Thread: Starting in the snow

did you fill up with winter diesel?

Your fuel may be freezing iirc they use a different fuel for the climate you are in

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Hey Luke.

I'm just down the road from you. I'm guessing that your Disco is a diesel.

The most likely cause is that you haven't got Alpine Diesel in the tank so the diesel fuel breaks down in the cold and the wax in the fuel separates and solidifies. The fuel system then gets blocked with the wax. Try heating your fuel lines etc with hot water, use towels soaked in boiling water sort of thing. The aim is to get the fuel back up on temp and so reverse the gelling process.

When mobile either get the additive to prevent this gelling or fill the tank with Alpine Diesel.

Good luck mate.

Hey grumbles,
I filled her up with alpine in Bright so bit hard to say. My only concern was that I might bugger the fuel pump if it can't push it??Ill definitely try the hot towel trick etc and see how we go when we need to move the car.
Are you at falls yourself?
Good to know there's some other diehards around on the mountain.

Cheers
Luke

Hey Luke.

If you have Alpine Diesel then perhaps your problem is something else. Oil in the loom maybe?

Nah - not Falls. I live in Mount Beauty.

Cheers.

Originally Posted by bronson

Hey grumbles,
I filled her up with alpine in Bright so bit hard to say.

How empty was the tank? I'm guessing that there is not enough of the alpine mix in the tank.

Julian

Originally Posted by Bohica

How empty was the tank? I'm guessing that there is not enough of the alpine mix in the tank.

Julian

I put about 3/4 of a tank of alpine in. Nothing else wrong with the engine. It's rebuilt 10k ago and goes like a rocket. Hmmmm

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT WINTER DIESEL PROBLEMS?

FUEL

The specification for Diesel varies each month; this is done to ensure that the fuel available is appropriate for the season. Because the Summer Diesel has a higher cloud point, it is not appropriate to use this during winter when lower cloud point diesel is required. To avoid winter waxing problems plan to change over all fuel by May at the latest. It is important that summer fuel should not be kept for winter use.
ALPINE DIESEL: Specific regions of Victoria and NSW are supplied with Alpine Diesel with a significantly lower tendency to waxing, for improved but not complete protection from alpine conditions. Similar procedures for insulation and shelter still apply. When travelling into an alpine region in winter, tanks should be filled with at least 75% Alpine Diesel upon arrival.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURE FOR COLD START

Should wax crystals cause a problem then the following emergency start up procedure has been taken from AS 3570.
1) Check dipstick to ensure engine oil is fluid. If the engine oil is fluid go to step 2. If it is not fluid do not attempt to start the engine because waxy fuel in the crankcase has frozen. Wait until the oil becomes fluid. Using an external heat source such as a blow heater, steam line or exhaust gases from another vehicle will speed up the process. Once the oil is liquid then replace it with fresh oil in accordance with manufacturers instructions.
2) Attempt to start the engine. If the engine fails to start then check the fuel filter for wax. If the fuel won't flow or is hazy then the filter body and fuel lines will need to be heated using a blow heater or steam cleaner.
3) Once the engine starts run it at low speed until it is warm. This will prevent further blockages.