Cold Weather & Dry Fuel - How to Protect Your Diesel Engine

Well, it happened again. I blinked my eyes and I went from celebrating the fact that Summer was finally upon us to realizing it was the middle of September. My how time gets away from us. This time of year we begin hearing that age old question from customers, "How do I protect my truck from the cold weather?"

You see we live in the upper Midwest and for us folks the reality of the Autumn season is that oftentimes we don't have an Autumn season. We will go from that hot, humid Summer weather to snow. And we all know that when the snow flies and the cold weather comes, without proper care our diesel cars and trucks don't get along real well. Bear with me a little here as I'm going to get into some of the technical side of things but once you understand some of this stuff that's going on behind the scenes I think you will agree that treating your fuel is the only way to go. 

Gone are the days of diesel fuel being just a byproduct of gasoline production. Today's diesel fuel is highly refined in order to remove things, like sulfur, which in turn lowers the soot particulate being released through the exhaust. In 2006 the EPA mandated that all diesel fuel sold for on road use must meet the stringent guideline of no more than 15ppm of sulfur, creating what we now know as Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel or ULSD. This was a substantial drop from the previous mandate of 500ppm which took place in the 90's. The EPA estimated that by taking this step that particulate matter will be reduced by as much as 110,000 tons per year. If we take a look at what role sulfur plays in the fuel we can begin to understand some things. Sulfur by itself is not a lubricant however when it bonds with other molecules such as nickel it combines to create a "eutectic alloy" that increases lubricity. Therefore removing of the sulfur from diesel fuel has a direct effect on the lubricity factor of the fuel.

Let's take this a step further though. That refining process we talked about up there also has another damaging effect to the fuel. When removing the sulfur there is a loss of aromatic content and density of the fuel which leads to a slight loss in the energy content of the fuel and that has the unfortunate side effect of decreasing peak horsepower and fuel economy.

I know what you're thinking, "I thought he was going to talk about cold weather protection!" Well, I'm getting there. You see there is another downfall to this ULSD. And yes, it is cold weather. ULSD will hit its gel point at about 5º warmer than its predecessor. Along with this we also have a new issue to deal with which is being referred to as "wax dropout". This phenomenon occurs when fuel reaches a given temperature and stays at or below that temperature for an extended period of time. This time period can be as little as 48 hours. After the fuel has reached this temperature the wax begins to actually drop out of the fuel and settle to the bottom of lines, tanks and filters. This wax then plugs up the fuel lines and filters and will not disperse until such time as the fuel temperature has gotten warm enough to melt the wax and it is reabsorbed into the fuel. So now what we have is a "dry" fuel, not lubricating our expensive fuel systems and gelling at warmer temperatures than ever before.

Now that we have given you all this bad news, I think it's time for some good news. Enter Stanadyne Performance Formula. Treating your diesel fuel with Stanadyne Performance Formula All Season Blend will ensure you are taking the necessary steps to run the best fuel possible in your diesel engine. Stanadyne fuel additives can give your diesel fuel that much needed lubricity that it's lacking along with increasing the cetane level, and cleaning harmful deposits from the fuel injection system. The All Season formula also adds cold weather protection by reducing the cold filter plug point (CFPP) by 25º and the cold pour point (CPP) by as much as 40º. By increasing cetane levels in the fuel and removing the water from the fuel, Stanadyne fuel additives can help increase your fuel economy by as much as 9.6%. 

For more information on Stanadyne Performance Formula check out our Products Page or jump over HERE for a product flyer. And as always make sure to Like us on Facebook and give us a Follow over on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all things DIESEL.