Warning: Old timer told me to use ATF in my diesel fuel for injector cleaning, now I'm not sure if he was right or full of crap

So this guy named Bob who's been turning wrenches since the 70s swore by adding a quart of automatic transmission fluid to every fill-up on my 2002 7.3 Powerstroke. Said it keeps the injectors clean and lubes the pump. I did it for about 6 months and honestly my truck ran fine, but then I read some forum posts saying it can wreck the injection pump seals on these old HEUI systems. Now I'm torn between Bob's 40 years of experience and the internet nerds. Has anyone else tried this or had it go sideways on them?

2 comments

2 Comments

bailey.sandra24d ago

Sometimes the old tricks work until they don't, just like everything else.

wendy_clark24d ago

Are we really acting like "old tricks" have some kind of expiration date stamped on them lol? I mean, if something works for years and then stops, isn't that more about people changing than the trick itself being bad? Sometimes I think we overthink these things and blame the method when really it's just the situation that shifted. Honestly, most "old tricks" are old for a reason, they stuck around because they worked for a long time. So I'm not convinced it's all that deep, you know?