Oil & Fuel Gelled Fuel - How Much Additive

[3930dave]

Using white bottle which is supposed to have anti-gel protection, but at the ratio I'm using it, it didn't work. The ratio I'm using is just slightly higher than recommended.

If you are already a little over PS dosage recommendations, then you may have other things going on....

1) Water in fuel at source tanks. Buy diesel from a high volume truck stop if you can. Use a water separating funnel (like Mr Funnel) when pouring into your tractor. Check the water separator on-tractor often.

2) If you have microbial (aka guck) contamination, you may need to use a biocide. ULSD + water tends to grow bugs easily.

Rgds, D.

 

[MarkF48]

This is from a few years ago when I had first experienced gelled fuel and thought I was good to go adding Power Service(white). Pretty much had to do what Btown just suggested.

 

[Peter 315]

Sometimes if the fuel is bad its better to drain in out get new fuel and change the filters ,add power service . Its cheaper than a starter and battery

 

[MarkF48]

If you are already a little over PS dosage recommendations, then you may have other things going on....

1) Water in fuel at source tanks. Buy diesel from a high volume truck stop if you can. Use a water separating funnel (like Mr Funnel) when pouring into your tractor. Check the water separator on-tractor often.

2) If you have microbial (aka guck) contamination, you may need to use a biocide. ULSD + water tends to grow bugs easily.

Rgds, D.

I had changed where I bought the diesel as the place I normally bought it from quit selling fuel. I am suspicious that the new place being a smaller seller it may not have a lot of volume and may have had a good amount of 'summer blend' still in the tank when I bought in mid-November.

 

[3930dave]

Products I know up here often contain IsoPropyl Alcohol to deal with water contamination.

Ex.

Kleen-Flo | Products - Diesel Fuel Conditioner

Can't tell at a glance if PS White has IPA, if you are dealing with lots of water, you may need to add something else....

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

I had changed where I bought the diesel as the place I normally bought it from quit selling fuel. I am suspicious that the new place being a smaller seller it may not have a lot of volume and may have had a good amount of 'summer blend' still in the tank when I bought in mid-November.

I drive about 40 minutes round-trip to buy mine at a high volume truck stop. Sometimes they get 2 diesel deliveries per day to stay stocked. I can easily buy closer, but won't.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

Sometimes if the fuel is bad its better to drain in out get new fuel and change the filters ,add power service . Its cheaper than a starter and battery

Roger that.

Rgds, D.

 

[Industrial Toys]

But the water isn't the issue, right? The bowl assembly should catch the water, and yes, it will freeze in the bowl. The inappropriate fuel will gell in the cold, or get wax chrystals which is a different issue.

There really is no such thing as BAD fuel. Probably most fuel has water in it.

Your bulk tank should not have the suction pipe going to the bottom anyway, so that is where much of the water remains. Probably frozen in the winter anyway.

 

[Laderbuilt]

In regards to water and fuel supplements. I see some use Power Service and some use Howes. It is important to note that they work differently. Power service keeps water in suspension in the fuel also known as emulsion. It keeps the water in small particles in the fuel. It is then carried to the engine and Past the water separator then “burned” off during the combustion process.

Howes does the opposite it Demulsifies the fuel. This gets the water to come out of the fuel and drop to the bottom of the tank. There it will be carried to the fuel water separator were it is trapped and then manually drained. I do a two step approach to my onsite fuel. Most engine manufacturers and injector manufacturers recommend demulsified fuel. In either case you need to control water in the fuel it can cause you to ice up,block filters, two much water to an injector at once can cause severe damage to components.

 

[Ford850]

Ask your diesel supplier if their fuel is biodiesel. The cloud point of biodiesel is much higher than #2 diesel and is more difficult to use in cold weather.

 

[ForestGrump]

Diesel is a wet fuel, it has water in it, period. That’s why you have that little bowl to empty. Pour point reducer reduces the pour point of the fuel, what the original poster was after. Cetane improver raises your cetane. Cetane improver does not lower your pur point. If you have a yellow sweet fuel and it is gelling it is a paraffin based diesel fuel and your cetane should be just fine. If you buy your diesel from a reputable dealer the ASTM specs shpuld be followed. If your diesel fuel is dark and stinks it has been refined from a low gravity asphatenic crude via coking to which cetane improvers have been added.

 

[buickanddeere]

You are trying to make something into what it is not . As long as the fuel contains wax it will try to gell when chilled below the cloud point. Drain the fuel and replace with de-waxed winter diesel or kerosene.

 

[buickanddeere]

I'm not needing the tractor for a few days and there's supposed to be a warm up in temperature, so probably set about doing it then. I've got a magnetic oil pan heater I'll probably stick on the fuel tank, so hopefully what gets pulled in the the lines and filter will be a bit warmer with the additive.

The supplier I had normally used quit the fuel business. It very well could be the new supplier where I get the diesel not having a 'winter blend'. The new supplier is a small town Citgo station and may not see a lot of volume for diesel and I'm sure the kid working there has no clue regarding what they sell.

Picked up a bottle of the Howes Lubricator Diesel Treat to see how that does. Seemed to get decent reviews in comparisons to the Power Service product. Evidently works a bit different with moisture content in the fuel versus Power Service.

Magnetic heater will have zilch effect on the fuel tank. Just not enough btu's.

 

[MarkF48]

Magnetic heater will have zilch effect on the fuel tank. Just not enough btu's.

Small tractor, small tank. Only a shade over 5 gals capacity full. Probably about 3 gallons presently, so not a lot to heat. Tried the mag heater today near the bottom of the tank and after about hour the tank felt notably warmer than when I started. With filter bowl removed had clean fuel flowing from tank. Filter had 'waxed' up in the cold spell. Probably will drain it and put fresh fuel in when I find an empty jug that will hold what I drain out.
The heater is 200w and I use it on the oil pan in cold weather and it does seem to help. Keep thinking about a hose heater, but haven't got around to it.

 

[coveredbridge]

No joy with fuel gel on a 10 deg F morning and the tractor didn't like it. Have been adding Power Service Fuel Supplement +Cetane Boost at about 2oz per 5 gals of fuel (directions on the 32oz container are 8oz per 25 gals) so slightly more than recommended. This is added to the jug of fuel prior to adding to the tractors tank, so it should be mixed well and I have run the tractor in warmer weather, so it should be in the filter and rest of the system. Does it seem the 2oz/5gals should be enough or should I kick up the amount during cold weather or use the same ratio plus add the 911 additive in its recommended amount as well.

I've used PS in the white bottle at 2 oz per 5 gal for years, and have never had a problem with gelling. I do store my tractors inside an unheated garage, so I don't know if that makes any difference.

I'm really surprised that your treated fuel gelled at 10 deg F. My understanding is that untreated winter blend fuel alone has a cloud point of 15 deg F. At least that is what I've been told.

 

[jbrumberg]

For a lot of reasons my last 5G jerrycan #1 Diesel fuel refill had a "double load" of both PS White bottle and PS 911. It reached cloud point somewhere between -7F and -10F. Tractor started easily at 0F/1F after 3 hours of preheating the engine block and hydraulic filter.

I also use a water/fuel separation funnel to fill the tractor's fuel tank.