andy_wilson
New member
2
You, and the engine will notice nothing different.
You, and the engine will notice nothing different.
Gasoline in the Diesel?
- Thread starter StellaBorealis
- Start date
Avocet
Well-known member
If you drain a bit off, the mix will be very useful for cleaning greasy & oily engine bits. As has been said, people regularly add up to a gallon of petrol to maybe about15 gallons of diesel in cold climates.
If it was mine, I'd take a few gallons out for cleaning stuff in the garage and top the rest up with diesel.
If it was mine, I'd take a few gallons out for cleaning stuff in the garage and top the rest up with diesel.
Stemar
Well-known member
Re: 2
Another vote for option 2.
A marine diesel is usually a pretty basic lump. The main risk of damage is from lack of lubrication in the pump, and if the engine runs OK, there's going to be enough lubricatation. I'd top it up with diesel and not worry. A 5 1/4% mix isn't going to do any harm.
Another vote for option 2.
A marine diesel is usually a pretty basic lump. The main risk of damage is from lack of lubrication in the pump, and if the engine runs OK, there's going to be enough lubricatation. I'd top it up with diesel and not worry. A 5 1/4% mix isn't going to do any harm.
silvertop
New member
Option 2.
Done it myself with Petrol in Diesal tank. Mechanic friend said not a problem just tank up as soon as possible. said worst thing possible would be smokey exhaust.
why give money away.
Done it myself with Petrol in Diesal tank. Mechanic friend said not a problem just tank up as soon as possible. said worst thing possible would be smokey exhaust.
why give money away.
silverseal
New member
So last year I managed to put 10 litres of petrol into my Mercedes diesel car, before I realised that diesel pump handles are black and this one was green...
as the tank was half full, filled up with (correct) diesel, and burnt it off.
I reckon in gallons is was a ratio of about 9:1.
as the tank was half full, filled up with (correct) diesel, and burnt it off.
I reckon in gallons is was a ratio of about 9:1.
StellaBorealis
New member
Okay Nigel cant get one past you ;-) for the record, I boneheadedly added it myself from what I thought was a mislabeled Jerry can. The Gasoline was very old and smelled of diesel, till about the 2nd gallon when it was stirred up and fresher and I realized my grievous error.
My vane attempt to hide my ignorance is handily thwarted by the list's expert ;-)
Thanks so much all of your for your input. Feel free to keep em coming. I'm pretty certain option two or a variation on Nigel's suggestion is likely the course of action I will take.
As for the manufacturer, my Yanmar dealer in the town where I live says option 2, the one in the town where my boat lives says nobody will tell me to take option 2 because of the liability so on the record Options one or 3 are the only acceptable choices and off the record he suggests option 2. Every other diesel mechanic warns of doom and destruction for any course other than options 1 or 3 but the majority of others have been staunch proponents of option 2. Among the proponents on the other list was in the petroleum business and indicated that it all goes down the same pipelines and is somewhat contaminated anyway. It was an interesting post.
Also you folks are far more laid back about this topic than they were, it was far more heated and vitriolic there but that is no indictment of them, they are just very capable, cautious people who care a lot.
Again thanks to everyone,
-A
My vane attempt to hide my ignorance is handily thwarted by the list's expert ;-)
Thanks so much all of your for your input. Feel free to keep em coming. I'm pretty certain option two or a variation on Nigel's suggestion is likely the course of action I will take.
As for the manufacturer, my Yanmar dealer in the town where I live says option 2, the one in the town where my boat lives says nobody will tell me to take option 2 because of the liability so on the record Options one or 3 are the only acceptable choices and off the record he suggests option 2. Every other diesel mechanic warns of doom and destruction for any course other than options 1 or 3 but the majority of others have been staunch proponents of option 2. Among the proponents on the other list was in the petroleum business and indicated that it all goes down the same pipelines and is somewhat contaminated anyway. It was an interesting post.
Also you folks are far more laid back about this topic than they were, it was far more heated and vitriolic there but that is no indictment of them, they are just very capable, cautious people who care a lot.
Again thanks to everyone,
-A
Allanrichard
New member
Re: I\'m afraid you have a bad situation
Like an earlier reply I started to fill my new diesel car with petrol and realised after one and a half gallons ! I phoned my garage and was told that if I continued to fill the tank (12 gallon tank) with diesel there would be no ill effects as they regularly put a mix of petrol in diesel during the winter in the "old days" in their lorries to stop it freezing.
My car had no ill efects and is still going strong 170,000 miles later!
Like an earlier reply I started to fill my new diesel car with petrol and realised after one and a half gallons ! I phoned my garage and was told that if I continued to fill the tank (12 gallon tank) with diesel there would be no ill effects as they regularly put a mix of petrol in diesel during the winter in the "old days" in their lorries to stop it freezing.
My car had no ill efects and is still going strong 170,000 miles later!
OldDevonian
New member
Done this with my car. No problem what so ever.
Marsupial
New member
Well you see IMHE working with Truck, Tractor, Marine and fixed diesels back when dinosaurs roamed the earth the situation is this; diesel engines are pretty basic devices, originally designed to run on coal dust. Liquid fuels are easier to store and process to the cylinder so heavy’ish oil is the favoured stuff, its got lots of calories in it by volume, but its not far away, chemically from more highly refined fuels, the petrol’s and paraffin’s – beyond that LPG’s. The whole lot comes from crude oil processed in a Cat Kracker as far as I can remember – anyway - Diesels and BOAT engines in particular are designed to run on anything that’s remotely like clean fuel – they have to be tolerant of “local specifications” – so you can take your boat to Thailand or Africa, India, the South Coast of the UK and run it on what’s available without doing any harm. Good old-fashioned water in the fuel tank and suspended solid matter, common in the developed world, coupled with no filtration will do far more harm to the fuel system than the odd tank full of 35-second gas oil (red diesel) diluted with a bit of petrol – how much power the engine will develop is another matter - power is usually quoted with a specific grade of fuel. Unless you supply the engine with a fuel that is very high in calories like nitrous oxide or bypass the speed controls by supplying fuel directly into the inlet manifold thus allowing the engine to over-rev then you should not damage any of the main components of a modern engine.
The same is true of lubricating oils, you will find that most manufacturers specify a straight 30 grade - the most easily obtainable stuff all over planet earth - with very short service intervals - if they designed a marine engine to run on anytrhing exotic it could be unmaintanable in some parts of the world.
Well thats how I understand it anyway, the farmers up here have refined the process of adulterating fuel so they can fool the MOT test, aparently they are very good at it - and they use up all the unwanted chip fat - but thats another story.
Cheers
David
The same is true of lubricating oils, you will find that most manufacturers specify a straight 30 grade - the most easily obtainable stuff all over planet earth - with very short service intervals - if they designed a marine engine to run on anytrhing exotic it could be unmaintanable in some parts of the world.
Well thats how I understand it anyway, the farmers up here have refined the process of adulterating fuel so they can fool the MOT test, aparently they are very good at it - and they use up all the unwanted chip fat - but thats another story.
Cheers
David
TrueBlue
Well-known member
Arrr, Gaffer, You'm be about right; Problem is the world has gone on a bit since my tractor ran on Petrol and TVO.
Marine diesels (that is those that run on less than Heavy Oil) are getting more and more sophisticated daily - even to the extent that it won't be long before MoBos will have "unadulterated" vehicle engines in them (as a result of every increasing emission regulations).
Soo for the time being it may be possible to mix all sorts of gunge in with our RED DIESEL and not suffer any real consequences, it won't be long before we have to be a bit more careful.
I think I've got a bit lost, listening to the Navy Lark on BBC7, and SWMBO has give me a very large Whiskey Mac...
Do join in and rescue me....
Marine diesels (that is those that run on less than Heavy Oil) are getting more and more sophisticated daily - even to the extent that it won't be long before MoBos will have "unadulterated" vehicle engines in them (as a result of every increasing emission regulations).
Soo for the time being it may be possible to mix all sorts of gunge in with our RED DIESEL and not suffer any real consequences, it won't be long before we have to be a bit more careful.
I think I've got a bit lost, listening to the Navy Lark on BBC7, and SWMBO has give me a very large Whiskey Mac...
Do join in and rescue me....
oldharry
Well-known member
Option 2. Like others I too have been colour blind at the pumps and put a couple of gallons of unleaded in the diesel car, and never had any problems with it. Its a common enough poractice to add petrol anyway for cold weather, as has already been pointed out.
If you are really worried about it, get up to half of it out into jerries or whatever you have that is safe, and top up with fresh diesel, then put say a gallon of the mix back in each tim,e you refuel. You wont notice the difference, neither will the engine.
If you are really worried about it, get up to half of it out into jerries or whatever you have that is safe, and top up with fresh diesel, then put say a gallon of the mix back in each tim,e you refuel. You wont notice the difference, neither will the engine.
Mike21
New member
Another vote for option 2
Had an uncle who used to work for VW on development of diesel engines.
He said they used to regularly add petrol to diesel for cold weather testing although don't know in what quantities
Had an uncle who used to work for VW on development of diesel engines.
He said they used to regularly add petrol to diesel for cold weather testing although don't know in what quantities
DrBob
New member
Having worked for a number of years in an Oil company involved in blending of gasoline and diesel, you would be surprised what actually ends up in the tank of fuel you buy from the garage. These products are blends of a range of hydrocarbons and 10% of a light material can easily be put in the diesel pool and still have product exactly in spec.
One concern would be ambient temperature. In the UK, the refineries put C4 (that's butane to the lay man) in the gasoline (may be up to and over 10%) which is highly flammable. If you are UK based then this wont be a problem this time of year but the diesel mix will be more flammable. This could cause problems of vapour locking in fuel lines in higher temps.
Another concern is the additive packages that the oil companies add to their products (different for gasoline to diesel). On balance I wouldnt worry too much. Go for it but be careful of the increased flammibility.
One concern would be ambient temperature. In the UK, the refineries put C4 (that's butane to the lay man) in the gasoline (may be up to and over 10%) which is highly flammable. If you are UK based then this wont be a problem this time of year but the diesel mix will be more flammable. This could cause problems of vapour locking in fuel lines in higher temps.
Another concern is the additive packages that the oil companies add to their products (different for gasoline to diesel). On balance I wouldnt worry too much. Go for it but be careful of the increased flammibility.