Anti-gel over kill?

I agree 100%. Last Thursday I spent $800 for replacing seal between the gear box and the housing. I started the truck cold and I the oil paddle under the gear box was immediate. I think it could have been avoided had the truck been idling. But despite existing laws they don't enforce it here in Chicagoland. Another sanctuary for illegal truck idling.

 

oh I forgot to ask? Is that APU apparatus any remedy for cold temperatures. I know it charges batteries, warms up the antifreeze, but what about the oil?

 

Current company (Schneider) won't even let us purchase anti-gel treatment.
But in the past I always carried a bottle and a spare filter, just incase my fuel filter gelled up.(Only happened once in 12 years of driving, random storm in Montana).

 

If your coolant is warming up. It warms your block... So the block would warm the oil pan/oil. Better yet with an APu find a way to plug in an oil heater.
They are just like a block heater in your coolant jacket but in your oil pan.
Unti

 

Makes sense. Thx.

 

So I fueled up in Iowa. The wreckers were all over the truck stop. I stepped out in the bigroad and was only way.
My fuel filter gauge normally reads 5. Twenty minutes later, it was reading 15. Then 20. Trying to make it to the next truck stop. Then suddenly, it hit 30 and the truck started coughing and chugging. Uhoh....

I jumped off an exit, left the truck idling. Ran to a convenience store and bought a quart of transmission fluid. Dumped a gallon of 911 into the tanks. Killed the engine and tried to take off the fuel filter. It wouldn't budge. Grabbed the BFH ad a big flathead screwdriver and pounded it completely through the filter. Lefty loosy rightly tightly. Grabbed my backup filter and filled it with tranny fluid, hand tightened and then a shot of WD40 down the breather, throttle down to the floor, turned the key and she fired up. Smoked and chugged and then she straightened up. Fuel filter is reading at 5.

One of the things that I normally do, that I forgot to do was buy one of those big yellow padded envelops...the one with the bubble wrap built in, and tape it around my fuel filter. If it's going to gel, it's going to gel at the filter. The envelop cuts down on the wind chill. I just forgot to do it. Thing is, Iowa was littered with frozen trucks.

 

When Apu runs it sort of warms up your coolant. It is a long coolant hose running from engine back to apu. Most of the heat goes away by the time coolant goes from apu to engine.
Where is most of the oil when engine is not idling? Its in the oil pan. Your oil wont get much heat if any from apu running.
Best bet is to plug it in if you have block heater installed.
Also some apu's come with their own cooling system and are not connected to main engine.

 

It could be silly question, but I'll ask anyway. If I could set up a small fire underneath the oil pan. Two or three fire wood chops + a drop of gasoline...would it help matters?

 

Yes, but it might also burn your truck up. Use a pan of charcoal after the flame dies down.
Make sure you have a metal oil pan, or you might have a bigger problem than just starting truck.

 

Why transmission fluid and not diesel in the filter.
The wind does remove the heat faster but it doesn't make it colder than the ambient temperature. Makes sense to insulate filter and protect from the wind.