Howes diesel anti-gel any good?

[eljefino]

AAP has half gallons of the stuff for $15. Looks like a bottle of salad oil.

I want to park my 300D for the winter full of #2, and anti-gel. This looks cheaper than most. It'll be sitting in possibly -20'F weather. I don't need it to start, but would like whatever gel happens to dissolve before spring.

 

[Reg# 43897]

"Fuel gelling" is a term that refers to what happens to fuel oil when it's exposed to adequately cold temperatures. If it gets cold enough, it starts to thicken & resists flow. However, as the temperatures rise, the viscosity thins & the fuel's gel-point will be passed. This is not some sort of permanent sludge; it's a function of temperature only.

John.

 

[eljefino]

Does it ungel with the same passion as its gelling?

 

[BobFout]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Does it ungel with the same passion as its gelling?


Yes, think of it like when water freezes.

Summer D2 starts to gel around 15F, but that does vary. Fuel does un-gel once the fuel gets warm (relative term).

I would use it anyways, knowing you COULD start it if you needed to in the winter. Make sure to read the dosing directions on the bottle.

 

[dustyroads]

It has never let me down in my big truck. The best test I give it is parking the truck for 7-10 days at home during the winter. It will always fire up and go, no matter how cold it was while sitting.

I always use Howes ahead of the brutal cold to get any water out of the tanks. As far as parking your car, it could gell up bad (without additive) but as soon as it warms up a little, you'll be good to go.

 

[fdcg27]

Most 123s sold in cold areas have the cold weather kit and can be plugged in, so cold starts are not a problem.
I'm guessing that your 300D is not so equipped.
From my 123 240Ds, I can tell you that down to around 5F, starting is not a problem.
Below that, starting isn't an issue, since it isn't going to happen.
On a really cold night, I'd be sure to put the car in our unheated garage if I really needed to use it the next morning.
Once you got that four pot diesel clattering away, you'd have no further problems.
I did one try a cold weather diesel fuel additive.
On a -5F morning, it did nothing.
As others have noted, the wax goes back into solution as the ambient temperature increases.
Gelling is dependent upon temperature and reverses as temperatures rise.
The car that wouldn't start on the -5F morning started just fine that afternoon.
An old MB diesel is a joy from an era long past when DB built some of the best cars you could buy.
Enjoy your old-school Mercedes.
I enjoyed the ones I had.

 

[eljefino]

I have a block heater even though the car is from North Carolina.

But, the average winter diesel user buys winter fuel that has kerosene mixed in. I plan to park this thing before the roads see salt with a full tank of pure #2, so I have full power come spring. I understand K1 takes some pep out, and I need all I can get.

 

[JimPghPA]

Think about wax and how it will melt at a certain temperature, but return to a semi-solid once cooled below the melting temperature. Wax is a blend of hydrocarbon molecules, and so is gasoline, and diesel fuel. And at a certain temperature any given mix of hydrocarbon molecules will start to thicken because the temperature is below the phase change temperature of some of the hydrocarbon molecules in the mixture.

But once warmed up to a temperature above that phase change temperature the molecules turn back into a liquid. You can put hydrocarbon molecules through those phase changes over and over again and the phase change will still happen at the same temperature.

Diesel is a mix of several different hydrocarbon molecules and because each hydrocarbon molecule changes phase at a different temperature the amount of thickening (turning partially into a wax) changes with respect to temperature and the concentration of the individual molecules.

 

[eljefino]

I remember blowing out someone's kerosene line "up at camp" which jelled and didn't "fix itself" next summer. Hence my concern. (It was some dopey monitor heater and 55 gallon barrel outside, real hokey old school.)

 

[JimPghPA]

If you had a pure (only one kind of molecule) hydrocarbon the phase change would occur at a very small range of temperature, similar to the way water freezes or thaws over a very small range of temperature. But fuels are made up of a mix of several different hydrocarbon molecules, because it would be too costly to purify fuel so that it was made up of only one type of hydrocarbon molecule.

 

[JimPghPA]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
I remember blowing out someone's kerosene line "up at camp" which jelled and didn't "fix itself" next summer. Hence my concern. (It was some dopey monitor heater and 55 gallon barrel outside, real hokey old school.)


In that instance they probably had some kind of bacterial growth that caused it to clog up.

 

[bullwinkle]

Not sure what year your 300D is, but my old '82 did NOT have a heated fuel filter, anti gel or winterized fuel is a necessity in cold weather. Any gel in the fuel will clear up as the temperature goes back up again, but it will shut you down if it happens!

 

[TiredTrucker]

Well, it usually isn't kerosene mixed with the #2, it is #1 diesel. Yes, D1 and kerosene are not the same thing. While diesel will gel, the major culprit of diesel fuel problems in winter is icing. Even small amount of moisture in diesel really messes things up. A additive should not only prevent fuel gelling, but include a good anti-icing agent as well. And one cannot always guarantee that the favorite fueling location always has totally moisture free fuel. I always put in additive during the winter months as a preventative. It is cost effective as it only costs me an additional 1-2 cents per gallon of diesel to do it. I also carry several spare fuel filters and tools to change. Yes, it has come in handy several times in extreme cold.

 

[TiredTrucker]

Forgot to mention, if one wants the ultimate fool proof winter solution to diesel, it is an Actic Fox electric in line fuel heater. Runs on 12V and uses very little amperage. Driver selectable on/off. Flip the switch on a few minutes before starting up, and leaving it on in very cold temps, and winter fuel issues are non existent. Run your additive of choice for some peace of mind, but when you get serious, this is the solution.

http://www.arctic-fox.com/products/hotline174-electric-in-line-fuel-heater

 

[SkiSmuggs]

While I'm using Opti-Lube Winter formula in my F350, I did buy a jug of Howe's Anti-gel for my furnace fuel oil tank as much for cleaning properties as anything. I've also used FPPF Heat in my heating oil for the same reason.

 

[BigD1]

Originally Posted By: dustyroads
It has never let me down in my big truck. The best test I give it is parking the truck for 7-10 days at home during the winter. It will always fire up and go, no matter how cold it was while sitting.

I always use Howes ahead of the brutal cold to get any water out of the tanks. As far as parking your car, it could gell up bad (without additive) but as soon as it warms up a little, you'll be good to go.


When I was driving for various companies over the years, Howe's and Lucas were most of the time the only two that were authorized to be purchased on company fuel cards.

 

[dustyroads]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
I have a block heater even though the car is from North Carolina.

But, the average winter diesel user buys winter fuel that has kerosene mixed in. I plan to park this thing before the roads see salt with a full tank of pure #2, so I have full power come spring. I understand K1 takes some pep out, and I need all I can get.

I load up on this Howes stuff at my local walmart for $9.84/half gallon bottle. It has done it's job for me in temps as low as -26f this winter. It is reliable.

I believe fuel is mostly straight #2 diesel at truckstops now. Even in the northern tier of the U.S. At least for a few years now, I have been getting decent fuel economy (for the conditions) and getting good power. I think truckstops are just using additives and it has been nice not taking such a hit in the winter fuel economy. This is just my presumption based on my experience, not proof.

I don't know what the average gas station (selling diesel) does, though.