Boston Area Gel Issues

[btcost]

Hey everyone! Seeing if anyone else has had their fuel gel up this past week!

I’ve been driving diesels since 2002 (15 years) and I’ve never had a car gel up!
Makes me think the fuel distributer didn’t treat the last batch?

My 07 MB gelled up in VT (where it hit -20)
My 15 sportwagen gelled in my driveway (Boston)
And my fathers 17’ MB gelled in his driveway (Boston)

 

[Fahrvegnugen]

I think my fuel sender check valve got clogged. Fuel doesn’t need to do much gelling if that isn’t drilled out I guess. Anything could clog it but I think the cold weather might gel treated fuel that is mixed with untreated fuel at the filling station. Is The power service 9-1-1 sold out everywhere? If so, the suppliers probably didn’t weatherize good enough

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

A nearby TDI owner and IDParts customer had his '99.5 Golf quit at the end of my street on Sunday. I'm not sure if it was fuel gelling or a bad crank position sensor, which took out my '99.5 a couple winters ago. But I'm starting to see a pattern with cars fueled in MA.

 

[btcost]

One car the 07 R-class was fueled at RoJo’s in Norwood. It gelled , but to be fair I was in VT and it hit -20

My VW (2015) and my Dad’s MB were both fired on RT 138. Where it meets Route 128. Canton /Milton line

Looks like that fuel was not treated!

 

[jackbombay]

Looks like that fuel was not treated!

Or not treated enough.

Some white bottle power service through the winter at each fill up costs very little and avoids gelling issues.

 

[btcost]

Or not treated enough.
Some white bottle power service through the winter at each fill up costs very little and avoids gelling issues.

The point of this thread is that I know all this. Even the winter of 2015, where the average temp in Boston was 16 degrees! I had zero issues. No treatment! I stopped treating my fuel because it was a waste of time. Never gelled, 15 years!

Looks like the MA fuel source has changed for the worse.

And shame on me for being lazy all these years. I knew better!

 

[Powder Hound]

There's a couple of things I try and do for fuel:

1) starting in October, I only fill 5 gallons at a time and let it get to the low fuel warning before buying another 5 gallons, until January. I figure it takes a station a while to move the fuel through a few times to ensure that the fuel is all sufficiently treated.
2) I use a winterized Redline fuel treatment. Religiously.

But this winter, I'm having troubles with worn ignition switches dying in the cold. In my wife's 2 cars, anyway. My 4-dr I'm the original purchaser, and I've never hung other keys on the fob. Hers - we don't know their history, but judging by the feel, previous owners have been hanging their workout barbells on the fob. Subsequently, on the coldest mornings, we are seeing ignition switch refusals to start.

PH

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I've never hung other keys on the fob.

Silly as it sounds, this is important. I never hang additional keys on the fob of any car and I've never had an ignition switch fail.

 

[jackbombay]

The point of this thread is that I know all this. Even the winter of 2015, where the average temp in Boston was 16 degrees! I had zero issues. No treatment! I stopped treating my fuel because it was a waste of time. Never gelled, 15 years!
Looks like the MA fuel source has changed for the worse.
And shame on me for being lazy all these years. I knew better!

I wasn't meaning to tell you something you already knew, just putting the info out there.

My car does start better with the white bottle PS in the tank though, and my 2003 sprinter starts much better with white bottle power service in the tank, well, it starts just fine to -24* F, but it is MUCH quieter if I treat my winter fillups with white bottle power service.

 

[Abacus]

Silly as it sounds, this is important. I never hang additional keys on the fob of any car and I've never had an ignition switch fail.

I do the same thing and have never had a repeat failure. But I also only use OEM when replacing that switch.

 

[david_594]

Brian, I've been having some issues over the last week that I think are fuel related. I'm currently in the Concord, NH area.

Adding a ton of PS white to the tank didnt really help me and today the car finally got some Diesel 911 and a new fuel filter.

 

[turbobrick240]

I think most of the US has stopped blending D1 & D2 for winter use. Instead using additives alone to winterize the fuel. Additives alone can be somewhat hit or miss, while blending just seems to work consistently in extreme cold.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Remember that a lot of fuel depots add additives manually. So hit or miss is probably more accurate than we realize. I have my own fuel supply at my house and dose it with Opti-Lube XPD. However, I've doubled up with Stanadyne in all my cars because of the persistent cold. Touch wood, so far, so good, but they are also all inside at night. Garages aren't heated but they rarely get to freezing.

 

[CNGVW]

Had 2 cars come in to the shop gelled this week! And did have one 2011 jetta with 2.5 with 2 gal of DIRTY water in tank took out the fuel pump too!

 

[inthered]

Not Boston, but Jersey.

I think I had a gel up today in my 2013 Passat. I filled up yesterday at an inexpensive station (not name brand) in Asbury Park, NJ. I never had an issue with gelling and I've had a diesel since 2003.

I went to go out this morning (0 degrees outside) and the car started right up as expected. After about 5-10 seconds it stumbled, and eventually stalled out. The car would turn over but immediately stall. Now the car cranks but doesn't turn over. I'm thinking it's a bad batch of fuel?

 

[El Dobro]

The diesel tech at the Chevy dealer I bought the Volt from said he just got a new diesel Colorado in with a gel issue. I should see him next week and I'll ask him what the outcome was.

 

[inthered]

The air temperature moved up to 14-16 degrees an hour ago and I was able to get it started.. here are some strange observations:

My car reported only 7 degrees outside. I still could not get the car started. OBD2 reported my electrical system was only 9 volts (usually 11-12) which is understandable from fiddling with the car earlier.

Other warnings started to come on such as low oil pressure and brake failure. I figured this was because of the low electrical charge in the car that the systems did not receive the proper power.

I dug out my other car and then used it to "jump" or really just provide additional power for the Passat to start. Once I did this the Passat started up immediately with a small stumble. The glow plug light came on and was flashing when I did this. After I let the car run for about a minute or two, I turned it off and restarted it on its own power. There were no more brake, oil pressure, or glow plug light errors...

I took it for a ride, got a cup of coffee, and topped off at a station I use regularly (Wawa). Since the forecasted temperatures do not go below what we have now (16 degrees) for the rest of the entire week, I believe this was an isolated incident.

I truly do believe the gas station I used had poor quality fuel and led to the root cause of this problem.

 

[Lug_Nut]

TWO fuel delivery issues for me.
1) The oil fired burner was serviced earlier this heating season and a new filter element was installed. Last week the gear pump at the burner head was whining loudly and the unit was running nearly continuously. Previously it was cavitation and a new filter element remedied the condition, but this was a new, just a few weeks old, less than 100 gallons through it, element so it couldn't be flow restricted already, right?
I left it for a few days and then had enough. I bought another element and changed the wax / slushy element. Now the whine is gone and the burner runs less frequently and for shorter duration.

2) The A4 BEW has been running w/ a B33 (10 ULSD, 5 B99) mix without issues, until yesterday when it began stumbling under moderate fuel request conditions. Today is the same. The symptoms are a perfect fit of the classic filter flow restriction condition. The filter was a new replacement just prior to the trip to SC and GA for the eclipse in Sept.
I don't currently have a spare filter on my shelf. Why should I? I just replaced it less than 100 gallons ago.
I'll see what is available for off-the-shelf fuel filters in town tomorrow if the warmer (above 10F) temps don't alleviate the stumble - stutter at sustained mid to wide open operation.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

How cold is it where your oil tank and filter are? Seems odd that they would gel.

Forecast is for mid-30s tomorrow. So your BEW may be OK.

 

[johnboy00]

The inspection sticker on my 99.5 Golf expired in October and I haven't been driving it, except to occasionally move it around the driveway. The last time fuel was put in was Sept or October. With my daughters home from college, I needed the car after Christmas. I bought and put in some PS, but realized if the fuel was gelled, it was going to have to thaw before it could circulate to the fuel lines.

It was about 10 degrees out, I went out to try to start it, and the battery was weak. I put it on the charger overnight went out the next morning and ..... It started right up! I was genuinely surprised.

The bad news is that the heater core leaks and has been bypassed. It s one cold ride.

 

[jumpinjoe]

Two TDIs towed in with gelling issue today while my car was in for ny state inspection. I had been having rough cold starts with the car shaking so the dealer added antigel to the fuel.

 

[fisherdanski]

I lost power on Soldier's Field Rd. Monday of last week. Pretty clear that it was a gelling issue. Ugh.

 

[suchshutterfly]

Not Boston, but Jersey.

(snip) I filled up yesterday at an inexpensive station (not name brand) in Asbury Park, NJ.

OH no. I drove through there every day from late November to New Years and was always tempted by the inexpensive diesel at the off-brand stations. Guess that'll be a big nope with additive or not.

 

[Lug_Nut]

How cold is it where your oil tank and filter are? Seems odd that they would gel.

Forecast is for mid-30s tomorrow. So your BEW may be OK.

Oil tank is in the unheated garage half of the cellar. Temp is 40ish down low where the filter is located. At the door to the outside I had a thermometer on the floor in the draft where the floor sweep stops most of the snow. That never went below 32F even on the -10F nights.
It's been colder. I've had ice on the floor 10 feet inside from the door in prior years, but never had a gel issue.

The temp was +10F this morning, no issues with the BEW.
I've also had no issues with B33 in cold, like Christmas week. No issues at the Ho5G event. Just this weekend. Go figure.

 

[hiroler]

The air temperature moved up to 14-16 degrees an hour ago and I was able to get it started.. here are some strange observations:

My car reported only 7 degrees outside. I still could not get the car started. OBD2 reported my electrical system was only 9 volts (usually 11-12) which is understandable from fiddling with the car earlier.

Other warnings started to come on such as low oil pressure and brake failure. I figured this was because of the low electrical charge in the car that the systems did not receive the proper power.

I dug out my other car and then used it to "jump" or really just provide additional power for the Passat to start. Once I did this the Passat started up immediately with a small stumble. The glow plug light came on and was flashing when I did this. After I let the car run for about a minute or two, I turned it off and restarted it on its own power. There were no more brake, oil pressure, or glow plug light errors...

I took it for a ride, got a cup of coffee, and topped off at a station I use regularly (Wawa). Since the forecasted temperatures do not go below what we have now (16 degrees) for the rest of the entire week, I believe this was an isolated incident.

I truly do believe the gas station I used had poor quality fuel and led to the root cause of this problem.

Hey man, did you get diesel at Delta? I had the identical issue with my 2015 Passat in somerset NJ. Today it started but the coil light also flashed and there was a high pitched squeeking sound so I shut it off. I’m going to try it again tomorrow. It wouldn’t start at all on Saturday. Unbelievable.

 

[El Dobro]

The diesel tech at the Chevy dealer I bought the Volt from said he just got a new diesel Colorado in with a gel issue. I should see him next week and I'll ask him what the outcome was.

They let it sit in the shop a couple of days, dosed it with GM diesel additive and let it run a couple of hours. It's back to normal and they told the customer to start using an additive.

 

[n1das]

I think what people are experiencing with fuel that supposedly is winterized is actually ICING due to WATER in fuel and not actually gelling. People often mistake icing for gelling. They think they have gelling but actually have icing instead due to water.

Fuel is winterized in the Boston area and points farther north so it shouldn't gell at temps we saw last Saturday night. I was -9F in Nashua NH on Saturday night. That's cold enough for icing due to water from condensation but still too warm for gelling with winterized fuel. Properly winterized fuel won't gell until you get down to around -40F (-40C) but you can have icing problems due to water long before that.

I suspect ICING due to WATER in fuel in the Boston area and not actually gelling since our fuel is already winterized. Also water ingestion will destroy the HPFP in no time at all and will do so faster than poor lubricity will. Water in diesel fuel absolutely must be avoided at ALL costs. Fuel up ONLY at high turnover stations along major routes to avoid getting watery fuel. Go where the big rigs go. My favorite truck stop in Londonderry NH gets an entire tanker truck (10,000 gallons) of diesel emptied there every day just to keep up with diesel demand because of the heavy truck traffic. I have no worries about water at this station because the fuel is not more than 1 to 3 days old. Also regularly treat fuel with PowerService Diesel Fuel Supplement (white bottle) with every tankful to increase lubricity, provide antigel in case the fuel isn't winterized (unlikely at a high turnover station), and to take care of any water you can't avoid getting.

The bottom line is fuel quality is ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING when it comes to protecting the HPFP and ensuring reliable operation. I proactively treat EVERY tankful year round and fuel up ONLY at high turnover stations along major routes to avoid getting watery fuel.

Good luck.

 

[MichaelB]

As I have been following this thread my thoughts are the same as Davids. I believe that the fuel has been properly treated either with blending with about 20% D1 or anti gell adds. Neither of those two approaches deals with water. If you had water in your tank or the source of your fuel had water in their tanks all the winter treatment for gell point doesn't mean hill o beans. DBW has stressed in many threads here the importance of using PS White to negate water issues not just because it freezes but because it is your hpfp and injectors worst enemy. PS 911 is designed to absorb frozen water in your fuel system once it has frozen (it contains alcohol) alcohol is not a friend of your fuel pump or injectors either but in an emergency (hence 911), it might get you going again. I believe if you use PS white year round you will never have a water issue. nuff said I guess.

 

[red16vdub]

Two weeks ago I had a half tank that was treated with PS white bottle, but decided to fill up in Stoughton Ma, due to the predictable negative temperatures the following morning of -4F . I started my 01 first try and went back in house, left for work 20 minutes later and drove 35 minutes to work. I left the car running and it died 2 hours later while idling. My first thoughts was fuel gelling but upon removing the fuel filter it had actually ice up so I had it towed to Bob Mann who confirm it.


Bajan

 

[Jetter_Sprinta]

I'll 3rd it. When my '99 Jetta stalled in January '99, I knew it was bad fuel. I had filled it at a station that didn't do a lot of diesel business. It sat in the cold over the weekend in Vermont, and when I left for Boston on Sunday night, it died 30 minutes into my drive. It was towed to Kinney VW where they said they had never seen so much ice. Lesson learned: always use a busy diesel station. Second lesson: don't let guys who want to help try to start the car--even if they are tow drivers.

For the record, these were my pre-TDIClub days. Per my dad, my fuel additive was 1 gallon premium gas per tank... only when it was really cold.