Oil & Fuel Diesel in a Container Used for Gasoline?

[dnw64]

A few years ago we rented a Mercedes S350 while on vacation in Switzerland. It sounded and ran (power delivery) like a gas car. Never considered it was anything but, and didn't notice any signage on the filler that it might be diesel.

Went through 3 tanks of gas before turning it back in.

When I got home I looked up the specs to see what I'd been driving, and to my horror found that the only S350s sold in Europe (of that vintage) were diesel. I kept expecting to get a $20k bill from the rental company for engine replacement...

 

[Bud Soda]

I've put diesel in my gas truck, gas in my diesel tractor. No more than a one gallon/10 gallon ratio. All is good. The diesel lubes the gas engine, the gas cleans the diesel injectors.

 

[Texasmark]

Diesel will probably act as upper cylinder lube. PPM would be so low I wouldn't even think about it. I have a 5 gallon can that in intermittently use for either......no problem.

 

[PhysAssist]

Hey, thanks for all your responses. Pretty much confirmed what I suspected. Hate to destroy a new M5, though, so I thought I'd ask.

My wife FILLED [topped off a 9-gallon tank] on our 2-month old B2320 with 5 gallons of gas, and tried for about 20 minutes to start it, before coming to tell that it wouldn't start.

I had to drain the tank, empty and replace the fuel filter, and refill it with fresh diesel, but it's been running just fine for the 7 years since then, despite both the 20 minutes of circulating it through the fuel intake, and whatever residual gas was left in the fuel line.

It really SUCKED when her father filled the Honda gas engine on our 1-year-old splitter with diesel- that was a really big pain to get running again.

 

[gary49]

The owner's manual for our 1979 VW Rabbit Diesel called for 10% gas in the fuel in very cold conditions. That was a lightweight, high rpm engine. If a mix of gas didn't hurt it, it certainly wouldn't hurt a diesel tractor engine. Probably the worst thing about adding gasoline to diesel fuel is that the mix is as dangerous for starting fires as gasoline is.

 

[Oldoak]

My wife FILLED [topped off a 9-gallon tank] on our 2-month old B2320 with 5 gallons of gas, and tried for about 20 minutes to start it, before coming to tell that it wouldn't start.

With more than 50% gas, it's probably a good thing it didn't start. But being it wasn't run out of fuel, I don't know why it didn't start with the diesel fuel that was still in the system.

 

[PhysAssist]

With more than 50% gas, it's probably a good thing it didn't start. But being it wasn't run out of fuel, I don't know why it didn't start with the diesel fuel that was still in the system.

I must have gotten it wrong- she must have been near-empty and then put it gas and run out the diesel- because I know she had been mowing, and stopped to let it cool, and then put in the 5 gallons.

Otherwise, I just remember the sinking feeling when I realized what she had done... and again when I realized that I didn't know quite what I needed to do to fix it...

 

[TheMan419]

Barn we used to board our horses at had several fuel containers. All the Red ones meant for gasoline. But guess what, some were diesel for the tractor and some were gasoline for other uses. So it was a somewhat not infrequent "goings on" that gasoline had been put in the diesel tractor. Depending on how much it was either no big deal or it was time to get out wrenches and drain the fuel system.

Interesting that they do not have a label on the fuel door telling you what to put in. I realize diesel is way more in use in europe than here in the US, but a rental company for sure should have a warning.

 

[aczlan]

Interesting that they do not have a label on the fuel door telling you what to put in. I realize diesel is way more in use in europe than here in the US, but a rental company for sure should have a warning.

Our Kubotas came with a sticker that has a fuel pump with a "D" in the middle near the fill ports.

Aaron Z