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BobM
Newbie
Posts: 14
Registered: 12-22-2007
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Diesel Trucks
I am looking at buying a new Diesel Truck as my 2006 is starting to show it's age. Too many Baja trails. I was looking at the new Dodges with the
Cummins engine as I have a Ford with the 6.0 litre and have not been overly happy with it. My question is do you have any problem with the Diesel fuel
in Baja, my dealer said not to use it but when we were in Baja last winter saw lot's on new diesels on the road.
Any info is greatly appreciated.
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BajaBruno
Super Nomad
  
Posts: 1035
Registered: 9-6-2006
Location: Back in CA
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Mood: Happy
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We have had several threads on this subject. Check the search function. From what I remember, the consensus was that Mexico is not using ULSD and
newer diesels have had problems; but, check on me and make sure I am accurate. I'm sure some other diesel folks will chime in. It hasn't been a
problem for my 2003 Chevy.
Christopher Bruno, Elk Grove, CA.
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
    
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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See the post by Baja Cactus at the bottom of this thread....
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=46805&pag...
Oh, by the way....the 2011 Dodge 3500 diesel crew cab sure looks nice!!!
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rocmoc
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Posts: 234
Registered: 5-25-2009
Location: Tucson, AZ
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Mood: Live today like it maybe your LAST!
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Here is a major discussion from rv.net, http://www.trailerlife.com/cforum/index.cfm/fuseaction/threa...
I know for certain it is available along the border and down at least a couple hundred miles as it is from a USA pipeline from Texas. Cornered a
Pemex driver that was filling the Diesel tank at a Pemex station and asked him where he got his fuel. He told me he drives to the USA/Mexico border
and fills from the Texas pipeline. Pemex has a joint ownership plant, with I believe Shell, in Texas to produce the fuel.
rocmoc n AZ/Baja
[Edited on 7-30-2010 by rocmoc]
rocmoc n AZ/Mexico
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larryC
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Posts: 1499
Registered: 8-11-2008
Location: BoLA
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I just filled up in San Vicente a couple of weeks ago and the diesel pump there was marked "low sulfur" in spanish. Don't know what actually came out
of the nozzle, but atleast the pump was marked.
Larry
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Baja&Back
Senior Nomad
 
Posts: 549
Registered: 9-10-2004
Location: Vancouver, Canada / todo de Baja
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Mood: Rarin' to go South!
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ULSD is NOT likely to be distributed thru Mexico, because they are not regulated by the US EPA and do not produce detuned diesels with Particulate
Filters.
Our tours in Baja since 2007 have had 12 to 15 rigs with ULSD engines. No problems encountered with the fuel. I know one guy in Cabo with over 10,000
miles on a 2008 diesel Ford. Have had no negative reports from other travelers.
Big difference between Low Sulfur (200 ppm) and ULTRA Low Sulfur (15 ppm).
Hope this helps.
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
   
Posts: 3814
Registered: 12-1-2003
Location: Baja California México
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Oops!
There is a MAJOR PUSH to get Petroleos Mexicanos to start refining 15 PPM Ultra Bajo Azufre (UBA) diesel for the mainland. Fluor Corporation is at the
moment constructing three new refining facilities in Mexico. The manufacturers are producing 15PPM vehicles whether Mexico likes it or not. There is a
lot of hoopla and yelling going on in major cities because new transport buses cannot be used with the existing 350PPM low sulfur diesel. So the buses
are not being purchased and older buses are falling apart like something out of a Hal Roach short.
Every drop of diesel sold in the state of Baja California is UBA 15 PPM diesel. Want to know why? It's because since the seventies as the state grew,
Mexico deemed it wisest logistics wise to palm the state requirement off onto diesel fuel purchased in the USA. Trucking and barging fuel from the
mainland was just too hard. The only exception to the rule above may be the tiny gasolinera in Villa Jesus Maria, but then again maybe they do not
dispense diesel. Señor Cactus' gasolinera in El Rosario dispenses nothing but UBA and has been doing so for several years. The owner states that his
is the "last" (or first) gasolinera in which you can purchase UBA in Mex 1.
The latest blah-blah about UBA on the mainland is that it will not be available in 2010 and perhaps not until 2012.
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rocmoc
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Location: Tucson, AZ
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BobM get the Dodge Diesel, love mine!
rocmoc n AZ/Baja
rocmoc n AZ/Mexico
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Marc
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I didn't buy a diesel because of reported problems with fuel in Baja.
My Tundra 5.7 is "White Lightning" and runs on low octane.
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
    
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Marc
I didn't buy a diesel because of reported problems with fuel in Baja. |
What "reported" problems. Info on this post indicates ULSD Is available in Baja California, maybe soon in Baja Sur.
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Marc
Ultra Nomad
   
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajaguy
| Quote: | Originally posted by Marc
I didn't buy a diesel because of reported problems with fuel in Baja. |
What "reported" problems. Info on this post indicates ULSD Is available in Baja California, maybe soon in Baja Sur. |
I should have been clearer; back in '06 &'07 the "problem" was ULSD was not available. Or so I understood at the time.
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Bob and Susan
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Posts: 8813
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DavidE
Every drop of diesel sold in the state of Baja California is UBA 15 PPM diesel. |
no it's not...
i had my diesel fuel cleaned and tested last year
for my diesel generator at a lab in san diego 
the lab thought the fuel came from venezula 
i've had 2 dodge diesel ULSD trucks recently
both ran fine with pemex diesel
i put over 200,000 miles on them driving them up and down baja
remember sulfur is a lubricant
the only reason the manuf can't tell you regular diesel will work is SMOG laws
manufacturers must meet average smog emmissions for their entire fleet...
if they made a truck that ran on anything...
the smog stats would be "off" and
they could be fined "per truck"
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acadist
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remember sulfur is a lubricant
This is why I have always been told by my mechanic friends that the diesel in Baja is BETTER for your engine. When I had a F250 it ran fine down
there, had to sell it when I moved to CO, 2WD in the snow is no bueno
Dave
I moved to CO and they made me buy a little rod to make it feel like a real fish
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Pescador
Ultra Nomad
   
Posts: 3587
Registered: 10-17-2002
Location: Baja California Sur
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The fuel sold in the Baja comes from two locations. Northern fuel down to El Rosario comes from the North,while Jesus Y Maria on south comes from La
Paz and still comes over on barges as it always has. Bob and Susan has hit it right that the increase in Sulfur is not the issue that the Dealers
would make you believe. When in the US you have no choice but to burn that stuff. My mileage is significantly higher (up to 20%) in Baja and the
engine runs much smoother and when the old Dodge gives up the ghost I have no fear whatsoever about replacing it with a new Cummins. (Unless of cours
they finally decide to sell the new Toyota Diesel)
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Bajafun777
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Posts: 1103
Registered: 9-13-2006
Location: Rosarito & California
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Mood: Enjoying Life with Wife In Mexico, Easy on The Easy
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I have gone through so many injectors on my duramax chevy 2003 HD 2500 crew cab that it was crazy. Stopped using the diesel in Mexico, so now will
take my Jeep down if it is further than 500 miles round trip. Just will not buy any more injectors and next diesel will be a Dodge, as my brother uses
the diesel in Mexico adds an additive and presto no problems, NADA. Next truck will be a Dodge diesel unless I sell my 5th wheel then it will be a
Nissan truck. Oh, the other thing is most mechanics in Mexico understand how to fix the cummings but eyes glass over on duramax,hmmmm to hard to find
someone to work on them if you break down.
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Bob and Susan
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Posts: 8813
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Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajafun777
Oh, the other thing is most mechanics in Mexico understand how to fix the cummings... |
i sorry normal mechanics in baja cannot work on the new trucks...yet
they are full of electronics and computer stuff
the technology and education isn't here yet
if you have a problem it'll probably be computer associated you'll need to diagnose it at a dealer in the states
also...there no parts here yet for new trucks
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monoloco
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Location: Pescadero BCS
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In La Paz there is Servicios Diesel Arana that works on all types of diesels. They have worked on my Powerstroke Ford no problem, there is also a
Cummins service center.
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rocmoc
Nomad

Posts: 234
Registered: 5-25-2009
Location: Tucson, AZ
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajafun777
I have gone through so many injectors on my duramax chevy 2003 HD 2500 crew cab that it was crazy. Stopped using the diesel in Mexico, so now will
take my Jeep down if it is further than 500 miles round trip. Just will not buy any more injectors and next diesel will be a Dodge, as my brother uses
the diesel in Mexico adds an additive and presto no problems, NADA. Next truck will be a Dodge diesel unless I sell my 5th wheel then it will be a
Nissan truck. Oh, the other thing is most mechanics in Mexico understand how to fix the cummings but eyes glass over on duramax,hmmmm to hard to find
someone to work on them if you break down. |
Over 15,000 miles in Mexico with Pemex Diesel on the mainland and never a problem with my Dodge Cummings. Never have added an additive except
injector cleaner about every 40,000 miles. Love my RAM Diesel!
rocmoc n AZ/Baja
rocmoc n AZ/Mexico
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
   
Posts: 3814
Registered: 12-1-2003
Location: Baja California México
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Sorry to break the news to some folks but brand new diesels must have PARTICULATE FILTERS, and these filters are very prone to clogging up when using
anything other than ULSD. They cost thousands of dollars to replace so I don't just shrug off warnings about not using low sulfur diesel in brand new
diesel pickups. So before I buy I'd check and see if the vehicle has a particulate filter. A particulate filter is not a regenerator. It is different
and vulnerable.
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Pescador
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Posts: 3587
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Location: Baja California Sur
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DavidE
Sorry to break the news to some folks but brand new diesels must have PARTICULATE FILTERS, and these filters are very prone to clogging up when using
anything other than ULSD. They cost thousands of dollars to replace so I don't just shrug off warnings about not using low sulfur diesel in brand new
diesel pickups. So before I buy I'd check and see if the vehicle has a particulate filter. A particulate filter is not a regenerator. It is different
and vulnerable. |
Ok, if this assumption is correct then how did Bob manage to drive two trucks over 200,000 miles each, with no problems on Mexican fuel? I have been
watching the RV sites where a lot of mainlanders have reported the same results with the Dodge Cummins. So we could have a situation where the Ford
and Chevy have some particulate problems but Dodge engines are less prone to that problem?
My interest has been purely personal since I am coming upon the eventual replacement of my 2001 and am hoping that I can replace it with something
that will last as long as the first one did with the same lack of problems and it is sometimes a little difficult to filter out the rhetoric reported
by the dealer and compare it with true life experiences.
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