Grit dog
Black Diamond, WA
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Joined: 05/06/2013
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fj12ryder wrote:Okay, I'm a little confused. Where does the air come from that displaces the fuel as it's pumped out and used? Or does it create a vacuum? If the air isn't run through a drier, then it will have some water vapor in it, which can condense out and precipitate into the fuel.
The "air" inside the tank isn't being exchanged rapidly and you probably get more water in your tank if you fill up a capless fuel tank in the rain than what would happen sitting all winter.
Bottom line, the rvnet contingent generally remembers too many things from the past and try to apply them to the present, sometimes incorrectly. This is one of those things.
Diesel, yeah, who cares...fill it, leave it low, doesn't matter since the fuel if full will still be good come spring time. It's a whatever helps you sleep at night thing.
Gasoline, different story although also less of an issue with stale fuel with most newer (last 20-30 years) efi systems. The bigger issue is firing up the RV on a full tank of stanky old 87 E10 (even with stabil, to a point) and then pointing big bertha up the hill full throttle for the first pull of the year on suspect fuel.
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold
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mkirsch
Rochester, NY
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Joined: 04/09/2004
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SweetLou wrote:OK, so most are saying to use a battery minder, and a conditioner. If you use a tender/minder, which brand works well, and in 6 months will it boil batteries dry? Mine are wet Costco interstates. Also will Diesel Klean work as conditioner?
The whole point of a maintainer/minder is to NOT boil the batteries dry. If it does, it malfunctioned or you bought the wrong device.
I use the Harbor Freight Viking brand maintainers on the important machines with dual batteries.
For my gas truck I fill the tank with non-ethanol fuel at great expense, back it in the barn, shut it off, and clip on the maintainer.
For all my diesel tractors I back them in the barn, shut them off, and clip on the maintainer on some of them. Most just sit all winter with nothing. Of course they're all old pre-computer, pre-emissions tractors.
Putting 10-ply tires on half ton trucks since aught-four.
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IdaD
Idaho
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Joined: 08/06/2014
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I have a maintainer on my dad's old Powerstroke that's parked outside at my place. I also start/drive it periodically but short of that, I'd at least keep the maintainer on it.
Similar concept, I also keep the camper plugged in to keep the batteries maintained over the winter.
2015 Cummins Ram 4wd CC/SB
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Cummins12V98
on the road
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I leave my 01 RAM CUMMINS in my shop for 6 months every winter in Western WA. All I do is disconnect the negative terminals. That's it!!!
If it were my 15 I would run the def low if possible but honestly if it is cooler to cold it won't matter.
Truck fires right off every spring.
2015 RAM LongHorn 3500 Dually CrewCab 4X4 CUMMINS/AISIN RearAir 385HP/865TQ 4:10's
37,800# GCVWR "Towing Beast"
"HeavyWeight" B&W RVK3600
2016 MobileSuites 39TKSB3 highly "Elited" In the stable
2007.5 Mobile Suites 36 SB3 29,000# Combined SOLD
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SweetLou
La Quinta, CA USA
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Joined: 06/03/2003
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What about the blue def in the tank? My tank is 1/2 full. I know that it could freeze but I think 1/2 a tank would be enough for expansion. I could open the cap just in case but should I be concerned?
2013 3500 Cummins 6.7 Quadcab 4x4 3.73 68FE Trans, 2007 HitchHiker Discover America 329 RSB
We love our Westie
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Fisherman
Angus, Ontario, Canada
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Joined: 09/28/2002
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No, leave it closed, dirt and errant bugs and other critters might explore and fall in. No worry.
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Cummins12V98
on the road
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SweetLou wrote:What about the blue def in the tank? My tank is 1/2 full. I know that it could freeze but I think 1/2 a tank would be enough for expansion. I could open the cap just in case but should I be concerned?
My truck sets all Summer with whatever DEF that's in the tank when returning to the NW from my Winter Wonderland. Never an issue. You will be fine just disconnect the negative terminals, that's it!!!
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Grit dog
Black Diamond, WA
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SweetLou wrote:What about the blue def in the tank? My tank is 1/2 full. I know that it could freeze but I think 1/2 a tank would be enough for expansion. I could open the cap just in case but should I be concerned?
Don’t leave it open to air.
No freezing issue either. What do you think happens where it gets cold? They freeze every time the truck isn’t running for x number of hours or days. And thaw out once the truck is running and the tank heater turns on.
Fwiw, the Dodges will only overflow from freezing if filled up literally 100% full up into the filler neck.
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PA12DRVR
Back in God's Country
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Joined: 09/17/2003
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Both of my DEF-burdened diesels (both Fords FWIW) routinely sit for days on end in Los Anchorage in the winter and fairly frequently take multi-day trips to Squarebanks and environs wherein overnight temps get to the -40 F or colder range.....whether its multiple days of circa 10 degrees (Los Anchorage) or a couple of days of -30-ish (Squarebanks), that's enough cold for the vehicle to lose any semblance of warmth.
...and I've never had a problem with DEF due to freezing / expansion. Also FWIW, my F550 plow truck regularly sits from end of May to early November: When I remember, I put a tender on it (I have a Schumacher model) but have never had an issue either way regarding battery charge.
...course, since it makes no sense to have an asset like that sitting for 1/3 of the year, I recently sold it....
CRL
My RV is a 1946 PA-12
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SweetLou
La Quinta, CA USA
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Cummins12V98 wrote:SweetLou wrote:What about the blue def in the tank? My tank is 1/2 full. I know that it could freeze but I think 1/2 a tank would be enough for expansion. I could open the cap just in case but should I be concerned?
My truck sets all Summer with whatever DEF that's in the tank when returning to the NW from my Winter Wonderland. Never an issue. You will be fine just disconnect the negative terminals, that's it!!!
I bought a Ctek battery charger/maintainer so using this connected to the truck I don't need to disconnect the negative terminals right? I planned to connect straight up to driver's side battery and let it charge maintain both driver and passenger side batts. I hope this is correct.
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