Howdy all,
I have a quick question, im new to the diesel world and will be traveling from South Florida to southwest Virginia in late December.

I have a 204 F250 6.0 and use Archoil in oil and fuel. What if any additional fuel additive should I use? Ive read about diesel gelling i cold weather?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Welcome to FTE, most areas already have the winter mix ( fuel gel additive) in there Diesel , but when in doubt Diesel kleen white bottle , about 4 oz per fill up, make sure you drain your water separator every oil change and or fuel filter change. Happy Trails and be safe out there.

 

Like you said in your post - What you want to be careful of is traveling with non-winterized diesel fuel from the South to the North. I know of a few folks that traveled from Florida to areas up north and have gelled up during the winter. John (ExPACamper) had it happen when he bought his Excursion in Florida and drove it up to Pennsylvania in the winter. It happens but you can easily prevent it.

The diesel fuel you fill up with in Florida will not meet the same winterization specifications as the fuel in Virginia.

Here is how it works:

"In the United States there is no legislation on a fixed time frame when winter diesel must meet a specific temperature characteristic. The ASTM D 975 standard does not specify the cold flow requirements of diesel fuel. Instead, it suggests that the cloud point be no more than 6°C higher than the 10th percentile minimum ambient temperature for the month the fuel will be used. The 10th percentile temperature corresponds to the minimum temperature that would be reached no more than 3 days out of 30 for the month."

So they basically take the average of the 3 coldest days of the month for the area/region and make sure the fuel cloud point meets the spec. If you get an abnormal arctic blast that results in temperatures being significantly lower than average you can run into trouble as well.

Here is what you can do to prevent gelling and be safe when traveling up north.

1. #2 Diesel (untreated) will start to gel around 17 degrees F.
2. Fill up along the way so you will get some winterized fuel in there. Especially if the temps start to get in the 20's.
3. Bring a bottle of Stanadyne anti-gel or equivalent (Dieseltreat, Diesel Kleen, Hot Shot's, etc...).
4. When using Anti-gel additive make sure the additive is added in prior to the fuel reaching it's cloud point (approx. 22 degrees F). Once the fuel starts to cloud the additives can not reverse it.
5. If the temps are not going to be below 25F then don't worry about it.


Welcome to FTE and have a safe trip!

What Gelled fuel looks like:

 

Thank you guys. Very informative responses. Ill be sure to pack a bottle of anti-gel and refuel a couple of times.

 

I'm heading from Denver up to Fargo for the weekend. I'll be spending some time in SD as well. Looks like it's going to be a chilly trip! Should I be cautious and add some anti-gel on each of the fill ups while on the road or should I be fine this weekend?

 

If temps are going to be below 25*, I'd add some at each fill up to be safe. Remember, fuel in the line can gel faster than fuel in the tank.. larger volume of fuel takes longer to cool, but the fuel lines expose a small amount of fuel to the cold sooner than the tank.

wind chill only works on people

 

X2 on what WatsonR said.....

Thursday & Friday look to be the cold days to watch as it will stay in the single digits. But the weekend & through Christmas look pretty worry free....

 

on a side note, I always have a bottle of this in each diesel in case of an emergency. If you get it in at the first sign of gelling (loss of power, drop in fuel pressure) you just might save yourself from a long hard day on the side of the road.


It will work if you gel up, but it's not recommended for continuous use like anti-gelling additives. Only use when you've already gelled up.

 

Good points guys, like I mentioned earlier , most mountain or very cold areas will and always have winter fuel , and keeping a jug of DK or Howes around will definitely ease the mind, just make sure to drain the water Sep down at the HFCM , and hit the road oh also what Antifreeze are you running? And make sure your windshield fluid is to cold spec.

 

One thing to keep in mind, don't wait till you have a problem with your fuel to remedy it, prepare ahead of time. Plan out your fuel stops, in other words don't drive into cold weather with warm weather fuel in the tank. I trucked to California from Minnesota for the better part of 20 years and every time it would get cold someone would be on the side of the road because they didn't prepare for the cold BEFORE they got into it. If you are that concerned buy #1 fuel, it will be far cheaper to burn more fuel than to sit on the side of the road waiting for a wrecker. Power service in the white jug and some 911(as needed) as mentioned, used it faithfully all the years I trucked. If you buy your fuel at a major station you shouldn't have any problems. Usually every station north of I80 (this time of year) should have winter fuel. I just filled to day, straight #2 and Power Service, 2.299 a gallon, for the fuel! JMO!

 

Great tips guys, ill definitely prepare the washer fluid. I just did a radiator flush a couple f weeks aga and used Fords Gold. Have to check on the bottle for cold weather ops.

 

almost forgot, Kum & Go gas stations around here have Power Service additive already in the fuel from November 1st till April. Still a good idea to have a backup though......

 

If I didn't Google it I'd sware you were talkin slang for a light night truck stop.




They do exist, just not around here.

I always run Howes additive. Readily available and tastes great.

 

exactly what I thought the first time I saw one.....

I had to stop & laugh..........

 

Next time I'm out west I'm going for the T-shirt. They better not be sold out.