Does diesel Freeze ?

[bigdaddycain]

I'll still be adding a drop of petrol to my tank and keeping it topped up throughout the cold spell.

Is the winter grade diesel not up to it alan? I know it gets "a but nippy" up there at this time of year.... Is it really that severe that you have experienced diesel waxing?

[scanner]

A dopy friend of mine has TWICE run his 150,000 miles, older type diesel Passat for around 40 motorway miles on a full tank of petrol before it cut out at the end of the motorway turn off - it's still going strong!

I'll still be adding a drop of petrol to my tank and keeping it topped up throughout the cold spell.

The very point - Shell cannot recommend petrol be added to the tanks of ALL diesels as more modern, closer toleranced, higher pressured, PDi and Common Rail diesels will be less tolerant of petrol than your mate's old nail and not everybody can be trusted to put the right proportion of petrol in anyway.

So Shell are forced to go to the other extreme and advise that NO petrol be added to diesel.
If they did anything else and somebody's sooper dooper new diesel spat it's dummy out because there was a drop of petrol in the tank because "Shell told me to do it" they would get the bill.

[teenmal]

Found what I was looking for.................
http://www.shell.com/static/nz-en/downl ... winter.pdf

From Shell New Zealand.

Which concludes with this

Under no circumstances should a naked flame be used on any part of the fuel
system or fuel tank. NEVER ADD PETROL TO THE FUEL. The addition of petrol
could be extremely dangerous and it is also unlikely that it will dissolve wax.
In areas of New Zealand where the weather is very cold for long periods it
is advantageous to use Shell Thermol (50% mixture of diesel and kerosine)
as a temporary diesel engine fuel. Shell Thermol will provide cold flow
protection down to minus 30°C. However, care must be taken with the use of
Shell Thermol in warmer weather, as it does not provide the lubricity to
pumps and injectors that diesel fuel provides. To achieve this lubricity 1%
volume of clean lubricating oil can be added to Shell Thermol. Check with
the equipment manufacturer before using Thermol in your engine or
machinery.

Only a cynic would think that Shell Thermol would cost more than petrol (if you can locate it)

moi???

A dopy friend of mine has TWICE run his 150,000 miles, older type diesel Passat for around 40 motorway miles on a full tank of petrol before it cut out at the end of the motorway turn off - it's still going strong!

I'll still be adding a drop of petrol to my tank and keeping it topped up throughout the cold spell.

Hi Dandy,
I had a Diesel Passat a few years ago,the hand book recommended up to one third of low octane petrol during winter.
On that vehicle it was 4 Gallons.

[snow_kiter]

Does diesel Freeze ?
When I was out in Norway I had a couple of days with starting problems.
Turning over OK but just wouldn't catch and start. We ended moving the van into the Sun and waiting.
After filling up with Norwegian Winter Diesel everything was OK.

On New Years Day I had to put my fan heater in the engine bay to warm her up because she wouldn't start again.
Don't know how low the temp was overnight but it was exactly the same symptoms as Norway.

Could this be a case of needing new glowplugs?

[bigdaddycain]

Modern diesels have a catalytic converter fitted, i believe that they won't be too chuffed with having petrol put through em!

[teenmal]

Modern diesels have a catalytic converter fitted, i believe that they won't be too chuffed with having petrol put through em!

Hi Steve,
Neither do Modern petrols.

Mal..

[francophile1947]

my neck cricked and won't move.

Congratulations Mike - you've been promoted from Bad Back Barker to a pain in the neck

[dandywarhol]

A dopy friend of mine has TWICE run his 150,000 miles, older type diesel Passat for around 40 motorway miles on a full tank of petrol before it cut out at the end of the motorway turn off - it's still going strong!

I'll still be adding a drop of petrol to my tank and keeping it topped up throughout the cold spell.

The very point - Shell cannot recommend petrol be added to the tanks of ALL diesels as more modern, closer toleranced, higher pressured, PDi and Common Rail diesels will be less tolerant of petrol than your mate's old nail and not everybody can be trusted to put the right proportion of petrol in anyway.

So Shell are forced to go to the other extreme and advise that NO petrol be added to diesel.
If they did anything else and somebody's sooper dooper new diesel spat it's dummy out because there was a drop of petrol in the tank because "Shell told me to do it" they would get the bill.

Point taken scanner - fine for our ol' nails though.

Kiter - it's the water in the fuel which freezes rather than the diesel

[scanner]

Kiter - it's the water in the fuel which freezes rather than the diesel

And then as Keefy says, when the temperature drops below the "cloudpoint" wax crystals begin to form in the diesel (sort of like vaseline) and then tend to clump at any pinchpoint or in the fuel filter.

The Shell leaflet explains it all.

[mikeonb4c]

my neck cricked and won't move.

Congratulations Mike - you've been promoted from Bad Back Barker to a pain in the neck

Oi - John. Shut it

[karena]

you are right about the farmers scanner, found out this am, that is exactly what happened - a couple of them have a large storage tank for the tractors etc and fill it in the summer when they are at their most active with hay time etc.To be fair this winter has been exceptionally cold for more recent times so they have got away with doing this - until now.

[bigdaddycain]

Does diesel Freeze ?
When I was out in Norway I had a couple of days with starting problems.
Turning over OK but just wouldn't catch and start. We ended moving the van into the Sun and waiting.
After filling up with Norwegian Winter Diesel everything was OK.

Was you still on UK fuel?

On New Years Day I had to put my fan heater in the engine bay to warm her up because she wouldn't start again.
Don't know how low the temp was overnight but it was exactly the same symptoms as Norway.

Could this be a case of needing new glowplugs?

Depends on the symptoms.... Lots of cranking and not firing?

Depending on the condition of your battery, it should have eventually started, (even if you do have a lazy glowplug).

Have you had similar problems on subsequent cold starts?

If it does indeed prove to be the glowplugs at fault, it may be an idea to keep a can of Bradex easy start in the bongo till you can get round to replacing the plugs... That at least eliminates the chance of getting stranded somewhere....