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Mep002a and Jp8

Racky

Member
136
3
18
Location
Monmouth Junction NJ
Ok guys I have a question. I was wondering why a mep002a would have jp8 only stenciled on the fuel tank ? I thought diesel and jp8 were almost the same thing. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks
Racky
 

1800 Diesel

Member
768
26
18
Location
Santa Rosa County, FL
Ok guys I have a question. I was wondering why a mep002a would have jp8 only stenciled on the fuel tank ? I thought diesel and jp8 were almost the same thing. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks
Racky
One of the original NATO standards for diesel fuel was "F54" which was fine for most equipment but anything with a gas turbine (such as the M1 Abrams) had problems with the diesel, especially in very cold weather. In the late 80s (I believe '88, DOD tried to standardize on a single fuel concept to reduce logistics costs. JP8 was the selected fuel as previous blended fuels (50% diesel & 50% JP5 or JP8 ) caused problems in storage & handling of multiple fuels. I suspect that since our MEPs were in service at the outset of this single fuel directive, orders came down the chain to modify the stenciling to reflect the one-fuel directive of JP8. Why it happened on some units and not others, who knows??

Forgot to mention that JP8 is a jet fuel with lower cetane & lower lubricity than diesel fuel. I have noticed several MEPs that I have worked on lately have residual amounts of JP8 in the fuel filter housings. Have only found off-road diesel in 1 out of the last 6 units received....best fuel to use is off-road diesel. If you use low-sulfur highway diesel, add 1 qt of O/B motor oil per tank fuel of diesel.
 
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phil2968

Active member
2,591
18
38
Location
Lakeland, Florida
Off road diesel is ultra low sulfur also. It is no different than on road except for the red dye. The only advantage in running it would lower purchase cost. Nobody around here sells it cheap though.
 

1800 Diesel

Member
768
26
18
Location
Santa Rosa County, FL
Off road diesel is ultra low sulfur also. It is no different than on road except for the red dye. The only advantage in running it would lower purchase cost. Nobody around here sells it cheap though.
You're correct--I forgot the new rules went into effect in 2010...times flies when you're having fun. I had access to marine diesel which was exempt from the ULS requirement. I think the ULS requirement will phase in by 2014 for the smaller refineries and this year for the larger refineries.

So for all us using the MEP diesels, I would still recommend including lubricity additives in your fuel tanks. I use the "Diesel Kleen" additive for 1st light-offs and then will add O/B motor oil (2-stroke) for follow-on fill-ups...
 
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