OK so it was 12 degrees over nite here. Today was the first time I tried to do a cold weather start of my 590 sl with a cummins 490t engine. It could have gone better. I installed a oil heater last summer so I plugged it in 1 1/2 hours before trying to start it up. It was about 15 f when I tried to start her. She always fires right up and purrs like a kitten. Not today. She started but ran rough. I had to give it more and more fuel before she quit. I figured I might of had some water in the line that froze. It is now above freezing and I went down to try again. I bled some fuel using the hand pump to insure that the line was clear. She is still will not run. I put some starter fluid in and she did fire up for a few seconds which seems to point to the fuel pump. I am unfamiliar with how these work. Any in site would be great. Thanks in advance
HeavyEquipmentForums Read this thread. It sounds like you have summer fuel also, and need to warm the whole thing up.
sweet summer fuel undo your filtrer pour some methyl hydrate in them and in the fuel thank the use blue kleen flo break cleaner as start fluid its smother then ether start it with the break cleaner and keep her running with the break clener until she run smoth its maby not the best way but it work for me and never blow anyting up in 10 year so i gust i am not too crazy
Thanks guys. It got up to almost 50 today. I tried to start her and she fired right up. Summer fuel is the problem. I haven't decided my next course of action as I have almost a full tank of summer. I will probably dump a large amount of it back into my fuel drum and the top off with kerosene. Or if my fuel drum is empty I will go get some winter blend.
Give the fuel tank a good dose of fuel conditioner such as Howes one the other popular brands. It will raise the cetane rating and help with the gelling you may have.
Depends on what you're planning to do with it this winter, and how cold you expect it to be. Usually you're OK plowing snow around freezing. If you need it to run below 20, then the kerosene will help with the wax but kerosene doesn't have a cetane cetane standard (might be lower than diesel). There are additives that will prevent the wax crystals from growing which is what plugged your filter. Raising the cetane helps the engine start in the cold, not the same as preventing the wax. Gasoline will prevent waxing, but raise the cetane... If you have #1 diesel available, then mixing half of that with the old/summer diesel will do both. I paid $2 gallon for #1, kerosene is way more than that. If you can't get #1 then use additives.