patdaly

Ok, here is the story, the kids truck, the 89 lovingly dubbed the Mule has been acting like one recently.

Now get this, this ONLY happens when it is zero F or below, and the truck has been setting outside all night. Much above zero, truck runs flawlessly, truck taken out in below zero weather from a warm garage, runs flawlessly until it gets good and cold soaked. ( do not know how long that takes though )

What happens is depending on how cold below zero, truck will start, and the closer to zero it is, the further it will travel before slowing down and dying. When it was -22. wouldn't start at all, zero, you might make it a mile down the road.

The first time it happened, I figured a bad load of fuel, so we warmed it up,treated it, and bled out the injectors and she fired right up. Cool! next time, I added 5 gallons of #1 just knowing that would solve it. Wrong....... we were going to drain all the fuel and replace with known good fuel when the kid found out it wasn't gelled, because he bled the injectors while it was still outside and she fired right up.

So far, we thought there might be an issue with the fuel filter he had changed a month or so ago, ( saw some seeping at the top ) so we changed it again, good and sealed now, no change.

In my demented mind, i think there is a crack or something in the steel fuel lines that is only showing itself when it is cold enough to open it up, is that even possible? I do know the lines are original and we had to replace them at the tank because of some rust ( new longer rubber from tank to lines ) and he had to do the same at the front.

Anyway, I ordered a new set of exact fit lines from Rock Auto just to take that out of the equation.

Have any of you guys ever had something crazy like this?

edwinsmith

Check to make sure your fuel heater which sits above the fuel filter is working. Also try some fuel additive to help prevent gelling.

deere country

Pat I think your problem sounds just like a gelling issue. If your son was able to bleed out the nozzles that doesn't tell you for a fact it wasn't gelled at the time. That is often how gelling works, once the engine dies off the filter recovers and allows you to restart the engine as the blockage inside falls to the bottom.

I often take a small butane torch to the fuel filter itself while the engine is running if your surging clears up you know you have a gelling issue. This can usually get a piece of machinery inside the shop if you get the filter warm enough to maintain enough heat to run long enough to drive in.

Angry Johnny

My eyes just glazed over and I went into shock after seeing 0 and -22 degrees.

I know what I would do to fix this condition...move to Florida!

deere country

I remember the governor calling off school for the entire state because of the cold weather once. We were thrilled as we went snowmobiling that day.

Had a few friends that broke their pull rope trying to get their sled started. My old John Deere Liquifire came to life with just three pulls but it was defiantly hard to pull over. It was 38 below zero that day and I beleive their was a low of 60 below zero somewhere in northern Minnesota. After the temp gets past 10 below to me it just all feels the same.

To me it's just like anything else weather wise you just have to prepare for it and know your limits. Just like staying in the shade when it's hot out in the summer. I enjoy the cold it keeps the riff raff out, well for the most part anyways.

edwinsmith

My limit is 60 degrees. Anything below that and I pull the covers over my head.

patdaly

That's coming in a few years, but for now, I am stuck here........

The new factory fit lines just showed up, so we shall see if it solves the problem...........

loudhornsrule

Gelling........................................... ................

ofcmarc

Sounds a whole lot like a gelling issue. If you are dealing with temps around 0* or colder, you have no business with #2 in your tank unless you only keep it in the heated garage and don't shut down until you get it back inside.

A piston LP will help a bit with the colder fuel but it wont stop gelling when the "Bomb-Cyclone" (or whatever meteorological term they want to invent and use that day) sends the temps way down.

Growing up just south of the arctic circle, they NEVER canceled school for weather issues.

Shoot, I remember headed out to school in January 1989 when the thermometer read -69*F. I was still utilizing the boot leather express at the time and dragging my little brother and sister along as well.

Did I mention that there was 3' of snow too......

patdaly

Guys, its not gelling, I wish it was that easy.

This has now went thru several tanks, including from the same supplier I use that has been the only thing starting down to -22F.

We are installing the new factory style lines tonight, the next cold snap will prove it one way or the other...............

nascar mark

I know your saying it’s not gelling but as a Canadian, I see guys in the lower 48 on the different forums say the same problem ever year when it gets even a bit cold & even more this year due to it being even colder. Your fuel suppliers are either lazy or don’t have a clue or too cheap to cut the fuel to a “proper" #1 diesel when it gets cold.
How come in Canada when it gets -40F or even colder, you don’t see anyone saying they are having a fuel problem ? It gets -40F or even colder here and no problems. I don’t even have a fuel heater on my truck. Yes, very grumpy firing up when cold but that has nothing to do with no fuel heater, just the cold air, period.

Find another fuel supplier or start treating your fuel with 50% Kerosene. And no, pouring a bottle of what ever in your tank isn’t going to cut it, no matter what the label says !!!

BHD

I hate the cold. Nothing works right in the cold, fuel gells, air lines freeze, doors and locks freeze shut.

You know what is good about the cold? NOTHING!

End rant....


patdaly,

Does the truck idle ok in the cold temps? Will it die sitting in the driveway with the pump at half throttle in neutral?

If you want to rule out the fuel lines and fuel, simply run a hose from the lift pump to a bucket or a jug of known good treated diesel. See if the situation repeats. Changing lines isn't a hard job, but its not exactly fun. You could put a jug in the bed and take it for a ride with a rubber fuel hose zipped tied in the right places, but I didn't tell you that....

I have treated on road fuel with kerosene in a pinch when plow trucks started gelling, but those were old Formula 3 and Big Cam Cummins engines with mechanical pumps, that trick would probably kill these new snowflake diesels.

loudhornsrule

It's gelling................ Put a gallon of gas in there and roll on

peckens

School was canceled in Russia the other day because it was -88F. The coldest I have seen is -36F for 4 days in Crookston, MN.

https://www.snopes.com/2018/01/16/ev...8-6-degrees-f/

j_martin

You forgot it was 2 miles each way, and uphill both ways.