Is this what water in diesel looks like?

[5030]

If you use Heet and it's a T4 final engine, you'll destroy the catalyist. I'm a retired big truck driver (35 years) and I NEVER used Heet in my fuel tanks. Always Power Service. Silver bottle in the winter and white bottle in the summer. Heet is for a gasoline engine but not needed today as unleaded regular already has alcohol in it.

 

[DieselBound]

I've NEVER gotten water out of my bulk diesel tank, which sits outside among the elements (last few years it's been under cover, but still outside). I've NEVER gotten water from ANY of my diesels except my NX5510! The Kioti (up to a couple hundred hours after new) was regularly triggering the water-in-fuel light: that caused me to run around draining fuel from every diesel engine I have that fuels from that bulk tank. By pure luck the mystery was solved when the dealer sent me a new locking fuel cap that I'd complained was a chintzy piece of crap (I was ranting on other things and tossed that one in for added measure): the replacement cap is of obvious higher quality. Hundreds of hours later and not a single water issue: conclusion: water/rain was getting inside the fuel tank via the locking fuel cap!

I'm doubting that it's a water issue (though I didn't watch the vid- limited bandwidth right now). To isolate run with a pick-up into a clean container. If the problem is readily repeatable and it happens with this auxiliary fuel container then it's clearly not a water-in-fuel issue (and likely, as others have stated, an injector issue- perhaps run some good diesel cleaner [I like Liqimoly Diesel Purge]).

 

[strantor]

So I think the contaminant was not water, but... gasoline .

This happened the evening before I had to go out of town for work, and thinking I had water in my fuel system I didn't want it to sit in there rusting everything out so I asked a friend to help me out, drain my tank, replace the fuel filter, put some clean diesel in, and run it a bit to flush out any remaining water. He got into it and then something came up and he wasn't able to finish. He got as far as removing the fuel filter and getting a replacement. So, if water was the issue, then probably he would have done more harm than good as now it would have been sitting 4 days with not only water but air in the system. I was a little disappointed but you get what you pay for, so that's on me I guess.

I say all that to say this... I got back this evening and my first priority was getting this system purged of water and upon draining the tank, this smells not entirely like gas but definitely not like diesel. What I imagine it probably would smell like if I had topped off a 10 gal tank with 5 gal of gas.

I found this video of a diesel truck running on gas and it seems similar

 

[DieselBound]

Locking fuel cap AND tool cabinet! Unless I'm paying a professional (who is legally liable for resolving any of their mistakes) I really don't let anyone touch any of my equipment: it's better for me and for THEM!

A neighbor asked a cousin to fill up their tractor. You can fill in the rest of the story... (diesels, farm equipment and city-slickers don't mix)

 

[strantor]

Locking fuel cap AND tool cabinet! Unless I'm paying a professional (who is legally liable for resolving any of their mistakes) I really don't let anyone touch any of my equipment: it's better for me and for THEM!

A neighbor asked a cousin to fill up their tractor. You can fill in the rest of the story... (diesels, farm equipment and city-slickers don't mix)

I'm the moron who put the gas in my own tank. I was just telling the story about my friend as an explanation for why I let this sit for a week before doing anything about it. Not his fault, although if it had been water, the week sitting with water in the lines and the fuel filter removed wouldn't have helped any.

 

[strantor]

Ok I cleaned out the tank, replaced the fuel filter, ran the last of the gas out of the lines, and it was running just fine.

In retrospect I had a couple of clues I didn't realize until after the fact.
1. The water sensor fault never came up, so water should have been my second guess, not my first.
2. The exhaust smelled funny, sorta like it does before auto regen, but stronger, and burned the eyes. Strangely, never smoked, until that little puff at the end of the video I posted.

This happened because during the Texas Freezepocalypse a few months back I filled a diesel can with gas because I didn't have enough gas cans to keep the generator running around the clock. I remember putting zip ties on the handle to identify that diesel can as having gas in it, but maybe I only remember planning to do it rather than actually following through. Or maybe someone cut them off (less likely).

Regardless I should have checked the fuel before putting it in, as one always should do, I didn't, and that's why this happened. Lesson learned. Do the things you know should do. I got lucky (I think, fingers crossed) nothing catastrophic happened.

It ran for 30 minutes just now, seems fine. I tried to force a regen blast out whatever crap the gas left behind in the DPF system, but no luck, it won't let me force regen unless it reads at least 30% soot rate.

 

[Looking4new]

It is good that you solved the problem and no engine damage.

 

[strantor]

It is good that you solved the problem and no engine damage.

Yeah I was pretty worried when I read what the internet has to say about putting gas in a diesel. I think it's like when you gooogle a medical symptom; doesn't matter what it is, tingly thumb, headaches, diarrhea, you probably have a brain tumor and/or pancreatic cancer. Not sure why all the alarmism, but at least in my case it seems like a bunch of hot air. Maybe the internet is right though and I'm out of the woods yet. I know some damage doesn't become evident for some time. I'm hopeful that all is well.

 

[number two]

When I had diesel and gas road vehicles,I would fuel up at different stations so I would remember which product to buy.