Sponsored

EcoDiesel in the (very) cold?

JLBoucher

Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2021
Threads
3
Messages
19
Reaction score
7
Location
Rimouski, Quebec, Canada
Vehicle(s)
2DR 2021 Willys
Hello there, bonjour.

I live in Eastern Quebec so our winters are pretty harsh. We can reach temperatures of about -30 degrees celsius (-22 Farenheit) for weeks, sometimes.

I'm seriously considering an EcoDiesel Gladiator and am wondering how this engine deals with this kind of cold over a long period of time.

My old Jetta TD was requiring a bottle or two of gas line every now and then so the tank didn't freeze. Same goes for the EcoDiesel?

Any tips, cues?

Thanks, merci.
Sponsored

 
Last edited:

CerOf

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2021
Threads
18
Messages
1,377
Reaction score
1,611
Location
Dallas
Vehicle(s)
ā€˜21 JTRD
It comes with a block heater from the factory. Just need the ~$15 plug and youā€™re all set.

Some have said an additive to the diesel may be necessary in extreme cold, but I canā€™t comment on that.
I had no issues starting/operating at 0 degrees F with no plug and no additive.
 
OP
OP

JLBoucher

Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2021
Threads
3
Messages
19
Reaction score
7
Location
Rimouski, Quebec, Canada
Vehicle(s)
2DR 2021 Willys
It comes with a block heater from the factory. Just need the ~$15 plug and youā€™re all set.

Some have said an additive to the diesel may be necessary in extreme cold, but I canā€™t comment on that.
I had no issues starting/operating at 0 degrees F with no plug and no additive.
I guess the additive was some sort of gas line?
 

Sponsored

WXman

Banned
Banned
Joined
Mar 1, 2017
Threads
69
Messages
3,102
Reaction score
4,067
Location
Bluegrass region of Kentucky
Vehicle(s)
2021 Jeep Gladiator Overland EcoDiesel
Occupation
Meteorology and Transportation
In weather below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, it becomes critically important to use a quality diesel anti-gel additive consistently to prevent having a frozen tank and fuel lines. If you're expecting consistent temperatures in the -30 range, I'd recommend 1.5 or 2.0 times the recommended dosage of anti-gel. You'll need to use the block heater each time it's going to be sitting for several hours. You'll also want a grille cover to help the engine maintain proper operating temperature while being used.

You can get away with owning a diesel in those climates, but there's quite a bit of extra work and care that will be required on your part.
 

Josh00333

Well-Known Member
First Name
Josh
Joined
Mar 24, 2021
Threads
34
Messages
758
Reaction score
978
Location
ID
Vehicle(s)
2021 Gladiator Freedom
Build Thread
Link
Ok I guess honest answer now. The Eng has no issues in the cold, as you know fuel additive and block heater.

The issue is the entire DEF system. It's a pile of junk to begin with and the def freezes at wat 10 deg F? If I'm not mistaken CA can delete the entire thing? If yes then that's almost mandatory for you.
 
OP
OP

JLBoucher

Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2021
Threads
3
Messages
19
Reaction score
7
Location
Rimouski, Quebec, Canada
Vehicle(s)
2DR 2021 Willys
Ok I guess honest answer now. The Eng has no issues in the cold, as you know fuel additive and block heater.

The issue is the entire DEF system. It's a pile of junk to begin with and the def freezes at wat 10 deg F? If I'm not mistaken CA can delete the entire thing? If yes then that's almost mandatory for you.
That's exactly my concern. I've read here and there the DEF tank is perfectly fine in the very cold, some reviews say the opposite. But the reviews saying the tank is freezing seems to come from gen 2 engines. Did they fix it with gen 3?
 

FutureOdin

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2020
Threads
30
Messages
491
Reaction score
306
Location
Massachusetts
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLU Sahara
That's exactly my concern. I've read here and there the DEF tank is perfectly fine in the very cold, some reviews say the opposite. But the reviews saying the tank is freezing seems to come from gen 2 engines. Did they fix it with gen 3?
You'll see there have been a slew of folks that have had to bring their EcoDiesel back to the dealer for faulty DEF-related items. I haven't had any issues in the 3000 miles I've had mine (which was through the winter).
 

Oilburner

Well-Known Member
First Name
Tim
Joined
Jun 8, 2018
Threads
35
Messages
1,644
Reaction score
2,687
Location
Nowhere, AR
Vehicle(s)
1982 Scrambler, 1969 Wagoneer, 2022 JTR Ecodiesel
If you go over to the Wrangler/JL/Diesel forum, there is a user JLURD with a diesel Wrangler in Alaska. He is a straight-shooter & will tell you his experience.
 

Sponsored

OP
OP

JLBoucher

Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2021
Threads
3
Messages
19
Reaction score
7
Location
Rimouski, Quebec, Canada
Vehicle(s)
2DR 2021 Willys
If you go over to the Wrangler/JL/Diesel forum, there is a user JLURD with a diesel Wrangler in Alaska. He is a straight-shooter & will tell you his experience.
Yeah, so from what I can take of his remarks: if you handled a diesel in the past (which is my case), it's not a problem.

That faulty DEF recurrent problem seems to be with the pump, however. So cold or not cold, you could end up with this issue no matter what. Amyryte?
 

iadslgladiator

Well-Known Member
First Name
andrew
Joined
Oct 29, 2020
Threads
3
Messages
151
Reaction score
144
Location
iowa
Vehicle(s)
2021 JTR diesel
Occupation
operations manager
I had the def system problem on mine but once they replaced the tank and heaters it has worked flawlessly since. Virtually everyone I know of that had the def problem were able to get it resolved.

Assume most would agree this past winter was one of the worst from a temperature standpoint that I can remember and I never had to use anti-gel. The fuel system heaters appear to work great. Keeping some diesel911 on hand is never a bad idea though and changing out your fuel filter is a good practice in the winter months too.

If you can delete the def system north of the border I think that would be on my list of priorities.

Good luck
 

kcZ

Active Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2021
Threads
2
Messages
29
Reaction score
18
Location
Richfield, WI
Vehicle(s)
21 Gladiator EcoDiesel
I've had an EcoDiesel in a Ram1500 for 6 years in WI. Never used any additives, stations all carry winter blend when it starts to get cold. The truck sat parked in the woods of Michigan's UP in -20 weather for days while I rode snowmobile, and fired right up when I needed it.

I had one issue and that was after traveling to Texas for Christmas one year, it seems like the last fill up on the way home did not carry a winter blend. The next morning was well below zero in WI, and it did not fire until around 10am when it warmed up a bit outside. I quickly drove it to the local station to fill it up with a winter blend and was good. Even in that case, I did not use an additive.
 

JTRUBI

Well-Known Member
First Name
Chris
Joined
Nov 10, 2018
Threads
55
Messages
847
Reaction score
1,466
Location
Toronto
Vehicle(s)
Jk rubicon
Build Thread
Link
While not necessarily EcoDiesel info, Iā€™m in Ontario and we typically get -20 -30 in Jan and Feb for weeks on end. So slightly warmer than Quebec.

My brother has an Duramax ZR2 and heā€™s had it three years and never and issue with it starting up or anything in the cold.
 

jwalt

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2019
Threads
3
Messages
102
Reaction score
85
Location
Idaho
Vehicle(s)
(2021 Gladiator Diesel Rubicon) (2020 Gladiator Overland) (2004 TJ, 2" lift).
I live where we had some very cold nights -10 to -20 F nights. I made it through the past 6 months of winter and did have to have my DEF pump replaced. I would plug my Jeep any night that it was going to get below 10 F , I did not have any problems with diesel gelling issues because of the winter blend (US no 2) of diesel in the pumps and I would run some Hot Shots in my fuel tank. What I did find was that the Def system has 2 heaters, one in the pump and one for the line to the engine. According to the Jeep owners manual DEF freezes at -10 F. These heaters only operate with the ignition on as to not drain the battery. So even though I was plugging in the engine, the DEF line could freeze. My assumption is that the DEF had hardened which caused damage to the DEF pump. I could be full of it and maybe I just received a faulty pump from the factory. Since the warranty repair I cleaned out a spot in my unheated garage and have parked inside at nights. I have not had any other issues and genuinally think the diesel is a much needed luxury power option. The vehicle drives better and downshifts less than my gas Jeeps with the pentastar 3.6.
Sponsored

 
 



Top