Good Sam Club Open Roads Forum: Storing My Diesel Truck Over Winter Advice
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 > Storing My Diesel Truck Over Winter Advice

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Grit dog

Black Diamond, WA

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Posted: 09/12/22 02:32pm Link  |  Quote  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

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.


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mkirsch

Rochester, NY

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Posted: 09/13/22 09:08am Link  |  Quote  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

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.

IdaD

Idaho

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Posted: 09/13/22 09:33am Link  |  Quote  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

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


Cummins12V98

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Posted: 09/13/22 09:49am Link  |  Quote  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

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.


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SweetLou

La Quinta, CA USA

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Posted: 09/13/22 04:24pm Link  |  Quote  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

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?


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Fisherman

Angus, Ontario, Canada

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Posted: 09/13/22 05:47pm Link  |  Quote  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

No, leave it closed, dirt and errant bugs and other critters might explore and fall in. No worry.

Cummins12V98

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Posted: 09/14/22 09:51am Link  |  Quote  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

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!!!

Grit dog

Black Diamond, WA

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Posted: 09/14/22 05:12pm Link  |  Quote  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

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.

PA12DRVR

Back in God's Country

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Posted: 09/15/22 09:56am Link  |  Quote  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

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....


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SweetLou

La Quinta, CA USA

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Posted: 09/21/22 07:38am Link  |  Quote  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

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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