I have always ran about a 50/50 blend of diesel in the winter. I called my fuel supplier today and was told they had a $1.20 premium for #1. What do you guys with colder weather than I do for winter fuel? What additives and ratios do you use?
All the fuel at the pump around here is treated with Power Service, no one cuts #2 with #1 in my area. As far as I know the truck stops we fuel at through Montana and ND just treat it with PS.
Same story on the #1 increase here can't afford to be down when plowing snow so its the normal 50/50 mix in the tank Otherwise fuel supplier will treat for 4 cents a gallon good to about 0 if I remember right maybe it was 10 above
We switch to ULSD #1 and Jet A in October and switch back to ULSD #2 in April.
BTW, there are 4,000 gallons of Jet A at mile 133.5 Parks Hwy, free for the taking. Better hurry before it ends up in the Chulitna River.
If I am actively working, and temps are ranging down to 15F or so, #2 works just fine. If it starts dropping into the single digits, I'll try for about 50/50, but still only if I'm running it every day. Any chance of it sitting for more than a night or two with no temps above freezing in the forecast, they get ran way down and filled to half with #1. That way I am good if it stays cold, or can fill up with #2 if it warms up. As far as additive, I run P/S white bottle as soon as it starts getting into the teens, if I'm running #2. As soon as I have to start burning #1, I switch to Stanadyne, and a pint of two-stroke oil per 100 gallons.
P/S white bottle and Stanadyne Performance Formula both use the same lubricity ingredient in the same amounts. It’s not like there are many choices for the blenders, since it’s heavily regulated by the EPA, anyways. I’m happy to sell you two-stroke oil, but you really don’t need or want it in your diesel. Just sayin’. Respectfully.
One thing that's often overlooked-the later truck engines have high rate of hot return fuel, especially the later engines. As far as equipment I can't say. Cat requires no less than one 90 gal tank to feed 5EK 3406-C15, because of high fuel temp, has to do with injector o-rings.
Correct Detroit wants nothing but clean fuel and or treated fuel.
Interesting. Same ingredient, just more concentrated in the Stanadyne, or am I just paying more for it, since the Stanadyne is at least 50% more costly? And the two-stroke debate. I know several guys running newer diesels that claim to have had injector issues until they started running two-stroke oil when they had to switch to #1. No more problems.
I normally start putting white bottle Power Service in my offroad around Thanksgiving. If it's going to be below 0° for a while, anything I might use gets a double dose.
Supposed to be single digits here next week, I'm thinking we might just stay home.
Well, I *am* treating it, aren't I?
Power Service for my diesel heater for my camper. Don't have a problem till a NE wind hits the copper fuel line, which I recently wrapped in pipe insulation. Going to find out next week how well it holds up for the highs in the double digit sub zeros.
I think there is enough anecdotal info to suggest two-stroke oil did help with Detroit 2-stoke injector seizing issues with low lubricity hydro-cracked diesel. But, a premium fuel lubricity additive is way mo betta.
“Interesting. Same ingredient, just more concentrated in the Stanadyne, or am I just paying more for it, since the Stanadyne is at least 50% more costly?” Have to pencil it out and see what is most economical for you. Both are quality products. P/S is often easier to source in bulk on the West Coast. Good folks, too.
The Stanadyne here at the station is $9.99 for 60 gallons. P/S in the 80 oz jug for 250 gallons is $14.99.
I have often wondered about this. It seems when the common rail engines came out, I had my routes planned where I would often roll in to fuel with about a pint left in the bottom, on a hot day it seemed like that fuel was smoking when you took the lid off. A lot of old engines had little or zero return to tank, it just rolled around in the injection pump and/or filter until it was burned.
My point was additives like Howes. Worthless.
So glad I don't have to worry about it down here in AL. However we are going to be below freezing for Christmas in like the first time in many years. Merry Christmas ya'll!
In Alberta they adjust the diesel at the pumps for the weather. Pretty much 100% #1 by mid October. I don't normally use enough diesel in the winter to worry about increased fuel consumption. However with the current price of diesel I don't plan on doing anymore than I have to. Clear the driveway a few times to so it looks like someone looks after the property is about it. In the spring I'm hoping to clear snow off the MX and oval tracks so they dry out faster. If we get a lot of snow might see if there's interest in sleds coming out to ride the MX track like snowcross. Having the grader I could clear the parking lot a lot faster than just with the did steer.
What temps are you seeing? I use power service white almost year round for the lube bonus and before that I would use it under 20 degrees and only had one problem last year when it was around 4 and I don't think it got mixed good enough. Fuel around here is typically 50/50 mixed when it gets cold. If you can't get mixed I would probably just double the p/s mix. Project farm did a test of diesel additives and power service is one of the best for corrosion resistance and anti wear. Two stroke oil I think beat it out for anti wear.
I’ve been using Hotshot’s Secret winter formula due to that project farm test video. It’s pretty easy for me to find locally, I put a small amount of treated fuel in a jar and left it out all last winter. No signs of gelling or cloudiness to -15F.
About 25 years ago we were running a handful of trucks. A good friend/neighbor that had some trucks ask me if I wanted to split a 55 gal drum of power service with him. I said sure why not. That winter was a complete disaster. Trucks gelling up left and right. After that switched to Howes and basically have not had any issues since. Funny how having a bad experience like that sticks in your head for years. I know PS is supposed to be better than Howes but I would **** in a tank before I would put PS in it!!!
No substitute for real world experience.
I don't blame you lol and your stuck with a ton of it! I love ps I use it year round I bought a 2.5 gal jug and fill up little jugs with it.
In the ear;y 2000's I had a 2000 Intl logging truck with an ISM Cummins and was in NE Mn running in the cold. I always used Howe's and never had any trouble. Did run it in -20 degree weather. I don't have the truck anymore, but still run the skidsteer and Front End Loader in below 0 weather with Howes added. FWD
For sure, Howes is popular stuff. I don’t know anything about it. It’s more of a retail brand popular with the diesel pickup bros, Autozone, NApA, Carquest crowd. I don’t see fleets or commercial customers using it.
Truck stops in the lower 48 sell the hell out of Howes, more is sold there than anywhere. But like most things some people like mustard and hate ketchup and vise/verse. I just hate two strokes, If I wanted a vibrator I would go to a porn shop. Really----when it's sub temps, what ever keeps it running is all that matters in the end.
I spose they do. Between the Willie Nelson CD’s and the Tony Lamas? Next to the chrome naked lady mud flap weights? The regular size chrome ladies, not the thiccc ones.
At a truck stop there all thiccc, lots of taters and gravy to go around.
Willie isn't a thing anymore and the standard dress code is wife beater pants, stretched out tank top and flip flops with a dash of BO.
Thanks for the update. We don’t have anything that would pass as a “truck stop” in this state. It’s hard to keep up with the culture. Cool story. I grew up a couple miles away from the I-5 exit 99 truck stop. You could get a chicken fried steak at the restaurant, get your CB tweaked & peaked, a new Hank Jr. eight track, a haircut and fill the saddle tanks at the same place. Good times.
Was it Fat Harveys then? Bad Bob
I was trying to think.... I believe it was called the Restover, at that time. During the era of their leaky UST’s messing up every well in the vicinity, and the owner’s son murdering female hitchhikers.
It was the Restover--the dump.
TS, I know you are a little bit older fella, but the three C's in thic gave me a good chuckle. We have a running joke about the number of c's some girls have.
When I used to run the road for an owner operator I always kept 2 jugs of Howes under the bunk. If the temp got below zero and you could feel any power loss or hesitation, pull over and dump a jug in both tanks, you could feel the engine open up immediately. At the time the magic juice was about $10 a jug so $20 kept the wheels turning and me not sitting on the side of the road in the cold.The owner never even hesitated about reimbursing me either. Win Win
Used Howes for 1 cold winter in Northern Ontario 30 years ago to keep a shut down mine on care and maintenance going with a wheel loader and Generator set running on diesel. It was minus 40C for over 2 months running huge amounts of diesel daily. Never had 1 problem with frozen or gelled lines in the whole winter.. That being said there was no Bio-Diesel in those days, Don't know how Howes would work with the new low sulpher diesel in the cold , would be interesting to know. Simon C
And that's another factor-Washington only allows 10% bio mix where Oregon is 20%.
I’m late to the HEF party tonight. Truck down! Nobody is getting their home heat delivered. Can’t tell from the picture very well, but the saddle of the PAF is destroyed and the dome lid is warped from when the driver left the top load fill spout in the tank and drove away from the rack today. No worries, I just happen to keep those assemblies in stock. I drove to Alaska Air Cargo to Goldstreak it, tonight.
I knew a guy that worked at a full service gas station for about 2 month's. This was before the pump hoses had break aways. He forgot to take the nozzle out, the driver drove about 10ft., pulled the pump over and a fire started. Thankfully not a huge fire or any explosions. Fire dept. was close and got there in 10 minutes. Needless to say he was fired. He wasn't the sharpest pencil in the case, he was also fired from McDonalds. His dad however was a 2 stroke Detroit Diesel specialist and worked many years at the DD distributor (Waterous) rebuilding shop. They used to run 2 shifts they were so busy.
Back to the original question by the OP, why the premium? I was talking about Jet A in the fun winter fuel treatment thread. Jet A and #1 are often the same product. To meet spec, Jet A has to be filtered every time it is transferred. Very much a premium product if you like clean fuel. It does increase the cost.
My fuel supplier said the local refinery was sending all the #1 east into the home heating oil market. Now most retail pumps are selling blended fuel, and the weather has warmed up to 25F/45F and the blending in unnecessary.