Any cold weather starting advice?

Busted Knuckle · November 13, 2011, 11:18:08 AM

Quote from: Bill B /bus
Picture a trucker hauling produce north from Florida. Last fuel stop in South Carolina. Entering Maine at oh dark thirty and below zero and goes slower and slower until he's parked on the shoulder. Filter change and the 911 treatment to get him going. Plus all he had was a light weight jacket for outside.
Bill

Or picture a young ambitious tow truck driver from KY in a Cabover Midliner Mack tow truck that the owner told him. "The engine returns warm fuel to the tanks, so it'll be fine."

Up in the middle of nowhere near a little town called Hawk Lake, Ont. in mid January just did a swap out. (took our customers good tractor up to driver that had wrecked one)
Got up there fine, switched trucks fine, jumped in SUPER COLD Mack very very cold from idling about 2 hrs while I froze switching trucks.
Took off down what was called a hwy (I really think it was a path thru a field) and the truck started getting more and more sluggish! (never was a power house, after all it was a midliner!)
Pulled into a mom & pop grocery that had gas pumps and headed inside. An old man come out and said. "Quick son let's put some petro in that thing before it dies!"
As he stuck the GAS hose in it I was trying to protest between the frozen chattering of my teeth & body that it was a diesel. After he put about 5-7 gallons in, it started smoothing out and picking back up RPMs.
He just smiled at me, never said a word, grabbed my arm and drug me inside beside the ol' woodstove while he poured me some hot coffee.

As soon as I was able to stop shivering enough to sip the coffee and fmy face unfroze I thanked him and then asked "I thought you weren't supposed to put gasoline in a diesel"
He laughed and said "Well maybe, but ya ain't supposed to come up the great white north with out winter blend fuel, and proper winter out door gear either, eh."

Learned a valuable lesson there I did! Nope no Canada for me in the winter!

BK

Scott & Heather · November 13, 2011, 03:50:58 PM

I've heard of a lot of folks thinning diesel with RUG or Kerosene...what are the long term bad effects of this if any? Anything specific to look for?

Seayfam · November 13, 2011, 04:05:23 PM

Welcome to Alaskans winter blend. All my vehicles up here are diesel. The shops up here love all these Diesels running around. It is their bread and butter. Most people don't add lubricant to their Diesels when running winter blend. The winter blend fuel is much dryer (little lube) than the summer fuel, and has less Cetane. I always run a Cetane booster and two cycle oil with the winter blend. So far I haven't had any injector issues or pump issues. The shops are constantly changing them here.

Geoff · November 13, 2011, 04:07:35 PM

Love your story, BK. I have one of those huge Racor 20/20 fuel filters and this particular one has a heating element in it. I never put in on because of space problems. I don't plan on going to the great Northwest anytime soon, but it might come in handy.

Busted Knuckle · November 13, 2011, 05:26:16 PM

Quote from: Geoff on November 13, 2011, 04:07:35 PM
Love your story, BK. I have one of those huge Racor 20/20 fuel filters and this particular one has a heating element in it. I never put in on because of space problems. I don't plan on going to the great Northwest anytime soon, but it might come in handy.

Shoot Geoff back in 1990 I ain't even sure they had those style filters.

I do know we did put in some "artic" tank heaters on all the trucks after that just in case. (they were tapped into the heater cores and if we had the heat in the truck on, they were on.)

BK

TomC · November 13, 2011, 07:57:16 PM

Racor heated fuel/water separators have been around for at least 30 years. If I know the morning I'm leaving is going to be cold, I'll get out my 500 watt halogen work light and turn it on aimed up to the oil pan over night (if your on the power pole). If not, we always crank up the generator in the morning to do coffee, heat the water, etc so the halogen work light under the pan works pretty well too. Just a really cheap way to do it (about $15 for a 500watt halogen light). Good luck, TomC

Busted Knuckle · November 13, 2011, 08:12:39 PM

Quote from: TomC
Racor heated fuel/water separators have been around for at least 30 years.
Good luck, TomC

I can assure you I didn't know about them then and that ol' Mack shor didn't have one!

Shoot most people would have a heart attack to learn we used to use an old hubcap or metal garbage can lid with charcoal and diesel to warm up oil pans.
But a country boy will do what it takes to make it work one way or the other.

BK

Oonrahnjay · November 13, 2011, 08:14:12 PM

Quote from: TomC on November 13, 2011, 07:57:16 PM(snip) If I know the morning I'm leaving is going to be cold, I'll get out my 500 watt halogen work light and turn it on aimed up to the oil pan over night

Yeah, and it really helps if you can put a "skirt" of like cardboard or whatever between the bus body and the ground, enclosing the area around your engine compartment. But be sure to keep the cardboard, paper (or whatever) away from the light -- you DO NOT want it catching fire.

viento1 · November 13, 2011, 08:37:58 PM

I used a propane catalytic heater once. It worked but it was a battle with the wind until I sacrificed some carpet to keep the heat contained.

Busted Knuckle · November 13, 2011, 08:44:21 PM

As mentioned cardboard makes a good barrier. (cheap and easy to find)

We used to used tarps and rubber straps. But we were dealing with trucks not buses mostly. every now & then we'd deal with a bus.

BK

opus · November 13, 2011, 08:53:33 PM

I used a salamander plenty of times.

viento1 · November 13, 2011, 09:08:22 PM

Salamander? little fishies?

opus · November 13, 2011, 09:10:09 PM

Quote from: viento1 on November 13, 2011, 09:08:22 PM
Salamander? little fishies?

Ha...brilliant!

viento1 · November 13, 2011, 11:58:42 PM

Just think, some guys are using those sissy hydronic heaters. I like your style!

buswarrior · November 14, 2011, 06:02:31 AM

I watched a big brother to that one pictures, rated at 300 000 BTU, being used to get a piece of heavy equipment started that was sitting on a flatbed trailer, in Yellowknife one winter...

The equipment was headed to the diamond mine, and it was required that it be operational on arrival, in order to climb off the trailer at a loading dock.

The heater was mounted on a trailer with a big oil tank, with a small collection of tubing for directing the heated air flow. Then, the equipment was shrouded in the usual collection of tarps and whatnot. It was also rigged with a remote temp sensor that was put inside the tarping, in order to be sure that things weren't getting too toasty, and this whole thing required constant vigilance. Ambient temps would have been below -20 F degrees, so the only way to get things warmed up is with a lot of BTU's.

20 to 30 minutes later, it started, and once it was running smoothly, the truck was dispatched for the mine, equipment idling all the way, and then, no doubt, for the rest of the winter.

happy coaching!
buswarrior