[Rhodes22-list] Diesel Powered Trucks

[Rik Sandberg]

Doug,

Yeah there ain't many real gas stations left. Just C-stores that use a gas 
pump to lure you in. If you can find a gas station owner that actually 
knows something about the product he is selling to you, it's possible that 
he will have blended (#1 mixed in) fuel during the parts of winter that a 
typically the coldest. You may need to ask though. It is possible to avoid 
a lot of this if you have a very good fuel heater to keep the fuel in your 
tanks warm.

Rik


At 08:58 AM 11/14/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>Thanks for the info, Rik!
>
>   I don't know if I've ever seen No.1 vs No2 pumps in Ohio.  The diesel
>pumps in the gas station don't even have it marked, although I think it is
>always marked No.2 when I go to the truck stops.
>I'll keep a lookout for No.1 when the weather starts to get cold, again.  We
>do get the odd 10-15 degree below zero day here, but not very often and not
>for very long.  It is unlikely I'll need to drive the truck on those days,
>and more unlikely that I'll be able to fill up completely with No.1.  Really
>depends on how much warning I get.  In really bad weather, I'd prefer to
>drive the Jeep, but Robin will probably get that, leaving me with the truck.
>
>I can't fit the truck in my garage, so my approach to the condensation
>problem has been decided FOR me!
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Rik Sandberg [mailto:racerrik@rea-alp.com]
>Sent: Wednesday, November 13, 2002 7:01 PM
>To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
>Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Diesel Powered Trucks
>
>
>Doug,
>
>You are right, out in Ohio where you are the winters are a ton milder than
>here. I don't know where Joe is from though or where he might go, so I
>brought the subject up.
>
>Far as your fuel is concerned, #2 for most of the conditions you will get
>into in Ohio, will work just fine. If you feel you are going to see temps
>under maybe 10 degrees or so, you might think about buying a 50/50 blend of
>#1 and #2, or you can blend it yourself by just putting half in from each
>respective pump. That's assuming that you buy fuel where they actually have
>a pump for both grades. If you are looking at temps lower than 5 or 10 below
>0, I would seriously consider not blending at all and going with straight #1
>fuel. There is a lot of paraffin in #2 diesel fuel. When it starts getting
>pretty cold this paraffin will start to solidify and separate from the
>liquid. The paraffin solids will plug your fuel filters in short order once
>they start forming. This is called jelling up. It generally had to be pretty
>cold for this to happen. Probably below zero if you have pretty good quality
>fuel. I have seen it happen at about 25 above though if you get a batch of
>crappy fuel. You can probably get into those high cetane winter blend fuels
>and stuff too if you want to. We have never messed with that stuff though. I
>don't know exactly what the difference is, but I do know it's generally
>quite a bit more expensive
>
>OK, that's one way to freeze up, but there is also another way. Water in
>your fuel can freeze almost anytime the weather is below freezing and will,
>especially if you park your vehicle outside and shut it off for a while. Now
>most people think they get water in their fuel from the fuel station. Well,
>this is possible, but, most time they actually put the water in the tank
>themselves without realizing it.
>
>What one needs to understand is how condensation can put water in your fuel.
>Our biggest problem, fuel-wise, in the winter is our heated garage. If a
>driver doesn't top off his fuel tank before parking his truck in the warm
>garage, there will always be water in his fuel tanks. If he does this very
>many times in a row, there will be enough water in the tanks to be picked up
>with the fuel and make it to the fuel filters, where it WILL eventually turn
>to ice and freeze the filter shut. I know you probably can't look inside the
>fuel tank on your pickup, but on my big truck, I can. When these trucks get
>backed inside our shop on a cold day with a less than full tank, I can pull
>of the fuel cap and see the frost on the inside of the tank. Sooner or later
>this frost is going to become water and end up in the bottom of the tank.
>
>So, it is kind of a toss up whether you are better off keeping your truck
>inside so you always start with warm fuel, or keep it outside so you don't
>get condensation in your tank. Given a choice I would pick inside, being
>careful to keep my tanks full as much as possible and also regularly adding
>some isopropyl alcohol (or similar fuel treatment, I have also used
>methanol) to the tanks to break up the water. Also, in the winter I always
>carry at least one set of fuel filters with me, ALL THE TIME. You'll usually
>only plug the primary filter, but I've seen both changed before the truck
>would run again.
>
>Keep in mind here, I'm am absolutely NOT a chemist!!! Most of these lessons
>I have just picked up at the school of hard knocks and frozen toes. Got the
>poor circulation in my fingers and toes to prove it. :-)
>
>Rik
>
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