Has anyone added a small amount of gas to a diesel by mistake and what did you do to save the motor.? I did it last week even after I said how could someone make that mistake when filling up . The only lucky thing was I knew I had pumped in gas after 2 gal was already in the tank . It cost me in the end over $ 200.00 to correct what I had done . I hear there are cheaper ways but I did not fell like taking any chances and blow the motor . Have you done this before ? Fox .
the problem with too much gas mixed with diesel is that the gas will explode way way before the diesel fuel will.... therefore you would be hindering the way the engine ran... you might even cause cylender damage...
regular octane fuel self combusts at a low compression... super is better therefore timing can be advanced without ping... diesel however runs by self igniting (self combusting) compression ratio is way up there...
hope this helps... i dont know that 2 gals out of a 40 gallon tank will hurt you that much
On Mon, 13 Sep 2004 03:07:43 GMT, "Mercury" wrote:
Although gasoline in a Diesel is not normally desireable, it sometimes has an overridding benefit as in cold climate starting. You comment that regular gasoline combusts at low compression is correct but... only in the presence of a spark which is provided by the spark plug. The fact is that gasoline has a considerably higher autogenous ignition temperature than Diesel fuel. Diesel fuel is ignited solely on the heat generated during the compression process before it is injected. The rate of burn is controlled by the rate at which Diesel fuel is injected during the power stroke as opposed by the octane level of the fuel in a spark ignition engine. Diesel fuel combustibility is rated in Cetane number as opposed to octane for gasoline. A higher Cetane number indicates a more combustible fuel as a result of autogenous ignition; octane for gasoline rates it's resistance to autogenous ignition. Complete discussion of these qualities would require many pages. Since the Diesel engine has no spark plug for ignition, it relies on the heat of compression for ignition making a more combustible fuel desireable. Gasoline in the mix will reduce the ability of the fuel to ignite when injected in addition to reducing the lubricating property of the fuel. Too much gasoline may result in an extended burn time because of the octane which may result in damage in the extreme case. With only the small amount of gasoline described by the OP, a couple of quarts of 30 wt should give him peace of mind. An exhaust pyrometer which should be installed in any hard working Diesel installation would tell the operator whether the gasoline is causing excessive cylinder temps. These same conditions can occur with bad batches of fuel or an overstressed engine
Now, the flames can begin and the knowledgeable among us can complete the drastically simplified discussion.
I'd always heard that this is not the thing to do. Something about how diesel injectors cannot handle gasoline, what with it not being a lubricant as diesel is. (Or maybe gasoline doesn't flow through the same sized injector fuel path as does diesel?)
For the opposite, I've heard it doesn't hurt, but either way most modern fuels contain additives to give your engine all it needs by way of "extras". So unless you're burning goat urine or corn squeezin's, don't bother...
My wife accidentally put about 10 gallons of gas in her 300D Mercedes (total tank volume 18 gals). Darn thing ran good for about 150 miles then decided it didn't like the fuel mixture and started running terrible. Took my truck and trailer about 40 miles, drove it onto the trailer, got it home and pulled the fuel filter and...phew...the gas smell was unmistakable. Asked her why she put gas in instead of diesel and she swore up and down she used the right pump. Took her to the station and she pointed to the green nozzle on the station pump. Only problem is this station didn't have a diesel pump...it was premium fuel. Finally won an argument hands down. Final outcome? Drained the balance of the fuel, put in diesel, thing is still running perfect. Hard to beat those old Mercedes diesels.
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