Fuel gelling question

[silvertdi]

This weekend the temperature dropped to -13 degrees Fahrenheit.  When I tried to start my N/A rabbit it wouldn't start.  I poured some power service diesel 911 in the tank as well as some cetane boost.  I removed the air bleed screw from the top of the fuel filter assembly and noticed that there was no fuel in the fuel filter.  I poured power service into the fuel filter and it fired right up.  The weird thing is that it was running a few hours earlier.  What clued me in to the fuel filter was a visible air bubble working its way up the fuel line after trying to start it.  Was this a gelling issue or some other mechanical issue that manifests itself in the cold?  Thanks.

[Doug]

If you had bought your fuel in a southern zone then driven to a northern one where fuel needs to be winterized then gelling could be an issue. I would say that Illinois has winterized fuel because it is a cold climate area. More likey there is water in your fuel system lying in the fuel line under the body of the vehicle, the lowest point, that has frozen. It happens to diesels as well as gasoline powered vehicles. Get some fuel system antifreeze as well as keep your tank full as much as possible to minimize tank breathing with moisture laden atmospheric air. It is possible to thaw the ice with very judicious use of a propane torch to the fuel line. Just remember to keep the flame moving as the fuel line is made out of some sort of plastic material that will self destruct with enough heat.

[silvertdi]

Thanks.  Good idea. Sounds like it may be time for a new fuel cap.  Perhaps the seal is bad.  What would suck the fuel out of the filter like that?  I would have thought it would have started, run for awhile then died as it starved itself for fuel.