Well, I'll try to list the highlights of my trip to Texas.
On the 23rd, I picked up the CRD from the local dealer after they'd managed to correct the contaminated fuel problem. Even though I only had 3000 miles on the Rotella oil, I changed it out before leaving for two reasons. First, since it'd had gasoline-contaminated fuel run thru it, I considered the oil to be suspect. Saw more than one crankcase explosion while I was in the Navy, and was concerned about the lubrication qualities of the oil if it did have gas mixed in. Second, at 900 miles when I drained out the Mobil 1 0W40 factory fill, there was a quite a bit of grit and sediment in the oil, left over casting debris, and I wanted to make sure the last of it was flushed out before doing a 2600 mile high speed interstate run. This time, there was no evidence of any grit and sediment.
The dealer had given me 1/4 tank of diesel after doing the drain and flush of the tank. BTW, on the paperwork, the computer did throw a code when the CEL came on, P0093 Contaminated Fuel. I left the house and went up I-77 North and I-40 West, about 30 miles total. There's a large truck stop about 10 miles west of I-77 on I-40 that sells B20 and I'd used before without any problems, and stopped there to fill up. I headed out west on I-40. I ended up stopping for the night about 15 miles short of Nashville TN, 355 miles on that tank of B20, had just below 1/2 tank indicated. Next morning I filled up and it took 12 gallons. Almost dead on 30 mpg average for the tank. Considering the mountains and other terrain I'd driven thru, and running 70 to 75 mph for most of that, I considered that to be a pretty good performance.
However, I regretted not just running out the remaining half tank of B20 before refueling. About the only choice available for diesel where i stopped was Citgo, and within 70 miles it was readily apparent this stuff was little better than liquid bovine excrement as far as diesel fuel was concerned. When I hit Little Rock AR and I-30, 370 miles and down to less than 1/4 tank. Here i filled up at an Exxon station, and got the same poor performance from their fuel. I stopped again at Greenville TX, about 30 miles short of Dallas on I-30, 270 miles and well below 1/2 tank, to fill up for the final stretch.
At this point I lucked out, and hit a Diamond Shamrock station. This was the same brand that had given my friend's CRD 32 and 34 mpg back in August on the move to Texas. I was so happy I almost kissed the pump!
Whether it's because they sell a good grade of premium diesel, or because of the TxLED requirements (low sulfur/low aromatics/high cetane), this stuff is the best #2 diesel I've run across. When i pulled up at my friends house at 11:30 that night in Lockhart TX, 270 miles and I still had above 5/8 of a tank!
Matter of fact, that same tank of DS lasted all week, doing local short trips and a couple runs up to Austin, all secondary road and in town driving. When I filled up last Friday morning before starting the return trip, there was 425 miles total on that single tank of DS, took 16 gallons to fill up. Worked out to a little over 26 MPG average for the entire tank.
I filled up in Lockhart at another DS station. I went up secondary roads to Austin and hit I-35, up to Waco and then took major secondary roads east and north to avoid the Dallas rush hour. I got back on I-30 at Mt Pleasant TX and headed east, stopping at New Boston TX, 20 miles west of Texarkana, to get one last fillup of good TX DS diesel. Due to probably having a different distributor, plus the different route, terrain, driving conditions (slowing down and stop and go thru small towns), and a hefty cross wind strong enough to push that Jeep sideways, not quite as good on this tank of DS. 361 miles and 15 gallons to fill up, 24 MPG for the tank.
This tank of DS though, took me all the way from TX to the east side of Nashville TN. 512 miles, 17.5 gallons. A little over 29 MPG for the entire tank. And from what I saw, it did significantly better than that the first part of the tank, while still in flat terrain, by the time I hit 175 miles it was still at 7/8 tank, 120 miles before the gas gauge needle even came off the peg! Once I hit hilly terrain in AR and TN however it went down at a faster rate.
In Nashville, had to go with Shell diesel. This did fairly decent, got me the rest of the way home, along I-40 and I-77, 400 miles and 3/8 tank when I pulled up to the door.
If the average of driving around locally in TX is any indication, I'd venture that the AT muffler has gained me around 3 mpg for normal daily driving on #2 dino. I'll be checking this again on my normal commute over the next couple of weeks. And all told, the beast still only has a little over 6000 miles total on it. Just due for it's first service, and not really broke in yet.
My only regret now is that I didn't get an overhead console in this beast. Because I feel deep down that for what it was averaging for an entire tank, that under certain conditions it had to be getting well over 30 MPG.
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