Have you ever wondered what happens to an engine when anything other than fuel gets into it? We’re talking about a diesel engine – it’s winter! For example, additives, or, as previously advised, kerosene, or even brake fluid … And what, it’s with glycol, and that absorbs water, and the brake does not freeze!
To understand such funny, but very important questions, we went to the technologists working with automotive chemical materials. Under their control, auto chemistry was released, which received the national award “Auto component of the Year”, which means that the specialists are qualified. But we started with history …
Sudden paraffin
As known. we have two events that come suddenly – New Year and winter … Winter, in the sense of half a meter of snow per night and frost at ten degrees in the morning. Yes, this is rare at the same time, let’s stop in the cold. If the owners of gasoline cars are puzzled only by the age of their batteries and the ice under their feet, then diesel operators may have more problems. You may remember that you have a regular Webasto, filter heating, and new glow plugs, but, alas, let’s face it, frost will find a crack.
Somewhere a section of the fuel line sticks out, somewhere the heater will work with a delay, and it happens that there is nothing to pump into the engine – solid jelly. And, in spite of the fact that nowadays it is more and more difficult to run into the unwanted summer winter diesel fuel, this happens. There was not a year that an indignant post did not appear on social networks, on forums, on Youtube, and now on Tik-Tok as someone who had refueled at a branded gas station all his conscious car life could not start in the morning and only a tow truck and a warm box saved the poor fellow.
In a word, the owner himself must take care of the flowability of diesel fuel in the off-season and at the beginning of winter. Why does it turn into a cloudy gel? It’s simple – diesel fuel contains paraffin, which accelerates combustion.
At temperatures below minus ten, it becomes solid, and the fuel thickens so much that it cannot seep through the filters and even through the pipes of the fuel fittings. Winter fuel undergoes additional dewaxing, so it is slightly more expensive than summer fuel. How to be saved?
Expensive is not always good
There are ancient folk remedies, modern folk remedies, myths, counterfeits, and professional formulations recommended by manufacturers. Let’s take a quick look at everything.
The first and most common is to pour kerosene into the warm fuel in the evening. It will lower the freezing point slightly. How much? Unknown … But it is known that getting on the plunger pair, kills it, because it does not have sufficient lubricating properties. In extreme cases, it will, but it may be cheaper on a tow truck.
The so-called “Liquid I” is a chemical used in aviation for defrosting mechanisms, de-icing and as an anti-crystallization additive in kerosene. Like alcohol in water so it doesn’t freeze. Waxing will not help at all, but it can do harm the same way.
Finally, completely wild advice is brake fluid. Yes, it absorbs water, but it also does not affect the paraffin in any way. Pure myth! And harmful, besides …
Finally, angels. Diesel fuel additives, which not only contribute to its liquefaction but also improve the quality, maintaining the cetane number, compensating for the loss of paraffin. Optimal, proven option. There are two problems here: the additives themselves are not cheap, and no matter how expensive they are, no one will bother to run into counterfeit products. Moreover, the more expensive the brand, the more likely it is to be faked. And God knows what will happen to the engine later.
Therefore, we recommend – drugs from the middle price category, but proven, in particular, “Antigel for cars” from RUSEFF, “Antigel for trucks” and a super-concentrated agent for the most severe variants “Antigel for cars ”1: 120, also from RUSEFF.
All antigels, or, as they are officially called, depressant-dispersing fuel additives, are essentially the same, differ only in the combination of active substances and their concentration, as well as in the innovative composition. All of them, in addition to depressant properties, give the fuel increased lubricating characteristics, without changing the cetane number, that is, without affecting the ability to ignite from compression.
Agree, it is unpleasant when fuel will still be supplied to the cylinders, but will not burn there! Rousseff’s formulas and ingredients are the most modern, convenient packaging and the declared characteristics are impressive: the fluidity of the lowest-quality solarium remains up to – 52 degrees! This is the operating limit for the Arctic class fuel. I wonder if we add antigel from RUSEFF to the Arctic?
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