should I worry about gelling?

You're in Korea in service for our Country and the last thing you have to worry about, fuel in your truck.. Forget about it. Maryland is in the tropics compared to where diesel will preform. I've fired my Mack diesel up in temps around "0" with no problem..

camp-n-family wrote:
Some people add a little regular gas to the tank to prevent this.

GOOD LORD! Never add gas to a diesel powered engine. A small mixture will burn in the diesel engine, but at much higher temperatures. Can cause a blown head gasket, burned valve, or cracked piston. A too strong solution of gas and diesel can cause an explosive type event that will cause immediate catastrophic engine failure.

It is amazing what people will post on the internet!

Engineer9860 wrote:
I have a million miles on various diesel powered trucks. I have never used any diesel fuel additives/supplements. Been in many -10 and lower situations without additives. I have only had 1 gelling episode, and that was in single digit conditions. Truck would idle, just wouldn't pull with a load. Easily fixed with Power Service 911.

Buy winter blend fuel and you'll be good to go.

The main reason you would have trouble with gelling would be during the transition months. I don't recommend buying fuel in Florida then driving to North Dakota without adding a gel preventative.

X2^^^

Dave H M wrote:
when was it fueled up? it just may have winter fuel in it.

anyhow it will not hurt anything to have the DW throw some antigel in it just for grins.

Unfourtanely that's all they sell by me is bio crap.It happened at half tank of being filled at my same place of years of filling up

I have a million miles on various diesel powered trucks. I have never used any diesel fuel additives/supplements. Been in many -10 and lower situations without additives. I have only had 1 gelling episode, and that was in single digit conditions. Truck would idle, just wouldn't pull with a load. Easily fixed with Power Service 911.

Buy winter blend fuel and you'll be good to go.

The main reason you would have trouble with gelling would be during the transition months. I don't recommend buying fuel in Florida then driving to North Dakota without adding a gel preventative.

If she is going to drive it,make sure she drives it until its good and hot.

A mile around the block will do more harm than good.

when was it fueled up? it just may have winter fuel in it.

anyhow it will not hurt anything to have the DW throw some antigel in it just for grins.

carpetguy2 wrote:
My truck ran fine in 8 below and all of sudden this morning stalled 10 times on the road with in 1 mile.
And had recommend dosage for additive

sounds like you had a real good tank of bio fuel. or had just filled at a new place that used bio, which cleaned the gunk out of your tank and plugged the filters.

Additive would not help in that situation.

My truck ran fine in 8 below and all of sudden this morning stalled 10 times on the road with in 1 mile.
And had recommend dosage for additive

So to get more technical, Diesel has paraffin wax in it. The paraffin stays in solution until you get to the cloud point. This is the point where gel starts forming. Some of the paraffin falls out of solution and forms a globule. And just like how snowflakes are formed, more paraffin bonds to the floating chunks of paraffin and this makes your gel globules. This is what plugs your filter when your fuel "gels". Typically in colder states (I would think Maryland is one of them), they treat the fuel so that it can withstand colder temps, keeping the paraffin in solution. In extreme cases, they start to blend Kerosene to help keep the paraffin in solution. Think about cooking lard. It's a liquid on the hot pan, but put it in a jar and after a while it turns solid, until you heat it again. Pretty much the same thing.