Does Diesel fuel go bad like Gas over time??

[NewClimber]

Do I need to put something in my diesel fuel tank before winter. I usually put some gas stabilizer in my weed eater and lawn mower before winter but what about diesel fuel?? I really don't want to drain the tank being this is my first winter at my house and I think I will get a couple good snow storms where I will need it to clear the driveway...

 

[Soundguy]

Products like 'stabil' claim to work on gas and diesel. However.. I generally use power service for diesel. lubes injectior.. prevents gelline.. better cetain numbers.. etc.

Soundguy

 

[HGM]

Yep, like soundguy said PS is good. There are others as well, just make sure it is specified for diesel(obviously) and that its a good quality, with no alcohol added. Make sure whatever you have it in, is full and well sealed to avoid any condensation or contaminates.

 

[BadDog]

Diesel will absorb water and oxygen from the air, over time. That's why it's good to 'top off' your diesel vehicle's fuel tank if you're not going to use it for several months, to minimize the amount of air in the tank.

There are a lot of additives on the market that work to prevent this and most of them have a lot of other benefits as well (most add some combination of detergents, antigel agents, lubrication, and cetane).

 

[kn6md]

Power Service is a great product but it does not have a biocide, and standing diesel can grow microbes (BIG ONES) that will clog your fuel filter. In my experience, untreated standing diesel begins to look like iced tea, and it can be shocked with a biocide at this point to kill the bugs.

When the fuel looks like chocolate milk and has black blobs an inch or more across, its history. I found this situation in a sailboat fuel tank. Of course, you could call a fuel polishing service to clean the fuel $$$ if you had a big enough tank.

The company that makes Power Service sells a biocide for preventative use and a biocide shock treatment (911 or something like that) if you forgot to use the preventative.

I treat the small amount of fuel I buy with PS and the preventative biocide when I buy it because of my sporadic tractor use. That way, I don't care how long it sits.

 

[Highbeam]

Sta-bil has a lot of, maybe mostly, methanol which is pretty much alcohol and is there to absorb water. Not sure why not to use it in diesel but I use it in all my non road gas.

 

[KENSFM]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Sta-bil has a lot of, maybe mostly, methanol which is pretty much alcohol)</font>

There is no alcohol in Sta-Bil, read the label.
Ken /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[HGM]

Alcohol depletes the lubricity of diesel fuel, this will cause more wear in your injectors, pump and even the combustion chambers. Not sure of the makeup of Stabil though..

 

[Diesel_Boy]

Does power service act like a "dry gas" to help remove water from diesel?

 

[Highbeam]

Cripes, you are right. I just read the label and it says that is contains propanol. I guess I got rubbing alcohol and methanol mixed together and remembered wrong.

Maybe propanol is alcohol. I suppose an internet search could tell you.

The bottle listed diesel fuel as a recommended application. I would do it though.