What degree of gasoline/diesel contamination is permissible?

[lutt]

Somebody accidentally pumped a couple gallons of gas in my truck fuel tank but I filled the rest with 30 gallons of diesel to top it off. Worked fine, but I was worried. I put miles on to lower half a tank and then refilled it again. It gets diluted pretty well. Note to self; Be alert and not angry with the wife when filling the truck.

Hehe LUTT

 

[Retiredguy2]

Read the operator's manual of some Diesel engines . They promote mixing 30% gasoline at -40F.

April First is several months away... Oh yeah, and the owner's manuals for our 3 GM products promote mixing 30% diesel with the gasoline at -40F.....your post is so absurd it defies logic.

 

[Deere Dude]

I have about 8 of the older Chilton type 5 gallon cans, and transport both gasoline and diesel in them. Sometimes I want to run for diesel fuel but the only empty cans are marked "gasoline only" and of course it is next to impossible to drain a can dry...do I really need to worry about a half ounce or so of gasoline left in the can when I refill it with diesel, and vice versa when diesel can is almost empty and I need to refill it with gasoline? Thank you for your input.

I have roughly 7-8 Chilton cans, all red and blue. I needed a couple for gas and most yellow so I just spray painted all yellow except two which I left red. I would not advise putting diesel in red, or gas in yellow because sooner or later you will be in a hurry and forget and put the wrong product where it shouldn't be. A smidgen of residue either way won't hurt though.

 

[Deere Dude]

Tankers that haul fuel have a little gas left in them when they go back and take on a load of diesel. No problem.

Not always no problem. I worked as a pipefitter at a JD garden tractor factory and every now an and then an inspector would take a sample of diesel from the tractor lines. A couple times there was a little gas in the diesel line in the factory and they had us, or the delivery guy, pump the big tank and do it right. We had to drain all the lines in the factory from the contaminated product.

He got warned to not do that. The only thing we could think of was he pumped the gas first and there was a little gas left in hose. Diesel and gas are on the same truck and use the same hose to fill the tanks. Then six months later the same thing happened from residue left in the hose. They got a different delivery company after that if I remember correctly.

I am sure it wouldn't have hurt anything though but if a customer saw a little gas in his brand new JD tractor they would through a hissy fit.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Back in the early 1990's I installed a 300 gallon bulk diesel tank on a stand that elevated bottom of tank to about 7' above the ground. Had bulk fuel supplier bring me 275 gallons of off road diesel. I was only at the place on weekends but, being near end of a dead end road, never had any traffic other than one neighbor and our mail man. The bulk tank was in plain sight and about 10 yards from road and my from gate.

Less than a week after filling the tank I got a call from a County Deputy Sheriff. He said that 4 teenage boys decided to help themselves to some of my "free fuel". They filled their cars and pickups but, only made it about a mile down the road before they all stalled out. Guess gasoline engines don't do well on diesel fuel. In small town environment, where everyone knows everyone there were some very embarrassed parents. I didn't press charges as the boys had much bigger problems.

Deputy asked me why I didn't stencil "DIESEL" on my tank. I told him that I was the only that would be using it, I knew it was diesel. I did put a lock on the tank valve though.

Interesting that that first 275 gallon tank fill was only 85 cents a gallon.

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[Retiredguy2]

rgustafson, may not have any meaning here but when I moved to the country and began using oil heat the price in 1988 was only 67 cents a gallon...the good old days.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

April First is several months away... Oh yeah, and the owner's manuals for our 3 GM products promote mixing 30% diesel with the gasoline at -40F.....your post is so absurd it defies logic.

Really??? Here's a news flash! I own tractors that it DOES recommend adding gas into diesel for winter use!

SR

 

[lostcreekranch]

rgustafson, may not have any meaning here but when I moved to the country and began using oil heat the price in 1988 was only 67 cents a gallon...the good old days.

Yep, and we were getting propane at under 90 cents/gallon too. That was when diesel was way cheaper than real gasoline without corn juice.

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[lostcreekranch]

Really??? Here's a news flash! I own tractors that it DOES recommend adding gas into diesel for winter use! SR

I grew up in Nebraska and we regular cut tractor diesel fuel with gasoline, usually 10-15%, during hard part of winter. Never an issue and it was common practice.

We added Heet to gasoline tank as well. That was in the 50's and 60's. Now just add Power Services to bulk diesel tanks. White jug in winter and gray in summer.

I can't speak to cutting diesel with gasoline in modern Diesel engines though?

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[buickanddeere]

Nothing that has been made this century. And we still didn't mix gas in with diesel at -55F when I lived in Alaska. Just pretty much #1 and additive.

Operator's manual on our JD skid steer with the Yanmar diesel states up to 30%. Probably meets the definition of "modern " equipment of this century .