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Summer diesel fuel, truck sitting for the winter, should I do anything to it?

AJMBLAZER

Better to be lucky than good.
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Just kinda wondering about The Blazer and the diesel fuel in it. I filled it back in August once and frankly haven't driven it a lot due to the leaky fuel pump. Still has most of a full tank. Kept saying I was going to get the part and fix it but never did, then finally got it a month ago but every member of my family except my brother has visited since then...and I met a gal a week ago :whistle: so...yeah...I haven't touched it and the thing hasn't moved out of the garage since late October.

Then they SALTED the hell out of the roads this week at the first mention of snow and ice.:doah:
I haven't driven it, not likely too now unless we get a huge rainfall and it cleans the salt off, and it's sitting there in my garage with at least 3/4 of a tank full of summer blend diesel.
With Big Ugly and Northern Michigan I'd just drive it until the beginning of November or so, fill it up when the winter blend came out, and then park it in the garage. Always worked well.
We get cold here and the garage isn't heated but does stay above freezing. 40's-50's max unless I fire up the space heaters.
Should I be worried about crap growing in the fuel? Anything I should buy and throw in the tank?

Kicking myself a bit for letting this happen but damn, winter got here fast and how in the hell is it 15 days from Christmas?:doah:
 
My plow truck sits more than anyone elses here I'm sure--I only drove it 500+ miles the past year,going by the mileage on my last inspection sticker...its had a 1/4 of a tank most of the time since I got it 7 years ago,and I've yet to even change the fuel filter,a WIX one that was on it when I got the truck,and who knows how long it was on it before I got it!--its getting rusty !..yet the truck always starts OK,(as long as I keep good glow plugs in the 7 cylinders that I can remove them from that is!)...
I bet it has mostly summer blended fuel in it too..I have added some "Power-Kleen" stuff to the fuel once in a while,thats all I have done other than add fuel when I need to use the truck,and I rarely go more than 15 miles away with it,or put more than a 1/4 tank in it..I'd love to be able to fill it,but I dont have 100 bucks!..

My '85 Suburban K10 had a full tank when I bought it just over a year ago--the former owner put 10 bucks worth of Kerosene in it the day I bought it..I'm not sure if that was a good thing though,as the engine refuses to start without using starting fluid unless its over 60 degrees out--but it might have some dead glow plugs or bad wires going to them,I dont think all of them are working..I siphoned some fuel out of it and it dont look contaminated or have any "veggie oil" mixed with it,and I put what I siphoned out in my plow truck and it runs the same,and I also put a gallon in my torpedo heater and it has worked OK..

I dont think diesel "spoils" like gas ,or as quickly..especially if you put some additive in it for cold weather gelling protection...we cut up an old Elgin Pelican street sweeper at the junkyard that had sat there at least 5 years,yet the deisel fuel in its tank still looked and smelled fine,and we dumped it in out loader,and it ran no different than it did with "fresh" fuel...but algae will grow in certain conditions in diesel,maybe the cold weather here most of the year inhibits growth of it??...I know I'm going to change my plow trucks filter,as the truck started surging the other day after a cold start,so I'm betting its close to being clogged !..(but I see lots of rust on the metal fuel lines too,and wont be surprised to find some pinholes in them too)..
 
Just kinda wondering about The Blazer and the diesel fuel in it. I filled it back in August once and frankly haven't driven it a lot due to the leaky fuel pump. Still has most of a full tank. Kept saying I was going to get the part and fix it but never did, then finally got it a month ago but every member of my family except my brother has visited since then...and I met a gal a week ago :whistle: so...yeah...I haven't touched it and the thing hasn't moved out of the garage since late October.

Then they SALTED the hell out of the roads this week at the first mention of snow and ice.:doah:
I haven't driven it, not likely too now unless we get a huge rainfall and it cleans the salt off, and it's sitting there in my garage with at least 3/4 of a tank full of summer blend diesel.
With Big Ugly and Northern Michigan I'd just drive it until the beginning of November or so, fill it up when the winter blend came out, and then park it in the garage. Always worked well.
We get cold here and the garage isn't heated but does stay above freezing. 40's-50's max unless I fire up the space heaters.
Should I be worried about crap growing in the fuel? Anything I should buy and throw in the tank?

Kicking myself a bit for letting this happen but damn, winter got here fast and how in the hell is it 15 days from Christmas?:doah:

With 40 degrees you don't have to worry about gelling but fingus can grow in it in that time so just dump a bottle of Power service from walmart or any additive that says they treat for bacteria as well as the typical gelling issues.
That by the way is an issues wether it's winter or summer when diesel sits for extended periods.
 
id recomend puttin some power service cleaner in there.. the new ulsd has a HORRIBLE life and ive had it turn to a black sludge in a little over 30 days!!!
 
Rained all afternoon so I took it in to my favorite touchless carwash and then filled the tank. Dumped in about a third of a bottle of Power Service and called it good.
 
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