LOW RPMs, WOT smoke & fuel additives

[Rob_S]

Recently, I have been driving my truck for work, much more than I ever thought I would. Like most others, the fuel costs have hit my wallet hard. The result is that I have backed off on my driving habits; both consciously and unconsciously.

Also, sometime last fall, when fuel costs when nuts, I stopped keeping track of my fuel mileage. It just pissed me off. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] Anyway, this past weekend, I had to make a long road trip. My wife was not happy about riding so long in her car (Chrysler T&C van) which we normally use on road trips for the family. I suggested that we take the truck as it is more comfortable (especially for just the 2 of us) & gets better mileage. She agreed about the comfort, but challenged me on the mileage. So I kept track during the trip. Great mileage, better than I thought. It calculated out @ 22.2 mpg (& is better than her van). [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img]

I was out with my youngest last night, we were talking about driving habits, how to get good mileage, etc. Anyway, I showed an example of what not to do. Wide open throttle out of a light. Wow. Lot's of smoke build up. I casually made a comment that I would have to wait for a rice rocket with open windows to be next to us before I did that again. We had a great laugh. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]

Anyway, I realize that I have probably not been blowing out the system as often as I should. I paid attention to my driving today & realized that I have been really keeping the RP M's low. Quite frequently, I don't get much above 2k rpm, & when I do, it is not by too much. Great for mileage, but crappy for build-up.

My question is: Do fuel additives help keep or knock down the build up? Do do I just need to WOT more?

Other than that, I am a happy camper w/ no issues on my truck. Bone stock & still running original flash w/ PI. Rob.

[ryandye]

I don't know for sure about the additives. I've casually tried Diesel Kleen and can't tell any difference in power, sound or mileage.

I've been told by two different mechanics that the key to keeping the EGR system healthy is to get the EGT's up to a good number for a sustained period of time - frequently. The best way that I know of is a good tow with a heavy load.

I'm not convinced that a few WOT romps from a stoplight will really keep the EGR clean. It's good dirty fun tho.