I am so glad I found this site and I am excited to have such a wealth of knowledge at my finger tips. However, I never thought I would have to come here again with another problem so soon.
Started the truck yesterday around noon ( the temps here have been in the sinle digits and teens for a couple of days) and let it run for about 5 minutes. I drove down the road about a half a mile and looked down and noticed the fuel filter light was on. About that time it started to sputter and died. I was able to fire it a time or two but it would sputter and die. I gave up and had a buddy pull me back to the house. I changed the fuel filter (which I admit was over due to be changed by about a thousand miles....lame!). It fired and ran about two minutes and died again. I have gotten started twice briefly but it dies fast. I made sure it is getting fuel to the filter and also that it is leaving the filter. It is not coming out of the injector pump. Fuses are good. My believe is that I blew the pump.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Bill.

 

You are experiencing jelled fuel. #2 diesel has large amounts of parafin wax that is normally dissolved in the fuel. The cold temps will cause it to form into what look like icebergs if you could see in your tank. Several manufacturers make anti jelling fuel treatments. A trip to the parts house or truck stop should give you a selection of several. Then just add the required amount.

Now the down side is, since it has already stopped you may have a little trouble getting the treated fuel through the lines. If you have a place to get it in a heated enviroment for a hour or two it will be easier.

 

Dave, thanks for your responce. I pulled the fuel line off the input side of the fuel filter and cranked and fuel shot out. I did the same thing on the output side of the filter and had the same result. I had originally thought that it was a fuel gelling problem too but don't think so now. I am no mechanic though. If I remove the fuel line to an injector would I be able to see fuel coming out when I crank it? I can't so thats why I was suspecting the injector pump.

 

You maybe might be a better mechanic than you think, but single digit temps could still be jelling. At least you know the lines are not completely blocked. I would try the fuel filter change again with a cap full of anti jell in with the fuel. I woiuld dump the required amount in the tank and try it again first though. Fuel addative is much cheaper than injection pumps.

 

Ok Dave I will try that. I forgot to mention that I did put additive in the tank yesterday, after I replaced the fuel filter. I know this is all still in the tank and won't due anything to help the lines. I will try this and let you know. Thanks again. Bill

 

Dave I think you are right. The fuel that I got out of the line on the inlet side of the pump must have been a spurt at best. When I removed the filter to add a little additive it was less then half full. I topped it off with fuel and a little additive the truck fired after a little bit of cranking. It ran for a minute or so and died. I wanted to proove my latest theroy so I pulled the line off the filter again and attached a hose to it and ran it to a plastic fuel can and cranked it. A little fuel trickled out to no fuel at all.
Ok so now what do I do. Current temp 26 degrees and falling. Tomorrow it is supposed to get above freezing for a little while.

This bolsters my claim for the need for a "heated shop" conversation that I have been having with my wife.

 

Oh man I do not know if I want in this conversation any more. How far are you from WV? Wives and heated garage conversations do not mix well usually.

When I got caught with my guard down out in Kansas one year (70 in Denver one day 5 that night out in a Kansas rest area) the guy from a local truck stop brought out a curtain to block off the air from blowing under the truck. He had a torpedo heater to blow heat under the truck and warm the fuel tanks and lines up as well as the motor. Added about 10 gallons of kerosene to each of my 200 gallon tanks and a good dose of anti jell addative. Filled the filter with kerosene. When it fired I drove straight to the truckstop and filled up with #1 diesel. Had a load of swinging lamb on the trailer and the refer was dead as well but I could not get in the shop they had so many dead trucks. I felt a little better cause I was not the only one jelled up. So I took off for New York like a mad man. Mutton turns black if it freezes and by the time I got to Indiana it was to close for comfort in the refer box. So into a Union 76 shop I went. Pulled the drain plug out of the refer tank to drain the fuel but nothing came out. Had to sit there for an hour with a coat hanger straightend out to run in and out of the drain hole to get the 100 gallons of wax/fuel out. Filled it up with #1, changed filters about 3 times till we got it running OK about 6 hours later. What an experience, cost me about 1,500 all totaled. But I saved the load worth about 50,000 and all was well. Boy I miss the excitement of over the road driving.
That was the last time I ever had that problem for some reason called addatives.

 

Don't worry about the heated garage conversation, I think she wants me to have it as bad as I do. In fact we need to build a barn for a couple of horses and insists that my building get built first. Unfortunately that doesn't help me now and probably won't happen anytime soon.
I guess I will have to wait until tomorrow when the temps go up to get this thing running. Thanks for your help.

Thats a hech of a story you told about your adventure in Kansas. I bet that wasn't the most comfortable trip you ever made from Kansas to New York. Pretty nervous about that load going bad.


In 10 years of owning this truck, this is the first time I ever had a problem with fuel gelling up. We have had temps like this plenty of times in the past. Does it have anything to do with the particular dealer I get my fuel from or the brand of fuel? Its a newer mobil station.

 

Where you buy your fuel can have everything to do with jelling.
Most places will blend their fuel in the winter, more so in colder climates. The blended fuels do not need addatives unless it gets unusually cold because it is blended for your climate. In the above story there were a few unusual factors. We all liked to get fuel there cause our trucks had what seemed like more power. Turned out it did have more power cause in the summer they were selling #3 diesel. Now I know why their fuel was so cheap. This was fine in the warm summer months, heavy fuel = more BTU's = more power. Then they gradually went to #2 as it got colder, in the winter they sold a #1 and #2 blend. This was all fine and dandy till we got that overnight cold snap that lasted for a few weeks.

Well when I woke up there was ice on everything inside the cab. I found out what those electric hand driers that don't dry your hands are good for, frozen fingers and toes. When you lay down to sleep with two diesels running on your rig, and wake up to dead silence and ice covering everything, guess I was lucky to just wake up. After that everything else was just minor details. Funny how things like that can change your perspective on life.
I laugh a lot since then. Still laughing and that was 22 years ago, remember it like yesterday though.

 

Since I am not traveling the highways and biways of this great country I always buy my fuel at the same place. I have never had water in my fuel and I have never had jelling problems. I will drive by stations that have cheaper fuel to go there.
My points for them are:
1. It is the truck stop that pumps the most fuel in my area.
2. I have never had a problem with their fuel.
3. I carry 66 gallons so I can always make it back to there.
4. It is a BP that does not buy middle east oil.

 

I usually try to get fuel from newer stations because I had a bad experience once when I fueled up from an older no name station that had cheap fuel. I must have gotten the dregs from the bottom of the tank and the truck ran for abut 20 minutes and died. It had to be towed to the dealer who replaced the injection pump, luckily under warranty. Of course the station where I got the fuel wanted no part of it and said they had not had any problems with thier, fuel even before I got through explaining the situation.
I have been buying fuel exclusively from this Mobil station since Sept. I wonder if I called them and inquired about the blend they would have any information for me. Maybe I should buy fuel someplace else. Or just use the additive from now on, something I have not done in the past.

 

It does make a diff where you buy your fuel as far as quality goes,however you still MUST use additives to keep your injection pump lubed whether its summer or winter.Todays diesel just dont have the lubricity to keep the pump working good and if your not using additives you are slowly but surely killing your pump.I wouldnt be suprised that at the end of the day you will need a new pump,got my fingers crossed for ya though,Good luck.

 

You should be getting a steady fuel flow from the lift pump to the filter and then out of the filter. If you get these areas to flow fuel and the engine still doesnt run, you may be having a problem with the injection pump. Did you try jumping the batteries? If so, did you put one cable on one battery and the other on the other battery? That will cause the injection pump to short out inside electrically and the fuel will be shut off. If you have fuel to the injection pump, you should get a steady flow to at least one of the injectors. Try loosening one of the injector nuts and see if you get fuel flow there. You may also have blown the ignition fuse to the injection pump, make sure you have power to the pump. After you have done all that, wrap the truck with a tarp and run a space heater for a few hours to get things warmed up, you may have a good dose of water. I hope I dont have you too confused with all the typing. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

Dave, Pnose and Bilder, thanks to all for your input. The results are in.
Gelled fuel lines. The temps got up to about 48 degrees, so by the time I got home from work the truck had plenty of time to sit in the sun and thaw out. Turned the key and cranked for a few seconds and Heavy D roared to life once again.
Ok, so I know this will make me sound ignorant, but I have never used any additives in my truck and for that matter never even heard about putting anything into the fuel unless the temps were extreme. In 199,920. miles I have never experienced any gelling problems. I guess my question would be what are the signs to look for in the way of damage to the injector pump, injectors or anything else. The truck runs pretty good and if I had to mention anything I would say it does sound like it has a little valve tap. What should I be looking for. How do I know if the injector pump is going?

By the way I called the station where I buy my fuel and they wanted nothing of it. They said their fuel is good and they had no other problems with their diesel. Thats about what I expected they would say.
Looks like I need to invest in some additive. I will check out that other recent post where additives were being discussed.

Thanks again to all for your help. Bill

 

Well of course they have not had any problems. They are not the ones with the diesel truck that won't run. They probably all drive cars with gas motors. Are you up by Deep Creek Lake? You are more than welcome, glad to be of assistance.