River Canal Rescue tells to change winter fuel storage strategy

IN A BID to reduce the number of cases of sticky fuel, River Canal Rescue is advising boaters to change their winter fuel storage strategies.

Sticky fuel is unrelated to the usual fuel contaminants and causes injection pump racks to seize, fuel injector and filter head plungers to fail, and return lines to block.

Fuel and chemical breakdown

RCR tells a common denominator in all reported cases is the use of fuel treatments. They in themselves are not at fault; but surmise there may be a link with fuel and chemical breakdown when they’ve been stored for a while.

With fuel suppliers advising diesel only has a shelf life of around six months and chemicals starting to break down after this time, RCR is urging boaters to take notice of this new information and take the following action.

Managing director, Stephanie Horton, comments:

”Over winter, where previously I would advise to fill tanks to prevent condensation build-up, best practise now is to leave them empty and upon return, drain off any water build-up, treat the remaining fuel and then add fresh.

“If using a fuel treatment, given we know chemicals start to breakdown within six months and we believe this is one of the contributing factors, use it within six to 12 months of purchase.”

Identifying sticky fuel

To help boaters identify a sticky fuel problem, Stephanie suggests they take a fuel sample and leave it in a clear glass jar on a window cill in the light. Initially, the fuel will be clear, but after a couple of days, if it is affected, it will go from clear to cloudy.  She continues: 

“If you are worried about your fuel or have symptoms consistent with sticky fuel, doing this test first may prevent you from having to dump what’s in your tank.”

If there is an issue, RCR recommends fuel removal and disposal, using a franchise company that removes the ‘wrong fuel’ from vehicles, such as Fuel Doctor or Wrong Fuel etc. These companies have large containers in vans, long hoses and can attend the same day.

Pump it out

The cost is £150-£180, with 20 litres of fuel delivered, and more can be requested. If accessibility is a problem, RCR suggests using a boat yard facility to pump it out.

Stephanie concludes:

“Once the tank’s refilled with fresh fuel, leave any treatments for a while as fresh fuel appears to clean any residue in the fuel system. Winns injector cleaner is also good at clearing signs of sticky fuel in the system, however in most cases, the fuel will still need to be removed.”

Background

In December 2020, River Canal Rescue reported a rise in the number of call-outs across the UK for fuel-related issues, unrelated to the usual fuel contaminants.

Engineers found cases of seized injection pump racks with blocked nozzles, fuel injector and filter head plunger failures. The culprit was fuel that had left a syrupy and sticky residue in the fuel system, clogging components.

RCR said it was ‘contamination not seen before’, and fuel samples taken from boats were sent away for analysis. Bafflingly the samples were clear—it appears the only indication of contamination is a smell of turps/paint thinners.  This is due to any residue in the fuel being so small it is not able to be collected. Engine distributor Barrus also confirmed the samples it sent off were returned with no issues.

Over the past four years, RCR has been working to identify solutions to this protracted residue build-up, to prevent it clogging up engine components. RCR engineers, have however, seen fuel related call-outs (injectors/pumps/contamination etc) continue to rise and believe it’s directly attributed to sticky fuel related issues.

Ne in the know

• Sticky fuel occurs in all types of engines, anywhere in the country and with boaters using a range of different fuel suppliers; local fuel supply is not the problem.
• Do not store fuel for more than six months.
• Do not store/use fuel treatments for more than a year
• Leave your tank empty over winter.
• If there are issues with the engine running and no clear cause—treat with Winns injector treatment to clear suspected signs of sticky fuel.

Sticky fuel v contaminated fuel

Sticky fuel looks clear, has no signs of contamination, the filters are clean but injectors and injection pumps collect a sticky residue that stops them operating correctly, producing similar symptoms to contaminated fuel. It can also affect other elements such as return lines, filter plungers and lift pumps.

Contaminated fuel is typically diesel bug, but also water, rust and debris in the fuel. The fuel will look cloudy and have clear signs of contamination causing filters, pipes and pumps to block, and engines to run rough or cut-out, causing vibration and smoke.