Fuel Gelled? Cold Weekend weather

2500hd2

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2006
Location
nj
TDI
'12 passat se
Hello,


I took a drive up to VT this weekend. The weather was about 0 degrees overnight.
The Jetta started fine, but 10 minutes down the road it started to quit on me.

I tried to start it a couple of times from there.
My initial reaction was to change the fuel filter, as I thought the filter was dirty. The car has 13k on it.
So I changed the filter (super easy) and the car started and ran for another 10 minutes. Then it died. As this took place it started to get a bit warmer.
So I finally got the car started and when I did, I just kept the car at 3k to warm her up.
The car ran great and I headed to fill up the car with some fresh diesel and add some anti-gel to the tank. I added hett anti-get fluid. The tank was originally at half.
Car runs great now.

So I guess the pump were I got the fuel from (northern NJ) did not provide a winter blend.
Any insight to this? I don't want it to happen again. Now I carry a spare anti-gel bottle.
Thanks,
Mark
 
Last edited:

Joe_Meehan

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 3, 2005
Location
Ohio USA
TDI
NB TDI, 2002.5, Silver
The best bet is to buy from a station that does a lot of diesel business. If you see three stations and the low price one has no trucks there and the other two do, you know don't go to the low price station.
 

MyAvocation

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 9, 2004
Location
Hoffman Estates, IL
TDI
2017 Passat SEL TSI
I agree it was bad fuel. Decent winterized D2 is fine at those temps and lower. If you ever pass by that NJ fuel station, give 'em hell and insist on a refund.
We had below zero temps in Chicago for most of last week. Overnight temps dipped as low as -12°F. Coldest start was -8°. Had no problems, even without additives.
 

itsmejerry

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2002
Location
Birmingham, AL
TDI
2015 Passat SE TDI Nav, 2015 Passat SE TDI, 2015 Beetle Convertible TDI, 2015 Golf Sportwagen TDI All Phase 2 Emission Modified complete. 50 State Legal Diesel!
I've learned to never trust any fuel station to properly winterize diesel fuel.
BYOB of diesel antigel. You'll save yourself lots of trouble and you wont be relying on someone else to make sure your car is protected.
 

bikeprof

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2005
Location
Pagosa Springs, Colorado(YEAH!)
TDI
1996 Passat B4 Variant white, 1996 Town & Country 3.8 LXI
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: !

I had THAT happen to me while on a road trip, could have been worse but what I got was EXPERIENCE :) , and I am proud of it.
Bought about $30 of "stuff" to help it come alive, waited till it got above ZERO for the fuel lines to thaw. NO big thing:D .

Like I said... COULD HAVE BEEN worse.
I was running ~30% Biodiesel AND additives.
 

st50maint

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 25, 1999
Location
Long Island, New York
2500hd2 said:
I took a drive up to VT this weekend. The weather was about 0 degrees overnight.
The Jetta started fine, but 10 minutes down the road it started to quit on me.
Same thing happened to my 2006 Jetta. I bought Hess fuel in New York and then drove to Maine to go skiing. It was -2 degrees the next morning and it died just about 10 minutes later. Fortunately my sister was following me in her 2002 TDI which did not have a problem. We left my car and took hers to go skiing. Later that afternoon it warmed up to 12 degrees and my car started and ran fine. Filled it up with Irving diesel and the next morning, with even colder temperatures, there was no problem.
 

03_GOLF_TDI

Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2005
Location
Bangor, PA
TDI
Jetta, 2006, Platinum Gray
Similar thing happened to me last Monday. It was extremely cold, single digits but TDI was parked in an insulated garage all night, so the fuel could not have gelled. On my way to work it stalled at the traffic light, while it was idling. I started it and it worked fine and I madde to work. Once I went out for lunch same thing happened driving down the road, while I was in third. I just restarted and kept the RPM's up and it was fine...

Could the cold air stall the engine?
 

MyAvocation

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 9, 2004
Location
Hoffman Estates, IL
TDI
2017 Passat SEL TSI
Pieter,
Yes, is possible, and may just have been frozen moisture somewhere in/on engine.
The ex-GF's Passat gasser did the same thing last winter during single digit temps. Car was in garage all night, ran fine for 15 miles on the way to work, then stalled/restarted just before arriving. After work couldn't keep it started long enough to leave the parking lot. She wanted to tow it to the dealer, so I drove down, got it started, kept RPMs up enough, then circled around the parking lot until engine reached operating temp. Only took 10 minutes on the 1.8T (jealous). Drove fine, but she insisted on dropping off at dealer. I said, "it's your dime." Dealer charged her 900 dimes :rolleyes: to say found nothing wrong.
 

weedeater

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 17, 2001
Location
Reston, VA
TDI
Jetta, 2001, Baltic Green
So I guess the pump were I got the fuel from (northern NJ) did not provide a winter blend.
They did not sell a winter blend sufficient FOR VERMONT, but probably just fine for Jersey. It's not their fault you drove into the Great White North unprepared.
 

Sloose

Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Location
NJ
TDI
05.5 Reflex Silver Jetta Package 1
Hess is usually the best fuel available in NJ. As I live in new jersey, and my family owned a trucking business(4 and 6 cylinder diesel refrig trucking, since sold, family still works in trucking), Hess usually has the cleanest fuel, least foaming pumps, and best additives.

I *always* run hess fuel if it is available to me. Sucks that you had gelling probs - i always carry anti gel in the trunk even tho i've never needed it.

Also: Hess uses no middle eastern oil. All their oil comes from the caribbean / gulf of mexico.
 

Driver_found

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2005
Location
Phila
TDI
Former MKV Jetta TDI 5M, Former 2013 Passat TDI SE 6M, 2015 Mazda 6 Touring 6m
I thought the Sunoco on the NJ Turnpike was the best, with the best price. Hess in the Philly area is like rot-gut. Casues more smoke than others.

During the winter. I always use Powerservice from the white bottle at every fillup. No matter who's fuel I use. No execptions. Have never had a problem. It also helps restore lubricity from the extra sulphur being removed from the fuel. A splash of BioD also helps in the lubricity department.

-Mike
 

Sloose

Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Location
NJ
TDI
05.5 Reflex Silver Jetta Package 1
Driver_found said:
I thought the Sunoco on the NJ Turnpike was the best, with the best price. Hess in the Philly area is like rot-gut. Casues more smoke than others.

During the winter. I always use Powerservice from the white bottle at every fillup. No matter who's fuel I use. No execptions. Have never had a problem. It also helps restore lubricity from the extra sulphur being removed from the fuel. A splash of BioD also helps in the lubricity department.

-Mike

i dunno...i work in the marine industry, and those additives are mostly regarded as snake oil...gasoline or diesel additives have been proven by a bunch of reliable marine testing companies to add no noticeable or measurable affect.

There are SOME additives that work well in marine environments (which albeit is not all that related to auto),but the engines in the environments I work at idle / run for 10+ hours a day...


to each his own tho...
 

Driver_found

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2005
Location
Phila
TDI
Former MKV Jetta TDI 5M, Former 2013 Passat TDI SE 6M, 2015 Mazda 6 Touring 6m
I was talking to a VW rep from Canada at the Phila Auto show recently. We got started talking about the TDI's and he told me to make sure that I use some sort of additive. Funny he should just volunteer that information, but he told me that the cars run better with it. He said it was cheap insurance and better to use it avoid a problem, than to use it to try and fix a problem. - Maybe from the side of the road.

-Mike
 

NewYorkBuck

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2005
Location
NY/NJ metro
TDI
Jetta 2015 Black
Driver_found said:
I thought the Sunoco on the NJ Turnpike was the best, with the best price. Hess in the Philly area is like rot-gut. Casues more smoke than others.

During the winter. I always use Powerservice from the white bottle at every fillup. No matter who's fuel I use. No execptions. Have never had a problem. It also helps restore lubricity from the extra sulphur being removed from the fuel. A splash of BioD also helps in the lubricity department.

-Mike
I live in Northern NJ, but make frequent trips to the Philly area. If I can, I usually wait till Im down there to fill up because it seems fuel is consistently about 10% cheaper there. In any event, I have filled up down there at this one Hess station many times with no problems at all.
 
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