Description

• Diesel fuel, a product of crude oil, powers certain vehicles. It also can be used to operate generators that produce electricity. Biodiesel is a similar fuel that may combine petroleum diesel fuel with organic matter, such as soybean oil.
  
  

Cold Weather Problems

• Diesel fuel can thicken or become solid in cold temperatures that are below the freezing mark. This causes the fuel to flow slowly from the tank to the injector pump, and your vehicle's engine eventually could stop. Biodiesel fuel reacts in a similar way, but it begins to gel at warmer temperatures than petroleum diesel.
  
  

Remedies

• Mix a winter diesel fuel additive into your tank as a way to prevent diesel fuel from gelling. Once the diesel already has thickened, try to fix the problem by changing your vehicle's fuel filter and letting the diesel fuel get warmer. The fuel's temperature will increase if you wait for the outside temperature to increase, use a block heater or move the vehicle into a warmer environment.