[Rhodes22-list] RE: Michael's Diesel #1 and #2

Rik Sandberg sanderico at earthlink.net
Tue Dec 9 08:31:09 EST 2003 

Michael,

Sounds like Dan knows what he is talking about.

A couple of points though.

1. Find out whether you have a fuel heater or not, so you know for sure. This 
makes a lot of difference in how "brave" you should be in extreme cold. If 
you really do have a fuel heater, true fuel gelling shouldn't ever be an 
issue for you as long as your truck is runnng unless it's really cold, like 
-20 or below. How cold does it really get where you are?? I don't worry so 
much about the truck starting at the house as I do about it quiting on me 
when I'm going to be stuck 5 miles from nowhere. If the truck won't start, 
you can just go back into your home and stoke up the fire a little bit. If it 
quits on you and your stuck "on foot", that's a whole 'nother deal. Been 
there, done that and it ain't any fun, especially if you have your family 
with you at the time

2. We talked about fuel already. It's hard to know whether the fuel you get 
is "fresh" or what they mean by winter grade. If you can always buy your fuel 
at a place where you know the quality and formulation, this is a good thing. 
If you are going to just buy your fuel at any old C-store you happen to come 
across you are likely to get into trouble if it gets cold. NOT blending in 
some #1 fuel will give a dealer who doesn't care about YOUR butt a pricing 
advantage. I'm sure there are some out there that would do this.

3. My diesels have always started on their own down to -10 too. They didn't 
much like it, once it got below +5 - 0 F though. Get kinda stinky. :-) If you 
plug your truck in when it's going to be below 0 it'll start up and run nice 
right away and there won't be any blue clouds in your front yard. This also 
gives your fuel heater a bit of a head start. I used to have my block heater 
on a timer. I set it to start 3 hours or so before I was going to leave. This 
worked very well and I didn't waste a lot of electicity keeping the truck 
warm all night. But then again, I'm in Minnesota and it gets a lot colder 
here, a lot more often. You probably won't need to plug your truck in more 
than just a few nights a year.

Most people, even a lot of truckers, don't know the difference between gelled 
fuel and the water freezing in the lines or filters. These are two entirely 
different problems. I have had many guys tell me there fuel was gelled up 
when it was +20 out. This is not likely. 99 times out of 100, if you have 
trouble when the temp is above 0, it's water in your fuel. Water can freeze 
in your fuel system anytime it is below +32 F. Unless you get a truly 
terrible batch of fuel, you will never have a gelling problem until it is at 
least 0 or colder. I have had straight #2 fuel start to gell at about 5 below 
back in the days before in tank fuel heaters were common. So yes, if you have 
a water separator making sure it is drained is very important. Don't forget 
to add a little alcohol now and then.

Rik


On 12/08/2003 10:27 pm, you wrote:
> thanks, I will watch it and take it easly on the centen booster, BTW mine
> might be a early one 3/2003(did not know it until I picked it up), is their
> anything I should watch out for or bitch to the dealer about?(reflash the
> chip)
>
> MJM
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dan Bodnar" <dsbodnar at earthlink.net>
> To: "'The Rhodes 22 mail list'" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Monday, December 08, 2003 11:23 PM
> Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] RE: Michael's Diesel #1 and #2
>
> > Michael,
> > I've had several of the old 7.3L Diesels in E350 Vans.  The last one I
> > owned was in 2001 and it had glow plugs and a fuel heater and I'm fairly
> > certain that the new 6.0L still has the fuel heater.  I'm in the Metro
> > Detroit area and we rarely have nights much colder than -10 degrees.  I
> > learned that I did not need to plug it in unless it was going to be
> > colder than 10 below 'cause the diesel started fine. I did plug it in
> > when I knew it would be colder than 10 below at night just to be safe.
> > But, having forgotten to do it a few times, taught me that they would
> > start using just the recommended start procedure.
> >
> > Anyway, fresh winter grade fuel, or some Premium diesel (which I think is
> > really #1) and your diesel should do fine. Also make sure that the water
> > separator really does get drained with every oil change. I never had a
> > diesel not start.  They were a little smoky sometimes when it was zero or
> > colder, but they always started.  I only used a diesel fuel conditioner
> > on one trip into Michigan's Upper Peninsula where I knew I was going to
> > have 20+ below-zero weather.  I don't remember the gel point of diesel
> > either, but I'm pretty sure it is lower than 15 below... now that I think
> > about it, if the numbers aren't in the diesel supplement to your owner's
> > manual, then the gel point is printed on the back of some of the bottles
> > of fuel conditioner.  Oh, and with the new 6.0L electronically controlled
> > diesel, if you decide to use a fuel conditioner, "more is NOT better". 
> > Raising the flash point of the fuel too far will play havoc with proper
> > combustion. We had some initial growing pains with the new 6.0L Diesel,
> > but the reports I'm seeing lately say that the late 2003 and 2004 units
> > are top drawer.
> >
> > Dan Bodnar
> > SV QOL
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
> > [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Michael Meltzer
> > Sent: Monday, December 08, 2003 9:46 PM
> > To: sanderico at earthlink.net; The Rhodes 22 mail list
> > Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] RE: Michael's Diesel #1 and #2
> >
> > That nice to know, under a little knowage is dangerous I heard that  use
> > Kerosene can be use up to 20% in the winter, also almost
> > anything can go into a disel engine, like bio-disel, made from used
> > frechfry oil :-)
> >
> > MJM
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Rik Sandberg" <sanderico at earthlink.net>
> > To: <kroposki at innova.net>; "The Rhodes 22 mail list"
> > <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > Sent: Monday, December 08, 2003 9:54 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] RE: Michael's Diesel #1 and #2
> >
> > > Ed,
> > >
> > > #1 fuel oil and kerosene are not the same thing. Kerosene is more
> >
> > "refined"
> >
> > > than #1 oil. #3 fuel oil is an even heavier oil than #2. I think they
> > > use
> >
> > it
> >
> > > for firing funaces (like asphalt plants) and things, industrial stuff
> > > more down south than up around here. It's heavy enough that you have to
> > > warm it
> >
> > up
> >
> > > before it will light easily. Not an expert on this though :-)
> > >
> > > I did run across a guy from down south a few years ago that claimed to
> > > be using #3 oil in the truck he was driving. It was about -20 F that
> > > night
> >
> > and I
> >
> > > stopped to help him as his truck was froze up (fuel gelled) on the side
> > > of I-94. Poor bastard was out in that shit in nothing but a light
> > > jacket and
> >
> > a
> >
> > > t-shirt. He was, to say the least, happy to see me. I would imagine
> > > that
> >
> > they
> >
> > > had to drain whatever fuel was in that truck and start over with all
> > > new, lighter fuel before that truck would ever go anywhere again before
> > > spring.
> >
> > I
> >
> > > think he learned that some of the things you can get away with down
> > > south, won't get you very far up here when it gets cold. Up here, we've
> > > got real honest to God.......COLD!!!!!
> > >
> > > Rik
> > >
> > > On 12/08/2003 08:16 pm, you wrote:
> > > > KEROSENE!   What is # 3 used for? and yes there is a #3.  Hey guys
> > > > help Rummy.
> > > >
> > > >                                                            Ed K
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Subject: Re: Michael's Diesel #1 and #2
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > I've always just known it as #1.
> > > >
> > > > __________________________________________________
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> > >
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