What to do after diesel cold weather failure?

medicina, Feb 6, 7:26am
A friend didn't have additive in diesel and has tried to start car in extreme cold (Europe).The viscosity has dropped to a non-flowing gel.What's the best thing to do now!--other than walk obviously, lol.TIA

jason_247, Feb 6, 7:27am
blame bmw/mini

rocky0169, Feb 6, 7:28am
sprayeather,, cold star into the air cleaner. deiselis compression ignition so it need's dry air to compress.mositure and condesation is a big killer

matthew_129, Feb 6, 7:30am
Thats not going to do much when the diesel fuel is no longer a liquid, will get it running for a second or two. Need to get alot of heat into it and thaw the fuel a bit

mugenb20b, Feb 6, 7:34am
Add a litre of petrol to the tank.

medicina, Feb 6, 7:39am
That would float though wouldn't it!I think this could have been good earlier as an additive (pre diesel) to mix and keep viscosity down but will it work now to start and warm up engine!

saki, Feb 6, 7:45am
vehicle will have to be put in a warmish shed till it thaws, or as they did during WW2 and Korea light a fire under the tank.

medicina, Feb 6, 7:50am
This is such a helpful forum!You guys rock!(progress report later)

intrade, Feb 6, 7:56am
you push it in to a garage and warm it up then it will start and you can fit a additive and it will soon mix with all diesel as diesel return loads of unused fuel to the tank. nothing else will get it started unless you make a fire under it to warm it up but i doubt you have a 1940s truck where you could light fires under without it burning down.

intrade, Feb 6, 7:59am
nothing flows thru once the filter is blocked thats it . and you use keroseen not petrol as additive.

intrade, Feb 6, 7:59am
nothing flows thru once the filter is blocked thats it . and you use keroseen not petrol as additive.
also a additive is required to be added once it runs or it will just freeze the fuel to honey again

mugenb20b, Feb 6, 8:12am
True. Run the fuel line from the tank through some kind of heat exchanger that can use coolant for heat source.

medicina, Feb 6, 8:14am
Going for the warmish shed and hoping the filter is not blocked!I'm glad I'm in NZ and not having my friend's frgn freezing cold weather!

socram, Feb 6, 8:44am
I remember our ancient double decker school buses having this problem when snow was thick on the ground and temperatures were below freezing.The garage owner used to appear with a flaming torch and jam it under the bonnet somewhere.I was intrigued and horrified as a 12 year old, expecting the old wrecks to go up in flames any second!

intrade, Feb 6, 9:12am
they heated the steel fuelpipes and injector line with the torch , cant do that these days where everything is plastic.

medicina, Feb 9, 4:36am
All okay now.Towed to a garage, tank drained, filter replaced.Up and running with appropriate additives and caution about where to park!My friend in Europe thanks you all.