Can a diesel engine run on gas. .

[SandburRanch]

To determine gasoline or diesel , if one could be found , i suspect a Hydrometer would determine that by a difference in specific gravity .

 

[rasorbackq]

Called a neighbor over to seen fuel.
He said its not diesel but it didn't smell like gas either. Definitely one of them. I have found diesel to be slimy to the touch. this was not. Drained the tank with a hose and got a full 5 gallon out before it stopped siphoning . Best case the tractor was only run on gas for a couple minutes .When I was plowing it was not running like that. Plan tomorrow is add a cup of ATF fill for new fuel and hope for the best.

Tractor was way past empty when I dropped the 5 gallons in.
According to the neighbor he says the diesel would stick together and not mix with the gas .

 

[rasorbackq]

I dropped the fuel from the fuel filter reservoir on the ground and it didn't flare up when ignited. Didnt burn black either.

 

[Boss 302]

Don't run it, get the gas out of the tank.

 

[Engineer42]

An old Farmall can!

Yeah , if it's an md

 

[Raul-02]

Gas is about twice the octane,

Octane is the stuff they put in gas to make it burn slower. The slower burn is needed for high compression engines. Regular gas causes hammering when it burns which is not good for the high compression engine but an engine made to run on the stuff has leaky cylinders ( lower compression) so the sudden explosion of the fuel doesn't damage the engine

 

[Raul-02]

Oh and spoiled fuel is GREAT in a squirt bottle for Wood Bees.

 

[jyoutz]

If you ran it for two hours and there was no issue, probably no issue.

But for peace of mind, just siphon out what is in the tank and put new diesel fuel in...save the siphoned out stuff for the burn pile.

And rest easy...

Instead of siphoning, just remove the fuel line where it attaches to the fuel filter and drain it into a container. Fuel should gravity flow and empty the tank.

 

[xrjohndeere]

This morning tractor was running noisily like a diesel does . I was past empty so I dumped in 5 gallon of fuel. I grabbed a yellow can and dumped it in . . I pretty sure it was diesel in the can but it didn't smell right. Im the only one that fills gas can up so it was me.I did add some diesel winter fuel additive . Since then its running realy rough and knocking and engine noise. smoking way more then normal. So how does a diesel engine react to gas in motor.

Sounds like water in the fuel you dumped in the tank. If you still have it in a can shake it up and then pour some into a clear jar and let it settle. If you see layers you probably have water in it. Change your filters, fill up your tank with fresh diesel after you drain it. Add about a half a pint of ATF fluid and fire it up. It should clear up once all the bad fuel is through the injectors.

 

[Cougsfan]

Earlier this winter I spaced out and accidentally poured some gasoline in my tractor. I got about a gallon in it before I noticed the smell wasn't right. (It was fairly dark in the barn where I keep my fuel, which is why I grabbed the wrong fuel container in the first place) The tank was about 1/4 full when I started. My tank holds just under 10 gallons. After contemplating what to do, I then filled the tractor completely full with diesel an siphoned 5 gallons back out, then refilled it with diesel to dilute it down further. I also added a half quart of 2 cycle oil to the tank. (I put a quart of 2 cycle oil in my old diesel truck every few tankful's. I was advised by a diesel mechanic to do that years ago. It doesn't seem to hurt but not totally sure it helps)

Over the winter I have been slowly adding a bit of the diesel/gas mixture back to the tractor, diluting it with more diesel each time. Still have a few gallons of that mixture left. I haven't noticed anything different with the tractor. Haven't heard any detonation or weird noises.

I felt stupid, but I don't think I have harmed my tractor any. I contemplated disposing of the mixture somehow, but that isn't easy and I will think I will just keep adding it back in a highly diluted manner.