Correct, possibly.. but not across the board.Originally Posted by Willie51
Last winter my rig shut down 2 miles from the house with +5degF, I had to walk home at 4:30 in the morning, with wind! (I was headed to work). I had to wait for the truck to thaw out (+34degF) 3 days later, I swapped out both fuel filters and started using winter additive with each tank fill.
Mind you, were talking SWVA, "down here" he hardly EVER see temps like that!
IT SUCKED!
EB
Ah, that explains it.
^EB, you could be right, but they're supposed to. But your problem could have been your fuel filters had water in them, especially the primary (which they will) and the water could have frozen and clogged the flow of fuel. That happens too.
Don't wrestle with pigs; you'll get all muddy and the pigs will love it!
Filters will freeze without a doubt and they do collect water. I had an old Toyota Celica and I ended up keeping a couple of spare fuel filters in the trunk. Really haven't had much issue out of any vehicle since then with water freezing. DF is much worse for gathering water.^EB, you could be right, but they're supposed to. But your problem could have been your fuel filters had water in them, especially the primary (which they will) and the water could have frozen and clogged the flow of fuel. That happens too.
In va, where we live, its considered the south, there is no anti gel additive in the fuel.
You find that in the northern states, and out in the west, where it routinely gets much colder in the winter.
Once it gets below freezing, diesel will gel. But, its like water freezing, it is a matter of temps, and time at temp. For instance, a glass of water set out on a cold night freezes much quicker and more thoroughly than say a five gallon bucket full, unless the temps are lower, or for a longer period of time. The fuel itself must get below freezing, so large amounts, or tank types may help slow or prevent it.
Liberty is not a cruise ship full of pampered passengers.
Liberty is a Man-Of-War, and we are all crew.
I don't understand half of what's being said here.... Time to starting buying bicycle parts. The extent of my diesel knowledge is when I used to work for the city and work with heavy equipment that used diesel I needed to turn the key to the coil on the display, leave it there for a few seconds, and then start it up. Machine started, and I began my work day lol
I dunno what to tell you then. We always just thought it was from the water outside because they only appeared on the bottom. Though if you get water in your tank, the oil would float on top and water would sink to the bottom and just sit and rust. Might install a valve at the bottom to pull a bit out every now and then?
When it thaws? The fuel doesnt freeze. When the temps get cold enough, long enough, for the fuel itself to get below freezing, its still a liquid, but the paraffin which has not been refined out will solidify, or semi solidify, thickening the fuel, or more likely, having this gel like substance, which is paraffin, suspended in the fuel.
Since it is somewhat solid, it wont flow through fuel systems, and it doesnt burn, or not in an engine anyway.
Really, we are kind of overthinking this some. In the south, southwest, and southeast, where winter temps get below freezing, but for relatively short times, diesel fuel doesnt have antigel additives. In the north, and midwest, where temps get much further below freezing, and stay there for longer periods, the fuel will have the additives from the refinery. Fuel that is moving is usually ok, its standstill fuel that is more prone. For instance, truckers will leave the engine running overnight for several reasons, and one will be that since the fuel lines feeding the engine are relatively narrow, that will be the first place that the fuel gels, but while running, the fuel doesnt sit long enough for it to happen. Kind of like a running stream will not freeze until a much lower temp than a very slow stream. Large quantities represent a thermal mass that cools much slower than the air surounding it, so a tank full of fuel will take either a much lower temp, or much longer at a slightly higher temp to gel than say, a drinking glass full left out in the same conditions. Overnight does not usually meet this condition, and even if daytime temps dont get high enough, sunlight does some warming by radiation heating. In the areas that are cold enough to get past this they already add antigel.
If you are concerned, add some antigel. I just used to add some kerosene. For my trucks 20 gal tank, id add maybe a quart, eyeballing it. I never had a problem, i live here on the coast of va, south of eb. It could sit for days or weeks of frozen nights and barely over frozen days without issue.
To bring back gelled fuel, kerosene was added, but i dont remember the ratio. Then, you just let it sit for some time, which i also dont remember. I sold my diesel close to 10yrs ago now. The kerosene dissolves the paraffin back in, as it is a couple steps higher up the refine chain, and doesnt have paraffin in it.
Kerosene also acts as a kind of octane booster for diesel, but diesel burn units are measured in cetane. It will give a bit more power, but will make the engine run a bit warmer. Not an issue in winter, but i didnt add it in summer. Also, too much deducts from the lubrication of the pump even more, and iss going to add to compression pressure, which is already high on diesels.
Not sure how this would affect newer computer controlled diesels, mine was made before diesels had computers.
Mine was old school. Cardboard with small cutout in front of radiator in winter, glow plugs. Glow plugs die, use ether until you had money for more, then have to detox it from ether dependency.
Nothing like the smell of diesel fumes in the morning.
Man, those were the days.
Somewhere i used to have a list that went from crude oil to whatever was last, in order as it came out from refining.
Liberty is not a cruise ship full of pampered passengers.
Liberty is a Man-Of-War, and we are all crew.
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