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I was responsible at one time for the operations of a railroad in sub artic
Canada.  Winter time temperatures were regularly in the negative 30's F.
Our locomotives were equipped with fuel oil heaters to prevent the build up
of fuel wax which forms at those temperatures.  This wax formation
would/could stop a 3600hp locomotive and from then on in life became a
misery.  Coolant had to be drained at once as it is dangerous to run a
diesel with antifreeze and if it froze the engine the cost was horrible.
Also a cold soaked large diesel engine is impossible to start.  You have to
put it into a heated barn and bring it up to well above freezing before it
will oblige you with a start.

I suspect that small aircraft diesels have a way to go in cold starting and
restarting at low temperatures when you consider that the only source of
combustion initiation is the heat created by the compression of the air in
the cylinder.

Regards

Ian Crowe

I suspect that Walter Dodson had  fuel wax when his engine quit on him.  Ice
cyrstals (water) should not be present in the quantities necessary to plug a
fuel line or filter and water would freeze very quickly, long before fuel
wax forms.


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