A diesel engine has no ignition system, thus missing one of the primary sources of problems in gasoline cars. In fact, a diesel engine can run completely without electricity as long as it gets fuel.
However, the diesel has an Achilles’ heel, which is exposed when the temperature creeps below zero.
Here you will find out how to avoid problems in your diesel car this winter.
Diesel cannot withstand cold
The problem with diesel as a fuel is that it is not particularly resistant to cold.
When the temperature drops below a certain level, the diesel becomes cloudy, due to precipitation of paraffin crystals. This is called the cloud point of diesel.
If it gets cold enough, the diesel becomes so cloudy that it clogs the fuel filter, whereupon the engine does not get the fuel it should. This can lead to both walking and starting problems.
The temperature at which the diesel can no longer flow through a fuel filter is called CFPP, which is an abbreviation of the English Cloud Filter Plugging Point.
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This is how the cold affects the diesel
Regular diesel, which is what’s on the sandwiches in the summer, has according to the oil company Prem a cloud temperature of minus 10 degrees, and a CFPP of minus 20 degrees.
When the cold hits, it’s important to have the right diesel in the tank – Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT
If you have this diesel in the tank, you risk problems in the event of a cold snap.
For that reason, the dealers fill their pumps with special winter diesel during the winter months, which can have a CFPP of all the way down to minus 32 degrees.
Then you risk problems with your diesel car
Anyone who drives their diesel car regularly, and therefore refuels relatively often, will probably not encounter problems, as you will naturally have time to use up the summer diesel and fill up with winter diesel before the cold comes.
Those who are at risk of having problems are according to the supermarket chain St1 those who use their diesel car more sporadically, and leave it standing for long periods. The same applies if you have a diesel-powered plug-in hybrid that you mostly run on electricity, and therefore rarely refuel.
Then, according to St1, it is smart to plan a refueling in the autumn to ensure the car’s reliability when the cold comes.
Mackarna usually switch to winter diesel in the middle of September in the northern parts of Sweden, while further south you wait until the middle of October.
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