ericbaisch
Member
I recently traveled from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to the Adirondacks in New York. I filled up with 13 gallons of diesel fuel just East of Watertown, New York. The temperature was -15 degrees Fahrenheit. After driving around 30 miles my engine began shuddering when throttle was advanced above about 70% maximum. I figured it was bad fuel with water mixed in that was plugging up the filter. I waited until I had consumed about 1/3 of the tank and purchased a fuel additive at a truck stop to address that symptom and topped off my tank. The situation seemed to get a bit better but was not corrected. In the hills of Pennsylvania I could not quite maintain the speed limit on the highest few.
As soon as I returned home I changed the fuel filter and the problem was corrected. I cut open my filter as I always to when I change it. Never before have I seen any sign of water or dirt. There was no water in my filter but it was filled with black sludge. See link to photo below.
https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/OXLCE17xQuC07Et95kGb-g.pvOFbRDbcgMq1OgiA_y6Qp
Before I contact the service station that supplied the fuel to complain I wanted to ask others with more experience if the sludge could have been a result of the colder than normal temperatures causing sludge already in my tank to be released to plug my filter? Is that source of the sludge most likely the last batch of fuel that I purchased?
My car is a 2006 Golf TDI with 210,000 miles.
Regards,
Eric
As soon as I returned home I changed the fuel filter and the problem was corrected. I cut open my filter as I always to when I change it. Never before have I seen any sign of water or dirt. There was no water in my filter but it was filled with black sludge. See link to photo below.
https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/OXLCE17xQuC07Et95kGb-g.pvOFbRDbcgMq1OgiA_y6Qp
Before I contact the service station that supplied the fuel to complain I wanted to ask others with more experience if the sludge could have been a result of the colder than normal temperatures causing sludge already in my tank to be released to plug my filter? Is that source of the sludge most likely the last batch of fuel that I purchased?
My car is a 2006 Golf TDI with 210,000 miles.
Regards,
Eric