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Road tractor fuel gelling

I

IA Roy

Well-known Member
My company Kenworth fuel filter canister fuel level is about 90% full. Is this a sign of trouble? New filter about 6 to 8000 miles ago. It sat most of the week as I was with my trainer in his truck. It was about 9 degrees last night on the way home. I had it running for a couple hours circulating fuel. Will the gel dissolve or am i heading for trouble? They tell us not to use fuel conditioner. Something about excess methanol causing engine wear and tear.
Previously posted on garden tractors by mistake!
Thanks, Roy
 
Better to be proactive than reactive. A co-workers pickup gelled on him on Thursday. Again, you'd think the fuel would be treated and good to go here in Wisconsin, but trouble can find you anywhere.

Donovan from Wisconsin
 
Ia Roy,Davco fuel filter,how far is the fuel from the top of it? If it is starting to gell up Get some Power Service conditioner as it has no alcohol of any kind in it and it Will not void engine manufacturer's warranty.Great stuff and have used it many times.
Diesel Fuel Supplement +Cetane Boost is a winterizer/antigel that is used in the cold winter months to prevent fuel gelling and keep fuel-filters from plugging with ice and wax. When temperatures drop, paraffin (wax) in ULSD fuel will gel stopping fuel from flowing through the engine, and water in the fuel can freeze on the facings of fuel-filters, blocking fuel flow. This Arctic Formula provides trouble-free winter operation for diesel fuel.

Diesel Fuel Supplement +Cetane Boost is intended for use only during cold winter months when temperatures drop below +30F. Use Diesel Kleen +Cetane Boost (in the silver bottle) for peak performance in non-winter months. If your vehicle will not start or gain power in cold temperatures, use Diesel 911 (in the red bottle).
Benefits

Prevents fuel gelling
Protects against fuel-filter icing
Boosts cetane for faster cold starts
Contains Slickdiesel Lubricator to protect fuel pumps and injectors from increased wear caused by Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) fuel
Effective in all diesel fuels, including ULSD and biodiesel blends
Does not contain alcohol of any kind
Safe for use in all diesel engines
Will not void engine manufacturer's warranty when used as directed
 
The wax that results because of gelling fuel will not clean up when it warms up. I think your company is foolish to not run conditioners in the winter. I run fuel conditioner year round on our equipment. It is not just an anti-gel additive.

Also I never go by mileage when changing fuel filters. One bad fill up can plug them. The dirt and wax build up does not go uniformly with mileage
 
I use Howes anti gel if the temps are going to get below zero. I've never had a gelling issue with temps above zero. I've never had any luck with diesel 911 or Fuel Service fuel treatment working after gelling has begun. For me it is rare that that primary filter will last a full oil change in the winter, mine is in need of changing now and I'm 6,000 miles shy of an oil change which is about right. In the summer those rarely need changing before the scedualed oil change interval.
 
It will cost your company a lot more than the cost of anti-gell to have you towed in and thawed out. I always shut one tank off and blended #1 feul in the other when I came home to cold weather. Up and running at the start of the week and 400 miles south I turn both tanks on again.
 
I use winter fuel and add conditioner in the cold weather . Sometimes even this isn't enough . Some years it can be really cold , and I will have no problems ,while the next year not nearly as cold , and have fuel gel issues all winter long. I am no scientist but, I believe it has more to do with what the refinery dose when they make the fuel , than how cold the temp. is.
 
Back in the 70's I had an oil furnace, we had a blizzard and actual temps of -25 F. I stayed up all night trying to keep my furnace going. I could hear when the oil pump was starving for oil. I removed the oil filter, which was outside the house, it was full of what appeared to be ice crystals that would turn back to a liquid once warmed up. I have no idea why ice crystals only formed in the oil filter and not in the tank.

I finally piled snow up around filter, put a 100w light bulb below filter and wrapped aluminum foil around filter bulb.

You could say that began my dislike for stinky diesel. I used #1 fuel, but I'm sure it's possible some #2 blended may have been blended in.

Around the same time a person I worked with bought a VW diesel. They went out of town, North to Wisconson, Their fuel was freezing up too. They read the owners manual to blend a gallon of gasoline with 10 gallons of diesel. I never read the manual, but thought it might be risky to do that.

At the same time, my dad worked on oil furnaces. He got called to a place where the chimney of the furnace was blown off. Person had blended gasoline with diesel. Not sure when diesel additives were invented yet. When I was a kid either my dad was too cheap to buy them or they didn't exist. We just parked our diesels in winter instead of block heaters and fuel additives.

Block heaters seem to be a necessity in winter. Why doesn't someone invent a fuel filter heater of some kind. Electric or circulate engine coolant around filter to keep it warm?
 
I only run #2 fuel here year around,, I Always use fuel conditioner in Every tank year around, I only use Standyne or Howse , it was -30 air temps here and close to -100 below wind chills the last couple weeks here, my 580 has never tried to gel in 30 years of lot cleaning here, when I drove snow plow truck here I ran #1 and or a mix of 1&2 as the County bought Power Service,, it was better than nothing but not great I felt,, I also ran a repair shop here for 25 years changed a good number of injection pumps, every one they chose to not run conditioner,, everyone can do as they like but I will say in running equipment for the last 40 plus years I have yet to ever lose a injection pump or a injector,, I have bought units that I had to replace them on when bought as they were bad, as a operator and a mechanic I high;ly recommend conditioner in every tank,,
cnt
 
Most trucks, mine included, have fuel heater/coolers using engine coolant. These modern engines really heat up the fuel too so while running there is little chance for gelling.
 
A certain national name convenience store chain does not have blended fuel here in WI. Found that out with two different customers last year. Both had gelling issues when it wasn't really that cold. Different stores of same chain. One customer went in and asked and they confirmed #2 only.
 
I had a friend who retired from Robert Bosch, -20, farm tractor was gelling, told me I could run up to 50% gas with my diesel fuel as long as it was used up or replaced before it got above 0. This guy had been there and done that, survived WWII in the Germany Army and went to work for Bosch, shortly after the war. They do make a fuel heater that runs off 12 volts, but newer engines circulate so much fuel warm fuel back to the tank, not much chance of gelling unless it is really cold or fuel consumption is really low.
 
Thanks for that response concerning injector pumps response to "snake oils". I am a believer and down here PS does fine for me...and is available. I love what they do but did wonder if it would cost me an injector pump (that wouldn't have failed otherwise) some day.
 
You used the word methanol I hope you meant to say Isopropyl. Methanol is the quickest way to plug your filters. Most diesel fuel additive do not contain Isopropyl which is the only thing that will take care of water/ice in fuel. Moisture is why fuel gels to a certain degree, so keep moisture out and you have a lesser chance of gelling. Up here fuel should be blended 70% #2 to 30% #1 and you should not have any problems. IMHO Jim
 
I generally try to buy fuel at the same attitude I am running whenever I can.

Caseys in Iowa blends to -10, but make sure and put in additive when close to that or below.

Fleet Farm in MN has Arctic Diesel, it is blended to -30 and I have run it to that with no issues.

I got home from Houston with fuel I bought south of Saint Louis, made sure and filled up with local fuel and add conditioner to that.
 
Our semis have an engine coolant line ran through the fuel tanks to preheat the diesel fuel. The tanks will steam in real cold weather. I ordered both with cold weather kits on them. That was the tank heaters, bigger block heaters, extra batteries and electric intake heaters. I have never had one of them not start. I have started them down to zero without them being plugged in. I don't like doing it but they will start.
 
Fueled up in Waterloo area on the 30th at Pilot.
Not sure on the variety of alcohol that they spoke bad about.
Paccar engine.
Going to hit the road if they send me load info.
 
Depending on the diesel fuel, type of pump-10% unleaded gasoline is good for about 0 degrees. 20% is needed for a bit lower. Parrifin/gel point is something like 26 degree. Old Bosch/Daimler injector pump was lubed by engine oil- same basic design used for gasoline injection as diesel. 'Rotary' pumps like the 1980s GM diesel cars depend on fuel for lubrication and suseptable to wear with gasoline mixes- 2 stoke oil premix at 20:1 mixed with the diesel will work for some of the vulnerable pumps. Canadians may know of 50/50 mix gasoline, diesel used in artic conditions- older brother said the army engineers used it in Alaska when he was stationed there in winter. RN.
 
Back in the late 1980's, I had one of those "infamous" GM 5.7 liter diesel engines in a 1983 Buick LeSabre. The fuel filter sat in the back of the V-8 engine, somewhat in the valley of the cylinder banks where heat would rise from the engine to aid in preventing gelling. Secondly, GM also had an electric heater that wrapped around the fuel line just prior to where that line went into the pump. The term they used was a "hot dog" heater. Lastly, NAPA had made a fuel heater that was an add on. You cut the heater hose going into the heater core and slipped this device in there. It was wrapped in black foam insulation. The fuel was directed around a metal pipe where hot coolant went through it. I never had a problem with gelling with that car, but I also used blended fuels, too. I am not sure, but I think GM might have had some type of fuel line heaters that were factory installed starting in about 1984 with their 6.2 liter diesels in their pickup trucks. I knew of people who ran blended fuel or perhaps straight number 1 in one tank and number 2 in the other tank on their trucks. They made sure they switched back and forth as needed and ensured they had number 1 in the lines and filters before they ever shut their trucks off. They warmed them up before switching to number 2, likewise. Ford seemed to be more prone to gelling with the location of the fuel filter being out in front and high above the engine where no engine heat could radiate out and aid in prevention of fuel gelling.
 
Your davco should have a line on the cartridge, change it when fuel gets to the line. Or before.

I've seen them full to the top of the filter in the cold, and go back down near the bottom as things warmed up.
 
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