CAT approved biocide?

[Little_Grizzly]

I've got a lot of money tied up in my newish D4K2. The LAST thing I can afford is to do something foolish. I noticed a tiny bit of diesel bugs in one of my 5 gal containers. I keep the tank on my dozer full to the absolute top but I want to be a bit more proactive. Is there a CAT approved biocide I can put in my dozer?

Also, I opened the drain on the bottom of the tank and didn't see any water or bugs so that's good.

 

[Coaldust]

The Caterpillar O&M recommends Biobor JF. Other Caterpillar literature will defer you to the local fuel supplier for their recommendation.

 

[Little_Grizzly]

Perfect! Thank you much

 

[Nige]

The Caterpillar O&M recommends Biobor JF. Other Caterpillar literature will defer you to the local fuel supplier for their recommendation.

Interesting information. I wasn't aware that Cat recommended any specific brand for any type of fuel additive which by implication would include biocides. Do you have a link.?

 

[Coaldust]

Nige,

Take a look at SEBD0717 Diesel Fuels and Your Engine. The reference to Biobor JF is in the back of the book. Sorry, I can’t find a link to the publication anywhere on the web. It used to be widely available.

Also, pull up PEHJ0241 Cat Engine Storage and Preservation. Page two.

 

[Coaldust]

 

[Coaldust]

Some of the O&M pubs have Biobor JF listed, as well. Look at C15&C18 Industrial Engines SEBU9106-08. Page 26.
https://www.holtca.com/images/pdf/C15C18T4F.pdf

 

[JD955SC]

I think that’s the brand we have a couple bottles of in our lobby and I have one on my toolbox.

drain off your water in your fuel tank also. Can’t remember for sure on the Ks but there is quite probably a fuel drain valve under the tank.

 

[Coaldust]

For fun, pull up TIB February 16,1994. Subject: “Rotary” Type Fuel Injection Pump Problems Could Be Caused By Low Sulfur Fuels.

This was a controversial TIB because it recommended the Stanadyne Performance Formula additive.

Not related to microbial growth. Just a interesting bit of history. Cat has been all over the board with product recommendations over the decades, along with different divisions contradicting each other. Fun stuff for us oil and fuel geeks.

 

[Coaldust]

People today tend to misdiagnose microbial growth. Most of the time the black stuff they are seeing in their saddle tanks and the slime coating the filters is asphaltenes from the super-heated from common tail fuel systems.

If you suspect hydrocarbon utilizing microbes ( HUM bugs ) in your bulk fuel storage, just ask your fuel supplier to test for you. It’s often a free service. Just a small test vile you put a sample of the water in. Then it turns color verifying growth.

 

[Nige]

People today tend to misdiagnose microbial growth. Most of the time the black stuff they are seeing in their saddle tanks and the slime coating the filters is asphaltenes from the super-heated from common tail fuel systems.

True dat.
Another reason to keep fuel tanks topped off as often as possible on the later generation of engines to minimize fuel heating in the tank caused by super-hot returning fuel.

 

[Little_Grizzly]

hmmm well this was more of a learning opportunity than I thought! I love posting to this forum. Much less of the "attacking the NOOB" attitude around here.
Ok so what I thought was diesel bugs was a brownish slime forming not in my tractor but in the bottom of a plastic 5-gal tote I had as a left over from refueling. It had been sitting for more than a year outside. I tested for water using Kolor Kut and in fact found water at the bottom. Putting two and two together I assumed bugs were growing. Now I'm second guessing that. Doesn't stop me from acting and putting a biocide in my tank though. Really can't see the downside.

 

[Birken Vogt]

I have been living and working in California all my life and I have never seen growth in fuel except one time. At the shop where my dad used to teach continuation students they had a solvent washer and he suspected a dim bulb had poured a water based substance into the tank while cleaning something. We scooped it out and moved on with life. I have never seen growth in a diesel fuel system. I suspect the mild and dry climate has something to do with it.

I have seen water contamination a few times but it was gross contamination to the point the IP was full of water. Purged out the water from the system and all was seemingly well.

 

[Old Magnet]

I'm over here close to the coast and occasionally see the "black plague" in the fuel system on older machines. We see more moisture than inland locations so that's probably the culprit. Got a D4 tank that I had to give up on, just could not kill the bugs.

 

[Coaldust]

That is interesting. I’ve only ran into it once in the last decade. A 500 gallon bulk storage tank at the University of Alaska, Anchorage campus with very very old fuel for a backup gen.

The “bugs” don’t necessarily live everywhere. Certain parts of country have higher concentrations of the the HUM bacteria types. Which, live in the soil. The bacteria get blown around in the dust until they find their way into a tank. Or, contaminated fuel gets moved around.

They got to have water. They live in the water and eat at the oil/water interface. They can’t survive in fuel for very long.

 

[lantraxco]

South coast of Oregon, where the temp can yoyo up and down past the dew point several times in one day. Steel tanks and steel boat tanks create the monster from the black lagoon on a regular basis. We see moss growing from body seams on two year old cars here, LMAO!

 

[Nige]

Not trying to be contrary here, but now I've had the chance to go digging a bit I found that all the references quoted above are for medium/long-term engine storage apart from SEBD0717 which I haven't got and can't find anywhere. Obviously if it functions in a storage scenario the Biobor JF ought to function on a day-to-day basis. However nowhere can I find any info to support that position. I'm not saying it won't work, just that I can't find anything to the effect that "this is what we recommend you use" or some similar wording.

As I said earlier Cat's position regarding additives for any fluid (fuel, oil, or coolant) was always very much hands-off. In fact the section titled "Aftermakret Products and Warranty" in SEBU6250, the Cat Fluids Guide states - "Caterpillar is not in a position to evaluate the many auxiliary devices, accessories, or consumables [Biobor JF would be a consumable IMHO] promoted by other manufacturers and their effect on Cat products. Installation or use of such items is at the discretion of the customer who assumes ALL risks for the effects that result from this usage."

 

[JD955SC]

Not trying to be contrary here, but now I've had the chance to go digging a bit I found that all the references quoted above are for medium/long-term engine storage apart from SEBD0717 which I haven't got and can't find anywhere. Obviously if it functions in a storage scenario the Biobor JF ought to function on a day-to-day basis. However nowhere can I find any info to support that position. I'm not saying it won't work, just that I can't find anything to the effect that "this is what we recommend you use" or some similar wording.

As I said earlier Cat's position regarding additives for any fluid (fuel, oil, or coolant) was always very much hands-off. In fact the section titled "Aftermakret Products and Warranty" in SEBU6250, the Cat Fluids Guide states - "Caterpillar is not in a position to evaluate the many auxiliary devices, accessories, or consumables [Biobor JF would be a consumable IMHO] promoted by other manufacturers and their effect on Cat products. Installation or use of such items is at the discretion of the customer who assumes ALL risks for the effects that result from this usage."

Nige I personally think good quality fresh fuel from a reputable supplier and good fuel system maintenance is far more useful than any biocide or additive. We see very little fuel system issues from customers that get their fuel delivered onsite by a contractor but the el cheapo customers with grungy tanks are a different story.

 

[Coaldust]

SEBD0717 Has disappeared. Hard to believe. Can’t even find my hard copy. Lol. I’ve got a copy, on a backup disc, in storage. I’ll try to dig it up.

 

[Coaldust]

I can’t recall a major, making any kind of specific brand recommendation or recommending a maintenance dose of biocide. I think biocide is mostly a “ Oh Crap”!!!!” “ We have problem” thing. Let’s try to fix this.

Caterpillar’s spirit of their message is to buy clean fuel and keep it clean. Follow Preventative procedures. Keep water out of the fuel to begin with. But, if oops happens, biocide is an option.

I don’t like the stuff, myself. It’s super toxic and is very pervasive.

I got a funny story about 1 million gallons of ULSD #2 we purchased in Dutch Harbor 12/19. It was full of water. In suspension. Would not separate. The employee responsible for testing it before accepting delivery, did not. Fuel lab on site, even. Took two months and many tens of thousands of dollars to make it ready for sale. Maybe I’ll start a new thread on how we finally stripped the water out.