Telling the difference between gas and diesel

[beenthere]

Maybe it was a urinal for some illegals on the move, and they tossed it out. Maybe it was left overs from a meth lab? OK, that does it for a taste test.

Maybe it is a good can of diesel fuel that is worth $20. But I'd walk away from it unless maybe the container looks worth keeping.

 

[tcartwri]

I just follow my nose. Gasoline and Diesel fuel have very distinctive odors.
Mike

Not anymore. I find it very difficult to tell the difference anymore by smell. Or colour for that matter.

 

[SixHoeBob]

Unknown or suspect fuels I use for parts cleaner. If it is clean water free diesel or gas, I will dump it in my home heating oil tank. Five gallons of any clean fuel will dilute into the fuel oil already in the tank. The furnace's oil burner should be more tolerant than the tractor's injector pump. I would find a use for it. And it comes with a free can.:thumbsup:

 

[Perplexed]

Thanks for the comments, folks. The contents feel/look/smell/volatilize like diesel fuel; as for the can, it's in excellent shape with road rash on one side, so I'm pretty confident it fell off a truck or trailer. I don't use diesel for anything but my tractor, so I'll have to think of something to do with the contents. Maybe top off my current cans of diesel, a bit at a time, until the recovered can is empty. Then I'll have an extra fuel can

 

[g0rd0]

good god man, it makes no differance what kind of fuel it is DONT USE IT!
If you do decide to use it and your expensive repair bill comes from pouring contaminated fuel into your machinery you are the only person to blame. Is fuel that expensive where you are?
If you have a hazmat desposal in your area bring it there if not find some safe way to burn it then clean out the container and use that.

 

[Perplexed]

I hear you folks who say not to use the fuel - an ounce of prevention and all that AFAIK, we only have an annual hazardous materials disposal process available to the public, in the fall. I'm reluctant to simply burn five gallons of the material because of air pollution, though I know in the big picture, that small an amount of fuel being burned is peanuts. Still. So I suppose I can just hang onto the fuel until October, and dispose of it properly.

Maybe I should have just let someone else deal with the lost fuel can

 

[texasjohn]

do you have mesquite trees/brush on your property which you wish to kill??

Diesel is an excellent mesquite killer, just not often used because of cost...soak the root area to a depth of about 3 inches right at the base....

 

[Perplexed]

do you have mesquite trees/brush on your property which you wish to kill??

Diesel is an excellent mesquite killer, just not often used because of cost...soak the root area to a depth of about 3 inches right at the base....

Nope - no bushes or trees that I want to get rid of, mesquite or otherwise. Actually, would that stuff work on briars? I do have a problem with those growing along my fence.

 

[milkman636]

Diesel is pretty distinctive. Do you have a clean white pail? Pour some of into the pail and get a good look at it. Check its appearance, smell, feel, and taste:laughing: against some known good diesel. You might just be throwing $20 away if you listen to all the naysayers here.

 

[ModMech]

Color difference: Not much between Diesel and Mixed Gas!

Odor difference: Not as much as before, ULSD smells more like old gasoline than "diesel" to me.

Evaporation difference: Huge difference as mentioned, gasoline, even mixed gas, will evaporate quickly above 60*F, diesel will not at any ambient temp.

Feel difference: Diesel has an oily feel, gasoline dos not.

Would I use it if it tested like diesel? Absolutely! Look, no one is going to dump 5 gallons in a NEWER fuel can that costs $15 to avoind pouring it out or recycling it.

If it looks like a duck, waddles like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck!