I just lost the fuel pump on my 1983 VX pickup diesel. The mechanic said it was due to the new low sulfer fuel. It does not lubricate the pump. He suggested I add 8 oz of ATF or marvel mystory oil to 15 gal of diesel to avoid this problem ( a $950 fix) in th future. Anyone know if this is true? Thanks

......Ya just gotta LUV that MMO!

Read this post from earlier this year. Some injection pumps are failing because of lubricity concerns.

Low Sulfur Diesel

And this post...

Some of it's funny so read the links as well.

More on low sulfur.

Bill N.Y.

I don't know what a "VX" is, but if it's the OEM part on an '83, I'd say you got your money's worth. It must have been the injector pump, not the fuel pump, that failed.

Sulfur in fuel is an excellent lubricant; removal lowers the lubricity. Stanadyne recommends their additive (1:500 or 1:1,000), depending on which you choose, for low-sulfur and ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel.

I don't recommend ATF in fuel, as there are particulate additives (same for motor oil, even ND). A reasonable substitute would be an ashless 2-cycle oil (most are).

I already posted a month or so back that I have a fleet of IH diesel dumps. He lost 2 injector pumps and the rebuild shop recommended a fuel additive to lube the pumps He recommend Lucas fuel additive. I have used it in my truck for years and I guess I'll put in the Barth also.

CC... What is "Lucas fuel additive"? Are there any specifications for what to purchase?

Any other thoughts from the Diesel crowd about what to add for lubrication?

I'm not sure the Lucas Fuel Additive will do the job. Specs are very hard to come by, and the claims of "Upper Cylinder Lubricant" are,(as in all cases of this claim) frankly, suspect. Claims are apparently based on electronic fuel injection (mainly gaso, which doesn't use fuel as a lubricant); there is nothing, even in the marketing material, to indicate mechanical injector pump lubrication.

Having been a fuels and lube guy for so many years, I just find nothing comforting in "specs" that say, "Lucas Fuel Treatment is formulated for both gasoline and diesel engines, carbureted or fuel injected. It gives your fuel system what it really needs - a blend of super slick oils and additives with a high detergent action that allows the engine to operate at maximum efficiency."

That's not to say it won't do the job. As for me, I'm going with the mfr's recommendations on my new engine. While some of these mfrs' engineers aren't the brightest lights in the chandelier where lubricants are concerned (DON'T get me started on that!), they ain't terminally stupid, either. They've figured out what works. They haven't figured out what doesn't. And it's not their jobs to do so.

To reiterate my refrain: "Oil's cheaper than metal."

I called Lucas and they assured me it would do the job,but I quess they wouldn't say anything different. One thing I would be not use is auto trannie fuild. It will change the color of the fuel to look like off road fuel. As a retired trucker I have had my fuel checked for color many times on interstate rest areas Big fine for no road tax! Never had paid any but heard of those who have.

Thanks to one and all . Sorry about the typos
it is a VW diesel
it is the injector pump that went
it is only 23 years old and only 188000 miles.
I can't imagine why it would fail.
I am going to start looking for a Barth in about a year. I knew that you folks would have good info and advice. Thanks again!

I forgot that VW made Rabbit pickups....

That was probably a Bosch or Kenko pump, and they tend to last a very long time. When I was an M-B mechanic, I can't recall any of them ever failing, but I did mostly the electrical stuff, so wouldn't necessarily have seen 'em.