Diesel vs gas

[MossRoad]

I spent Friday morning draining a 150 gallon diesel tank on a 150,000 watt generator that had algae in the tank and started running very rough and belching smoke out of the turbo housing. The diesel mechanic said the fuel was contaminated. I inherited the problem, and no one really knows when the last time the tank was filled, they think maybe 5 years ago. And they didn't know if the fuel was treated. Had to hire an environmental company to suck out the tank and haul the fuel off. Looked in the bottom of the tank, and there's 1/4" of gray slime everywhere. Then the fuel company brought in fresh fuel and treated it with algaecide and stabilizer. But no one cleaned the tank out. I pointed it out, but the fuel guy and diesel mechanic and environmental guy all said the fuel treatment will dissolve the algae, so the bosses listened to them and didn't have the tank cleaned out. I am not a diesel mechanic, nor do I have any experience dealing with algae in diesel fuel, so I don't know if that's true or not.

I ran if for 1/2 an hour and it ran fine, only coughing right at startup, probably due to some air in the lines after draining the tank.

Anyhow, I now have first-hand experience with heavy algae in diesel fuel, and am still happy with my gas engined machines.

 

[vvanders]

I want to see a diesel-electric like on the locomotives. All the torque+fine grained control of a VFD traction motor with the fuel stability of diesel.

Proabably cost an arm and a leg but would be nifty.

 

[MossRoad]

Not tryin to start a war..... To do the work of a comparable diesel, your gassers gotta turn 3500-4500 rpms while the diesel is turning 1500-2500 rpm.

Pulled out my IH2500b manuals.

It was available with either a 200 cubic inch gas engine or a 239 cubic inch diesel engine.

With gears transmissions:
Full load engine speed for both engines is 2200 rpm.
High idle for the gas is 2420 rpm and the diesel is 2480 rpm.

With hydrostatic transmissions:
Full load engine speed for both engines is 2400 rpm.
High idle for the gas is 2640 rpm and the diesel is 2650.

The bore on the gas is 3.812 and diesel is 3.875.
Stroke is 4.39 gas and 5.06 diesel.

So, the diesel requires a larger bore and stroke and HIGHER rpms than the gas engine.

 

[Groo]

then there is the getting stuck with summer fuel in the tank when it gets cold out...not the slightest problem for gas...it has cost me days to get the the fuel all treated enough to plow the driveway with an oil burner. Gel just doesn't mix well with anti gelling additives.
so basically to get diesel to last a long time, you need an algecide and anti-gelling additives. To make gas last a long time, you need to just make sure you buy the gas without the added garbage in it.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I'v been doing some research, some say 12 months if treated, but whats the read deal, the new diesel is not like the old, and heat kills it. What do you guys think, I use Biobor TF and do keep it over a year but not much over. So whats the real answer ?

The REAL answer is, "I" can keep diesel for several years with NO additives in it at all, and it still works perfectly in my diesels...

I just make sure no water get's in it...

SR

 

[Groo]

The REAL answer is, "I" can keep diesel for several years with NO additives in it at all, and it still works perfectly in my diesels...

I just make sure no water get's in it...

SR

Do the same with ethanol free gasoline, and it will last just as well, if not better.
If you can use that diesel fuel below zero, it has additives in it.

 

[4570Man]

Ethanol free gas is nearly $3 a gallon. Off road diesel was $2.41 last week.

 

[Groo]

Ethanol free gas is nearly $3 a gallon. Off road diesel was $2.41 last week.

once again; thanks to government shenanigans.

ps. pretty sure you can buy bulk e free 87 for quite a bit less than $3 gallon.

 

[MossRoad]

Ethanol free gas is nearly $3 a gallon. Off road diesel was $2.41 last week.

It was $2.64 here on Friday....

 

[dfkrug]

...then the fuel company brought in fresh fuel and treated it with algaecide and stabilizer. But no one cleaned the tank out. I pointed it out, but the fuel guy and diesel mechanic and environmental guy all said the fuel treatment will dissolve the algae, so the bosses listened to them and didn't have the tank cleaned out. I am not a diesel mechanic, nor do I have any experience dealing with algae in diesel fuel, so I don't know if that's true or not.

Good story, Moss. I hope it is true that the treatment dissolves the algae and eliminates the
problem.

As for algae and sediment in diesel fuel, every one of the rental tractors that I restored had
some in the bottom of their tanks. In the early ones (late 80s Kubotas) the tanks were steel
and hard to remove and clean out. But I did that, as the fuel outlets were getting somewhat
clogged. Kudos to JD for using plastic tanks on their x55 CUTs and fuel outlets just above the
bottom of the tanks. Also, tank drains were on those tractors.

Steel tanks on CUTs or other equipment exacerbate the problem with internal condensation and
the resulting moisture that gets in and settles to the bottom of the tank. CUT tanks are hard to
remove on all the tractors I have owned or worked on.