Ford PSD- Won't Start

beyoungsr

New member
Ok had this problem and must pass it on.
If you have a psd and are in a sustained cold climate for several days never let the fuel tank get below 1/4.

What happened to me was that it was a needles width below the 1/4. The fuel will start gelling on the pump pick up.
If left above the 1/4 mark the pump has a bypass and no problems will occour.

If below 1/4 the fuel gels and the engine will not run long. It will start rough and get exremely woarse and die. You will think the engine is coming apart.

It does not matter if yiu leave the heater pugged in either, since it only heats the coolant.

If this occours you can over come the problem by adding 10 gals of fresh diesel

My problem occoured in Oklahoma when on a short trip. The temp was 14 F for several days. I would guess the a.m. tep was around 8-10 F. These temps dont inclued wind chill!

Anyway wanted to pass on so others wouldnt go through this pain!
 
If I recall correctly, there is an anti-gel additive you can buy. I ran a station in Wisconsin 25 yrs ago, we carried it because we sold diesel. Truck stops will carry it for sure, though if you buy fuel there, you probably will not need it. They make sure that there fuel is treated - can you imagine word getting out that trucks were freezing-up after fueling at their place? As I recall, they sold a mixture of #1 and #2 diesel.
 
Winter fuel is NO.1, and if you are in areas that are consistently below 32 degrees, that is what they should be selling. The Anti-Gel stuffis important if you are in cold areas, and you can get it at all truckstops, even in Phoenix.

Scott
 
You can also blend #1 diesle with #2 wich would be a big pain in the butt. Here is some good info I found followed by a link to a pretty good source for the PSD.

Fuel
Diesel fuel is not like other automotive fuels. Straight Number 2 diesel without additives or blending will start to cloud at around 20 degrees*, and will start to gel-up at 15 degrees*. Gelling is a process where the waxes inherent in diesel fuel become cold enough that they freeze, come out of solution, and bind together. Once the fuel becomes gelled, it will clog the fuel system components and fuel flow will be impaired. There are two ways to combat this problem.

Blending Fuels: Using a blend of number 1 diesel fuel with number 2 diesel helps prevent gelling. In areas where temperatures routinely drop below freezing, fuel stations will blend diesel fuel for the anticipated temperatures. If the station sells #1 and #2 from separate pumps, fuel can be custom blended. The cloud point of No. 2-D is lowered by about 3°F for every 10% volume of No. 1-D blended. For example: To lower the cloud point by 10°F it requires the addition of more than 30% 1-D to the original volume of 2-D. Blending fuel is a good way to prevent gelling but you must either trust that the station has blended it correctly, or that you blended it correctly. Unfortunately, blending fuel has some consequences. Number 1 diesel does not produce as much power per unit as number 2 will; lower mileage and lack of power will likely be noticeable. Furthermore, number 1 diesel has lower lubricity for fuel system components.

Fuel Additives: Additives are usually purchased in bottles and are combined with number 2 diesel at fill-up. Nearly all diesel additives have the ability to lower the gel point. The additive uses a chemical formula that dissolves the wax bonds in the fuel, which prevents the gelling. The amount of additive required usually goes hand in hand with the amount of fuel it is added to, but sometimes the quantity of additive is more dependent on the anticipated low temperature. Furthermore, additives have a benefit that is not present with fuel blending; they utilize a lubricity package that helps lubricate fuel components. Lubricating fuel components is claimed to improve injector life and extend the lifespan of the components. There are many diesel additives available in today’s market. Purchase one that is alcohol free and works for you. I highly recommend Stanadyne Performance Formula, as it is the only additive currently recommended by Ford.

http://www.thedieselstop.com/contents/getitems.php3?My Power Stroke Won't%20Start
 
My owners manual firmly states not to use any diesel fuel additives!!!!! I would worry that if a aproblem would occour it would leave them grounds for denying a repair.
Until I reach 100k miles I will go by the book.
I guess what I found is if you keep more than 1/4 tank you should not have anything to worry about.

Also will do my best to stay out of that miserable cold!
 
psd

Beyoungersr, If you are going to be in a cold climate for an extended period of time , go by the Ford house and ask them. By it from them keep the receipts in case you need a backup. My experience with Ford is they will deny liability but then back off and cover you out of ,"GOOD FAITH", balogney, they should of covered it in the first place. Dont let them intimidate you . Just be polite, consistant , and a pain n the butt and they will come thru for ya. Another option is stay out of Oklahoma in the winter. LOL
Do what Joel says and get over to www.thedieselstop.com and read read read.

Michael T

PS. goint to put a downpipe and 4" exhaust on next weekend.
 
Michael T,
I do like to stay out of Oklahoma during the winter months.
I am aware of www.dieseltruck.com. It was there that I have seen people being denied warranty work for modifications abd unathorized use of products.
You are right a lot of it is bull and FORD should treat its customers better!
 
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