Let's see what you Northern people do to keep your truck running in frigid temperatures.

What anti-gel, fuel-mix, etc. have you found that keeps you going in the cold ??

Do you run a different oil, different lube, etc. ??

What do you do to insure the engine will start when icey-cold ??

What have you used that did not work as expected ??

What is the plan of action when, after all preparations, the engine still shuts down??

How do you diagnose why it shut down when it is colder than a brass monkey's porch-post and the wind and snow is blowing up your shirt-tail ??


Thanks.

 

1) Run 5w/40 year round. Can't see any reason not to. It flows better "cold" even on a "hot" day, offering better startup protection. And it cranks waaaaay easier on a cold day.

2) Start adding Howe's to the fuel treat in November/December timeframe.

3) Plug in 2 hours before departure when the temps are headed for single digits.

4) Shot of ether in the intake anytime it's below freezing (no grids). Usually takes off on the first or second crank, even near zero. More if I forget to plug in.

No fuel heater, no grids, no problems yet this season. But it has been fairly mild with only one really bad cold snap so far, back in mid December.

 

Oil pan heater, winter front and I took the fan off. Amazing how much nicer the old girl fires up with warm oil.

 

Yes, winter front. Runs much better when it can warm up quick, not to mention cabin heat sooner. Heater hoses wrapped with pipe insulation to help with cabin heat also.

 

hey ace what oil are you runnin rotella or premeum blue?im runnin premeum blue 15w/40, i wonder it they make 5w/40 too.where and how do i do the oil pan heater?i do got the grill cover cause the truck is a wisconson truck and the guy didnt take it out so i got that and pluged in every niight checked.

 

Power service, Cardboard in front of the radiator, plug it in at night. Filter change on hand.

 

I'm running the Rotella 5w/40. Excellent results on a long drain interval of 20,000 miles over almost two years before Blackstone said it needed changed.

 

Yup Rotella 5w/40 as well. Jumper cables in truck too....

 

I run 0W40 full synth year round(used to switch to 15W40 for the summer, but, I can run the oil changes out long enough with the 0W40 that it's almost always once a year,) a Group 31 battery, and if it's not running, it's plugged in if it's colder than about 5F. The only fuel additive I normally run is 2 stroke, but, if I'm away from home and buying fuel from an unknown source, I have a bottle of this in the truck and I will add some on a fillup:
http://www.kleenflo.com/en/productpages/973.htm
And, for all out emergencies I carry a spare fuel filter and a jug of diesel 911. In the past 6 years, with 4 different diesel rigs of my own, plus work vehicles and I don't want to think how many miles, I've never, ever, once had a fuel issue.
Locally, we start getting seasonally blended fuel in September, and the fuel I am burning right now is P50, which has a cloud point around -45 and a pour point around -52 by itself, but, it is blended just like Jet A-1, with anti icing and gelling additives in it. It's actually almost the same product, just not filtered to aircraft specs. Yes, it is low BTU, and fuel mileage suffers, but, I'd much rather give up MPG than have to deal with a dead truck.

The only time something won't start is if I forget to plug it in. My 7.3 PSD wasn't phased by this, I fired it up once after sitting for 2 days at -40 on the glows alone, it didn't even crank over much longer than normal, BUT, by the screaming from the HPOP it sure did hate me.
My 6.9 and my Cummins both have the same fault, battery capacity, I run a single group 31 in both of them, down to about -25, the Cummins will fire up on it's own if I leave the grids working(I am short one solenoid, so it could work better) colder, and it will be just about running, and they'll kick in while it's cranking and kill the battery. The couple times I have sucessfully fired it up colder, I just unplugged the grids and cranked until it was running, no real drama there.
My 6.9, down to about -20 or so it would go on the glows without much complaining, colder, and the same thing, not enough battery, so, I'd just skip the glows and give it a sniff of ether, pretty much guaranteed it'd fire on the second revolution. The 6.9 is a yard dweller now, so it doesn't even have a battery kept in it anymore, let alone reason for me to put in a second one. Heck, I haven't even put fuel in it since April, and I just had it running for a few hours on Monday with no issues.
The Cummins, I've just been lazy, and it's really freaking cold.
My 89 Cummins, I haven't had it running since September, it's got 15W40 in it, and I can't get close enough to it with another truck to boost it right now even though I want to move it.

 

i plug it in over night, cardboard covered radiator, powerservice, and some red 911 behind the seat.

worst day. we were on out way out for some snow-jeepin. got about 40 minutes from home when it quit. it was -10 and windy. changed fuel filter on the side of the road, when that only got me another 2 miles we hooked a strap from my friends' trailer to my truck and his '93 w350 pulled us all home. the rig looke like this...red w350, rock buggy on trailer, 30 foot strap, my d250, my jeep on trailer. on a state road with no shoulders to pull over to let traffic by. turned out to be a weak lift pump, i have a piston type now.

 

About a month ago I was running a 50/50 blend of #1 & #2, pumped by me so I know it was exactly 50/50. And I added Howes which I have been using as a lubricant and it was supposed to protect as an antigel too. About 42 miles later at just under zero degrees F I had a tank of fuel gel up, nothing at the LP. -35 below zero windchill on the interstate and the truck is dead... When your from here you carry winter gear, my pack consists of insulated bibs, wool gloves, wool hat, leather gloves, and a few spare woolies etc., several pairs of dry socks, fleece balaclava, which is the only reason I could stand to work on the truck in that wind... Chemical hand warmers that I have never used but have just in case, CELL PHONE, and I wear 800 gram thinsulate GoreTex boots and a Carhart hooded winter coat. The truck has a quilted winter front.

I got lucky and a guy towed me to the nearst truck stop about 10-15 miles in the first 5 minutes I was out there. I used Diesel 911 in the fuel filter and double the called for dose in the tank as well as more Howes, about the right amount for the gallons. The battery, group 31 1000amps was a limiting factor and after a couple hours I called the wife to come get me for a break. Several hours later I went back out there and after a couple more hours of priming and trying it I determined there was a ton of air in the system and had to loosen all the injector nuts to get it to fire and run. I ran it for over and hour thinking it would purge thru the return line system. Not so. I bet it took an hour of loosening nuts and watching bubbling fuel come out before it would run on the road, it idled fine but was not road worthy. I have been running Power Service anti-gel since. And straight #1, the temps here are brutal right now. The truck started every day for the last two months down to about -5 without the block heater plugged in, but today at -22 regular temp it would not start without the block heater plugged in.

Hope this helps...

 

Thanks for all the replies and keep them coming.


I am by no means in the far-North, but it is currently 8* and expected low tonight is -5*.

I have never myself experienced a fuel-gelling issue while trucking live-stock in some pretty cold places, but I have seen plenty of others who weren't quite so fortunate.

I start my recipe of Power-Service and two-stroke-oil about mid-October and continue until about April.

I like to start winter with fresh fuel-filters and carry plenty of spares.

My truck has THREE Group-31S batteries and, so long as everything is up to par, I can crank and crank and crank; this ability has saved my hide numerous times.

My trucks that still have single batteries sometimes will let me down.

Good BIG LONG jumper-cables, the kind that will pinch through soft lead posts.

No grid-heaters, no fuel heater.

I always carry at least two cans of ether, not so much as I might use both cans, but that I have needed a can only to find that the brittle plastic nozzle-thingie has broken off in such a way that I can't use it = not good when things are bad enough to need ether.


Around here, the only place you can buy #1-diesel is at the bulk-plants as dyed home heating oil.


I cover the radiator whenever below 20* and install the "un-pinned" fan-clutches about October 1st.

If we didn't have such a swing-around climate, where it can be ZERO one morning and 75* the next day, I would just remove the fans in winter.


When below 35*, I use the block-heater on a timer; at ZERO, it will start like it's the middle of August.



Whenever I am travelling in super-cold places, the truck never gets shut-off, until I am back in more friendly surroundings.



I am sure I can think of a lot more.

 

in the wilds of manitoba _50 blanket heater for batt or better yet take batt. inside overnight as a cold batt has about 30% of its cranking cap.

 

I started gelling up on my way home from work today. But luckily it came out of it. I stopped and dumped some more power service at the next exit though. I was running about 60 and started losing power and dropped to 40. I just kept it floored and it finally came out of it when i got off the interstate. Thats as close as i ever want to get to gellin. It was about -20.

 

What were you running for fuel and additive before that close one?