Fill'er up (with gasoline)

   / Fill'er up (with gasoline) #1  

Gary Ray

New member
Joined
Apr 16, 2009
Messages
3
We have two kubotas - L2900 and L4200 for an orchard and nursery. The 4200 is well used with 4200 hours. Ran like a top until two weeks ago a non-thinking employee decided to fill it up with gasoline. It ran, but barely. So, $ 160 mechanic dollars later, we find out that the tank is full of gas. Tank drained, slushed, and diesel added - mechanic said it was OK. Now, it is smoking considerablly. Smoke is bluish / blackish. Power still good. Any suggestions on what might have happened? I am afraid a big wallet pain is about to occur.
 
   / Fill'er up (with gasoline) #2  
The flash point of gasoline is lower then fuel so it will prematurely detonate resulting in a cracked piston. The smoke is probably motor oil being burnt or unburnt fuel from low compression. Keep a eye on your oil level.
Good luck!
 
   / Fill'er up (with gasoline) #3  
As part of the flush and refill, was the engine oil changed? There could be fuel contamination of the oil, causing it to get past the rings.

It's also possible that while the engine ran on gasoline, the rings may have been broken, due to detonation. A cracked piston would likely result in engine noise or a noticable miss. A compression test may be in order.

You may also find that it will return to normal after a few hours of use. Let us know how it turns out.
 
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   / Fill'er up (with gasoline) #4  
I think I might add a quart of ATF to the fuel tank at this time-It will add lubricity to the fuel,some of the gas may still be present,as well as continuing the injector cleaning process the gasoline surely has started.We're wanting to make the injectors happy as soon as possible,and injectors like ATF.Good Luck.
 
   / Fill'er up (with gasoline) #5  
Do keep an eye on the oil level. Watch for it increasing...
I had a Kubota 4 cylinder diesel that had gasoline ran in it... seemed ok but then the oil level kept increasing. I replaced the primary pump thinking it was leaking internally but did not fix it.
Removed the injector pump. Had it tested, and rebuilt. The pump was leaking inside and not spraying the fuel right. The internal leak ran into the oil. After 6 to 8 hours running I would have about 1/2 gallon of diesel in the oil.
You can get a general idea of the condition of the rings and piston by checking for blow by, just remove the oil fill cap, run the engine... with over 4 thousand hours you may have a little blow by but if you have piston/ring damage you will have a lot. KennyV.
PS. Rebuilding injector pump cost around $400 around 10 years ago.
 
   / Fill'er up (with gasoline) #6  
I think I might add a quart of ATF to the fuel tank at this time-It will add lubricity to the fuel,some of the gas may still be present,as well as continuing the injector cleaning process the gasoline surely has started.We're wanting to make the injectors happy as soon as possible,and injectors like ATF.Good Luck.

I'd pass on the ATF, it will do more harm then good. ATF typically has friction modifiers that are a benefit for the transmission but are harmful for a fuel system and will cause wear. If anything add Power Service or another diesel additive, that will add lubricity.
 
   / Fill'er up (with gasoline) #7  
My wife has done this twice on our L 2550. Caused no lasting effect. Hard to predict yours tho because there may have been a higher gasoline mix ratio. Id try giving it a little work time and monitoring the oil closely.
larry
 

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