Jessica Crabtree in Work Truck: Why Modern Diesels Need a New Fuel Playbook
By Jessica Crabtree
Director of Technical Services,
Power Service Products
September 29, 2026
Our Director of Technical Services, Jessica Crabtree, recently authored an article for Work Truck breaking down why today’s diesel engines can’t survive on yesterday’s maintenance habits.
Have you ever wondered what actually happens inside your fuel system and emissions equipment when you use a quality diesel additive? Is it backed by real chemistry or is it just “snake oil”?
When you cycle fuel through that kind of heat and pressure, it degrades fast. In her piece, “Precision Under Pressure: Why Modern Diesels Demand a New Fuel Maintenance Playbook,” Jessica explains what that means for shop budgets, injector life, and after treatment health.
Here are three practical takeaways from the article every fleet manager should know:
1. The ECM will hide injector problems while your fuel mileage tanks
Old-school mechanical engines developed carbon coking right on the outside of the nozzle tip. Modern HPCR engines suffer from Internal Diesel Injector Deposits (IDIDs)—waxy carboxylate salts and sticky, heat-cured lacquers that build up inside the injector valve body.
Here’s the catch: your engine control module (ECM) is designed to compensate for sluggish injector valves by trimming fuel across cylinders to keep the engine running smooth. Because the truck feels fine and the check engine light stays off, drivers don’t notice a thing. Meanwhile, you can lose 2% to 7% in fuel economy before a trouble code ever pops up on the dash.
2. Bad injector spray patterns pack your DPF with soot
When internal deposits cause an injector valve to lag by even a fraction of a millisecond, the spray pattern falls apart. Fuel doesn’t atomize cleanly, leading to an incomplete burn.
That raw fuel and heavy soot have only one place to go: straight into your exhaust aftertreatment system. The result is a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) that packs with soot twice as fast, forcing frequent, fuel-wasting active regens and sending trucks to the shop for early filter cleanings.
3. Pump diesel covers the legal bare minimum—not high-heat rail recirculation
Standard Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) meets ASTM D975 specifications, but that standard is a baseline floor, not a high-performance spec. It wasn’t written to handle unburned fuel getting superheated in modern rails and sent right back to the fuel tank all day.
Good spin-on filters are great at catching dirt, rust, and pipe scale, but they can’t catch dissolved chemical compounds that break down under extreme heat and turn into sticky lacquers inside the injector.
“Maintaining clean fuel injectors is one of the most effective ways to protect your DPF and avoid premature aftertreatment failures.”
— Jessica Crabtree, Director of Technical Services & Diesel Fuel Chemist, Power Service Products
Read the Full Story on Work Truck Online
To dig into the full article—including what water does to pump surfaces at 30,000+ PSI and common fleet fuel myths—head over to Work Truck:
Quick Answers: HPCR Fuel System Maintenance
What are Internal Diesel Injector Deposits (IDIDs)?
IDIDs are deposits (waxy salts and amber lacquers) that form inside the moving parts of common rail injectors. They cause internal valves to drag, which ruins the fuel spray pattern and burns extra fuel long before a dash light comes on.
How do dirty fuel injectors hurt the DPF?
When an injector spray pattern breaks down, fuel can’t mix evenly with air and burn completely. The leftover unburned fuel turns into heavy exhaust soot that loads up the DPF, triggering constant active regens and shortening filter life.
Does standard pump diesel protect HPCR engines?
ASTM D975 establishes the legal minimum for diesel fuel at the pump, but it doesn’t guarantee the thermal stability or detergency needed to survive the extreme temperatures and pressures inside modern common rail systems.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jessica Crabtree, BS Chemistry (ACS Certified)
Jessica is the Director of Technical Services at Power Service Products, bringing over 12 years of specialized experience in fuel system performance and maintenance. Analyzing over 2,000 fuel samples annually, she provides data-driven insights into real-world fuel quality, fuel stability, and equipment longevity. An active member of ASTM Committee D02, she leverages her technical expertise to help fleets and drivers optimize fuel efficiency and ensure operational reliability in all seasonal conditions.
