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ncrowley's avatar
ncrowley
Explorer II
Jul 27, 2015

Cat C7 Diesel Additive for Cold Weather

I have a 2004 Cat C7 350 hp engine. I will be driving from the south to northern Indiana in late Nov/early Dec to leave the RV to be worked on and will not pick it up until March. Should I put an additive in the diesel for the col weather? My concern is it will be sitting for a while in cold weather and there will probably be warm weather fuel in the tank when I get there.
  • boogie_4wheel wrote:
    I run Howe's in my Dodge. Can get it at Walmart, most auto parts stores, most larger fuel stations that sell diesel.
    Kept me running at -25*F at 11k' in Colorado during the winter.


    X2 on the Power Service, with 7 Diesel engines on our place and have never had a problem during the winter months...
  • Yes PS Anti-gel from any Walmart.

    And, ABSOLUTELY fill the fuel tank before parking to minimize condensation.

    Inflate tires to max on sidewalls (per Michelin RV Tire Guide)

    Winterize potable/black/gray systems.

    Verify engine coolant freeze point.
  • Thanks to all. I have ordered the Power Service additive for cold weather and will put it into the tank just before arriving. Thanks for the reminder to run it through the generator.
  • I run Howe's in my Dodge. Can get it at Walmart, most auto parts stores, most larger fuel stations that sell diesel.
    Kept me running at -25*F at 11k' in Colorado during the winter.
  • You don't say what "cold" is - is it 30*, 20*, 10*, -10*, -20* or ?

    I'd check your clear fuel bowl on the filter by the radiator to see if there's any water in it. Water in a plastic clear plastic fuel bowl will freeze and break it.

    I'd arrive in the area you're going to leave it with a low amount of fuel in the tank and then fill the tank with #1 winter fuel if they have it. At the time you fill it, before putting in the fuel, put a couple bottles of Power Service in, use the white bottles. They also make some in red and grey bottles, these are not what you want for this purpose. Run the #1 fuel with the Power Service for at least ten miles before you park it to make sure everything has cycled through your lines and filters. You should be fine.

    Your MH should have an engine heater on it for cold weather starting. It may work off of either or both the generator and 110VAC. You should make sure you know how to use it before going north.

    Also, after putting the Power Service and #1 fuel in, run the generator for a while to get them through the generator's fuel system in case you need to use it. If you don't have jumper cables in the MH and already own a set, throw them in just in case.

    If they don't have #1 fuel up there, then it probably isn't going to be that cold. I'd still use the Power Service.

    Bill