Kerosene in place of diesel????

Yes, it will hurt the engine. Diesel is almost kerosene, but it has lubricants etc added that are needed by your engine. Unless you want to replace your injection system, don't do it.

In most situations it is also illegal.

I can't tell you if it would be easier to start. Starting in the cold is mostly a matter of good compression and glow plugs and battery condition, not the fuel. If you are getting second rate fuel the certain ratting may be low. If so you may be able to raise it using a diesel additive designed for that use and that may make your Eco easier to start when cold.

Is he on about trying to use fuel without paying government taxes? people here use sun flower oil for their diesels, it's eco friendly + illegal but saves them a bucket and makes them feel good about the environment.

Since when is bio diesel illegal? I've never seen one site that has said that bio diesel is illegal because you don't pay taxes.

It may or may not be illegal. It all depends.

Please elaborate on your comment. I'd actually like to know in which state it is illegal. Then I can find the specific reference in that state's web site/URL

Now you have me thinking about the defence: while it was/is illegal here it is not my intent to not pay taxes as I am just on the federal interstate and am driving with normal traffic flow. Etc....

Ken > It may or may not be illegal. It all depends.

It may be legal in all states (in the US) as long as you don't run on the roads. At one time some or all of the US states would consider it illegal for over the road use. The issue is the taxes, that are not paid pay for the roads. In the mean time some states have made allowances for alternative fuels and allow some alternative fuels to be used un-taxed.

I will have to check on my own state and see what it is here.

It is illegal to not pay road taxes in both the US and Canada, and most other western countries too. This is why they put red dye in industrial diesel fuel, for boats, tractors, etc. "Red" diesel is cheaper because its price doesn't include road taxes. If you're caught with "red" diesel in your car or truck, you could wind up paying a hefty fine. But -- who's checking? Many people who work around the waterfront or heavy construction sites drive diesel cars and trucks, so they can use the cheaper red fuel. I'm sure the government checks occasionally, but I've never known anyone who was caught.

Similarly, homemade biodiesel is also illegal, because the taxes haven't been paid. But there's no red dye, so you're unlikely to be caught. It's a gray area -- biodiesel enthusiasts are sort of an "underground" movement. And even if they wanted to be legal, there's no mechanism for paying the road taxes. The exception is biodiesel purchased from a licensed dealer, with road taxes included. These are rare, but they do exist. Commercial biodiesel is more expensive than petro diesel.

Getting back to kerosene, it will probably run fine in your diesel car. Kerosene is basically the same thing as diesel, but more highly refined, and with a lower vapor point so it will ignite at room temperature. A diesel stove, for example, must heat the fuel so it can ignite, while a kerosene stove doesn't require that. Farmers often mix kerosene with their fuel so their tractors will start easier in cold weather. Again, kerosene has no red dye, so no one will be the wiser if you put it in your car. But it's usually more expensive than diesel, so I don't know why you would want to do this.

Matt O.

Winter blended #2 diesel fuel for automotive use; trucks, cars, tractors, etc., is a blend of 70% #2 diesel, and 30% kerosene. This will keep you from gelling up in the extreme cold. You could run straight kero., but there is not as much B.T.U. energy in kero as is in diesel fuel. There is the lubricity question, however I know plenty of truck owner operators who have access to kerosene, and run straight kero without damaging their Caterpillars, or Macks, or Cummins engines' fuel systems. Just don't have as much power. IMO- you are better off buying winter blended, name brand, premium diesel fuel from a reliable dealer. It is not a gimmick to call it premium diesel...I haul the stuff, and it is injected with special diesel additives to improve the cetane rating of the fuel. Believe me, if it is name brand premium fuel, it will be the proper blend for each season. They test the stuff at the load point all the time.

.............T

Yea their are lots of fools around including truck drivers.

First winter blend of diesel fuel is not just a blend of kerosene and diesel. Where did you get that idea?

Second those truck engines and modern automotive diesel engines are far different.

With that I totally agree.

Untill Jan 1 I worked for the Ohio department of Taxation. Trust me, they are checking and yes they do find and persue those who run on the road with non-taxed fuel.

If you pay the tax, it would not be illegal as far as I know, as long as you don't sell it.

Which is not what a diesel engine needs.

Farmers have been known to do some really stupid things (not all of them of course). Tractor engines and a modern VW Diesel are not the same animal.

First winter blend of diesel fuel is not just a blend of kerosene and

I got that idea while I had my truck under the loading rack at the refinery, loading it with a winter blend of diesel fuel to be delivered to a service area on a turnpike. First, load 70% #2 oil, then, 30% #1oil on top to complete the blend. ....Funny how you pick up information like that, huh? That wasn't that long ago, before low sulphur diesel came on the scene. Now, every place I load diesel, it is low sulphur, if it is for on-highway, taxable use, and it comes out of one line, one product, seasonally blended, with or without additves,cetane improvers, depending on what the product code is for that particular customer. There is still high sulphur # 2 fuel oil, with red dye injected, for heating oil, and off highway, non-taxable use.

I can tell you that here in Portland, Maine, the State Police most assuredly check, and regularly! Couple times a month at least there will be a fuel check setup on the main road into the waterfront area. I have had my diesel Peugeot checked several times over the years. In Maine, the fine is horrendous - like $5000 for a first offense! Kerosene is legal to use in Maine, as it has equivalent taxes on it. But it costs more here than diesel, so why would you? Bio-diesel is specifically exempted in Maine, so is perfectly legal, but it costs DOUBLE what regular diesel does.

Kevin Rhodes Westbrook, Maine

How do you go about paying the tax? What mechanism is in place for collecting it? (And do they really expect that people who use biodiesel are going to call up the Board of Taxation and say "hey, I've got this bucket of recycled fryer oil I'd like to pay tax on..."?)

-- Mike Smith

You don't need to personally report tax for BioDiesel if the seller has paid it.

The procedure, if needed, to pay tax is different for different taxing authorities. In the US the authorities are the States and DC.

What if you make it yourself? That's what I was referring to.

-- Mike Smith

The procedure, if needed, to pay tax is different for different taxing authorities. In the US the authorities are the States and DC.