Insulation only slows heat transfer. If there is no heat in the first place, it does bugger nothing. It will only make a difference around the engine compartment, and only for a few hours at best.

 

What's the return line to fuel tank on the rodeo??From the engine bay some heat would be conducted along the metal piping which has been covered in insulation.so it starts out warmer than would otherwise be the case.

 

My best guess is that it is the return line to the fuel tank.

 

Excess fuel from the fuel pump returns to the tank. On a Rodeo similar to yours it is a small tube on the fire wall side of the fuel pump and leads back under the firewall. If you have to prime the fuel pump you can pull this tube off to see when fuel has reached the fuel pump and it will not add air to the system. If the return line is frozen somewhere under the car then it will not run for long but if you pull it off then it may run if the lines to it (and filter) are free but you will drop fuel excess fuel on the ground. Pulling this line off and blowing compressed air down it may help but make sure to take the fuel cap off first. You will hear it bubble in the tank when free. Compressed air is a common fix for minor waxing issues. That with some boiling water will get most going but Rodeo's can be fussy. I have a suspicion Charlie knows these tricks and likely tried them.

 

Anyone know of any other place on the bairnsdale approach that sells Alpine diesel late Friday night? Also had issues with omeo.

 

This thread and one from 2012 https://www.ski.com.au/xf/threads/alpine-diesel-availability-late-at-night.54670/ says Woolies Caltex in Bairnsdale although I have not used it. Look them up and give them a call to check plus find out when they close. Some additive would be advised regardless. None from there on.

 

So there is some great info here but it's a couple of years later...it sounds like the Alpine diesel from the Shell in Bright (or others) is not enough for a few straight days of a diesel car sitting in sub zero temps before coming back down from Hotham. I really want to safe guard against this with my series 1 Disco (300tdi) so what should I do...just get Alpine diesel and put in some additive? How much?? I really don't want it to freeze up even though it won't get too far below zero it'll still be below, it'll probably snow a bit, and it'll be sitting there without starting for three days straight.

 

I'd be surprised if you filled up with Alpine diesel at Bright; however if you're mixing down with say, 1/2 a tank of normal diesel, then either get additive (the servo should have) - and mix to the directions, then top up with alpine diesel. Alternatively use kero - again to the ratio specified earlier in the thread, then top up the rest with alpine diesel.

 

I froze some diesel with additive and with out at various different ratios.

Use as directed and you won’t have a problem in aus. Alpine diesel if used correctly probably okay but if blended probably not.

I treat the normal diesel at the ratio on the bottle and use alpine diesel if I can but assed stopping or need diesel.

I hear the two servos in bright were involved in the huge freeze up last year but one wasn’t.

 

I will time it so that I'll end up putting mostly a full tank of Bright Alpine Diesel in it, but from what I'm reading it sounds like Alpine Diesel ain't Alpine Diesel anymore and people seem to get more confidence out of treating normal diesel with the additive, that way you at least know the ratios. Is this a better option then or can I trust the stuff in the pumps?

I'm still confused.

 

Real Alpine diesel is only going to be good to -6 or -7. That is the Australian standard. Going beyond 5% Kero in normal diesel and you could be damaging fuel systems. Just make sure your tank is almost empty before filling and to be sure put a single dose of additive at the fill. When you start your car in the cold, let it warm up properly before you drive off. The biggest problem is when waxed fuel blocks the fuel filter and many people will start and drive off only to stop a km or so down the road. The engine bay will warm if you let it idle and help keep fuel flowing. If you make the demand for fuel higher quickly then you have more chance of blocking the filter.

 

Okay so full tank of Alpine Diesel plus a single dose of additive (that I can buy at the servo in Bright)...got it, many thanks for clearing that up

Mine is an older diesel anyway and those things will run on anything so even if the fuel sucks it shouldn't hurt too much, it just might annoy people driving behind me up the mountain a bit more than usual haha

 

As far as I’m concerned there is no such thing as real alpine diesel. The freezing point depends how much additive or kerosene is mixed into it by the fuel station as to what the freezing point becomes. What is equally important is having it evenly distributed in the diesel. I hear some servos just pour it into the tank before getting it delivered which is far from ideal.

For example diesel sold in Nz is rated to -14 degrees in part of the country and in others to only negative a couple degrees depends on the climate of that region.

IMHO the problem I see is people blending winter/alpine mix with normal diesel.

When winters over I’ll do another test and freeze winter diesel from various stations.

 

The Lucas anti-gel additive bottle says overdosing won't harm the donk.

 

The Lucas anti-gel additive bottle says overdosing won't harm the donk.

 

Well, they would, wouldn't they? To channel Mandy Rice-Davies

 

Alpine diesel should be delivered to the service station from the supplier and not mixed on site by the owner/operator. I can't say if this is the case for all servos. I was always suspect of Omeo. Caltex provides its own Alpine mix and should be reliable but as I said before, they all work to the Australian Standard.