Winter diesel blues

[tim curran]

I live in Maine were it gets fricken cold. In order to stop fuel from gelling they cut it with k1. This is killing my fuel mileage. I have used power service howes lube Lucas two stroke oil ATF. I still can't get good mileage this winter. I usually get around 14 in the winter this year even after I got my injection pump fixed I am still getting around ten too 12 mpg. This is killing me. I put around 3 hundred miles a week so at 4.23 a gallon this is not cool. Truck runs good and has plenty of power for weighing in at 8900 lbs. any thoughts?

[ellis93]

Yeah,lighten the load. If that's out of the question then learn to live with it. You can't get blood from a turnip.
A 4 1/2 ton rolling brick is only going to do so much.

[DMan1198]

A had the same complaint about my 4th gen when it still had its emissions equipment. Then I deleted it and now only get 14-16mpg. Then I remember it weighs 8200 pounds and I drive it like a hotrod so in the end I just live with the mileage, and comfort myself with the smiles per mile factor

[cougar]

I live in Alaska were it is fricken cold. 2mpg loss every winter is normal and good luck getting around it. #1 has less energy and you just can't get it back.

[tim curran]

In the summer my truck will gross 22000k on the cat scales. And my mileage towing that weight will be around 12 mpg. Seems like this winter is worse. And I am not a just live with it person gotta be someway to combat this. My truck has a knapheed service body and I repair farm tractors and big rigs on the side. So she is on the road a lot. The less I have to spend the better on things like fuel. If I have to just deal with it I would of kept my 86 with a holy 750cfm double pumper. This winter just seams worse that's all.

[ellis93]

My God man you really are getting good mileage for the weights your running.....ain't no way a gas engine would best that. especially not dodge
A v8 dodge getting "good" mileage is like finding a unicorn.

[cougar]

I've tried for over a decade. I just haven't found anything to add that will up the lost energy. The problem is, additives increase the price. So it is a loose loose proposition. I couldn't say my gasser truck would have been any better @ 8mpg empty. The only thing I can think of is to store sufficient summer fuel to "cut" the winter fuel. The tricky part is how much can you cut it before it jells at your temperature.

[RCCUMMINS89]

Consistent 4-5mpg loss for me in the winter. I drop down into the 15-16 range in Nov. - Mar. Where as the summer, I get up to 22mpg (average about 20 though).

[Remps]

Maybe propane injection would be a good winter additive.

[RCCUMMINS89]

Have you ran it?

[Remps]

No I have not ran propane. I think it would help mileage in the winter, Especially before the engine is fully warmed up, and the diesel isn't burning as efficiently. Might not help much, or be safe to use, while towing. Personally I would be paranoid of a propane system failure that caused too much propane to get to the engine to try it. My w250 had propane at one time, some of the setup is still on the truck. I would like to try warming up my 96 with enough propane going into the turbo intake tube to bring up the idle a little, maybe 100 rpm, and see how it affects warm up time. Might be a project for after work tomorrow.

[cougar]

The economic question is would it offset the cost? I've thought about propane and water/meth as alternatives, but really couldn't see the economic return. Neither systems are cheap and both require "a fuel". I've red of propane increasing mileage when not used as a power enhancer, but at nearly the price of a gallon of diesel it doesn't balance out.

[DodgeFreak]

Wasn't there a chevy in the diesel power challenge a few years ago that ran propane also and was pulling like 60-70 mpg or something crazy like that??? it was a tan truck if I remember right. I don't remember how much propane he used either.

[Diesel]

Power service silver increases my mileage. Adding a quart of 2stroke does the same.