fuel system repair bill
A fuel system repair bill means the expensive repairs that happen when the diesel fuel system gets damaged. Bad or contaminated fuel can cause parts like injectors and pumps to wear out or fail.
Term
fleet managers
Fleet managers run maintenance and operations for lots of trucks at once. They may focus on oil and transmission fluid, but fuel quality and tank practices can still be a big problem.
Transmission fluid is the fluid that helps the transmission move gears smoothly and protects internal parts. The point being made is that people may manage this well, but forget about the fuel tank.
Fuel filters clean the diesel before it gets to the engine. If the fuel is bad, the filter can get clogged or not clean well enough, which can cause problems.
A saddle tank is a truck’s fuel tank mounted along the frame. The fuel sitting in it can pick up issues like water or contamination, which then makes its way to the engine.
Term
ultra-lisropor diesel
They mention a particular kind of diesel fuel that they think has been around since the mid-2000s. Their main idea is that engines have changed a lot since then, so fuel quality matters more now.
Car
2006 Ram truck with the Cummins
They’re comparing an older Ram diesel from 2006 to today’s version. The “Cummins” part means the diesel engine brand used in that truck, and the engine systems have changed a lot since then.
This means the diesel fuel is being pushed through the system at higher pressure. Higher pressure helps performance and emissions, but it can also make the system more sensitive to dirty fuel.
A micron is just a tiny measurement of particle size. If the filter is rated for a smaller micron number, it can catch smaller dirt or debris in the fuel.
DEF is a special fluid diesel engines use to reduce harmful exhaust gases. It’s injected into the exhaust system, and if it’s wrong or not working properly, the truck can start warning you or limit power.
High sulfur diesel is older diesel fuel that had more sulfur in it. Changing sulfur levels can affect how diesel engines and fuel parts last and how they need to be maintained.
Low sulfur diesel is diesel with less sulfur than older fuel. Because the fuel chemistry changed, diesel engines and fuel systems can need different care than they did with high-sulfur fuel.
Car
12 valve Cummins
A 12-valve Cummins is a particular older Cummins diesel engine design used in many heavy trucks. The speaker is saying some newer mechanics only know this kind of engine, not the older fuel-system designs.
A P pump is the mechanical fuel pump on some older diesel engines. It controls how much fuel gets sent into the engine, so if the fuel changes, the engine’s behavior and maintenance needs can change too.
A maintenance package means you don’t rely on just one thing. It’s a set of habits and products—like how you handle fuel and fluids—that together help prevent costly engine problems.
The Ford F-250 is a big, heavy-duty pickup truck made for towing and hauling. Here, the hosts are talking about a modified version they built and have been using.
The SEMA show is a big event where people show off modified vehicles and aftermarket parts. If a truck went to SEMA, it was displayed there and then brought back to finish more work.
The Mid-American Truck Show is an event for truck fans and builders. The hosts are saying they took the truck there and it was well received.
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Welcome to the Diesel Podcast presented by DFC Diesel.
Garth, welcome to the Diesel Podcast.
How are you doing today?
I'm doing great.
Thanks for having me back on.
I love chatting with you,
and I had a great time on the last episode
we did talking about fuel or contamination of fuel tanks,
which was huge and there were a lot of people
that I don't think necessarily connected that dot
or knew about it.
And so that information was really helpful,
but we've gone through this,
the transition, the seasonal transition from winter
and anti-gel.
And now we're getting,
I mean, we're in springtime.
People are getting ready to go on trips this summer.
And so we have this big transition
of what should we do with diesel fuel?
So I thought it'd be great to chat with you about diesel claim
and learn more about that
and some really interesting parts of it.
And then a major endorsement as well by Cummins,
which I think will be huge to chat about.
So for someone who's not familiar,
I'd say maybe the starting point for a diesel truck owner,
maybe not an enthusiast is they've heard some things
about diesel fuel,
maybe the quality isn't there,
maybe the lubricity isn't there,
but they haven't really gone too far into it.
Where should we start when analyzing diesel fuel?
Well, I would say 10 years ago or so,
maybe not even that long ago,
you talk to customers and you assume that most
or all diesel consumers or users at that point
knew in the winter months,
you had to treat your diesel fuel for gelling purposes.
And our educational purpose at that,
or point at that time was,
okay, this is why you do it during the winter.
And this is what you've got to do outside
of those winter months to care for your diesel engine
because of the diesel quality that's out there.
Fast forward to say, current times,
we've got a whole new group of people.
And I think we mentioned this on the last time we talked,
we've got a whole nother group of people
that are buying diesel engines for the first time,
SUVs, light duty, half ton pickups,
a whole new generation of customers
that have never owned a diesel in their entire life.
And so we can't just go and say,
hey, most people know, hey, they need to treat with the fuel.
There's a lot of people buying these new half ton pickups
that have no idea that you have to treat your fuel
in the winter months.
And so we're kind of starting almost from scratch
with a lot of customers,
but also with those older customers and seasoned customers,
maybe they've been using power service
for the last 30, 40 years in their diesel
during the winter months.
But then they're coming to us and say,
what do I need to be doing outside of those winter months?
Do I need to be,
I'm hearing more about treating my fuel year round,
listening to shows like yourself and getting tidbits
like we did about Tang maintenance last time,
and this time really focused on why
and how do I need to treat my fuel
outside of the winter months
and care for my engine and my injection system.
And so that's where we spent a lot of time.
When I first started at Power Service back in 2008,
my territory of the Pacific Northwest was primarily,
probably 90% of the business up there
was winterization only.
And during the spring and summer,
you were kind of figuring out, okay, what do I do?
How do I use my time wisely for the company?
And it came up pretty early on.
I've got to go build a year round business opportunity up here
and educate the customers of treating their fuel
outside of the winter months and what the benefits are.
Not just that we're trying to go out
and sell a product on a year round basis,
we're trying to sell a product
that actually benefits the end user
and their performance, efficiencies,
control some of their costs.
I mean, fuel is their number one cost
going through these fleet operators budgets.
And how do we help extend the miles
that they get on those tanks of fuel?
The life of the injectors, the life of the fuel filters,
just overall maintenance costs.
How do we decrease that number for them?
And that's where we really focus a lot of our energy
as education, answering the why they should use power service.
I mean, clearly our job is to educate customers,
but also educate and then push them towards the fact
that they should use not only diesel additives,
but power service diesel additives.
Like when you mentioned the half ton diesels
or even the smaller trucks or SUVs,
even the three quarter one ton trucks,
most people I know, I don't know the percentage,
but I'd say the majority of them,
they started in the gas world,
then transitioned over to diesel.
And in the gas world, there's not a whole lot of,
you just fuel up your vehicle and you just go.
And I think if you try to bring that into,
especially a modern diesel truck
with the injection pump side pressure,
common rail injection,
you can definitely run into some issues.
To start there, what are the issues
with standard diesel fuel
that we can get out of a pump anywhere in the country?
What are some things that are lacking?
So we have that starting point and then we'll jump into
like what diesel clean and power service products
do to be able to increase the quality of that fuel.
So the first thing that customers need to understand
the difference, especially those customers
that are transitioning from a lifetime of using
or driving gasoline powered vehicles
to now transitioning to diesel,
is when they were driving a gasoline vehicle,
pulling into a branded, I'll just leave it generic,
a branded fuel station.
They were getting that brand of gasoline in their vehicle
and they could choose from regular, mid-grade or premium.
When they pull up to the diesel pump,
yes, it's under that branded canopy,
but it is an unbranded product.
So our manufacturing, our refinery process in this country
is diesel is all commingled.
There is no branded diesel fuel available out there.
So a truck calls diesel into a,
and for the sake of saying a Chevron station drops
that load of diesel, that is not Chevron diesel.
That is just a unbranded diesel
that has no lubricity additive.
It has no detergents and it has no C-tain improver.
It is just as the diesel was refined at the terminal.
And that's where a lot of people,
when we bring that up to them,
they have no idea, they assumed
that they were going to that particular station
and getting that brand of diesel fuel
that has the same type of, you know, detergent technology
that'll promote under gasoline and it does not.
And I think that's where we try to start with everybody
is understanding that diesel is an unbranded product.
It doesn't matter what canopy you pull up under to fill at.
It has no performance improver or protection
for your engine in that fuel.
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So that's an interesting point.
I never thought about it like that
because I'm trying to think back
to when I didn't own gas vehicles
and sometimes for whatever reason,
one particular engine might like a particular branded fuel
better and run a little smoother, you know,
whatever it might have been, it just liked it.
And I think naturally we think, okay, well,
if I go to, you know, station A, it's their branded diesel
and station C is their branded diesel
and it's really not.
So I think that's a great point to start with
the generic sort of quality that it is.
Yeah, and they're like on the over the road trucker side,
if an over the road trucker starts in Los Angeles per se
and they fill their tank there,
they're getting a much different diesel fuel
that they're gonna get when they get to Texas
and load with fuel.
And then when they, if they're going to say Florida,
they're gonna have a different diesel there yet.
So each state, each region has a variation of diesel quality.
C-tane, you know, can vary, you know, water content can vary.
You know, there's during the winter months,
cloud points and gelling points can vary, things like that.
So those are the types of things that we have to educate
you know, over the road truckers
that have been doing it for a career.
Most, more often than not, they understand,
hey, there's the variances.
But the general consumer, like what we're talking about here,
most often have no idea.
My dad, who, you know, I've talked to him
about power service since I started here in 08.
He still has questions for me of, hey, I'm here.
What do I need to do for my fuel?
Do I get at this station?
Do I skip this one?
You know, so trying to understand what's going on.
And, you know, even the most educated person
is still got some questions about what's best for their engine
and performance and reliability.
I imagine that the quality or the properties
of that diesel fuel can even change more
once we get into those individual examples of like,
how long has it been in the tank?
Like you talked about that with us last time about,
it might sit there for a while with kind of algae
or bacterial biological growth exists in it.
So it can even continue on with how it varies
based on what tank it's in,
how long it's been there as well.
Yes, yes, yeah.
And so when we go through, like with our diesel clean,
you know, plus C-Tain Boost product, particularly,
we're looking at, you know, basically three items.
We're gonna, you know, get the lubricity
of any given diesel fuel within the range
of where that engine wants it to be.
So we have, we have the Engine Manufacturers Association
that sets a standard for that engine
that we wanna see lubricity for.
And we have the ASTM that sets a standard for the industry.
Well, the problem is ASTM is say 520 micron wear scar
on a lubricity test
where the Engine Manufacturing Association is at 460.
So there's a discrepancy already
from the governing body of, say, the refineries
and that side of things,
and then the between the Engine Manufacturers.
And so what we're trying to do
is we're trying to find that sweet spot in the middle
or closer to the 460 number.
The lower the number,
the better the lubricity and the diesel fuel.
So it's kind of like golf, you know,
the lower the number, the better the deal.
So that's what we're always trying to do.
So our diesel clean will, you know,
add the lubricity that you need to protect your pumps,
injectors, or any moving parts
that fuel actually sees through the engine.
And then we have our C-Tain Improver.
ASTM comes out and says,
40 is the minimum pipeline spec of your diesel fuel
for C-Tain.
Okay, well, engines, I don't care what engine brand
or any type of engine,
all diesel engines in the world
want to see a 50 C-Tain or better fuel.
So we know that right away,
well, we're 10 points of C-Tain off,
potentially from where that engine wants to see.
So rough or idle, slower start,
and just inefficient combustion rates.
And so we load up a bunch of C-Tain Improver
into our diesel clean product to increase combustion rates.
By increasing combustion rates,
you're putting less unburnt diesel fuel downstream
into the DPF filter.
So we all know you eliminated unburnt fuel
going to the DPF filter.
We're going to slow down the process
or a frequency of a regen cycle
that's going through these engines.
And then finally, the detergents.
We load it up with a high pressure common rail
detergent technology that is designed
for a cleanup of that injection system over periods of use.
And the question I always get is,
how often should I be using diesel clean?
And whether we're at trade shows
or we're taking tech calls on the phone here,
it's how often do you want it to be protecting your engine?
How often do you want it to be cleaning, lubricating,
and increasing the combustion rate?
Well, I mean, ideally it would be all the time.
And so our recommendation, and this is not just us,
trying to sell somebody on something they don't need,
but truly every time you fill up
is the best case practice to use a product
like our diesel clean plus C-tain boost.
And that is, so in those conversations
with those customers that were accustomed to you
driving a gasoline vehicle, you ask some of those,
some vehicles require premium unlead.
Okay, well, your diesel really requires premium diesel.
You just aren't able to get it at a pump
without adding an additive yourself.
So you basically, as a diesel consumer,
you have to make your own premium diesel.
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I think that information kind of hit me hard
because I didn't know that.
I didn't know that there was, like you mentioned,
the ASTM standard and the example you gave
of say a 520 wear scar in an engine manufacturer
saying, well, we'd like to see 460.
Well, that tells me as a consumer,
what I'm gonna buy is just for an example,
I'm gonna buy a 520, but my engine and my truck
wants a 460 while I'm already starting off
with a gap there.
And then you mentioned it with the C-Tain as well.
And I don't think the conversation between enthusiasts,
between people who drive these trucks
has ever really centered on the gap that we have
just from the very start because of the type of engine
and the type of fuel source that we've chosen.
And I think what you said about having to make
your own premium diesel is extremely important,
especially I imagine over the last 15, 20 years
and the advancements in the high pressure
common rail injection and the higher pressures
that they run and just how the engines have changed
from generation to generation.
It's probably even more crucial now than maybe it was
late 90s, early 2000s, when the common rail
started to come out because of the systems on the trucks.
Yeah.
Yeah, and one of the things that you mentioned it,
the awareness of the manufacturers.
In many conversations with a multitude
of engine manufacturers, they'll admit that when we talk
to them about the lubricity issues, the C-Tain issues,
the detergent need or the need for detergent,
they're unaware and they'll be like, we had no idea.
And initially our thought was like,
what do you mean you have no idea?
This is what you do, you design these engines.
How do you not have this idea?
Well, then I've been into some of the testing facilities
of these engine manufacturers and you see they've got
their test cell where the engine's set up
and they've got barrels, 55 gallon barrels of diesel fuel.
Well, that diesel fuel is sent to them by,
you name the refinery, they're sending it to them
for the testing.
Well, upon inspection, that diesel that they're testing
the engine is dosed with a lubricity additive,
it's got detergents and it has C-Tain improver in it.
So they've basically sent them a premium diesel fuel
for testing purposes on all their engines across the board,
light duty and heavy duty.
But as soon as that engine gets tested and proven
and sent out in a piece of equipment or a truck
or a pickup going to hit the showroom and then get on a road,
that truck's never ever going to see that premium diesel fuel
unless the customer grabs diesel clean or that type of product
and puts it into their fuel themselves.
And so it's not because they're not aware so much
but they don't know what's in the real world.
Their world of testing is in that lab
and they're testing with the diesel
that I guess they assume is available
for every consumer out there, which it's not.
Wow, I didn't know that.
I never thought about it like that.
So that's, I guess that leads to a question that I have for you
because I know that diesel clean is endorsed by Cummins
which is huge because I think of,
I mentioned before the podcast,
I had one of the lead engineers from Ram on the podcast.
We're talking about new trucks
and what goes into the engineering of them.
And I asked him for some tips of what we may not know
is somebody who's buying a 2026 Ram.
And one of the things that he said was pay attention
and do research on what type of fuel additive
you may put into the truck.
So if I owned a Ram truck and I go to a store
and I'm looking for a fuel additive
and I look at your bottle and I turn it over
and I see endorsed by Cummins,
well then that's huge for me
because I've got a $108,000 truck or an $85,000 truck.
And I know that this product is endorsed by the company
that built this engine that's in it.
How does, can you talk to me a bit about that process
of getting that endorsement from Cummins
to use the product with their engines?
Yeah, so it was a, it's an interesting kind of a long,
long process in which we went through.
So they reached out to us and probably in 2015,
2016 timeframe, I actually had a conference call yesterday
with one of their people and we're looking at, you know,
we're nine years into this endorsement program with them.
And so it came to us because they had people inside,
they were having at that time, some injector issues,
kind of some national fleets
that were having some injector issues.
So they started doing some research internally of,
these fleets are having injector issues.
I've got a stack of warranty claims over here
and this, these fleets are not.
And there was, there was, you know,
a couple in particular that really stood out of,
they have no warranty claims,
with nothing going on with their injectors.
Why, what are they doing differently?
Well, it turned out those fleets that weren't,
we're using diesel clean.
They were using our supplement,
our diesel fuel supplement during the winter months
and they were transitioning immediately
into our diesel clean for all the non-winter months.
And so they're treating 100% of their fuel
that went through their engines.
Well, no injector issues,
that, you know, no warranty claims on,
on the injection system.
And so they really started digging into it.
They came to us and said,
hey, you know, we've been talking to these fleets.
We, they had their own product actually.
Cummins actually had a,
under the Fleet Guard brand had their own diesel additive.
Well, they stopped production of that.
They stopped sale of that
and switched everything over to diesel fuel supplement
on the winter and our diesel clean
in the non-winter for the Cummins endorsement.
So you'll see the Cummins endorsement
on both those products.
But it happened after,
so it began in like a 15 or 16,
but it took 232 or three years
of their no harms testing internally
of does it clear this hurdle?
And it felt like for a while,
and I've told everybody, you know,
that would do with the Cummins on this,
it felt like the goalpost just kept moving.
We'd clear this hurdle and it'd be like,
no, you gotta clear this.
And then we'd clear that and it would gotta clear this.
And so I got told a lot of customers
that I see out in the field,
this was not an easy process by any stretch
for either Cummins nor power service.
And there were a lot of people on the Cummins side
is like, I don't know if we really want to do this,
but the results speak for themselves.
And we were one of many products that they were testing
and the end result showed that ours had the most impact
on cleaning the injectors,
the best lubricity of their fuel system
over all the fuels that they were testing
and the benefits of the C-Tain improver.
So, you know, but what really stood out was the detergency
that we offer in diesel clean
really outperformed every single thing else
that they tested.
And so we were able to kind of finally in 2017, 2018,
finally kind of put the thing to bed
and roll forward with the Cummins logo on our bottles.
So with that said, one important note that I want to say
is yes, it was a long road with testing through Cummins
and we're able to do that testing with Cummins
because of their ability and their manufacturing process
from everything from the fuel pump to the injectors
to the DPF system.
And so they were able to do thoroughly do
from the stem to stern type of, you know, no harms testing.
And so it is compatible.
It is safe for use in all diesel engines.
It just happens to be the Cummins had the testing ability
to go through and make sure that no harm to any elastomers
or any DPF surfaces, anything like that
on any diesel engines.
That's really, it's really powerful.
When I think of all the different systems that are on a truck
and I don't even, I can't even pretend to know
all the testing and engineering that goes into it,
but to be able to add a product to it, test it and say,
we, this is what you need to use
if you have one of our engines really, really stands out.
And I think it circles back to what you mentioned before
with when they're testing these engines,
they're using a premium diesel that they're being sent.
And now me as a consumer and individual with this truck,
I can now achieve the same or maybe better,
probably better ratings on what my fuel quality is
by adding this to my tank at different intervals
and to be able to achieve that.
And I think just with all the stories that we hear
about injection pump failures and everything
that's out there, people, one, they want to avoid that.
They want to avoid the cost of it and then the downstream
damage that can occur in the huge repair bill.
And so they look for, I think they really want
authority and confidence in what they put into their fuel tank.
And so I think that Cummins endorsement
and the process that it went through really lends itself
to being able to connect those dots
for somebody that's looking for a quality product.
Yeah, yeah, we felt really good about it.
We knew that the product wouldn't perform
when it was going through.
Will it clear all their benchmarks?
Will it clear their hurdles?
It was, you hoped it would, but like I said,
when it felt like things were shifting
throughout the process and it's no disservice to Cummins,
they're doing their due diligence for their customers,
making sure that they're not going to put their name
on something that they haven't thoroughly and thoroughly
tested.
And so it was a big, big process
and it was well worth it in the end.
And so that's where we want to make sure
the customers understand, hey, we didn't just go grab,
hey, ask him, hey, can we throw the big C on the bottle
and see where this goes?
And that's not the case at all.
It was more of, hey, there's a ton of testing
that went in behind us.
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When we look at lubricity and C-Tain
and some of the improvements that DieselClean adds,
one question that people probably have and ask you guys
is can there be too much?
Can I add too much to it?
Or I don't know the quality of the fuel
that I'm starting with.
Is it really going to raise these levels high enough
or give me that premium kind of diesel fuel?
Can you talk with me a little bit
about how it's formulated, not from a chemistry standpoint,
but just from being able to accommodate
different types of diesel fuel quality that's out there
and then being able to get these different categories
into a range where it does protect the fuel system
and does reduce the wear that people would see
if they didn't use any product at all.
Yeah.
So what we do, and I know a lot of people talk about testing
and the chemistry and the sciences behind the scenes
and all that's really great to talk about,
but how do you implement it?
How do you as a manufacturer making a promise
to your consumer that, hey, we've thoroughly tested
and thoroughly vetted this product to do all these things?
And so the way we go about it is
we have our own in-house laboratory
that another building across the parking lot
that we have a full-time staff in that lab
that's testing fuel every day, pulling fuel samples.
So we, our customers, our regional managers
are sending us samples of fuel, our fleet customers out there
that are sending in daily samples of diesel fuel.
And so throughout a year, we'll test
three to 4,000 different fuel samples through the lab
and it'll be everything from water content to lubricity
to winterization properties of that given diesel fuel,
C-tain improver, peck renewable diesel content in those areas.
So everything that you could ever want to know
about that diesel fuel, we're testing those fuels in-house.
And so then we're able to formulate our products
based upon not just, we're not going to pick diesel
down the road at the gas station here
or in weather for Texas, we're pulling fuel,
thousands of fuel samples from across the country
and finding the chemistries that work best
across the board on those diesel fuels.
And so it's really easy to go cherry pick
a great performing diesel fuel
and you formulate your product
and show those results to a customer.
If I showed, if I was going to show you results
of one particular fuel sample and you want to see,
I want to see the benefit of diesel or lubricity
in my diesel fuel, the C-tain improver amount
and the winter operability per se.
I could show you one that would blow your doors off
but is that representative of a thousand fuel samples
across the country?
Absolutely not.
And so that's where we take the easier to treat fuels,
the harder to treat fuels
and we try to find that happy medium
where we got the best possible chemistry
to get a good lubricity number average across the board
throughout the country, C-tain numbers where it needs to be
as well as the detergent package.
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Common question we get from you guys a lot is,
hey, I need a diesel engine.
I either, you know, I can't wait this long to get one
or normal place I get stuff from it.
It just takes too long or I don't,
they don't have the parts in it that I need.
Maybe my truck's not stock or I tow heavy with it.
I don't wanna go back with just a stock engine.
DFC diesel is a sponsor of the podcast.
We worked with them hand in hand on doing episodes,
answering technical questions.
They have a complete lineup of Cummins,
Duramax and Powerstroke remanufactured engines
that are set to a standard of ISO 9001 2015 standards,
which is a huge deal in the aftermarket.
And there's certain levels of quality testing,
validation that are required for that.
So, you know, when you get one of those engines,
the type of quality that's built behind it
with an industry leading warranty
that's really comprehensive.
And, you know, the other thing with that is,
you know, sometimes the options that are out there,
it's just, it's a basic OEM engine.
You want a little bit more.
You don't wanna have the same failure.
Again, so there's a bunch of different series of engines
that they have from core, street, tow haul,
and also the Speed of Air series,
which we've covered on the podcast before.
There's a lot of really cool benefits to it.
And if you have questions about that, reach out to them.
If you don't know the type of engine
that you're looking for, if you go to dfcdiesel.com,
there's a ton of info there.
You can send an email or you can reach out to them.
Also, they're working with Speed of Air Pistons,
which it's the only piston that pays for itself.
And there's a lot of really cool technology behind it.
So you can add that into your build
and be able to get better fuel economy,
you know, increased power, increased torque,
and better engine life out of it.
You know, some of the most common engine applications
or series of engines that they have with that lead time,
a lot of them are in stock
or they have really short lead times.
So you can check your favorite retailer
or go to dfcdiesel.com, check them out,
see what's in stock, see what you can get.
If you have questions, maybe you wanna do, you know,
something that's outside of the normal series of engines,
they have tons of choices for rods, cranks, pistons,
valve train upgrades, tons of different things.
So if you're in the market, definitely make sure
and hit on over and check them out.
So hitting right there, right there in the middle,
which I think would be, it'd be so important.
I was just, when you were mentioning
three to 4,000 different samples,
I'm thinking of some of the places I've stopped
to get diesel fuel over the years
and sometimes it's, you know, you get a,
there's a sign that says no services for 100 miles
and there's a little gas station off the side
or sometimes you're in a big city
and you can tell us that the diesel pump itself
is really clean.
So you can tell them not a lot of diesel trucks go there,
they're mostly gas
and you just don't know what you're getting,
how long it's sat there.
And I think being able to have that confidence
into knowing no matter where I stop,
what I'm using is going to get me
to that kind of sweet spot for it,
would really help, would help me as a truck owner
and in what I choose to use.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, a lot of it, again, boils down to education.
You know, what we constantly do,
my regional managers are constantly out there
working with the fleets, the fuel marketers,
the end users that are, you know, bulk diesel fuel,
you know, we try to reach the retail customer,
you know, through marketing efforts,
social media, certainly your podcast platforms like this
has definitely allowed us to reach those customers
a lot easier than what it has been ever before.
I mean, it wasn't, it doesn't feel like it was five years ago
and you're sitting there, how do I reach that end user?
How do I reach that new diesel owner
that just went to the GM dealer
and bought a little half ton with a Duramax in it?
How do I reach that person?
And now we have these platforms like this
through social media that we can reach those.
And so what customers are gonna see from us
is continued education, you know, little short videos.
It's not just testimonials of the rah rah, hey, look at us,
look how this product performed.
It's why do I need to treat my diesel fuel?
Not outside the winter months.
And it all goes back to that in its education.
That's one of the constant things I've heard
from different segments of the, like the aftermarket industry
is about the quality of diesel fuel.
Whether I'm talking with an injector company that builds them
or somebody who builds injection pumps
or when we're talking about fuel additives.
And when I hear the same problem exists
across multiple different parts of the industry,
then I know it's a real problem.
And I think just with the information people have had out there,
they're with CP4 failures.
And I've had shops on that have told me
how much the bills cost for it,
or somebody in the comments on YouTube or Instagram
or something is talking about what it costs them.
We just, I think those end users hear that
and then they think, well, I want to avoid it.
And one of the things I appreciate the most,
like I love talking about fleets
because now we're talking about 10, 50, 100,
however many vehicles it might be,
there's so much more data there.
And so when we're talking about what works for a fleet,
well, it's definitely gonna work for me as an individual.
And so I love to hear information about that.
And I'm sure there's some great case studies or information
that you guys have been able to gather
working with fleets across the country.
And maybe I'm sure they've probably talked with you guys
about maybe repair costs before they use power service.
First, how they've gone down by using diesel clean
and any number of other products.
Can you talk a little bit about your work with fleets
and specifically the maintenance side and the cost?
Because I think that group is hyper focused on cost
because they're dealing with so many vehicles
versus me as an individual, it's just one truck.
I think that would really help connect not just diesel clean
but the other products that you guys manufacture
into how you're able to lower maintenance costs
for diesel truck owners.
Yeah, and one thing you mentioned just before we jump
into that, you mentioned the CP4 pump failures.
I had three phone calls yesterday alone
with conversations with customers asking about that
and three completely different regions throughout the country.
And so, a lot of that boils down to,
yeah, there's some issues, but lubricant and diesel fuel.
That pump is metal on metal.
That's what we're getting metal shaving from.
And the reason we're doing that is
because there's a lack of lubricant in the diesel fuel.
And so, could there be a design flaw?
Yes, potentially, but I know a lot of people
that have many, many miles on a CP4 pump
with no issue whatsoever,
but they've been religiously treating
with our diesel clean product.
I know a handful of people that I personally know
that have been doing that.
And then the one guy I know,
particularly locally that just had one fail,
he's never treated a drop of fuel in his truck.
He didn't know about.
He didn't know the need to.
And so, he's at the shop right now
getting a new fuel system put in his truck for like $15,000.
And so, that's a substantial bill
that he's gonna have to tackle at the diesel shop.
So, when we talk about fleets
and we go into the maintenance side of that,
a lot of times getting in,
we, I laugh about it with some of the fleet managers.
A lot of them doing it a very long time.
A lot are pretty set in their ways, I would say.
And they're kind of like you see somebody
that's maybe 10 years younger than them come in
and start talking about,
oh, hey, here's what diesel clean does for you.
And they're like, yeah, stop.
I've been doing diesel my whole life.
Yeah, but you haven't been dealing with ultra low soul
for diesel.
You haven't been dealing with renewable
or biodiesel blended fuels.
Here's what you need to know with these
or high pressure common rail engines for that matter.
And when you do get them to open up
and have the conversation,
the fleet manager,
they're not really looking at fuel economy.
That's somebody that's an accountant
or somebody that's a procurement of fuel.
They're looking at that.
But when we're looking at the fleet manager,
we don't go in and really talk to them about,
hey, using diesel clean can save you
up to whatever percent of fuel economy.
That mechanic doesn't care.
Is it going to make the truck run
where it's not coming in with injector failures,
pump failures, premature fuel filter plugging
that now they have to go make a tow bill
or a side of the road call to change fuel filters.
That's what gets them listening.
Currently, they're experiencing a lot of DPF,
regen issues and lights that are taking them off the road
or out of service.
And with the ELOG situation that we have now,
times money, that truck has to be running.
And so, yeah, we deal with a lot of the national fleets
to try to help, but our heart goes out
to those owner operators,
the person that's got everything leveraged
into financially to have their single truck
that they're going out making a living with.
And it goes down because of some injector failure
or regen issue and they have now,
they're not making any money for the truck running.
Now they're getting a repair bill at the dealership.
And those are the type of things
and those customers that we wanna work with,
big fleets, small fleets, independent owners
that by treating with diesel clean,
we can improve the combustion rate,
we can lubricate the fuel system
and protect it the best you can.
Make sure that the fuel you're putting through
is actually treated.
When we talk to these fleet managers,
we start with, what oil do you use?
What coolant do you use?
And oh, I use this oil because of,
it's got this additive package in it
or this coolant because this coolant has
this additive package in it.
Yeah, but what about your diesel?
You're just putting diesel through it.
So what we're talking about is putting diesel
with diesel clean through it to lubricate to pump.
And we tell them, you're putting more diesel
through this engine than you are.
Engine oil, coolant,
but it's the last fluid that you're actually thinking
about that you may need to treat a little bit better
and put a better quality through than your engine oil.
And that's where we catch them a lot.
They're like, yeah, you're right.
I haven't considered that.
I just figured diesel's diesel.
Well, and that's where we come in
to try to educate them to say, okay, yes it is.
However, we can make this happen,
lubricate the fuel system and by doing so, we can do that.
You know, on the first podcast that I did with you,
we introduced our diesel injector and DPF flush.
The best thing about that product
is it's immediate impact that it has.
If somebody's having an injector failure code,
a sticking injector fail, whatever's causing it,
or a regen issue, we can go in there and in a single tank,
we're gonna correct that issue.
And what we know is after a single tank,
if it did not correct an injector issue,
then you have an injector problem
that's a mechanical problem, not a deposit created problem.
And so the feedback that we've gotten
since I did that first podcast with you
has been to many trade shows, many customer events,
many interactions with these people,
customers that have used our new product,
the diesel injector and DPF flush,
they've come back and said it did exactly
what you said it was going to do.
I was having this injector code,
I was having this down on power rough idle
in unbalanced fuel system injections,
and it's back to the way it was.
It's running better than it has.
I have a fleet now that just sent in data yesterday
that's getting 8.2% better fuel economy with it
since they introduced the DPF flush than they were before.
And so every bit of testing that we did
is continued to be validated by the end users.
We're no longer doing the only testing
that we did primarily getting it up
and running ready for the street.
Now we're getting this feedback from
over the road fleets, big fleets, small owner operators,
construction, farming, logging, all types of industries,
and they're validating what we've stated
was going to happen with that product.
The fuel economy is a big one right now
with I think that it always has been,
but especially with cost increases
and then on an individual level
and then on a fleet side, that's just multiplied
by however many trucks there are and how many miles
and how much is going on.
So that adds up really quickly.
I wanted to step back and ask you
more of a general question.
You'd mentioned with these fleet managers
been doing it a long time,
that they're kind of set in their ways.
And I think of, they haven't been a whole lot
of changes with diesel fuel, right?
From just going to ultra low, so for diesel.
But I think of all the changes since then
with injection systems and injection pressures
and emission systems that are on trucks,
all that has changed exponentially.
You still have that same kind of base generic diesel fuel.
That really resonates with me as far as,
I think that the demands or the taxing
that is placed on that fuel.
And it makes me think, well, what's my starting point here?
And how can I get that starting point closer
to where this truck will run for a really long time
and I won't have that $15,000 fuel system repair bill,
which nobody wants, nobody wants that
and the way to do it.
But would you say that that has been,
maybe from your perspective,
one of the bigger challenges is either truck owners
or fleet managers, they're used to these systems
like they have their particular oil they like
and they're cool in their transmission fluid,
but they forget about that tank
that takes 35 gallons, it's fueled up all the time.
And just getting them to connect that dot
of how important that is.
Yeah, it is because, and I think my theory is that
a fleet mechanic in the shop,
they're pulling a drain plug, draining the oil out.
They're putting oil filters in.
On the fuel system side, they're changing fuel filters.
They're never, they're not handling the diesel itself.
So it's kind of like, yes, they're doing part
of the fuel system by changing the fuel filters,
but they're not physically draining anything out.
So it's less atop the mind of what they understand
of what's going on.
I think, it's just one of those things,
we bring it to the forefront.
Hey, you're having these issues because of
what's in that saddle tank on the side of that truck.
And I think today, we've had ultra-lisropor diesel
out since 06.
And so say 20 years later, there's been a lot of changes
within the engine technology in that 20 year period.
When you go back to 2006, if you took a 2006 Ram truck
with the Cummins in at that point
and versus what we're at at 2026,
that engine's massively different.
Yes, the trucks evolved itself,
but that engine has evolved greatly.
And I think that there's,
I don't think there's a real hard set understanding
of the changes across the board
that have happened in that engine since 06.
Yeah, the diesel made a change.
And there's been things, but high real pressures
in the fuel systems have continued to increase.
Filtration has continued to decrease
as far as the micron size.
So, maybe in 06, we were running,
I don't know, 30 micron, whatever filters.
Now we're at a two.
So, we're filtering this fuel tighter.
Our pressures have increased.
DPF filters are on and DEF is in the system.
So there are a lot of advances that have happened.
And I think the general consumer doesn't really realize that.
The other thing that's happened is
we're kind of getting away from those mechanics.
They're still out there,
but the vast majority are becoming
a younger generation of mechanic.
Maybe they don't know anything since ultra,
prior to ultra low sulfur diesel fuel.
I grew up in the, like I mentioned in the first one,
into logging business out in Pacific Northwest.
I was well aware of the high sulfur diesel fuel
in the mechanicals engines.
And then the change in 93 to low sulfur diesel fuel.
And so, and what that did for the industry.
And so, but we're running into a situation
where I go into truck shops now or mechanic shops.
It's a younger group of people
that have never had any experience
with low sulfur and high sulfur diesel fuel
in mechanical systems.
Maybe their mechanical system that they're familiar with
is a 12 valve Cummins with a P pump on it.
That's to them, they don't like my old Mac truck
with an old, you know, the Mac 237 engine.
They look at it like, what in the world is this thing?
You know, how does this even operate?
And so, those are those type of things where,
you know, the background of the mechanic side
has changed drastically.
And we have to, as a company, continue to figure out
how do we educate those up and coming mechanics?
I've done training sessions at diesel colleges,
vocational colleges with a diesel program.
I'll go in and give a presentation about our products
or our background of why we're doing what we're doing,
what we're dealing with these engines
and the fuel that's out there.
Cause I mean, those are gonna be our future customers
that are gonna be working in these diesel shops.
Yeah.
And then there's so many parts of maintenance
where I find naturally people think of like what's better
or what quality should this fluid have
that will improve or protect my truck.
Like we think about it with engine oil,
think about it with transmission fluid.
We get into hard parts that people think about it with.
But I've felt for in the past that there was like a disconnect
even with myself, I didn't use a fuel additive
for probably the first five years of owning a diesel.
I didn't think I needed to.
I just thought whatever I got at the pump was fine.
But through conversations like this
and then hearing the sort of damage
and the repair bills that happened,
it definitely connects the dots that
it has to be part of a maintenance package.
Even as an individual or an enthusiast
or maybe it's just a truck of use to tow,
some toys with on vacation or something like that,
just how crucial it is to start with a good quality fluid.
I know there might be people that have questions
or maybe it's somebody in a fleet that they manage a fleet
or they're having some issues
and they're trying to connect with a company
that helps them.
What is the best way for someone to reach out to you guys
and be able to ask some of the technical questions
that they might have about either diesel clean
or maybe some of the other products that we've talked about?
So on our website, thepowerservice.com,
we have a chat option in there.
A message comes to the office here.
It gets forward to myself or Jessica
over on our technical services lab.
And so one of us will respond back to the customer.
They can put in their email or their phone number or both.
We'll give them a call.
We'll talk to them and we'll get one of our regional managers
if they're interested to come by, have an onsite visit.
They can pull fuel samples of their storage tanks
if they have them onsite.
They can go through with the mechanics
and do a product training of sorts
to really go through and educate them on the products
and how it can benefit their fleet.
And then you guys, I've seen power service
in any auto parts store I've ever...
I think all the ones around me.
So people can find it locally pretty much anywhere.
Any of their favorite retailers.
Before I let you go, I just want to ask you another question.
We had talked last year about that F-250 that you guys did.
And I saw it on social media recently.
I just wanted to ask you, how's that truck running?
Are there any new things you guys have done to it?
It's such a cool build and such a cool truck.
Well, we got it back from the SEMA show.
We finished a couple of things.
We added the stereo system that we didn't get done
before it went to SEMA.
We added power windows in all four doors now.
And then we've just been driving it.
It drives great.
We took it actually out to the Mid-American Truck Show
in Louisville this past, I guess it was at the end of March.
Very well received out there.
In a land of 18 wheelers and semi-trucks,
it may have been the only pickup light duty truck out there.
But we had a lot of people come by and really check it out
and really love it.
And it's been in Deastal World magazine.
There was a feature article of it in there.
It was just on Detroit Steel who did the wheels for us on that truck.
They posted it and then shared it through their system.
So it's gotten a lot of coverage.
And actually, there's a company out at the...
I think they're out of Georgia, but they build these trucks.
They're spec trucks and you could order one from them directly.
And they actually put one on there that's available
with our exact same paint job with the red stripe,
the white down low and a black up top with the red stripe
separating them available on their website.
So you could order one just like it, apparently.
That's so cool.
It's a beautiful truck.
For anyone curious to see it,
if you jump onto the power service like Instagram
or Facebook, social channels, you can see that truck.
I love the paint scheme.
It was just perfect and the whole build and everything.
So I was just curious how it was doing.
I really appreciate you taking time to chat with me today, Garth,
about Deastal Clean and the issues that exist with Deastal Fuel
just as we buy it from the pump
and how to bring it up to where it needs to last to perform.
And like you mentioned with Fuel economy,
which is a huge topic right now
and something people are really,
they're looking for real ways to be able to improve that.
So it was great to chat with you today,
learn about the product,
and look forward to chatting with you again in the future.
I appreciate it.
Thanks for having me on again.
Don't forget Deastal fans,
make sure and head on over to kershaw.kaiusa.com.
Use code 20TD8FR26 to get 20% off your order.
Kershaw's got a whole lineup of knives to meet any budget
that you might have,
whether it's a new knife or EDC,
hunting, fishing,
something around the job site around the house,
they've got you covered with a bunch of different choices
for blade steel, blade shape,
different handle designs, opening mechanisms,
and you also get free shipping over $50.
So we really appreciate them offering that discount code
just for Deastal podcast listeners.
Also want to give a shout out to some of our Patreon supporters,
Robert, John, TSW Deastal,
all of our other Patreon supporters,
all of you who follow us on social media.
We appreciate all your support here in year 10
of the Deastal podcast
and look forward to bringing you more of the content
that you want to hear in 2026.
Until next time, keep the shiny side up.
About this episode
Fuel quality issues aren’t loud, but they can quietly shorten diesel life. The hosts connect seasonal cold-weather habits (anti-gel, gelling) with year-round concerns like lubricity, detergents, and cetane—especially as modern common-rail trucks run higher pressures and add DPF/DEF hardware. They explain why branded fuel can still be “unbranded” (commingled supply), how fuel can change in storage, and how standards like ASTM lubricity targets matter. Cummins endorsement and fleet stories are used to argue for treating fuel and protecting injectors, pumps, and filters.
How bad is diesel fuel from station to station? Power Service gives us a
look into fuel quality minimums, and why truck owners should take
control over their fuel. This becomes even more crucial for trucks
constantly on the road and fleets.
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