Gelled fuel

[pmasterson]

Aproximately 15 degrees out and my fuel filter light came on and truck slowly died. Fuel has Power Service additive (white bottle) at recommended amount. Pulled the filter and fuel bowl - only about 1/4 full with thick white fuel. Added some PS 911 to the tank and a few ounces to the bowl and cranked it probably about 2 dozen times. Will not fire. I assume I still have gelled fuel in the lines. How do I get the lines ungelled? Suppose to warm up to 20 degrees tomorrow afternoon. Is that warm enough for the fuel to ungel in the lines?

[oiltrash]

I don't know if that will be warm enough if the lines are gelled. It may be but I'm gonna go ahead and say it won't. If there's anyway you can get it inside that would be best. Otherwise we have used a torch to heat the tractor lines before.

[2006PSDSD]

If you can find a warm shop to put it in, they will thaw. The Dodge dealer here had a whole shop full of them yesterday, and were leaving them in all night, and plugging them in. Standard protocal from what the techs said (it was 15 below here yesterday morning)

[pmasterson]

It's stuck at the back of a parking no where near an electrical outlet. Got up to 19 dregrees this afternoon but I think I'll wait until tomorrow afternoon. It is suppose to get up to 33 degrees tomorrow. Might be warm enough. I was gonna fill the bowl with some fuel + additive and a new filter. Hopefully that'll get'er cranked and running. If not, I was thinking about buying a propane heater to put under it. Never had a problem before but I've never driven it under 20 degrees.

[2006PSDSD]

I doubt that OK has any anti gel additive in the fuel you buy, like the colder states do. CO has it, but we don't see the -15 temps often at all, so an extra anti gel was necessary for that day. Good luck man, don't burn your truck down with that heater

[pmasterson]

I also doubt there is any additive in our diesel. Our typical winter temps are high 20s for a low and 40 to 50s in the afternoon. Like I stated above, I never had any trouble before but that is the first time I drove it below 20 degrees. I had just filled up both tanks the night before and added the recommended amount of Power Service additive. Guess I need to double the amount of additive during this cold snap.

It got up to about 22 degrees around lunch time so I went out and added some fresh fuel w/additive to the bowl and a new filter and cranked it several times. After much protest, it finally fired up about the time a small trail of smoke was coming off my GPR. Think I murdered the GPR? Guess I'll find out tomorrow. It cleared out after a few seconds and ran good until I got it home.

[Mutley]

Only asking, but doesn't straight up isopropyl alcohol work well to un-gel things or does that only help in gasoline powered vehicles? Your power additive no doubt has no anti-gelling additives whatsoever. I've never had an issue up here with gelling at all and it gets much colder than you're experiencing.

[pmasterson]

Admittedly, I wasn't prepared for single digit and teen temps and mixed the anti-gel additive a little weak since we don't typical get down to those temps for more than a day or two. Even when we do it typically warms to above freezing during the day. I'm prepared now which is good since we have another round of single digit temps coming next....and then back to 60 degree temps!

If I'm not mistaken, I think alchohol only disperses water and water crystals. Don't know if it helps diesel gelling. Would be nice to know. It's cheap!

[STROKED_NY_023]

Growing up on the farm we used to mix K1 3:1 with D2 in the tractors and other diesel equipment to keep them from gelling up... Just a thought... Over here in Upstate NY we see negative temps on a regular basis, but they also put anti gel in the D2 around here as well. If you mix in the K1 just make sure its on the low down, DOT wont take it to kindly!!!

[pmasterson]

With our climate we don't have any choice at a regular service station other than diesel or gasoline. It's possible they have K1 or D1/D2 choices at the truck stops on the interstate. Never heard of anyone in these parts getting tested by DOT. We don't even have state vehicle inspections here anymore.