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How to Prevent Diesel Fuel From Gelling

Written by Charleen

Preventing Diesel Fuel Gelling – Off Season Update

Take advantage of the off season pricing here in the Sioux Falls store!! Here’s one product you will need in winter. Save even more buying now. (Products: Diesel All in One and the Diesel Cold Flow)

Mark Nyholm|

We diesel burners get a little more uptight in the winter over what comes out of the green-handle pump at the fuel station. Diesel owners know that winter can mean diesel fuel gelling. That’s when diesel fuel freezes, rendering our trucks useless and, in some situations, costing us a boatload of money in repairs.

In this post, I’m going to explain why diesel fuel can gel or become frozen and what you can do to prevent it and keep your truck rolling all winter.

What causes diesel fuel gelling?

Diesel contains naturally occurring wax that solidifies in cold temperatures. Normally the wax is a liquid in fuel and is important, so we definitely want it in the fuel.

When temperatures drop, however, wax crystals form and cling to one another.

As temperatures continue to decrease, formation continues until it restricts the flow of fuel through fuel filters, eventually stalling the engine. Depending on the fuel, gelling can occur at temperatures barely below 32ºF (0ºC).

Check out the video to see what happens when diesel fuel gels.

 

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#1 and #2 diesel fuel

The fuel refineries do a pretty good job of blending winter-rated diesel fuel that avoids gelling. To produce winter-blend diesel, they often mix some percentage of #1 diesel fuel with #2 diesel fuel.

Why, you ask? Because diesel #1 contains less wax and offers cloud and pour points of typically -20ºF (-29ºC) or colder, making it preferable in cold weather.

Cold-filter-plugging point (CFPP) & other terms

So, what do “cloud point” and “pour point” mean, anyway? They’re a couple important terms people use when talking about diesel cold-weather performance.

  • Cloud point – The temperature at which wax crystals begin to form in diesel fuel. This is normally around 32ºF (0ºC) for #2 diesel fuel, but can be as high as 40ºF (4ºC).
  • Cold-filter-plugging point (CFPP) – The point at which wax crystals allowed to form in untreated diesel fuel clog the fuel filter. Most diesel owners call this “gelling.”
  • Pour point – The lowest temperature at which fuel maintains its ability to flow.

The ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) at every pump must meet certain CFPP characteristics to protect drivers.

However, refiners typically base the fuel’s cold-weather performance on temperature projections that don’t leave room for sudden and violent temperature swings. Where I live in northern Minnesota, the temperature can drop from 40ºF (4ºC) at lunch time to zero by the time I head home after work.

It’s possible the fuel at the station where I plan to fill up the next morning doesn’t yet have fuel blended for such cold temperatures.

Or, how about the trucker who starts a run in Kansas City, where it’s 50ºF (10ºC) and he filled up with #2 diesel, but ends in Duluth, Minn., where it’s -10ºF (-23ºC)? Then what?

Use cold-flow improvers to prevent diesel fuel gelling

Let’s be proactive and turn the mirror on ourselves. There is chemistry available that ensures the wax in your fuel stays liquid so your fuel system can pump fuel to the engine. We call these additives “cold-flow improvers,” and AMSOIL Diesel All-In-One is loaded with them to ensure you don’t run into these issues.

In the fuel industry there is a test called the “Cold-Filter-Plugging-Point Test.” It measures the coldest temperature at which fuel will flow without plugging a filter.

In independent testing, AMSOIL Diesel All In One provides as much as 32ºF better protection against cold-temperature diesel fuel gelling than Howes Lubricator Diesel Treat*? You know – Howes, one of the largest diesel fuel additive companies in the U.S.

Howes diesel additive is substandard in cold flow protection.

 

Diesel All-in-One ensures the fuel remains flowing and your truck keeps rolling no matter how frigid the weather.

Some might say, “That doesn’t matter…Howe’s has a free-tow guarantee that’ll cover me if I’m ever stranded.” That’s no guarantee; that’s an insurance policy, and they hope not to use it. If you want a real guarantee, use AMSOIL Diesel Cold Flow to ensure you don’t have to call for a tow.

Plus, it doesn’t just give you optimum chemistry for cold weather. Oh, no sir/ma’am. It also delivers…

  • Optimum detergency to help keep the fuel injectors and combustion chamber clean
  • Lubricity to lubricate the fuel pump and injectors
  • A four-point cetane boost to provide extra help at startup and improve combustion efficiency for improved power and fuel economy
Diesel All-In-OneBuy Diesel All-in-One

If it’s gelled, now what?

Clogged filters and frozen diesel are a huge hassle, especially for truckers or fleets that needs vehicles running to make money.

AMSOIL Diesel Recovery quickly dissolves gelled fuel to allow the operator to continue driving with minimal downtime. AMSOIL Diesel Recovery separates the molecular bonds of wax crystals that have agglomerated in diesel fuel. It thaws frozen fuel filters and reduces the need for a new filter, saving money and preventing an inconvenient trip to an auto parts store.

Buy Diesel Recovery

*Based on independent testing in July 2017 of AMSOIL Diesel All-in-One and Howes Lubricator Diesel Treat using diesel fuel representative of the U.S. marketplace and Howes’ recommended treat ratio for above 0°F.

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Announcement – Banks Performance/AMSOIL Partnership

Written by Ches Cain

Known for Being The Pinnacle of Performance, AMSOIL and Banks Make for Logical Partnership

Much more to be published on this in the future of course – here’s just a little about the two firms.

Endorsement To Better Serve Customer Base

Banks Power has recently endorsed AMSOIL as the lubricant of choice. As the premier design and manufacturer of power enhancing products for diesel and gas powered vehicles, Banks Power is well-known and respected in the diesel enthusiast community. Similar to AMSOIL, the company’s fundamental principles combine old fashioned business ethics and service with leading technology. Customers expect elegantly engineered products, superior construction, scientifically proven performance and competitive prices.

amsoil and banks performance partmership

Technological Achievements

Banks company history is studded with technological achievements. Including Gale’s pioneering work in turbocharging marine engines in 1969; the premiere of twin-turbo small block Chevy engines in 1978; the invention and patent of the Banks OttoMind electronic fuel management module in 1997; transmission control systems; and the recent invention and patent of the iDash DataMonster, the only instrument to calculate, log and display an exclusive suite of engine parameters, including manifold air density.

Engineering

First and foremost, Banks is an engineering firm. Established in 1958 Banks has grown to 100+ employees on a 12 acre campus. The mechanical engineering department is staffed with world class automotive experts who design and test the latest high performance equipment. In the Race Shop, special project vehicles feature cutting edge diesel and gasoline development, multiple turbo applications, mind-boggling horsepower and head turning style. Sophisticated electronic engineering technologies are applied to engine improvement in the rapidly growing Computer Systems Engineering Department. Gale Banks Engineering Designs turbocharged engines from the centerline of the crankshaft out.

Amsoil as included differential oil with banks products

“Banks Protected by AMSOIL”

Banks Protected by AMSOIL endorsement will appear on all digital media reaching millions of enthusiasts who have yet to experience the AMSOIL difference.

Creating further valuable exposure, Banks is offering its new differential cover bundled with four Easy Packs of the AMSOIL Severe Gear as the first fill lubricant coupled with a flyer with information on how to buy or find AMSOIL products.

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Amsoil Diesel Fuel Additives Best Choice For Increased Fuel Lubricity

Written by Charleen

Our Diesel Fuel Additives Will Save Your Fuel System and Add Performance

Diesel fuel additives are the most overlooked motor maintenance item next to motor oil. An essential product that must be added to every tank. Many diesel drivers mistakenly think a fuel lubricant is okay every other tank.

New diesel owners are not being told this critical information from the dealership. 

Adequate diesel fuel lubricity is essential for protecting the highly engineered components in modern diesel engines, particularly high-pressure common-rail (HPCR) engines, which are subject to increased wear and deposits that interfere with an optimum spray pattern, reducing power and fuel economy. Many diesel owners add two-stroke oil to their fuel for added lubricity. AMSOIL delivers a better solution that provides additional benefits.

Amsoils diesel fuel additive selection

ULSD Provides Less Lubricity

Diesel fuel has traditionally had high lubrication properties, but the desulfurization process that allows fuel to meet modern ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) requirements also strips it of organic compounds responsible for lubrication. Although the ASTM D975 standard for diesel fuel provides a minimum level of lubricity, it’s not as much as the Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA) has called for.

To meet government mandates for reduced emissions, nearly all diesel fuel sold in North America is ULSD, which contains a maximum of just 15 ppm sulfur, compared to traditional diesel fuel that contained up to 5,000 ppm prior to EPA regulations taking effect in 2006. ULSD is also compatible with modern exhaust treatment devices, such as diesel particulate filters (DPF), that also help reduce emissions.

The Two Stroke Oil Remedy

Because lost fuel lubricity and the expenses associated with fuel-pump and injector replacements are serious concerns among diesel enthusiasts, some have adopted the practice of adding a little two stroke or 2 cycle oil to the fuel to replenish the lost lubricating properties. While this is generally a safe practice, it’s not recommended. Because all two-stroke oils are different, it’s a guessing game regarding how much oil is required to achieve a lubricity benefit. Using too little may not provide any benefit, while using too much may violate EPA laws regarding ash content.

The Superior Remedy: AMSOIL Diesel Fuel Additives

The best way to increase fuel lubricity is to use a fuel additive designed specifically for this purpose, like AMSOIL Diesel Injector Clean (ADF – Our best seller), Diesel All-In-One or Diesel Injector Clean + Cetane Boost. These additives also provide specific additional benefits designed to keep diesel engines operating at top performance. Some say they can hear the difference. Omaha is starting to discover the AMSOIL difference now! We are keeping more and more cases so buy your months supply. We keep loads in inventory.

Lubricity Test

The ASTM D6079 High Frequency Reciprocating Rig (HFRR) lubricity test simulates wear in high-shear conditions, measuring fuel lubricity by rubbing a steel ball on a plate in a bath of fuel and measuring the wear scar. Independent testing reveals Diesel Injector Clean provides superior fuel lubricity over untreated fuel and fuel treated with two-stroke oil.

  • Better lubricity
  • Clean fuel system
  • Avoid EPA violations

August 2019 amsoil dealer magazine

We have plenty of supply here in Sioux Falls. Stan Houston’s and at our Tea Exit location by Marlins.

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Is an Engine Flush Good or Bad?

Written by Charleen

Should you be concerned using Engine Flush?

John Baker|

To flush or not to flush. (One of our best sellers here in Sioux Falls)

It’s a question whose answer is obvious in the bathroom, but vigorously debated in the garage.

Let’s get right to the point. Is an engine flush good or bad?

Spend a few minutes perusing online forums and you’ll find a range of answers to this question, often involving a 1980s Trans-Am, Camaro or other car that someone thrashed on for years, parked in a pasture for a decade and now wants to revive with an engine flush.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

  • What is an engine flush?
  • How deposits and sludge form
  • Can engine sludge be removed?
  • Is an engine flush necessary?
  • Engine flush as part of maintenance
  • 5 benefits of an engine flush
  • Engine flush products
  • Watch: How to do an engine flush (video)

What is an engine flush?

An engine flush is an aftermarket chemical additive designed to clean accumulated deposits, sludge and other gunk from your engine. You pour it into your engine’s oil-filler port and idle the engine for about 10-15 minutes. It mixes with the oil and circulates through the engine, helping dissolve sludge and clean deposits. Then, you drain the oil (along with much of the gunk, in theory), change the oil filter, add fresh oil and return to the business of driving.

How deposits and sludge form inside an engine

If it did its job, your engine’s performance will return to the heady days of its youth, when it delivered maximum power and efficiency. Over time, however, harmful deposits and sludge may have accumulated, causing power and performance loss.

The tiny openings in the oil pickup tube screen can easily plug with sludge, starving the engine of oil.

Deposits and sludge can form for several reasons, including…

  • Frequent short trips that don’t allow the oil to fully warm up and evaporate moisture
  • Ingestion of air-borne dirt
  • Fuel dilution
  • High heat breaking down the oil

As it settles, sludge can clog narrow oil passages or the screen on the oil pickup tube, restricting oil flow to vital parts, especially the upper valve train. Deposits can cause the rings to stick, reducing engine compression and horsepower.

Can engine sludge be removed?

Yes. The proper detergents in the correct concentration can dissolve engine sludge, deposits and varnish. Ideally, sludge won’t form at all; however, sometimes mechanical issues arise, such as a leaking head gasket, and the formation of sludge occurs. If sludge does form, the oil’s detergents help dissolve and disperse sludge to clean the engine.

This is more challenging than it sounds. For starters, the oil must perform several functions, not just help prevent engine sludge. For that reason, oils contain a limited concentration of detergents (compared to an engine flush product) to ensure room in the formulation for other additives that protect against wear, fight oxidation, combat rust and more.

An engine flush product, on the other hand, is designed solely to clean. AMSOIL Engine and Transmission Flush, for example, contains nothing but potent detergents, making it a more effective cleaner than motor oil. Plus, it cleans at the molecular level, ensuring deposits are dissolved and properly exit the engine with the oil when it’s drained. This is important since some motorists fear that an engine flush will free large chunks and cause an avalanche of debris to clog passages inside the engine. AMSOIL Engine and Transmission Flush guards against this scenario.

Is an engine flush necessary?

A good engine flush can help loosen deposits and dissolve sludge, returning your engine to like-new condition. However, in old engines with high miles, sludge may be the only barrier keeping oil from seeping through worn or cracked seals. Removing the sludge exposes the seals for what they really are – junk. Soon, your engine begins leaking oil, and you’re mind instantly associates the engine flush product with an oil leak.

In reality, the seals were already bad; the flush simply revealed their true condition.

If you suspect your vehicle falls into this camp, leave well enough alone and skip the engine flush. It’s probably not worth trying to revive an engine in such poor condition without first fixing the bad seals or other defects.

In effect, you’re choosing your problem: either sludge and deposits robbing performance or, if you clean the engine, the seals showing their true condition.

An engine flush is part of a good maintenance regimen

But that’s not to say an engine flush is never a good idea. In fact, it’s often the first step in helping restore a neglected vehicle to top-notch performance. And, often when you buy a used vehicle, that’s what you’re getting – a vehicle whose owner found antiquing on Saturday afternoon more enjoyable than changing oil or dropping the transmission pan. Consequently, your “pre-owned” ride, while not complete junk, may boast a sketchy maintenance record.

In these cases, a potent, detergent-based flush can help prepare the engine for new oil, loosening sticky valves or rings and helping remove harmful sludge. While not a required step when switching to AMSOIL synthetic motor oil, we do recommend flushing your engine if you want to give your vehicle a fresh start.

5 benefits of an engine flush

1. Prepares your engine for new oil

An engine flush helps loosen sticky valves or rings and remove harmful sludge and other contaminants. By cleaning the engine prior to installing fresh oil, you ensure the new oil functions as intended and delivers maximum protection. The oil won’t last as long or protect as well if it must contend with sludge and deposits from the previous oil.

By the way, we don’t require use of AMSOIL Engine and Transmission Flush before switching to AMSOIL synthetic motor oil, but we recommend flushing your engine if you want to give it a fresh start.

2. Helps increase fuel efficiency

Contaminants circulating throughout the engine can lead to oil breakdown and increased viscosity – and higher-viscosity oil requires more energy to circulate throughout the engine. Sludge and deposits on engine parts can also increase resistance, which wastes fuel to overcome. Cleaning the engine helps ensure parts move efficiently, maximizing fuel economy.

3. Helps reduce emissions

If deposits in the piston-ring lands cause the rings to stick, oil can migrate into the combustion chamber, where it burns. This not only leads to harmful deposits, it also increases exhaust emissions as the burned oil exits the tailpipe. A good engine flush helps free stuck rings and reduce oil consumption, in turn reducing emissions.

4. Helps reduce heat

Excessive heat is bad for your engine and the oil. Extreme heat reduces engine efficiency while increasing the rate at which the oil oxidizes (chemically breaks down). Sludge and deposits act as insulators that prevent the engine from dissipating heat as designed. Flushing your engine helps ensure it manages heat properly for optimum efficiency and oil life.

5. Convenience

This might not apply to every engine flush, but it applies to AMSOIL Engine and Transmission Flush. It delivers results after just one application. And it only takes 10-15 minutes to use. Plus, you can safely use it in gas or diesel engines and automatic transmissions. While some solvent-based flush products require a cumbersome disposal process, AMSOIL Engine and Transmission Flush uses a detergent-based formulation. As such, you can dispose of it easily with waste oil.

Cylinder head pre-cleanup. Note the sludge around the valve springs and push rod openings.

Post-cleanup with AMSOIL Engine and Transmission Flush, the cylinder head is noticeably cleaner.

Engine Flush Products: I use AMSOIL Engine and Transmission Flush

For the record, I’ve used AMSOIL Engine and Transmission Flush on three different pre-owned vehicles in my time, and it’s worked great. One of them, a 1999 Honda CR-V, accumulated more than 220,000 miles before rust forced me to replace it. Another, an Oldsmobile Intrigue, ran great until a computer problem forced me to trade it off…for the CR-V. The third ran great, but I sold it off after it, too, rusted out.

In sum, flush your engine if you want to give your vehicle a new lease on life. AMSOIL Engine and Transmission Flush, as the name indicates, also works great for cleaning automatic transmissions. Check out this post to determine if a transmission flush or pan drop is better for you. But if you have any reservations about disturbing sludge or deposits that may be holding your old, high-mileage engine together, consider skipping it. It’s up to you.

How to do an engine flush

If you are looking for the best way to flush your engine this weekend, here’s a quick video that will walk you through the process, courtesy of MyJeepStory.

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How Oil Consumption Affects Your Turbo Diesel’s Exhaust System

Written by Charleen
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How Oil Consumption Affects Your Turbo Diesel’s Exhaust System

Mark Nyholm|

Ever wonder why engines have that long wiry thing with the small plastic handle? A.K.A. the dipstick?

“Come on, Mark, it’s for measuring proper engine oil volume,” you say.

Sure, but here’s the million-dollar question: How often should you pull the dipstick and check your oil level?

Survey the masses and you’ll find that most people only touch the dipstick after they change oil to verify the oil level. Shame on you, masses. Don’t you care about your engine? Continue reading to find out why checking oil frequently is important to protecting your engine.

All engines burn oil

Yes, they do, whether you realize it or not. It’s a natural function of lubricating the piston ring/cylinder liner interface. The rings must seal against the liner for the engine to build compression. Compression builds the horsepower we all love so much. Without that oil film, we’d turn the key, back the truck out of the garage and – BANG! – there goes your engine. Some of the oil film, however, burns with every piston stroke.

Ask yourself again: why do engine’s have a dipstick?

Is it really just to verify the proper oil level after an oil change? Or should we be checking oil more frequently as part of our daily driving routine?

Now that we know all engines burn some oil, we should ask ourselves how long it has been since we lasted checked oil. Pop the hood and pull the dipstick to ensure the engine oil level resides in the safe area on the dipstick. Top-off as needed lest you become that unfortunate person who spills coffee on himself when the engine goes BANG while backing out of the garage.

So, where is the oil going?

Maybe you’re wondering what happens to the oil that burns in the combustion chamber.

If you own a diesel pickup built in or after 2007, listen up.

The oil burns and is pushed into the exhaust stream, just like the byproducts of burned diesel fuel.

All 2007-and-newer trucks are equipped with a diesel particulate filter (DPF). If your truck was built in or after 2010, it has a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system. These two devices manage the byproducts of diesel combustion and reduce emissions.

How does a DPF work?

The DPF collects and separates the partially burned byproducts of diesel fuel, similar to how an air filter separates and removes airborne dirt particles from the air. These particles collect in the filter until they begin to restrict airflow. At that time the engine reacts and dumps fuel into the exhaust stream to raise the exhaust-gas temperature and help burn the soot byproducts. The system effectively reduces emissions and is built into nearly every diesel application these days.

Example of a diesel particulate filter.

What happens to the burned engine oil as it enters the exhaust stream?

Unfortunately the burned byproducts of engine oil lodge in the DPF and remain there forever. Alternatively, you can remove the DPF for cleaning or replacement.

The problem with oil consumption in diesels is that it can prematurely plug the DPF, rendering it useless.

So, let’s reiterate: all engines burn oil, which can plug the DPF.

That’s the reality with today’s technology. That’s another reason why it’s important to pull the dipstick on a regular basis and track your oil consumption.

The other unfortunate part is that you can do very little to affect how much oil your engine burns. Design tolerances and engine manufacturing affect oil consumption the most.

Your choice of engine oil can make a difference, though

All is not lost, however. Some engine oils offer better protection against oil consumption than others. AMSOIL synthetic diesel oils, for example, have low rates of volatility (burn-off), reducing oil consumption. AMSOIL Signature Series Max-Duty Synthetic Diesel Oil provides up to 76 percent less oil consumption than required by the API CK-4 standard in the Caterpillar-1N oil consumption test. AMSOIL synthetic diesel oils are formulated to protect not only your engine but your exhaust after-treatment system.

So, if you are a diesel burner like myself, your choice of engine oil is important. Choose AMSOIL synthetic diesel oil and start protecting your exhaust system.

At the very least, check your oil on a regular basis to ensure the appropriate level.

FIND AMSOIL SYNTHETIC DIESEL OIL FOR YOUR TRUCK

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