ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – It’s a well-known fact that air often gets trapped in the fuel line. But not everyone knows just how detrimental that can be to an engine’s performance.

Tiny air bubbles contained in the fuel (often invisible to the human eye) can be detrimental to a diesel engine’s fuel efficiency and emissions levels. O.C.E.A.N. Diesel Performance out of Calgary is now offering a Fuel Preporator that eliminates these air pockets and restores the engine to its optimum performance. The company says it can result in improved fuel economy of eight per cent or more. It also allows the engine to perform consistently under all operating conditions while providing higher levels of horsepower and torque.

Here’s how it works: When fuel sloshes around in the tank, air bubbles form in the diesel. Also, vapour forms as a result of cavitation at the fuel transfer pump. This air and vapour gets locked in the fuel lines and travels to the injector where it delays injection. The resulting retarded injection timing causes rough idling, loss of power, increased fuel consumption and higher emissions levels. O.C.E.A.N. Diesel Performance president, Gord Cooper, on site at the Truxpo show in Abbotsford, B.C. Oct. 1-3, said the Fuel Preporator simply removes the air and vapor from the fuel system resulting in improved performance.

His customers agree. Svenn Watteroudt of Camrose, Alta. installed the system on his 1991 Freightliner equipped with a Cummins 460-E N-14 engine. Watteroudt tried a number of products aimed at addressing a lack of power, including the Turbo-3000D. The Turbo-3000D improved the fuel’s turbulence and it helped deliver a 10 per cent fuel savings and allowed Watteroudt to gain half a gear on hills. However, he decided to try to further address the problem by installing the Fuel Preporator, as he found the Turbo-3000D’s performance varied depending on how much fuel was in the tank.

“After installing the Preporator I found my engine runs smoother, quieter and has a pile more power regardless of how much or how little fuel is in the tanks,” he said. “I have gained two gears on most of the hills between Vancouver and Edmonton and the way it pulls and holds top gear is saving me one hour of driving time each way.”

Watteroudt went on to point out a 10 per cent fuel savings totals $27,000 over three years for him.

“After having owned the preporator for only two months, I would not run a truck without one,” he said.

Cooper, who also runs his own trucking company – O.C.E.A.N. Hauling – also equips his own trucks with the system and he says he has experienced similar results.

For more information on the Fuel Preporator, contact Cooper at 1(403) 660-1919.