Low Sulphur Diesel
Bonjour à tous
Voici des réponses....à prendre et à laisser.
December 28, 2007 - Last we heard this reader was in Catemaco (well into Mexico). He's driving a new model diesel and says no problems. Here's his take on the low sulphur diesel problem. As for ourselves, we don't have a clue so do your research and make your own decision. Also, don't forget to check with your manufacturer about warranty issues.
There's still no ulsd fuel anywhere south of the border towns with the USA but a search of the major diesel forums like dieselplace.com, and the rv.net forum on Mexico, will find a number of owners who have taken their 2007 and 2008 model trucks into Mexico, including us.
As predicted by ALL of the scientific studies, the emissions system does NOT get destroyed by the use of Mexican diesel. The regeneration cycles which clean the DPF (diesel particulate filter) tend to be a bit smokey as the extra sulfur is burned off, but otherwise everything operates normally. All of the scientific testing indicates that it takes at least 40,000 miles on higher sulfur fuel to cause any measurable changes to the DPF. You can find links to these scientific test at dieselplace.com in the Fourth Generation LMM engine section.
The reason it is illegal to use fuel with higher than 15ppm in the USA is because the higher sulfur fuels produce emissions which exceed the allowable limits. The rule has almost nothing to do with longevity of the DPF.
The highest number of miles on a new truck using Mexican diesel I have been able to find is an owner in the Baja who has done more than 8000 miles on a new Dodge fitted with the DPF.
Bottom line - it is extremely unlikely that any harm will be done to one of the new truck engines by a trip into Mexico. As of this posting there is not a single example to be found on any diesel forum of someone who had a problem using the higher sulfur fuel.
October 31, 2007 Update - I know for certain that Pemex is working like crazy at the refinery level to get the new fuel out to the stations. All diesel truck engine manufacturers in Mexico now specify ULSD and sales of new commercial trucks are way down. Good thing the manufacturers had an inventory of earlier Moderate Sulfur engines. One of the criteria that Pemex specified for the news release and advertising of ULSD at the station level is for "enough" of the new fuel to flush out all of the old fuel from station tanks to insure that anything dispensed at the pump will not violate whatever specifications the new fuel is meant to meet. I helped my dad run a large gas station back in the seventies. It did a lot of volume yet it took more than six months before the new unleaded gasoline flushed out the heretofore leaded regular bulk tank! At least that is what the California Emission Control headquarters told us. - Courtesy of David Eidell
October 25, 2007 Update - We've been receiving some questions about the availability of low sulphur diesel in Mexico. As you probably know all diesel-engined vehicles sold in the US and Canada, beginning with the 2007 model year, require the use of low sulphur diesel. I've questioned reps of major manufacturers and they tell me that any use of higher sulphur fuels will cause a breakdown within very few miles, and also probably void the engine warranty. Almost all diesel sold for vehicles in the US and Canada is now OK for those 2007 vehicles. I asked David Eidell, a long-time Mexico traveler and also the operator of Flores de Las Peñas RV Park near Ixtapa (page 161 of the third edition) to look into this and here's what he found:
I intercepted the following breve from Petroleos Mexicanos with more information about the possibilities of actually seeing ultra-low sulfur diesel in the near (rather than far) future:
Ok Guys, here you go... the memo (resumed and translated, if you want to read the full note, in spanish, go to:
http://www.apartados.hacienda.gob.mx/no ... 5_2006.pdf):
On January 30th, 2006, the Secretary for the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), published in the Federal Official Diary, the "Specifications for fossil fuels for the protection of the environment", in which are stated the new requirements Pemex will have to comply with, in order to produce and commercialized the fuels and diesel that are sell throughout our country.
The new Premium Ultra Low Sulfur, should have an average of 30 millions per part of sulfur (30 ppm), while the new Pemex Diesel Ultra Low Sulfur will have a maximum of 15 ppm.
These new norms and specifications, are the result of a revision process that started in May of 2002, and in which the private, public and academic sectors participated.
It must be noted that Pemex began to delivered the Premium fuel with the required specifications on October 2006. The quality required should be gradually met, due to the actual existence of fuel in the Gas Station's tanks, with a high content of Sulfur.
Regarding Diesel Ultra Low Sulfur (Diesel UBA), it's introduction began on October 2006, in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. In January 2007 in will be extensive throughout the Northern part of Mexico and then to the rest of the country.
Editor's note - the following is Dave's analysis:
We should be reminded that in Mexico we only have two kinds of Diesel... Regular diesel and Marine diesel... that is it... while in the States the are several ones, each with different quality and quantities of sulfur.
This is a little confusing, but all-in-all I believe that it (the letter) is trying to tell us that the company had reforulated its diesel to "low sulfur" and now it is in the process of converting to ultra low sulfur diesel.
Most of the gasolineras have banners announcing that premium gasoline is "UBA" and they have been around for perhaps the last eight months.
But none of the stations that I have encountered so far have a banner declaring a new diesel fuel.
I will keep current on this and hopefully we will hear of a new diesel before it becomes "old news".
Saludos!
David
Editor's further note: Sounds to us like Pemex started producing and delivering diesel with 30 ppm of sulphur in October 2006. Hope that's right but we haven't been able to confirm it for sure. We'd appreciate a note from anyone with further information. If you have a diesel vehicle you should check with the manufacturer to see what its fuel requirements are. You might consider skipping Mexico this year unless you can be sure that diesel meeting your vehicle's specifications is available.
La Malice
du MEXIQUE sur plage
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5 Weel WILDCAT 30'
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! Il y a quelques années, j'avais un Dodge 1995 classe B avec le moteur 5.2L Magnum (318 po. cu.). Je pensais traverser au Mexique et avant de partir j'ai communiqué avec ''service à la clientèle de Chrysler'' pour savoir ce que je devais faire pour le carburant mexicain.
Est-il encore applicable de nos jours 
. Peut-être que des gens en ont entendu parler ? Si oui, on va vous lire attentivement 
malheureusement n’est pas disponible à l’intérieur de Mexique mais
