Frozen Diesel

[Hazell B]

A few years ago there was a serious cold spell of weather in Yorkshire that saw hundreds of people claim their cars had frozen up and the diesel turn to gel. As far as I'm aware it hasn't happened since.

This morning it was about -7ish, perhaps a little colder, and my old diesel sprang into life pretty much as normal. Same thing all this week, it's just taking an extra two or three seconds of chugging before starting like normal.

Why doesn't diesel freeze any more?

[Dave B]

Global warming?

:p

[Daniel]

Additives I guess?

[Tomi]

Additives I guess?

Yes i think you are right for once, here we have summer and winter quality, i think the summer stuff is ok to about -15 C

[BDunnell]

Well, it seems that some bio-diesel is suffering from the same problem, causing problems with bus services in Norwich.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7250962.stm

[Magnus]

Diesel parafinates, or what it should be called in english, that is parafine develops in the diesel, causing the diesel to clog. In sweden, and other countries that may expect prolonged periods of freezing temperatures the oilcompainies have one quality for winter ("winterdiesel") and one for summer.

[Mark]

I believe they do put extra additives into diesel in the winter, which is why it costs more in winter, that and additional demand for heating.

[GridGirl]

Diesel can still freeze, it just depends on how little you have in the tank. If your like me and usually run your car untill its running on fumes it can freeze as your fuel lines aren't the thickest things in the world. I've known that to happen to a couple of people recently, but everytime they admitted that they had a just a couple of miles of fuel left and that was it.

[Magnus]

It actually doesn´t freeze, but since diesel engines are very sensitive to having air in the system, it stops immediately if you have a tiny weeny airbubble in the injection pump, since the valve spring before the nozzle then doesn´t depress since the airbubble does it easier.
By freezing I guess you maybe mean the parafine-part. diesel consists of several different elements with different characteristics, so it is somewhat difficult to tell when the diesel as such freezes. And by all means, a pipe is an efective way of cooling liquid, so yes, you can have parafine in the tube, and not in the tank, or in the filter. But that has nothing to do with ruinning on fumes. A diesel engine, unlike a gasolineengine, can not run on fumes: it stops immediately.

[GridGirl]

I dont have a diesel engine, the running on fumes thing was just a metaphore for having very little fuel in your tank. You'd be pretty daft to let a diesel run out of fuel. Anyhow's if we're being picky diesel doesn't freeze, it just turns to a waxy or gel like substance. :)

[Hazell B]

You'd be pretty daft to let a diesel run out of fuel.


My partner once ran my petrol/LPG Land Rover out of both petrol and LPG. It was ironic, as I was sitting in the passenger seat repeating "You need to stop for fuel. You need to stop for fuel" over and over again for about ten miles before it coughed it's last :laugh:
Sorry, back on topic now.


Anyhow's if we're being picky diesel doesn't freeze, it just turns to a waxy or gel like substance. :)

That's what I thought, hence the original post, and it was shown to me yesterday at an auction. Somebody drained a little diesel out of a tractor to show me what it goes like at low temps. Looked dirty, a bit milky and had blobs that were thicker than others. The tractor had started fine, then as it ran down was turned off so it wouldn't run out. The last bits in the tank were begining to 'set' by the looks of it.

I've never really run mine low, unless I had a Tesco 5p off voucher and want to make the most of it, but shall remember that lesson ihn future :p :

[Mark]

My girlfriend hates filling up with fuel so her car is often running on the last dregs, I remember a few trips where I've done the "you have to stop for fuel" thing! Fortunately we've never ran out.

Now me, I get to the petrol station as soon as the gauge is reading below 50% :p

[leopard]

I found many fuel indicator won't move down from 100% although the fuel is empty. Are you sure the indicator works properly? :p : :)

[Mark]

I found many fuel indicator won't move down from 100% although the fuel is empty. Are you sure the indicator works properly? :p : :)

I'm sure yours doesn't :p

[Daniel]

My girlfriend hates filling up with fuel so her car is often running on the last dregs, I remember a few trips where I've done the "you have to stop for fuel" thing! Fortunately we've never ran out.

Now me, I get to the petrol station as soon as the gauge is reading below 50% :p
Never quite understood that. I used to do that if I was in a hurry but usually I let my tank run down to the top of the red bit and then fill up again. I think I still have about 60-80 miles left on that amount of fuel anyway. There was one occasion I didn't fill up when i should and I left home intending to fill up near home and they were out of diesel so I had to go to the next nearest station which was another 15 miles or so away and I ended up putting just over 72 litres of fuel in my 70 litre tank :uhoh:

The funniest thing that's ever happened to me was when I used to run out of petrol so often that I bought a tank which I carried in my car with 5l of petrol. One day I ran out so I put the fuel from the tank in and then kept on driving till I ran out yet again :mark: Not my finest hour I must say.

[leopard]

I'm sure yours doesn't :p
You are right ... this time ;)