Fuel Warmer:

[Rob]

On the rt. side frame rail there is a water heated fuel warmer. It is in good condition and works fine but I don't know if there is any benefit to using it. The truck is a 72 R-685 and I sold the engine/trans from it years ago. The balance of the truck is scrap and it will no longer roll thanks to being underwater for a spell.

I'm currently stripping it for spare parts and then will probably scrap the balance.

Any benefits to using one of these things that I don't know about?

Thanks,

Rob

[Bollweevil]

Rob, the greatest benefit of a fuel warmer comes in extreme cold weather. To gain anything from this unit it would have to be plumbed to return heated fuel to the tank. In the past, before blended fuel became more popular, we would mix half no. 1 and half no. 2 diesel, to keep the fuel from jelling. When it was really cold and the wind was blowing out of the North Pole. even that didn't help much. It used to be fairly common to see trucks on the side of the road with the fuel jelled. I have used a water heated unit manufactured by Artic Fox, which mounted inside the fuel tank. It worked well, and I could use the cheaper southern fuel in the upper mid west. From a performance stand point, there is more to be gained by cooler, denser, air than warmer fuel. I would be interested to see a picture of this unit. James

[Rob]

Rob, the greatest benefit of a fuel warmer comes in extreme cold weather. To gain anything from this unit it would have to be plumbed to return heated fuel to the tank. In the past, before blended fuel became more popular, we would mix half no. 1 and half no. 2 diesel, to keep the fuel from jelling. When it was really cold and the wind was blowing out of the North Pole. even that didn't help much. It used to be fairly common to see trucks on the side of the road with the fuel jelled. I have used a water heated unit manufactured by Artic Fox, which mounted inside the fuel tank. It worked well, and I could use the cheaper southern fuel in the upper mid west. From a performance stand point, there is more to be gained by cooler, denser, air than warmer fuel. I would be interested to see a picture of this unit. James

Hi James, that is pretty much my thoughts on the thing also. I usually buy fuel in bulk that is already cut either 60/40, or 70/30 with #1 diesel for me in the winter. I've never seen one of these on trucks that appear to be factory installed and agree that cool, dense air is beneficial to operation.

I'll get a photo snapped and post it tonight.

Thanks,

Rob

[Packer]

In the not to distance past a small company was making and selling hot water fuel heaters.

The system would use the coolant lines to add heat to the tanks via a S.S. tube that was 'L' shaped and inserted in the tanks.

Companys were the biggest users in the cold areas like Wyoming.

If one truck was kept warm at night, it would be started and then hooked to another truck and warmed the fuel and engine.

Now you had two trucks running and soon 4, then 8, etc.

At 35-40 below and a 30-40 mile wind, even with 50-50 fuel, diesel would jell with-out heat.

Packer

[theakerstwo]

If you dont need it i would not put it on,that is a good place to get coolant in your fuel if it is very old.

[Rob]

If you dont need it i would not put it on,that is a good place to get coolant in your fuel if it is very old.

I thought about that as a possibility Glenn. I really did not plan to use it because I've never had any fuel problems using the same vendor consistently. I did check it with 30 psi of air and it did not leak either from the fuel, or the coolant side.

Thanks,

Rob

[CML Service]

Hi Rob,

I have seen thes many times in my area. They do work but they also do seem to clog. Not sure if it is from the heating or the internal passage design. But I've bypassed them to solve no power problems in the past. A side note one company I worked for had a fleet of Macks with exhaust heated fuel. The exchanger looked like a small muffler with a 1 1/2" pipe tee'd into the exhaust. They seemed to work OK untill the pipe tee rotted off. A salesman may tell you that the high fuel temp will kill or discourage bacteria growth in your tanks.

Chuck