Winterized Diesel

[Crossingover]

For those of you with diesels camping in freezing temps, is it sufficient to simply rely on the additives the major truck stops like TA, Love's, Pilot/Flying J add to their storage tanks to prevent gelling? I think the answer is 'yes' but want to confirm.

Thanks.

[Grumpy]

I never added anything. I did carry a POWER SERVICE 911 just in case though.

[Lake Huron]

I know for a fact that Michigan starts to get "winterized" fuel, at least in my area, in october. All the past years I've been snowmobiling, I never added anything to my fuel and never had an issue with it gelling. I normally bought my fuel from the same place and at the time we didnt have the big commercial stops like T/A, Pilot, etc.. My cummins would sit out over the weekend and the lowest temp at nite I ever saw was -35*F and it would still light off when we had to go home. AND it was never plugged in either.

[curver900]

Originally Posted by Crossingover

For those of you with diesels camping in freezing temps, is it sufficient to simply rely on the additives the major truck stops like TA, Love's, Pilot/Flying J add to their storage tanks to prevent gelling? I think the answer is 'yes' but want to confirm.

Thanks.

Yes...

[Stingray75]

Here in MN / WI / IA, winter blended diesel is the norm and not restricted to the truck stop stations mentioned above. QT, Kwik-Trip, Speedway and Superamerica are all good options.

[JFlightRisk]

When I had diesels, I always filled up at stations that either sold lots of fuel, or the fire department went to. If I remember correctly, here in NYS, they'd start to cut it in October, and increased the ratio each month until December or January. If I had to get fuel at an unknown station, I added my own anti-gel that I carried.

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by JFlightRisk

When I had diesels, I always filled up at stations that either sold lots of fuel, or the fire department went to. If I remember correctly, here in NYS, they'd start to cut it in October, and increased the ratio each month until December or January. If I had to get fuel at an unknown station, I added my own anti-gel that I carried.

Same here... but the stations don't always know when they are getting winter blends... You are always taking a chance in the fall, not knowing if the fuel you get is winter diesel or not. I always put Power Service or Opti-lube in our Seneca to be sure that we don't have a sudden cold wave and get gelled fuel lines to the genny. Once it is spring, we stop additives.

[BeachRetreat]

You need to be sure you're buying fuel in the area where you plan to have low temps. If you fill a large tank in a southern state and then travel north, you're asking for trouble. Every year when we travel from Florida back to Iowa at the beginning of January, I dose my own fuel with Howes. The last 2 years there's been a large temperature gradient between Tennessee and Illinois, and we saw several trucks along the roadside that were victims of gelling.

When using my truck as my daily driver and filling locally, I rely on the fuel stations blend unless the temp drops below -10.

[Flyrotor]

I’ve lived in Texas, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.

In the south, steer away from bio blended fuel, it waxes up reall fast when temperatures drop. It causes more problems too (explained later)

Back in the early 90’s, my dad’s company owned 2 of the 1st gen Cummins engines when Dodge first started using them, they gelled up really easy due to location of the water separator filter, and the fact that they did not have a common rail fuel system.

Our mechanic that we used was a Cummins authorized repair shop for the large Cummins engines on semi-trucks, we used winter diesel, and added Power Service to each tank, we had 130 gallon tanks (100 auxiliary, 30 main, fed directly from auxiliary tank) and still when the temps dropped below zero we gelled up quite often.

Our mechanic told us to fill the tanks when the auxiliary tank was empty (100 gal), he also told us to add 2 gallons of unleaded per 100 gallons (2%). We never again gelled up, never had to add Power Service, ever had any more issues. We did add a quart of Power Service once or twice a year just to clean the injectors. We put over 275,000 miles on both the trucks, primarily pulling cargo trailers every day.

Now today dad’s company has been sold off, and in my truck I add a little less than a half gallon of unleaded gas to every 30 gallons when I fill up, it’s a 2011 with 178,000 miles on it, I’ve never once gelled up.

I mentioned I lived in Texas, where biofuel added to diesel is a common practice, I lived there 2 years, my truck had 50,000 miles when I moved there, and within a few months I started having issues with one of my injectors, Local Dodge dealer in San Antonio said quit buying fuel mixed with biofuel, it ruins the injectors. It took a few months of normal diesel, several cans of Seafoam, and it cleared up most of the issues. I did have to replace the one injector that was acting up. But that was at 110,000 miles, the other 5 are factory original.

[Bikejunkie]

The government Diesel specs change on October 1st to winter grade.

In North America, gas stations offer two types of diesel fuel — according to ASTM D975 these are named No. 1 and No. 2 fuel. No. 1 fuel (kerosene) has a natural CFPP of -40 °C but it is more expensive than No. 2 fuel. Adding No. 1 fuel will lower the CFPP of No. 2 fuel – adding 10% will lower the CFPP temperature by about 5 degrees.

For some diesel motors it is also possible to add even lighter fuels like gasoline to extend the CFPP characteristics. Some car makers were recommending adding up to 20% gasoline to permit operation in cold weather (at the price of higher consumption) and it had been common practice in Europe where No. 1 fuel is not offered at gas stations. Since the 1990s car makers began selling only direct injection diesel engines — these will not withstand any gasoline portions in the fuel as the high pressure in the injection device will not withstand any loss of lubrication from fuel oil without doing damage to the injectors. High pressure fuel pumps depend on diesel fuel for lubrication and the addition of gasoline will cause adverse wear and eventual failure of the pump.

Car makers selling Common Rail or Unit Injector diesel engines prohibit the dilution of diesel fuel with either gasoline or kerosene as it may destroy the injection device.

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by Bikejunkie

The government Diesel specs change on October 1st to winter grade.

In North America, gas stations offer two types of diesel fuel — according to ASTM D975 these are named No. 1 and No. 2 fuel. No. 1 fuel (kerosene) has a natural CFPP of -40 °C but it is more expensive than No. 2 fuel. Adding No. 1 fuel will lower the CFPP of No. 2 fuel – adding 10% will lower the CFPP temperature by about 5 degrees.

Agree 100%. but the distribution /delivery channels don't mean that the fuel you are pumping into your RV is going to be winter fuel - until all of the summer fuel is consumed.

A friend of mine purchases diesel in bulk for their construction business... the refinery is supposed to have winter fuel by a certain time, but some deliveries in November might still be Summer blend, they find out when the above ground tanks wont dispense gelled fuels later in the winter. They also have to dye-pack the offroad tanks it gets transferred to.

The moral of my story - you don't really know 100% what you are getting at the pump, unless you know someone who can test it and tell you what temperature it will start to gel at.

[NVGun40]

Regarding diesel fuel and whats available in our region... We are in Alaska, enough said.

Regarding the additives that can be added and what they do: Watching the video in its entirety is worth the time for the education:

https://youtu.be/n8gDN_6esfs