Ice Crystals in the Diesel

[sheepfarmer]

These tractors have so many different strategies for handling fuel, I am still learning about the B. The high pressure common rail pumps are said to be ultra sensitive to water ( in the 3560) so I got in the habit of obsessing about it. But the B 2650 has a different fuel pump. On my list of things to do is to see if the fuel is run in a loop in the 2650 like it is in the 3560. Might affect how much air is pulled in through the vent in the cap.

 

[85Hokie]

"Another hint: the plastic bottles that hold some brands of kitty litter have really wide mouths and are perfect for holding the funnel when it finishes dripping, and are wide enough that you can dump the sump in them without spilling too."

Gatorade - the 32 oz bottle -cut the bottom off the gatorade, and mr funnel will fit perfectly in it - I place the gatorade bottom in the wide mouth BX25D - it stays upright too. Then I shake and tap the bottle and funnel all at once - very little left in the funnel!
I then take a nice clean cloth and stick it in the funnel and invert - or....you could stick the gatorade cap on ....mmmmmmmm

 

[Toyboy]

Ted, I think your third idea would be about as good as it gets, at least as far as dealing with winter and water and fuel gelling. In the summer when the water in either the fuel tank or storage tanks can allow algae to grow, and the additives are different, some other method might work better because while the Mr Funnel might filter out water, I am guessing it wouldn't filter out single algal cells or bacteria.

Another hint: the plastic bottles that hold some brands of kitty litter have really wide mouths and are perfect for holding the funnel when it finishes dripping, and are wide enough that you can dump the sump in them without spilling too. Now all I need to do is figure out what to do with the waste diesel. These bottles would also be good for collecting waste oil when changing fluids. Now all you need is a cat

I've been lucky so far as to never have the ice crystal problem. But when I fill up and use the Mr Funnel, I'll set the funnel in an clean clear plastic instant coffee bottle to drip out. Then I'll dump the funnel sump into it and replace the lid & put it on a shelf. After a couple days I'll check it and see if any water/dirt has settled in the bottom. If not, the next time I fuel the tractor, I'll pour it into the Mr Funnel and start the process over again.
I used to dump the fuel on an old stump I want to burn out, but after looking at it, it was always clear and clean so I started to do what I described above. Why waste good fuel?

 

[Haylough]

If you're concerned about fuel gelling up, use about 4-50z of winter diesel fuel power service, also pickup a plastic bottle of diesel fuel anti gel "911" (in red plastic bottle). The 911 is used for if your system does gel up, it de-gels the system. I even add this in when fueling in super cold weather, even though it states on bottle not a preventer of gelling. It un-gels (if a word). Knock on wood no issues, and we use this in our diesel trucks and bobcat with kubota engine.

 

[SDMauler]

Here in South Dakota, the gas stations switch to a 50/50 mix of #1 and #2 diesel as their "winter blend" around the first week of November.

And the correct phrase is "colder than a wh@$&'s heart on GI payday".

 

[sheepfarmer]

The thing that struck me when I wrote the post was that I could SEE the tiny crystals catching the light because it was so cold. I've used the filter for a couple of years and never saw any evidence that there was any water in the fuel. So it is worth filtering for it even if you can't see it.

 

[JackJ]

I also get rid off the dregs in my waist container.

I've been trying like crazy to reduce the dregs in my waist container, but not having much success.

 

[Newlyme]

I have never seen ice in the fuel cap, but it would not surprise me. It would require right conditions of temperature and humidity for the ice to form, and the right conditions probably occur in Michigan. I would think it might happen on a day with high humidity with rising temperatures after a cold night. You take the tractor out of an unheated garage and the tractor is colder than the warming air. The tractor is loaded up blowing snow so the tank level is going down and sucking the moist air into the vent on the cap. Not sure you can prevent the condensation, you just hope it doesn't get bad enough to stop the tractor.

I have searched for a thread on condensation and thought this might be an appropriate thread to add my questions to.

What times of the year would condensation be more likely to occur?
Early spring and late fall?
I've heard Diesel Fuel attracts moisture. True?
To all of you who use the Mr Funnel,
How much water are you removing when filling up?
A drop(s)? Or an ounce(s)?
I've heard people who have water separators in the fuel system say they have never seen water in it.

The reason for my curiosity is, I use a fuel additive for lubrication that is not the best for treating water in the fuel. The product that they have for dealing with the water the best is not their best solution for lubrication. Lubrication is my biggest concern.

I've never seen frost in the fuel tank cap as Sheepfarmer has. That would really give me concerns with a CR system.

So bottom line how much of a problem is water in the fuel.