Artfuldodger
Senior Member
I'm watching a Truck House Life video on You Tube and his fuel had froze and turned to gel.
I understand the fuel filter heater concept to keep the filter from turning to gel and the tank additive.
But his truck wouldn't start. He said if he got it started, he would not switch it off for the rest of the trip. A neighbor where he spent the night had left his pickup running for six straight days.
My question is why would leaving the truck running while parked and camping, keep his fuel from freezing?
I did read this answer but wondered if it applied to smaller trucks like an F350;
Even with the engines left idling, keeping the fuel system happy requires some technology. The engines all have fuel pumps that supply a steady flow to the engine with significant return to the tank, even when in notch 8. This flow is warmed by passing thru the injectors (high pressure pump on GEs) before going back to the tank. In very cold climates, this is not enough to keep the fuel in the tank above the cloud point, so most road use fuel preheater which are heat exchangers between the fuel suppy line (upstream of the filters) and the engine cooling system. UP also uses a "hot well" partition in the fuel tank to keep the fuel near the suction line warm. The fuel return line is directed to the hot well.
I understand the fuel filter heater concept to keep the filter from turning to gel and the tank additive.
But his truck wouldn't start. He said if he got it started, he would not switch it off for the rest of the trip. A neighbor where he spent the night had left his pickup running for six straight days.
My question is why would leaving the truck running while parked and camping, keep his fuel from freezing?
I did read this answer but wondered if it applied to smaller trucks like an F350;
Even with the engines left idling, keeping the fuel system happy requires some technology. The engines all have fuel pumps that supply a steady flow to the engine with significant return to the tank, even when in notch 8. This flow is warmed by passing thru the injectors (high pressure pump on GEs) before going back to the tank. In very cold climates, this is not enough to keep the fuel in the tank above the cloud point, so most road use fuel preheater which are heat exchangers between the fuel suppy line (upstream of the filters) and the engine cooling system. UP also uses a "hot well" partition in the fuel tank to keep the fuel near the suction line warm. The fuel return line is directed to the hot well.
