3 Problem-Solving Fluids for Winter Survival

December 13, 2023October 31, 2023 Bruce Lindermann 0 Comments Car Maintenance, Diesel Performance, Fuel Gelling, Fuel System, Lucas Oil, stabilizer, Winter Prep, Winter Travel

There’s a lot to love about the colder months of the year. Everyone’s cooped up indoors, enjoying toasty heaters and each other’s company. Of course, you have the holidays and all that good food to look forward to, as well. The good thing about all that wholesome stuff is that it helps keep your mind off the troubles you’ll be experiencing in the garage.

Colder temperatures are rough on vehicles. Hard starting, failure to stay running, poor performance, and poor traction are just a few of the obstacles you can expect to find yourself up against this winter. There may not be a substitute for necessary repairs related to these issues, but there are certain products that work like magic in a bottle, helping alleviate some of these problems.

Lucas Oil has been keeping machines of all sizes running since 1989. Over the years, the company has not only learned what motorists need this time of year but also developed solutions for them to lean on. While we might not know exactly what your demands are, we can talk you through three essential Lucas Oil products that will keep this winter from bogging you down.

Sure Start Premium Starting Fluid

The colder an engine gets, the harder it is to operate. At no point is this more apparent than when you’re trying to start one.

Cold engines can be incredibly stubborn; and sometimes, they need a little encouragement. That’s where Lucas Oil’s Sure Start starting fluid comes in. By spraying a little in the intake, you give the engine some extra energy to fire off with and stay running. It’s safe for both diesel and gasoline engines and can even be used for small equipment that might also have problems with initial starts in frigid temperatures, like chainsaws or outboard motors.

Starting fluid can do more than save you time. By cutting down the cranking, it saves both the battery and starter from needless wear and tear. It also vastly reduces the likelihood of you killing the battery when trying to deal with a hard start, keeping you from needing a jump on top of everything else.

As a full disclaimer, hard starting can be linked to a mechanical issue. With newer vehicles especially, you’ll want to keep an eye on the various systems that make a vehicle run if you have repetitive issues with starting in the cold. Starter fluid is a great solution for select situations, but you should not have to rely on it regularly.

Lucas Fuel Stabilizer

Even that prized ride you’ll be parking in storage for the winter is in for a trip on the struggle bus. Some might even say that they’re in for a worse time if you don’t follow the right procedure before putting them away for the season.

Today’s fuel can break down in as little as 30 to 60 days. When it does, it’ll leave behind a bunch of varnish that’ll gum up the fuel system. This creates a lot of problems when you pull a vehicle out of storage to return it to service.

Lucas Fuel Stabilizer is the solution for keeping gas fresh all winter and putting varnish concerns to rest. All you need is 1 ounce for every 2.5 gallons of gas. Add what’s needed to the tank, run the engine for a few minutes to get that stabilizer into all of the vital systems, and you’re ready for storage. When you do this, you won’t start next season with a carb rebuild and fuel system cleaning just to get the thing to fire up.

You can use Lucas Fuel Stabilizer for all sorts of gasoline-powered vehicles, too. Summer equipment or powersports equipment that won’t see use for the season should receive a dose of Lucas Fuel Stabilizer to prevent issues next year. The same goes for that snow blower when it’s finally time to store it next spring.

Lucas Oil Anti-Gel Cold Weather Diesel Treatment

Diesels: they’re supposed to be the more rugged, more capable vehicles that motorists can rely on no matter what. Because of that, you might not think anything of jumping in one at a moment’s notice this winter. But what if we told you that diesel fuel is far more sensitive to the cold than gasoline?

You may have heard that diesel fuel tends to “gel up” in the winter, and that’s true. It happens because diesel fuel contains paraffin wax that causes it to thicken as temperature drops. When it does, it becomes harder for fuel to move throughout the system, and the filters can even clog up because of it.

Lucas Oil’s Anti-Gel Cold Weather Diesel Treatment prevents this aggravating scenario from happening. The anti-gelling additives keep the fuel in a liquid state for longer, so you can truck on worry-free. Even if you live in an area where stations switch to winter diesel during the colder months, you will still want to keep a few bottles of this on hand. You never know what you’ll run into out there, and it never hurts to be prepared.