Gelling again

[zuiko]

I've had constant problems this winter with this. Last time I drained the fuel tank and replaced it with what was supposedly 50/50 but who knows if it really is (the stuff in there before should have been 50/50 as well). I added power service (the white bottle winter additive), but that seems to do absolutely nothing. It's only -5 degrees outside, ran fine for about a half hour, then it gelled up and I can't keep it running long enough to put it away. I also added some red diesel 911 power service to the tank but I still can't get it to run and stay running... I'm guessing ill have to replace the freakin fuel filter and all again to get it going... just to have it gel up again next time it gets below zero.

Any tips on how to avoid this? Is there any way at all to tell what kind of fuel (proportion of kero to #2, or whether it is #1) you are getting out of a diesel pump? Or do you just have to trust the filling station? This has been a really lousy winter so far and we aren't that far into it.

 

[tessiers]

I always buy off road diesel and I treat it with Diesel+ brand anti gel additive, when I pump it. (white bottle with red letters I think)

 

[zuiko]

I'm wondering about just heating the fuel to get around this problem once and for all. Something like a magnetic block heater or a pad heater (mounted on the fuel tank) or even one of those submersible aquarium heaters inside the tank (just when it is in use... they would fit through the filler)... plug it in for a few hours before using it and get the fuel up to a reasonable temp (say 60+ degrees) so I can finish my business without even dealing with the gel point of the fuel. Anybody ever try anything like that?

 

[Thumper & Buttercup]

Hey Zuiko,

I'm in the NE of North Dakota, one thing I do is start treating my vehicles in September with Power Service. I change my fuel filters in the fall after this. This year I had about 70 gallons of #2 left over, this was of 200 gallons that had a full half gallon of PS in it when delivered.

I added 130 gallons of #1 with another half gallon bottle of Power Service. No jelling here, I do the same with my PU, it has a 26 gallon fuel tank, I do a double dose of PS in the fall and run that tank down, then a double dose of PS with a winter blend. In November I will fill my tank with 1/3 #2 and 2/3 #1 with a 8 oz bottle of PS in every tank. I carry 911 in both. Tomorrow I'll check my 1066 with a flashlight before I even start her, if the fuel does not look right I'll pour in a bottle of 911 and let her set a while.

That always works for me up here. I've been running tractors and pickups with diesels since 1982. Your bio-diesel blend could be causing some of this problem but I don't know about it, I don't use any yet. Hope this helps.

 

[zuiko]

That is what I am wondering... biodiesel is at 5% now thanks to state law up from 2% last year. (It is supposed to be a 20% mandate in a few years... that should be interesting). I never had any fuel problems before this year. Of course this winter has been a worse than normal, but I'm wondering if it is the biodiesel that is causing the issues. I have read that anti-gel agents like PS don't do anything at all for biodiesel. That's why I'm thinking about just heating the fuel and not having to worry about it, unless I am out using it so long it cools down to ambient temp.

 

[LBrown59]

When I hear these gelling tales.
Makes me wonder why every body hain't havein the problem?

 

[atgreene]

Keep changing the filter, keep adding 911 and power service. It may take 3-4 filter changes to overcome it. Been there done that, if you own a diesel you need 3-4 filters on the shelf just in case. Sometimes it just happens, no direct cause that I can ever find other than a bad batch.

 

[jimmysisson]

If you heat the tank and the fuel in the filter gels, you'll really be rippin!
Treatment sounds better, if you can get it to work before spring.
Jim

 

[number two]

I think you'll be able to take atgreene's advice and get going again.What's been very popular over the years in the trucking business are fuel heaters.Basically the heater is a heat exchanger with warm coolant from the engine circulating through it,as well as the fuel.It's installed so it heats the fuel before entering the fuel filter(s).The fuel then is warm enough not to have wax clog the filter.Since some fuel is usually returned to the tank,that heated return fuel helps warm the fuel in the tank.If the fuel is liquid enough to get running,you can get the engine heat up and start heating the fuel,then everything gets better.Had one on my 1978 GMC Astro-could drive it anywhere with no additive once running.OK,I'm off on a tangent here,sorry.ULSD with biodiesel gells sooner than ULSD.ULSD gells sooner than LSD,which of course gells sooner than the old high sulfur diesel.Good Luck-been there!

 

[tomd999]

Hiya,

What you have is a bunch of wax crystals in the tank. You need to melt them or you're going to keep plugging filters. In my experience, bio tends to cloud sooner than petro Diesel.

If Diesel 911 isn't working, then you need to try a different brand of rescue additive. (Remember that almost all "anti-gels" will not melt wax once formed, you have to use a rescue solvent.) Also, if your using bio, you need to make sure it works for bio, not just off road and ULSD. I use Amsoil products so I keep a bottle or 2 of the Diesel Recovery around. Whatever product you use, this is what I do:

1: Put the product in the tank. I put an extra splash in, it's the American way, if a little is good, a little more is better....
2: take the filter off and dump out some diesel, pour some rescue additive in it, put in a warm +60 degrees F place until needed.
3: get a incandescent drop light w/a 75w bulb. Turn it on and place it against or in very close to the fuel tank.
4: cover the tank with a non flammable covering that will act as insulation and retain the heat of the droplight against the tank.
5: After about an hour or 2, Using the priming lever or pump, pull some thawed fuel through the tank line, then put the filter back on and secure the drop light.
6: light the engine off and put it in a +60 degree F heated garage for several hours to complete the rescue.
7: drain the fuel and refill with double dose anti gel and cetaine boost treated fuel from a different seller than what gave you issues and run the engine until it reaches operating temp.

Now I'm not saying this will work in 100% of waxed fuel cases but it is how I have solved this issue several times in the past.

Tom

An almost afterthought, I have found that of the 2 numbers used to rate "anti-gel" the one to pay attention to is the "cloud point" rather than the "pour point". "Gelled" fuel will still flow, right up until the filter plugs with all the wax from "cloud point".

 

[ccsial]

Try Howes diesel treat. I've found it best for preventing gelling.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

Are you useing factory filters. I have ran into issues with Fram fuel filters when it got below zero. I don't know if they were to fine or what but as soon as I switched to a Cat fuel filter the problem went away.
Bill

 

[DieselPower]

Keep changing the filter, keep adding 911 and power service. It may take 3-4 filter changes to overcome it. Been there done that, if you own a diesel you need 3-4 filters on the shelf just in case. Sometimes it just happens, no direct cause that I can ever find other than a bad batch.

It's not so much that people are getting a "bad batch" as they are getting what is know as regional fuel. Fuel can contain hundreds of different hydrocarbon chain molecules and the extra processing done to ULSD has caused some changes in some fuels. It really seems to depend on what oil it was refined from. In my area people in Maryland that get fuel that comes out of the Baltimore Port fuel depot seem to have little to no gelling problems. Some people in Pennsylvania have been having problems ever since the switch to ULSD. To add to the problems and confusion not all anti-gel additives seem to work with all fuels. One additive may work with fuel from one station but get fuel from the station down the road and treat it with the same amount of additive and they have problems.

 

[Lunk]

Try Howes diesel treat. I've found it best for preventing gelling.

I use a double dose of Howes. Been starting at 9 below with no gelling issues whatsoever (knock wood extra hard!).

 

[smfcpacfp]

The best solution is to use # 1 diesel in the winter.

#2 diesel typically has a cloud point (point at which the wax in the fuel begins to solidify) of about +40 degrees F.

#1 diesel typically has a cloud point of about -40 degrees F. Unfortunately #1 has much less energy and doesn't lubricate very well, which is why it is important to use an additive. I use Opti-Lube XPD which is kind of expensive (about $50 a gallon) but gives the best test results of any additive. It should treat around 400 gallons of diesel.

Here is another problem - what kind of fuel does the fuel dealer actually have in the #1 and #2 tank. Some dealers also sell what they call a winter blend - a mixture of #1 and #2. What does that mean? If there is a problem guess who will be out there heating up the fuel filter and blowing out the fuel lines - not the fuel dealer. If you want to do blending, do it yourself.

 

[jk96]

Another vote here for Howes. Been using it on my tractor and truck with no problem for several years now.

 

[Tom Welsh]

I have had some issues with gelling in the past, not recently. I spoke with a friend of mine who runs a fuel jobber, and he stated to just use the white bottle I believe it's power service first as a preventative, and then if that doesn't prevent the gelling, run with the red bottled 911. I am still using #2 from the summer with adding some of the white bottle, and having no problems (yet). He did tell me that more is definitely not better with either the white or red, he was pretty matter of factly stating it would go the opposite direction and cause more gelling. He told me to follow the amount to add precisely and not to deviate. So far so good in some below zero temps. In the past when I did gel, and have used the 911, it would take awhile of running my tractor for the 911 to work through the system, maybe even up to a 1/2 hour for it to completely work through.

I do have a block heater on the tractor this year which makes it start better, but I don't think that is having any effect on the temperature of the fuel, preventing gelling, but merely helping the tractor start better.

 

[Thumper & Buttercup]

We'll

It's up to -9 here, we hit -27 last night, no gelling,
fuel looks fine. I've got the 1066 warming up to blow
some snow and my mix is fine.

The only problem I ever had with gelling was last year
in the PU, I tried what they called Artic Blend, it was supposed to be good to -37, we'll at -33 it started to gell
with additives in it. Ending up adding 911 and let her run
all day, we were at a Auction and it was so cold all their
propane equipment would not run it had frozen.

I'll never run that crap again, mixing my own and doing
my pre-winter prep has worked time and time again for
us. Hope this helps, I'll take a warm up, I really tired of
doing all this cold weather testing for you guys.

 

[JoeL4330]

I've mentioned before, but there are filter units that heat ...see Racor products (I'm not affilitated in any way, and there are other mfrs ...

 

[zuiko]

Well it is really bad now... it was just plugging up the fuel filter before and now the filter bowls look like they are filled with petroleum jelly rather than fuel... never seen that before. So I guess it is full on gelled up now. I'm not sure this will be fixable until it warms up. If the bowls are like that I imagine the fuel lines are all like that too now. I might have to check into some kind of 12v fuel heater for next year. Not sure if I just got really unlucky this year (2 batches of fuel from two different stations) or if it is a sign of things to come.

I might look into buying #1 rather than the 50/50 mix next year too... if I can find a station that sells #1. The vast majority around here just sell the kero/#2 mix in winter. Not sure if that would make my problem better or worse though. Can #1 be mixed with kerosene to lower the cloud point?