Murky diesel

[Birvidik_Bob]

We seem to have picked up a load of crap diesel somewhere between Malta and Greece.

I filled up our tanks (1700 litres) just before we settled into Corfu for the winter. We have a sump in each of the two tanks from which I can draw off fuel from below the outlet to the engine. When I checked this I drew off about 5 litres of water from the starboard tank and a small amount of bug (about 100 ml) from each tank.

Further pulling off showed no more bug or water, but the remaining fuel looks unlike any I’ve seen before. Instead of a transparent orange it’s a misty yellow/orange colour. In my experience fuel has always been transparent and will transmit an image if put in a bottle. This stuff doesn’t. I’ve put samples in a bottle and left to stand for a week. No sediment and no change.

I’ve tried putting it through a series of coffee filters but I don’t know the size of the holes in either the coffee or fuel filters. Anyway, no deposit was left on the filters and the fuel looks the same.

I’ve treated the tanks with biocide as a precaution, but I’m concerned that the fuel might be contaminated with very fine particles which could pass through the primary filter/water separator and clog finer filters downline. Either that or b**gger up my newly serviced injectors.

Any ideas guys - is it OK to carry on using it?? I really don’t want to throw away 1700 litres of fuel.

 

[Tiercel]

Hi Bob,
We had a similar problem when we picked up the bug in some fairly sordid diesel we bought in Sardinia/Sicily/Calbria. I treated it with a US biocide obtained in Spain which proved useless. At one point we were getting only 17 hrs from the filter.

The fuel in the bottom of the tank looked like that which you described. I drained it off until I got clearer fuel and assumed that the lack of clarity was due to dead bug particles settling at the bottom.

When cruising Turkey in early 2008 the filter clogged again. I changed it and added Grotamar 71(look it up on the net) to the remaining fuel. According to a test in PBO (or was it YM?) Grotamar reduces the particles to a manageable size. Subsequently we have done a further 200 hours with absolutely no problems.

Yours Aye,
Bob C

 

[NormanS]

Be glad, at least that your tanks have sumps. So many don't. Can't really advise on the murky fuel, I would have thought that it would settle out in time.