Warm fuel = better atomization?

[wytbishop]

Diesel vehicles heat their fuel because at low temperatures diesel gels...well old diesel did...modern diesel not as much. Cold diesel will not atomize at all...hence the need for heating. Gasoline does not behave that way at all. While it's probably true that warmer gas will atomize better, I don't think that heating it beyond the temperature that the fuel rail will when the engine is warm will give a measurable result.

[Mnemonic]

agreed wytbishop, and if anyone plans on running fuel lines near there cat please let me know, i'll come over and burn your car down or blow it up for you, so that your not injured in the process.

[mitmaks]

Diesel vehicles heat their fuel because at low temperatures diesel gels...well old diesel did...modern diesel not as much. Cold diesel will not atomize at all...hence the need for heating. Gasoline does not behave that way at all. While it's probably true that warmer gas will atomize better, I don't think that heating it beyond the temperature that the fuel rail will when the engine is warm will give a measurable result.

new diesel/old diesel? No there's no old diesel/new diesel. What they do is they add diesel treatment to diesel at the stations during winter time. Next time you're at the gas station go check out diesel. It will be just diesel (or also known as #1, with treatment), but during summer months it will be diesel #2 (without treatment). If you don't fill up with #1 during winter you're screwed, you might be driving down the road and your truck will just die (diesel gelled) or when you go outside in the morning to start it up it just won't idle and die.
Btw, that plug in on the trucks you see is not to heat their fuel, its block heater. It warms up your coolant (in the block) and oil so that way when you start truck in the cold morning it's already warmed up a bit since diesel trucks don't really warm up at idle, you have to drive them to get some heat out of them. Also your electrical system doesn't have to work hard to start the truck, glow plugs don't draw nearly as much energy when you've plugged in truck overnight. Hope this clears up some of your questions about diesel, plugging in, etc.

[wytbishop]

Ultra low sulfur diesel ("new" diesel), which is now mandated by law in Canada, is garanteed not to gel above -35ºC (by most suppliers). This was not the case as recently as 2 years ago when sulfur levels in ("old")diesel fuel were not regulated.