Cold weather and Diesels? Do you use fuel additives?

This is my first winter here with a Diesel vehical (00 PSD).

We get some nasty,nasty cold weather up here and I was wondering if you guys use a fuel additive to the fuel for cold weather running?

If so what brand do you use?
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Don't know about additives Tom, but when the snow is deep here.. Some of our customers want to have access to an electrical socket to plug in a 'engine warmer' for their diesels.
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I just plug mine in if the weather gets below 32 degrees. Never had a problem Tom.
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i dont know what its called(prolly anti-gel)but get some of that.You dont want the fuel freezing(you wont like it [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img])T he fuel co.that supplied the fuel where i used to work said they allready added it,WRONG[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_bs.gif[/img][img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img][img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_cry.gif[/img]every tractor froze up.They were even stored indoors.you know i made a phone call[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img]
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I'm not sure how cold Milwaukee gets, but in Canada where I grew up my dad always had block heaters and oil pan heaters on his highway tractors. And an anti-gel fuel additive is a necessity, winter fuel still will gel up.

And when the trucks would still be frozen up in the morning, running a tiger torch under the oil pan for a 1/2 hour was the primo solution!

You could do like they do up in Churchill just south of the Arctic Circle... Don't ever shut it off. That's right let it run all night. Fuel consumption sucks, but when -40 over night temperatures are common and its not unheard of for blocks to freeze and crack even with antifreeze, hey who cares?

I think the anti gell for fuel is what you need. I think it's nothing but alcohol but not sure.
Also seem to remember from my earlier life driving straight trucks that the fuel that had cold weather additive in it was a different color. Seems like it was either red or green
Clint

It's not alcohol, alcohol is a fuel system dryer for gasoline engines only. Also do not use anything that is red or anything of color in your diesel, road legal diesel is straw color while offroad diesel is most often red. It's illegal to use offroad fuel on public roads and any variation in color is instant failure and fine.

Use any commonly available anti gelling diesel fuel additive or use premixed diesel(50/50 of diesel and #1 fuel oil).

Plugging in the block heater will make it easier to start but will have no effect on the fuel system or it's propensity to freeze when it's below 20*. Also the biggest reason to use an additive or to mix your diesel is to prevent it from freezing up when you driving down the road(most likely time).

stanadyn sells fuel conditioner,so does international.if you guys want the right stuff go to a big truck dealer,ask there parts dept to see what they recomend also.alot of the additive anti gell do have the alki in it,wich will thin down the fuel,causing lubricity issues,causing injector scuffing,all the new 00-03 7.3L DI have the new updated inj to resist scuffing,but 94.5-early-prod 99 still have the old inj and can get damaged from the wrong additives,water or gasoline ingestion,(accidents do happen)seems all the ford dealers here in far south T.X. do not carry any anti gelling fuel additive,but the big truck stores do,those guys are are all over the country.yeah... we have a high of 70 deg and low of 55 deg today 1-1-04.

When I ran a tow truck we used an anti gel brom BG lubricants.
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So far I have been having no problems starting my truck...


I have been "double hitting" the glowplugs on the real cold days when the truck is parked at work and can't be plugged in....

If the temp goes below 32 degrees I plug it in at my house.....I did notice a HUGE difference in the way it sounds and starts when it has been plugged in all night....

I will be adding the anti gel additive once the weather around here gets real cold....so far we have a real mild winter....
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