Cold no start. Frozen fuel?

[mjonesnh]

We need to make it clear that Diesel 911 is for fuel which is already gelled. Do not use as a regular additive. There are plenty of additives for diesel fuel to keep it from gelling(Howes is one of many) and you can use them at a much lower concentration every time you add fuel, starting before it gets cold in the fall. Don't use any additive rated for gasoline.
It is a good idea to start additives early before it gets cold, as gelled diesel is a pain to get out of the system.

Run Optilube XPD year round, lighter dose in warm weather and then a double dose starting in Sept-Oct. Never any gelling issues. Mainly use it in warm weather for extra lubricity. Brand rated very highly in an additive study several years ago.

 

[13720]

Ok I was able resolve with heat gun and everything is back to normal.

It looks like the tractor will spend the next two weeks in my garage til we head south. Now I have to break the news to my pickup.

Thanks to all.

Switch to #1 diesel in freezing weather or add diesel fuel additive.

 

[hube2]

We need to make it clear that Diesel 911 is for fuel which is already gelled. Do not use as a regular additive. There are plenty of additives for diesel fuel to keep it from gelling(Howes is one of many) and you can use them at a much lower concentration every time you add fuel, starting before it gets cold in the fall. Don't use any additive rated for gasoline.
It is a good idea to start additives early before it gets cold, as gelled diesel is a pain to get out of the system.

I add fuel additives all year long because I never know when I'll use the fuel I've purchased or when it was purchased. I have several 5 gallon jugs and I just rotate them FIFO. It's worth the expense to me to ensure I never see this issue. I have a bottle of 911 sitting on a self, just in case. It's been sitting there almost 5 years and I never want to need it.

 

[Dmacleo]

2 bottles of 911 here.

 

[NUTTERDW]

there are additives you can add to the fuel to the tank tokeep that from happening. There also is a difference between fuel bought in warm weather verses fuel bought in winter. Several years ago I bought a Volkswagen Jetta diesel and the owners manual said if I was not able to get winter fuel to add 20% gasoline to the fuel.

 

[dodge man]

I really encourage people to watch Project Farm on YouTube where he tests additives. Even if you just skip ahead to where he is pulling his test samples out of the freezer that have additives in them. They ALL gelled, just less so with some of the additives. Of course if you don’t have temperatures that get down to zero it’s less of a concern.

 

[Little Red Tractor]

Ok I was able resolve with heat gun and everything is back to normal.

It looks like the tractor will spend the next two weeks in my garage til we head south. Now I have to break the news to my pickup.

Thanks to all.

My pickup lives outside so that the tractor can live inside.

Be sure you run out all the fuel you had in that tank, without running it out of fuel, of course. A few years back, there seemed to be a bad bunch of fuel in the area and EVERYONE was having fuel gelling or icing at temps that usually wouldn't cause a problem. Maybe this year your area got the trashy fuel.
I cut my fuel by about 30% kerosene beginning in November, and use a conditioner.

 

[Zetorboy]

I am from a could region(nothern part of Québec, Canada - northwestern shore of St-lawrence river). My Zetor will start at under -12 C or around 10 F to 15 F. It Starts without being plugin. Be sure, that you use winterized fuel, in cold rgions.

 

[RayIN]

Do not use an additive that claims to absorb water so it can burn in a HP common-rail diesel engine. Water molecules are larger than fuel molecules and will slowly ruin the injectors.

 

[Bavarian]

I don't use much fuel normally so I need good fuel before we get the deep freeze. I don't want to wait for the local station to get the fuel I will need in January. I treat my fuel and I also have learned to keep 5 gal of #1 on hand to blend before winter. I run the tank low on fuel, dump the #1 in, fill the rest with #2, then I'm ready for the cold temps.

Exactly that.

Get rid of the summer fuel. No amount of conditioner will turn summer fuel into winter fuel.

I personally run the tank low towards fall when the chores get fewer.
Usually mid November our fuel stations are filled with winter diesel. That's when I fill up again.
And a few degrees below freezing doesn't do anything to summer fuel. If it causes a problem to the fuel system, it's not the diesel itself.

 

[Bavarian]

I had the fuel in my Kubota BX gel up years ago. Twice in the little factory filters and once in a Racor filter I had added. With the Racor even if I had added 911 it wasn’t going to ungel. I had to swap the filter out. It was obvious it was permanently plugged. It was a thick white material and I threw it outside but never melted even after it warmed up. I did add the recommended amount of 911 and it ran after swapping in a new filter.

This happened using Howes also. It happened after a few days of zero degree temperatures.

Your experience confirms what I keep on saying.
No amount of fuel conditioner will turn summer diesel into winter diesel.
Filling the tanks according to the season is the only way to go.
I make it every year without any fuel conditioner. No problem at all.

The white stuff that you found in your filter is the problem. And I did the same as you one day, saved the clogged filters and the stuff never melted even when spring came around. That was on my semi truck when I came home with too much southern fuel left in the tanks.

 

[Flogger]

I had the fuel in my Kubota BX gel up years ago. Twice in the little factory filters and once in a Racor filter I had added. With the Racor even if I had added 911 it wasn’t going to ungel. I had to swap the filter out. It was obvious it was permanently plugged. It was a thick white material and I threw it outside but never melted even after it warmed up. I did add the recommended amount of 911 and it ran after swapping in a new filter.

This happened using Howes also. It happened after a few days of zero degree temperature

Once it has gelled up the filter will be compromised by paraffin. I always change the filter after gel problems. I have been running about 20% kerosene the last couple of years and then a good dose of atf for lube. Knock on wood it seems to have cured my problem child Kubota. Of course I added a marine fuel filter and increased the fuel line size on it so that likely helped also.

 

[ray66v]

Once it has gelled up the filter will be compromised by paraffin. I always change the filter after gel problems. I have been running about 20% kerosene the last couple of years and then a good dose of atf for lube. Knock on wood it seems to have cured my problem child Kubota. Of course I added a marine fuel filter and increased the fuel line size on it so that likely helped also.

That was okay 20 years ago.

But, an independent study when ultra low sulfur diesel was mandated, found adding things like ATF, or used motor oil, actually reduced lubricity in ULSD fuel.

The common popular diesel fuel additives had to be reformulated because of this effect.

https://www.jatonkam35s.com/DeuceTechnicalManuals/Diesel_fuel_additive_test.pdf

 

[RayIN]

The only engine oil designed to be burned in an engine is 2-cycle oil. The additives in motor oils and ATF are not designed to burn.

 

[Flogger]

Been running atf in my old 7.3 since I bought it with 181k on it. Mileage has gone from 12ish to near 20. That’s my independent study.

 

[ray66v]

Been running atf in my old 7.3 since I bought it with 181k on it. Mileage has gone from 12ish to near 20. That’s my independent study.

The study I cited, was only the beginning. There is a lot of additional information that has come out since then, which is readily available by a Google search.

I understand your decision to disregard it.

I'm pointing it out for those who read this thread, and wish to have all the available information on the matter, before they make their decision.

 

[Flogger]

I don’t question the difficulties encountered with guvmint fuel but about half of the things tested were cleaners which would indicate solvents. I was shocked that there was no Power Service white jug that is hands down the best seller around here. I use standard Power Service in the winter to help with moisture and gelling. The atf has served me well for years in my pickups and my tractors. I even use it as an occasional engine flush.

 

[ruffdog]

I don’t question the difficulties encountered with guvmint fuel but about half of the things tested were cleaners which would indicate solvents. I was shocked that there was no Power Service white jug that is hands down the best seller around here. I use standard Power Service in the winter to help with moisture and gelling. The atf has served me well for years in my pickups and my tractors. I even use it as an occasional engine flush.

Many things have changed over the years like technology and fuel/oil formulations. We now have common rail diesels and grandpa's fuel and ATF fluid doesn't exist anymore.