Use Diesel Treatment in Cold Weather!!

I'd really like to see the science behind this adding to much anti gel causing gelling.. or is it just garbage product in the first place

 

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Mine is pretty heavily modified and ive ran #1 every year since i got it and its a nom def 2012 for refrence. Never had an issue till this year. Besides the filter was full of wax and it ran fine once i got the tank thawed treated and new filters installed.

 

If you want to stay away from issues.. know your fuel and equipment. Up north, especially in the great lakes and northern prairie fuel is treated at the rack. It is once more treated when a cold snap happens by the service station. - If everyone is doing their jobs and it’s a reputable place. If temp get very low often 1 is cut in. But human error can always happen. And I don’t trust any fueling stations outside that region.- just how I feel.
Your equipment matters. Block heaters, tank heaters, heated water separator bulbs, Arctic wrap lines…. Letting the engine run will return warm fuel into the tanks. But if you got fuel in New Jersey and you’re in -27° temperatures in Cadillac Michigan a few days later. You’re gonna have problems. I run that lane and when it gets cold, I treat all the fuel from the East Coast. I learned my lesson once and that was enough. Now we’re not all micromanaging the fuel stations and we’re not fuel engineers… So when you’re running in cold weather and you notice poor engine performance and cloudy fuel in tanks…- there’s your sign..act now.

tip, do not store antigel in a cold place. In very cold temps it will gel when not mixed with fuel. Learned that too…

Fuel isn’t the only thing to worry about in cold weather. It’s the weight of your oil compatible with cold starting in the outside temp? 15w40 gets pretty solid below 0 degrees. 5w40 starts up fine at 0 degrees.

Battery cold cranking amps…. I don’t like shutting off the truck when temps get below -10 on the road. -At the shop plugged in block heater and battery tender would be a different story.
Reefer guys don’t neglect your reefer units.
Open deck don’t neglect your cargo if your hauling fuel driven cargo. Transporting a tractor from GA to MN… Temps from 35f to -28f could make a bad day when you’re trying to drive the equipment off your trailer.

 

When the temps went down to -20ºF here at the house, and at the Michigan office, I had the drivers dump 20 gallons in the tanks a mix of JetA-FII and Kerosene at 3:1. JetA-FII is pretty close to Kerosene and just below #1 diesel but the FII part in the JetA is an antifreeze for the lines. Not one of those trucks had an issue.

Here, I have three diesel trucks, one service truck that is a newer (2025) Ford, one Flatbed Ford (old one 2006) and a 1998 Dodge 12 valve flatbed. I started to use this mixture when I had issues with the dodge after being on the block heater all night; it didn't start at all. The temps were down to -19ºF. The Service truck was taken by one of the mechanics in the middle of the night, so I ended up using the old Ford, which started up with no issues. It was parked for a month before that, and I didn't use a winter front, or plugged it in - don't think it has a block heater.

 

Don't count on truck stops in the winter, either. I can remember a winter when Flying J, in Big Springs, NE, only had two pumps left running, because the others were gelled up. It had gotten down to -15°F, the previous night. Thankfully, I had fueled the night before, up in Rawlins, WY. I drove right on by the long line of trucks going off the ramp who didn’t have enough fuel to go down the road. During the winter, as soon as I can get 50gal in, I stop and fuel. Likewise, I keep my DEF tank above 3/4.

 

May be the same science with coolant?
Run 100 percent coolant and you will overheat your engine.

 

I only ever gelled up once running #2. Dumped 2 litres Howes in tanks and went to sleep. Was cleared 6 hours later