Intermittent use of diesel engines.

[K3WE]

Apologies to mods & others- while this is SORT OF off topic, I also think that maybe this is the right place for this- crosses over to Tow Vehicles and diesel MHs for users who may let them sit for moderate time periods.

I will soon be the owner of a small diesel tractor that will often go one to two months without being used.

I was always aware of gasoline getting old- but I'm scared that diesel is a bit more particular and that it might form gunk after a few months...AND fuel pumps and fuel lines and injectors ARE a bit more persnickety than a 1950 carburetor.

Anything that you MUST do as the weather gets cold?

Anything that you MUST do if you let fuel sit for a couple months?

(PS, I would include "really want to do" in with saying "Must")

Thanks.

[Grit_dog]

I'm also not a fan of "fill the tank" to prevent condensation on ANY fuel tank gas or diesel unless it's a metal tank and subject to a lot of extreme temp fluctuations that would suck in moist air into the tank.
Just means you got a full tank of cr@p (gas) to burn up.
Run it low, don't add much more than you need if running very sporadically, IMO.

[Grit_dog]

Lol fastback! "Make it feel like winter"
Plug the truck in, spray your Xmas tree and cactus in the front yard with tree flocking and don a scarf and touque. It all helps!
I can't stand being without winter time. Love it. 2 years in Phoenix were he!! For me.
I'd fire up the snowmachines in the garage! Cost less than therapy!

To the OP, if it's a plasti tank and out of the weather, I'd be fine with letting fresh diesel sit for a year, but my OCD would treat it with some Standyne and if humid (Missouri) I'd attempt to seal up the fuel tank vent. If it's in the fuel cap, a sheet of plastic or ziplock bag under the cap would seal it.

That said, in the better part of 30 years dealing with diesel trucks or equipment ive never seen diesel go bad. I've never experienced algae growth either though. My thoughts are that is rare and directly related to questionable fuel or storage practices in the first place.

[1320Fastback]

I plug my grid heater in (Cummins do not have glow plugs) in the winter just to make it feel like winter to me.

My truck starts reliably down to 40 degrees F which is as cold as it gets in SoCal.

My tractor, like other posters on here gets started about every 10 months.

[Airstreamer67]

I've got several diesels that are run intermittently without a problem.

As noted already, diesel doesn't deteriorate nearly as quick as gasoline. However, there is a fly in the ointment: some of today's diesel fuels contain bio additives that can deteriorate much faster. And, bio-diesel attracts water much more than regular diesel, and thus is much more likely to need biocides to kill growing microbes (BioBorJF is one of the best). So, avoid biodiesels as much as you can, and if you can't, watch it closely for microbial growth and use it up within six months or so to be safe.

[Dave_H_M]

i got the little 1025 JD compact utility. I got it out last winter to do a little snow work and play around some.

It had summer fuel in it with what i thought was enough additive like power service. It promptly jelled up, ran real squirrely and died. Went to wally world and got some of that stuff with the 911 label. Added it and as it would start intermittently, it eventually got thru the system and walla she ran well the rest of the winter.

This year i plan to drain and put winter blend in it or OD it on additive. :h

[bartlettj]

If you have a DEF tank it will go bad in about 6-9 months. I had to get the urea injector on my Duramax fixed due to this.

[KD4UPL]

Regarding #3, I wouldn't worry to much about information from the '70s about diesel trucks. That was ALMOST 50 years ago.
I owned my '05 Duramax for 3 years before I found out it had a block heater. It always started and I didn't have a garage then. Yes, it cranks a little slower when it's below zero outside but it's never failed to start.
I grew up on a farm with tractors and eqipment, spent some time as an OTR truck driver, and have been driving diesel Chevy's for 13 years. I have never put anything but diesel fuel into a tank except for my generator. That fuel has been in there for 4 years now so I did put some conditioner in it. For engines that are used at least once a year I wouldn't worry about it.

[Farmerkev]

K3WE wrote:
1. Thanks for the many replies.

2. Apologies for the slight paranoia ;-)...but year old gasoline does smell a bit funny and seem to have some crud settle out.

3. I do recall someone swearing off diesel pickups back in the 1970's saying they were horrible to start in wintertime cold without an additive.

4. I do know that water will work it's way into a tank...may not be much, but very easy to have a teaspoon or two in the bottom of a gas tank. Of course, I'd guess it zooms right through the fuel pump and injectors without too much disruption of the go-go juice.

I doubt you get cold enough in Missouri to need number 1 fuel in the winter but it wouldn't hurt you a bit to run a cold weather additive. Remember to put it in before it gets cold and you reach the cloud point of the fuel.
Biocide is up to you but if you use biodiesel I strongly recommend it.
Diesel isn't gasoline, it doesn't get old as fast as the crappy gas they sell these days.

[ReneeG]

Interesting. Our TV is an occasional driver and mainly just a TV, so it sits a lot. Last winter it wouldn't start and threw a lot of codes. It was towed to the dealership and of course, it started right up. Dealership appointment tech told us to drive it weekly and keep it plugged in during the winter. Sheesh, we didn't even know it had a plug, but we found it and kept it plugged in. No problems now.

[K3WE]

1. Thanks for the many replies.

2. Apologies for the slight paranoia ;-)...but year old gasoline does smell a bit funny and seem to have some crud settle out.

3. I do recall someone swearing off diesel pickups back in the 1970's saying they were horrible to start in wintertime cold without an additive.

4. I do know that water will work it's way into a tank...may not be much, but very easy to have a teaspoon or two in the bottom of a gas tank. Of course, I'd guess it zooms right through the fuel pump and injectors without too much disruption of the go-go juice.

[mowermech]

Algae will only grow at the fuel/water interface. If you have no water in your tank, you don't need any biocide. If you do have water in the tank, you still don't need biocide, you need to empty and clean your tank!
In fact, where marine diesels are common, there are often fuel cleaning services that will come out, pump the fuel from the tank, filter it, and put it back. That is, of course, a pricey service, but perhaps well worth the cost.
I have seen some very old diesel fuel and jet fuel (JP/4), and never noticed any deterioration.
I would say if the fuel and the tank are clean, don't worry about it.

[FishOnOne]

K3WE wrote:
Apologies to mods & others- while this is SORT OF off topic, I also think that maybe this is the right place for this- crosses over to Tow Vehicles and diesel MHs for users who may let them sit for moderate time periods.

I will soon be the owner of a small diesel tractor that will often go one to two months without being used.

I was always aware of gasoline getting old- but I'm scared that diesel is a bit more particular and that it might form gunk after a few months...AND fuel pumps and fuel lines and injectors ARE a bit more persnickety than a 1950 carburetor.

Anything that you MUST do as the weather gets cold?

Anything that you MUST do if you let fuel sit for a couple months?

(PS, I would include "really want to do" in with saying "Must")

Thanks.

We have John Deere combines and John Deere cotton pickers that essentially set for 10 months in a shop waiting for harvest time. We use a John Deere fuel additive (Stanadyne) to keep the diesel fresh while they set. They do get started up about every 3 months or so and brought up to temp and get some run time while we perform the annual maintenance.

Also I believe Power Service diesel fuel additive can be used to keep the diesel fuel in good shape.

[NMDriver2]

On my once or twice a year used for something tractor I try not to put more fuel in the tank than I will use. I carry along a gallon in case I run out in the field. When I am ready to store it for a while I drain the tank, lines and carburetor, top off the radiator with antifreeze, and park it.

[gbopp]

I have a friend who works maintenace for an airport. Their large diesel trucks with snowplows sit for 6 months and start when needed.