[allan5oh]

Up here in Canada we run straight #1 from about November into March. Don't be scared to run it. It's only 4% less BTUs. Straight #1 should be good to the -35 range. Don't believe the marketing of the additives. I used to park my truck outside in -30 and never added anything because I was running good fuel.

If an engine is really "gelled" it will never start in the first place. Gelling is a bad term really. There's three issues:

1) Wax dropout. Happens before gelling, the fuel gets cloudy and the wax particles drop out of the fuel and plug the filter. Chuck in some additive, change the filter, and pray.

2) Fuel gelling. It turns solid or near solid. The pump cannot move the fuel. You need a tow truck at this point, but most trucks are looooooooooong dead before this happens.

3) Water/ice. If the fuel is clear this is likely your issue. Ice can pile up in fittings. The best way to get rid of it is to manually remove it. Most filters have a drain. I drain my tanks a little bit every fall. One of the most common issues on a newer style dual return fuel system is one tank is more full than the other. Usually thats ice buildup in the T fittings. Some additives can help get rid of water by dispersing it, but alcohol floats on top of diesel while water is heavier.

A note about the red bottle diesel 911. I've seen guys use this stuff as a regular additive. Don't do that. It is extremely harsh on humans and engines. I carry a bottle in case of emergency, if I open it the whole bottle goes in and gets thrown out.

Heated fuel filters (davco 382) are great but aren't the answer to bad fuel. Guys use to run those arctic fox heaters up here and they fell out of favor. One breakdown can completely wipe out your savings of running cheaper fuel.