[Vwdiesel] Fuel gelling

[travis gottschalk]

I am not for sure but won't the filters getting plugged with the wax crystalls make the pump have to draw the fuel harder to the point of cavitation and over time do damage to the pump. I thought I read that somewhere.Either way isn't it best to just either warm up the filter to get the wax to melt again or shock treat the fuel and change the filters. Prevention is the best anyways. I have been going sevaral different times with -25 F (-32 C) and haven't ever had a problem. I use stanadyne for the lubricant/cetane boost/anti-gel treatment. I have an 04 GOlf TDI and an 81 1.6 NA VW truck and neither show a problem. I did on my 81 rabbit car convert to the 1.9 aaz engine and in the process put the newer filter that once the engine gets warm it doesn't gel the filter as it puts the warm fuel into the filter below 40 F and not back in the tank. It may be a good up grade for some of you if you drive enough in cold weather. The bracket for the newer filter can bolt on (mine uses just the rear stud but it worked). I even had enough room to still have my hand pump (from a boot motor-fishing section in walmart) between the hard line from the tank and the filter to prime it when changing filters-or pumps. Just a couple of thoughts on this though. No one from here seems to have a problem with diesels not starting if they prevented it first. 
 
Also the jetta that isn't starting but is smoking white. I would guess the plugs as well. You are just boiling the fuel and being it is cooler out (in the moring the engine will be colder then the outside temp as it holds the colder night air). I would say that a lower fuel quality, lower compression from being a more used engine and cold made it from hard starting to no starting and maybe a few glow plugs were working when it was just starting hard but still starting. Now it may be the point of no return. Check the plugs by taking the harness of them and seeing if it complets a circute with an ohm meter. If it doesn't complet the circuit the plug is bad. If that is all good then the harness may be bad as they go sometimes. There is a load of info on that on tdiclub.com
 
 
Travis G
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