It done got cold!

[playindirt]

Well we got one h** of a cold snap and got caught. What are you guys using in off road tanks? Spent most of the week trying to get machines running, looks like we might have a water in fuel problem. Any thoughts, howes, power service? what been working for you. Thanks

 

[CascadeScaper]

Diesel 911 from PowerService works pretty good, I'd recommend it.

 

[Dozerboy]

I would only use Diesel 911 as a last resort its hell on the fuel system. I've had good luck with Howes, and Power Service both. I don't envy you guys up north ever since the mandation of of Biodiesel in diesel most have had nothing but problems. Getting some heat on the filters seems to help the most. I have just used a heat gun, but some guys are wiring up heat pads to go around their filters.

 

[Oxbow]

Howes and Power Service are great for preventing these occurances, but not much help after things have gelled up. I have not used 911 so can't comment on that. Basically you can have two different problems:

1 - The temperature is cold enough to lower the waxing point of the diesel you have, in which case topping whatever room you have in the tank with #1 diesel, and changing filters until you get the problem resolved seems to be the best solution. The addition of additives at this point may not be very helpful.

2 - Water is present in the system. If the water is frozen in the bottom of a fuel filter/water seperator only then changing said filter may get you but. If you have ice in a fuel line/pickup tube/tank bottom that is restricting flow then perhaps the 911 will help, but a tarp over the machine and heater often is the solution to get things running. I have heard of people putting alcohol in the fuel to help dissolve and dissipate water, but doubt that this is very effective after gel up/freeze up has occured, and I don't know what damage it could cause.

Chevron used to have a product called Freeze-Ban, or Ban-Ice, or some such name that was very good, but I have not seen it in a long while.

Any of us that live in areas that get cold have all been caught with our knickers down a time or two, usually right at the first of the season if temperatures drop suddenly like has happened this last week.

Good luck!

P.S. If you can look into the tank and see a film on top of the fuel your problem is likely waxing of the fuel; if the fuel on the top of the tank looks clear, then ice is most likely the problem. I hope this helps.

 

[grandpa]

I throw my keys in a pail of water every night,, when the day comes I can't get my keys out,,, I wait til spring when I can reach in and get my keys back out,, then go to work... No gelling problems whatsoever.

 

[td25c]

We treat everything with power service supplement www.powerservice.com/dfs/

I keep some 911 in the truck tool box in case of fuel gelling . Don't know how well it works as I haven't had to use it yet. www.powerservice.com/d911/

 

[monster76]

it was freezing here in Miami i think we had a low of 75 the other day lol

 

[playindirt]

Thanks for the replies, I think we got a bad batch of fuel, after talking with some others in the area that are having same problem. One of the loggers in the area I ran into at the parts house while picking up fuel filters said he had been way farther ahead treating fuel a changing filters this year than he had been in many years and still was frozen up tight. Oh well, I know now that everything has new filters on them, but it was not a hole lot of fun pushing our little 435 bobcat into the shop with the dozer to get it running, and then having the dozer gel up after running for 2 hours.

 

[theironoracle]

My service truck had non treated fuel in it and Monday/yesterday morning wouldn't start. I used a propane heater and tarps over the hood to warm things up and dumped some diesel 911 in the fuel tank. After 2 hours got it running. After all of this I went and fueled up with treated fuel and treated some more with the white container of powerservice because the fuel guy pulled a cup of treated fuel out of his freezer which he said was about 0 degrees and it was starting to wax up. So when I pulled the nozzle out of the fuel tank after it clicked off it had wax actually hanging on it and then I looked in the tank and saw a "foam" of wax on top. So I deduced the 911 must make the wax float instead of fall so it doesn't get pulled into the suction tube? Then of coarse the white bottle actually lowers the wax point. I was recommended years ago by a mechanic that used to work on the "north slope" to use methanol? never did understand what it actually did to the fuel but by the amount of filters I had to change I decided it combined with the water and lowered its freezing point so it would not be a "cube" at 32 degrees but then it just filled up the filters so you couldn't get any fuel to the pumps? Nowadays you can't buy drums of methanol because all the meth heads were using it to make meth? that's my two bits..........................TIO

 

[bill onthehill]

I dump 5 gallons of kerosene in my tanks each time I fuel in the winter. That way I know it is blended and won't gel. It is more money and less power but the the lack of aggravation is priceless.

 

[redneckchevy9]

This seems to be a hot topic of discussion so far this month. Personally, when it comes to the tandems & grader we use to plow snow for the local township, we would use the white containers of power service every time we'd fill the tanks & I only had one problem ever (of course, it was 3am, 40mph winds & -20 out). Now here at the lumber yard, a local shop told us not to run any anti-gel in the trucks because of the winter blend we were putting in from the pump. Well, I think that's a load of crap, but the yard guy said they were having problems with a couple trucks when we ran the anti-gel & they ran fine without. To me, it doesn't add up, our trucks can sit here at the yard for hours without running & getting that nice cool breeze off the Mississippi river - so it is a no brainer to run the power service stuff. Unless, lack of driving or long periods of high rpms (just puttin' around town delivering) plays into the equation of the anti-gel doing more bad than good.