Gas In Diesel
 

OK guys
Help me out on this one < If I were filling up at the station and by mistake put gas in the tank is there anything short of draining the tank to fix the problem?
Like maybe adding ATF or some wonder drug? What would the max Gas be allowed in a 30 gallon tank and still be safe to drive? What does the gas do to ruin a diesel engine anyway?
Has not hapened yet but was just figuring out a "What If"

Thanks in advance
Norm in Arkansas

well gas has completely different properties...lower ignition temp etc. the truck wouldnt run for very long if this happened. i would have it towed and have the entire system flushed and hope for the best.

If you've ran it like that and it hasn't done anything major wrong yet, I'd drain the tank, change the fuel filter and maybe the fuel pump, and hope for the best. Make sure you clean the tank out good. Even after that, it's probably going to run horrible for a while.

The other way around is worse but it is not good for the injection pump and all around obviously runs like hell. Drain the system fill with freash and put in some fuel conditioner and dont do that ever again. :bat: :D

Not sure the practice is still recommended, but I knew a semi driver that added 5 gallon of gas to his fuel to prevent gelling in the winter.

i have made mistake before and put gas in my 91. i had cans on the back for the mowers and got messed up. i just bought several quarts of oil and run it. the old truckers put gas in all the time in the winter but we have winter fuel now so there is no need.

I did it :ouch:. Dark and early in the mornin I just grabbed the green nozzle and filled her up. In this case green wasn't diesel though is what I found out a mile down the road as it lurched to a stop and died.

Had it towed to a local big truck repair shop. They drained the fuel, every thing from the injector pump to the tank. Pulled every hose.re-filled it with diesel an about 3 times the normal amount of Howes conditioner and away I went.

The biggest risk to doing this is the fact that the gas deteriorates the seals in the pumps. It's actually better if you fill the truck with gas so that it dies completely before any real damage has time to happen. If the concentrate is low enough that it will still run, your in trouble. Very well could cost ya a new engine and fuel system.

A very small amount occasionally is no different then using an fuel system cleaner as long as you remember that the cleaner your using only takes ounces to a tank, so don't go dumping in gallons of gas to do this with.

I"ll bet the green pump handle was at a "BP" station. I know because I grabbed the green pump and filled up with gasoline. Before it was completely repaired it cost me around $3K. So be careful.:scare2:

Gas has no lubricating properties in it. Diesel fuel injection components use the diesel to lubricate there parts. Plungers, cams, anything that moves. If you are unfortunate to run the engine too long parts could seize, failing the component.

I don't know if you guys have ever seen this but every time i watch it it makes me cringe

Ohhh, that sounds ROUGH!

Well they gave the video the appropriate name.

Mine didn't make any strange noises like that. Just ran for a few blocks and then died, like right now. No warning in the middle of the road.

i only put 2 gal in before i caught what i was doing. then i put several qts of oil and filled the tank with diesel. thats was 6 or 8 yrs ago with my 91. if i done that with my 08 i would never even tried to start it. i would have it towed and tank flushed.

my dad did the exact same thing in his psd, green nozzle was not diesel. It died about a block away. drained tank, changed fuel filter, filled with diesel, put in some additive. Had the truck for about a year after that and I don't think it did anything.

In days long since gone by this was our version of winter blend diesel fuel before winter blend came out. A few quarts of gas mixed in the tank kept it thawed out and the system cleaned out all that the same time.

Uncle Bubba is correct....also, if you add just a few gallons, no problem. 1/2 a tank, your getting there. In that case, all you have to do is fill the rest with diesel, and add a quart on motoroil and you can run it out. When she goes down a 1/4 of a tank, add some more diesel.
IF, If, you fill all the way up, your gonna have to drain it.....:rocking:

Yah, that's what mine did. Welcome to the Dumass Club.

I never heard of using gas as thing to keep it from gelling. Might have to tell my friend that. His Cummins gels at least twice a winter. It gelled a few weeks ago and he had to have him tow him home. I have learned not to look for the green handle anymore. I look for the words diesel. If it doesn't say it, I don't buy it. I'm not taking any chances!

Don't this on any of these newer trucks. The rubber seals they use won't stand up to the gas anymore. Same reason your not supposed to use over like B20 Bio-fuel in em either.

Never, ever put gas in your diesel's fuel tank. I've never seen it, and granted is may work to degel, gas is 100% HARMFULL to a diesel fuel system.

Wow, anyone putting gas in a modern direct injection diesel is playing with the pump life instantly.
If you get gas accidently into the tank drain it, flush and refill with diesel only.

Adding gas to diesel worked with the old IDI diesel during the 80's- and it was not advisable to do so because of the very harsh engine run.

But it is an absolute nono for Common rail diesels- it may not harmful to the diesel system - but your IP won't survive.
It is a major cause for IP fail in europe - all those girls adding gas by accident:argh:

All the pumps around here are B11 so that's what I use. When I cross the state line into Galax, VA, I get B5.

In the old days we could dump about anything in the fuel tanks and them trucks would run just fine. Definitely not the case on these newer trucks.

My old 70's era tractor that I use right now, I burn anything in it. I just dump all my fluids, tranny fluid, hydraulic fluid, oil, you name it into 5 gal buckets and use it for fuel. I filter and dump it in the tractor in a 1 to 5 mix diesel and it runs just fine. I sure wouldn't do this with my truck.

The diesel fuel pumps in germany deliver B7 by law to preserve crude oil resources.

Don't believe the myth of the added lubricity of bio.
After adding only 1% of bio the additional lubrication is exhausted.That means more bio does not add any extra lube advantage.

actually, you wanna keep the filter for about 500 miles, because the gas will clean out the tank and your gonna end up putting another one on after the new one

Anything common rail I would only run about 10% on an accidental fill with gas. Anything else I would say 25-30% and add a quart or 2 of motor oil. Guys running WMO iis cutting it with gas so not much different here. Some manufactures allow you to run 15% gas in winter. Again not common rail.

So I say you had a 40 gallon tank and accidentally pumped 4 or 5 gallons in it no big deal. I'm not recommending that anyone do this but if it happens, oh well.

On base we don't put any used products in the recyclable oil drum. If it's flammable it goes into the tank of the deuce and 1/2. Good ol' multi-fuel engine, put anything flammable in the tank and she lives. Lol. :choochoo:

i would have the intire fuel system flushed and cleaned and shut off motor quckly as posible emedatly to keep from gas from going into system diesel and gas are very diffrent diesel is made with lower sulfer such as highway diesel usally contains 15% low sulfer diesel is a by product to gasoline it has more additives gas is more clean burning diesel is the last thing that is refined which i dont understand why diesel prices are so high compared to gas because diesel is cheaper to refine and make and burns durtyer other than gasoline

You will do as you wish with your truck, it's your truck and nobody can tell you what to do. I for one would not waste any fuel by draining it out and the cost of a tow back to your shop. A diesel engine can handle safely up to 15-20% gasoline especially older Power Strokes. It is recommended to put up to 15% gas in the winter by several manufactures of diesel engines. Also those who burn WMO (waste motor oil) as fuel cut it with a mixture of gasoline. Do as you wish but if it happened to me I would be driving home and not walking home.:jump::jump:

hey cowboy, you got some numbers wrong, its not 15%, its 15 parts per million (PPM)
one reason (out of the many) is because they refine so much of the sulfur out of it. Now, if you have an older truck with an injection pump, even a 7.3 or 6.0, that sulfur is used to lubricate the fuel system, which means you need to put sulfur(through additives, we use one by stanadyne) back in it.

A little gas won't hurt anything but a commonrail. Here in minnesota, when it gets sub-zero (which is often), I toss in two gallons of gas in a full tank of #2. This seems to work down to thirty below. First, it's cheaper than blend, #1, or additives. Secondly, it seems to work better than power service for gelling that occurs in the filter. I have done this for years in semi-tractors, ag tractors, and my 12v pickup. Nothing has failed in well over a decade :tu:

I don't know what to say except your never filling my truck up.

If you ever do this before you turn the key on to engage the electric fuel pump climb under the truck loosen the filler tube hose cut the nearest water hose in two an siphon everything out of tank and knock on the bottom of the tank till you hear it have a hollow sound and refill with diesel and unhook the line from tank to filter and turn key on to let pump run a few times off and on to let fuel drain into a diesel can to make sure no raw gas will go into your filter or spend thousands of dollars later. Hope this helped.

You guys are over reacting to a little bit of gas mixed in your diesel. Most of this is due to mis-information and not knowing about how a diesel engine operates. A few of us do this on purpose to keep from freezing. And if you use waste motor oil as fuel then most cut this with gas anyways. You guys would rather spend hundreds of dollars on towing, draining tanks, wasting perfectly good fuel, ect. I say run it and don't look back!

In the end you will do as you wish. You can waste a lot of hard earned money if you so desire!

You seem to be out numbered on this issue.

11 years as a mechanic, certified by my province, and the government, I know what is supposed to put in my tank, and how an engine works.

A proper winter anti-gel product will do the same thing, and not reduce the lubricating factors of the diesel fuel.

Hundreds? It doesn't cost hundreds of dollars to drain a tank and throw a jerry can in. If you don't put gas in diesel in the first place, you don't have to spend any money except for the fuel you put in. Improper lubrication in the precision fit injection system can cost thousands.

:argh:

I will do a I wish, you do as you wish. I bet in the end I spend a lot less then those that run gas in their diesel.

A little gas is ok to prevent gelling but not a full tank or half tank IT WILL LOCK UP!! Guaranteed

Someone who don't know crap about a diesel or anything mechanical should probably call for a tow truck, take it to have a mechanic fix it. Most of you guys saying don't do it can't even spell wrench let alone have been around old tractors, semis, generators, ect. I have 22 yrs of real world mechanical knowledge, a degree in diesel mechanics, a degree in agricultural diesel, a degree in alternative fuels and ASE certified in 5 areas.

Ideal situation no don't put it in. If it gets put it in by mistake then make the best of things and add some motor oil and run it. It cost nothing! It requires almost no effort! I will spend nothing in the long run!:argh::argh:

As I said before those of us who run a 2 tank system for burning waste motor oil, trans fluid, ect, we use about a 10%-30% blend of oil an RUG (regular unleaded gasoline). You can use diesel but it cost more and doesn't dilute as well.

There's always room for more then one opinion and for all of them to be right. The idea here is to give the best info you can and let the readers decide for themselves how they feel about it. Nobody has to be proven right or wrong.

I'd have to agree UB!