Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) gelled fuel???? or what

[KCraft]

this moring i went out and started my wife's 12v-note it was 25F outside. it started up as usual, i usually let it idle for a several minutes since its cold. as she was about to walk out the door for work the truck died. #@$%! i thought wtf its got 1/2 tank of fuel. went and tried to start it back up. 3rd crank and it fired up again. acted like when i changed the injectors- like air in the lines. so i drove her to work to make sure its ok. the truck seems to be fine(40 mile round trip), maybe it was too cold. i stopped and got some power service treatment. i dont know if the fuel had gelled over night or is my lp going out???? :{

btw i have been noticing the last couple of weeks and the truck surges every once in a while. if im cruising about 1700rpms holding steady, the tach will go to 1800ish then back down. lp??? over flow valve?? what???

 

[steved]

Isn't there something about the fuel supply hoses cracking and sucking air???

 

[KCraft]

yes but wont that effect driving??? it drives fine. no fuel leaking on the ground... .

 

[steved]

No, just makes for hard starting... do a search on here...

 

[kenny61]

The cracked return line canl only effect the first start of the day or after work, It does not leak fuel. If you have not yet changed the rubber lines do it before it gets bad a blows out on a trip home from florida and you have to change it at south of the border while the rest of your family goes swimming. Gelling will effect it till it warms up a little than it should run fine

 

[amsoilman]

I too would suspect the return fuel line. I've seen them in vaarious forms of deteriation. Generaly, they do not "leak" to the point of dripping fuel, but rather draw in air, which causes a hard starting/and first start of the day problems. This return fuel line is hard to get at, but can be done. As kENNY61 said, i'd get it changed out, and soon.

 

[RHestand]

Gelling fuel?

At what temp. do we have to worry about this?

It's been 0 to 20 degrees here in N. WI for past week or so, and I havn't driven my 12V.

It's sits outside.

I filled it with #2 locally about 10 days ago. (I havn't seen any #1 around here yet. )

Do I need to add anti-gell, or do the local gas stations have it in there already?

This is my first winter here, what do I need to do?

Thanks for any advice on this, Ray

PS:

KCraft,

Thanks for the thread on this. It's all kind of caught me by surprise.

 

[steved]

Gelling fuel?

At what temp. do we have to worry about this?

It's been 0 to 20 degrees here in N. WI for past week or so, and I havn't driven my 12V.

It's sits outside.

I filled it with #2 locally about 10 days ago. (I havn't seen any #1 around here yet. )

Do I need to add anti-gell, or do the local gas stations have it in there already?

This is my first winter here, what do I need to do?

Thanks for any advice on this, Ray

PS:

KCraft,

Thanks for the thread on this. It's all kind of caught me by surprise.

Do a search for my name and gelled fuel... there is an entire thread about it and the anticipated temps it gels/waxes. I had gelling occur last year at temps near +15*F... straight un-additized (i. e. non-winterized) ULSD will typically begin to gel/wax filters around 30*F.



I carry a bottle of PS 911 emergency antigel at all times since I travel and can take a load of summer fuel from the south and carry it into the northern states where it causes issues.

 

[kenny61]

For me anything below 20* may result in it, Buty i've had it go down to 0 and not have a problem. I can't confirm it but I think the temp variance is due to what the local fuel station is carrying. It is always good to keep a bottle of antigel in the truck during the winter. adding a couple o gallons of kerosene to a full tank will help lower the gelling point. FYI Kerosene is basically #1 diesel

 

[46mech]

KCraft - I would suspect that if you've had a stretch of days with temps below freezing your issue could've been gelling. If it has been that cold in your area, but gets back up above freezing then I'd say look for something else... . especially if it's driven regularly.



During the winters here it's not uncommon to have days and days where temps are single digit and/or below zero. Farmers leave their tractors, combines and assorted diesel powered equipment un-used all winter long. The farmers I know tell me they just dump a bottle of anti-gelling diesel treatment into the tank. I've had gelled fuel to varying degrees in my truck; from, running crappy at first - to, change out fuel/water sep. filter and clean out filter screen in pre-heater then dumping in plenty of PS 9-11 before I could get it running at all.



Hestand - if you haven't tried to start your truck yet, there's a pretty good chance you could have gelled fuel. The fuel will be more likely to gell if it sits undisturbed for awhile in those temps you have been having in WI. ; however, that's not a guarantee that the fuel is gelled. My truck is 2wd so I don't use it much in the winter. I've gone to dumping a bottle of PS 9-11 in the tank and running the truck for a little bit until I think the 9-11 has made its way up into the pre-heater, lift pump, injection pump and injectors... . then I'll park it for the winter (or, most of it).

 

[USMCBay]

Cold temps do wierd things to diesel and diesel engines...



(Just a note here - ALT + 0176 makes the degree symbol



See ° Ta-daaaaa!



Press down the ALT key and while holding it down type 0176 and release your ALT key after typing the numeric portion and upon release ° pooop. :-lafDegrees:-laf



Now back to the thread... Sorry!

 

[Joe G.]

Just in case it is not gelled fuel email me at -- email address removed -- for my 12 valve fuel supply system write up, how it works and how to fix it.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Press down the ALT key and while holding it down type 0176 and release your ALT key after typing the numeric portion and upon release ° pooop. :-lafDegrees:-laf



Now back to the thread... Sorry!

I've always wondered how to do that, but not working for me



I hold down the Alt key and type "0176" and the cursor just sits there. Do I need to do this in Word then paste it to the post window?

 

[steved]

Ha, that doesn't work on this machine... plus *F makes the point just as easy.

 

[KCraft]

thanks yall, it did fine this morning @ 42F. but nevertheless i'm gonna clean the prefilter and check all the hoses.

 

[JHenry]

I live in North Idaho, where it frequently gets into the single digits, and sometimes drops to below zero. The only time I've ever experienced gelling of the fuel is at the very lowest temps. I can't imagine your weather coming close to fuel gel conditions. If you have any moisture in the fuel, and it gets below freezing, you might get some ice in your lines. JH

 

[kenny61]

Your fuel is more wiinterized us guys who live in "warmer" areas may or may not get it. I ve gelled up at as littel as 25 degrees

 

[icman95]

I was reading this thinking the same thing as JHenry. I can't imagine that anywhere in TX would have much of a gelling problem. I had a big rig with a Cummins 14L N-14 engine that had a very similar problem and it turned out to be cracked fuel lines allowing air into the fuel system. It made for really hard starting, but once running, no problems. Just couldn't turn it off for long periods of time. Service shop replaced the lines and all was well.

 

[Champane Flight]

-0

I do not know of ANY fuel suppliers out there who sell ULSD with a cloud point of above zero, this includes TX and southern states. Most ULSD from any source will have a freeze point of -10 or lower this time of year. If you are having fuel problems, it is moisture, fuel filter, or lines, gelling is not an option at 25'...

 

[amsoilman]

As the temperature drops, the wax naturally found in diesel fuel begins to form crystals. The point at which wax crystals form is known as the cloud point. These wax crystals eventually clog the fuel filter and starve the engine of fuel, preventing it from starting. While low quality fuels may form wax crystals in temperatures as warm as 40°F (4°C), most fuels have a cloud point near 32°F (0°C). The point at which the wax crystals clog the fuel filter is known as the cold filter-plugging point (CFPP), and the filter can plug at a higher temperature, than the cloud point.