[Vwdiesel] Fuel 101 --- ( the MICROBES ---nasty little

[Val Christian]

> > So as you can
> > see , to drain FREE  water  H-O-H  may not be enough
> 
> 
>   So you're saying it's soluble water in diesel fuel that's clogging the 
> filter in cold weather???
>   Soluble water of any quantity in oil, is a stretch.  Liquid water can 
> freeze and plug a line or passage, wax will crystalize and drop out of 
> suspension and increase the viscosity or clog lines and filters but 
> snow in a reverse sublimination process in diesel fuel???  Bah!
>     Loren

Actually, (I didn't look up the numbers, but trust me) it's true.  H2O will
imbed within the molecules of diesel fuel, to a degree.  When it becomes
saturated, the same thing that happens when the air becomes saturated
happens.  It precipitates.  When it's cold, the precip is in the form
of ice crystals.  Oddly enough, they act as a catalyst for the formation
of wax crystals.  

Unsaturated water in fuel raises the cloud point of diesel (and jet) fuel.

Test your relationship with your wife.  Do a Hagar.  Take some diesel
fuel, at room temp, stir it up with water.  Let the water settle, and 
decanter off some diesel off the top.  Now chill it in the freezer.
(This is why Hagar's food always tastes like diesel.)  As it gets 
colder, it will cloud.  Most likely, just prior to the temp where it
clouds, you'll see tiny suspended water particles, as they start 
preciping out first.

Oh the temp vs. unsat H2O levels change in diesel, just like in air.
The colder the temps, the less the unsat H2O content.

In case you were wondering, the same thing happens in hydraulic fluid,
and many hyd. filters will wax/ice up on heavy equipment if it sits
unused and soaking up atmospheric moisture before used to clear the 
blizzard from the shopping mall.

Val