Diesel Question ?

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Small Block

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I know the fuel gels at very low temps and needs a supplement to aid in this issue so i use just that but the engine needs to get up to a good operating temp. They dont run cold very good at all so i put a piece of card board in front of the radiator but my question is this. Has anyone ever spiked the diesel in their tanks with small amounts of gasoline to keep he diesel thinned out. I had a small mishap at the full serve station last september. The kid mistakenly stuffed the gas hose in the tank and ran about 1.3 gal in before he caught it. He wanted to drain the tank but i told him no way as i was headed for MMW. We topped it off with diesel and i alternated tanks on the way up with no mishaps but i did notice the temp came up a bit in safe operating range and i did notice a bit more power, IMO. Last night i filled up and this time i intentionally spiked the tanks with 2 gal of gas per tank and fuel supplement then topped them off. That's in 15 gal tanks. This is a 7.3 turbo diesel ford. Whats your thoughts? Personally i know i have dropped the lubricant value in the fuel but not to a damaging point. I think it will help in keeping the injectors cleaner and it will run in a better operating temp, as in the past it ran too cold and not near the power it can make.
Small Block
 
My diesel guru just walked into the room, Bill. I needed to think this over and wanted a consult as I thought this might be a bit rich. In all the years he drove truck it was about a 5% mix when someone did it on bigger diesels. That's 5 gallons per one hundred, so he's thinking you went a little rich, too. He also said you could tell the ones who did it as they would have about a foot of flame coming out of stacks when they pulled a hill under load...LOL. So for a 15 gallon tank you might want to back off the mix a bit without damage. My concern with a mixture this rich is the top of the pistons and the effect it might have on the turbo.
As for cold start and idle most trucking companies who have their fuel delivered in run about a 25% mix of kero and diesel. This keeps the diesel from gelling, keeps the power up, and keeps the lubrication going through. You'll also feel a bit more power from a kero mix without beating the snot out of the top end.


P.S.: keep your eye on the gauges! And if the check engine light comes on get to the scanner immediately.
 
in the winter i put kerosen in in my pete 600hp cat 10 gal.to 100 the same with my dodge when the temp gets below 20 i also use lucus fuel adative that works real good for the lazyness.we use to put gas in them old macks and if you worked them hard would melt a piston.i dont know how it would work with the new motors with computers.
 
godfatherofchry said:
in the winter i put kerosen in in my pete 600hp cat 10 gal.to 100 the same with my dodge when the temp gets below 20 i also use lucus fuel adative that works real good for the lazyness.we use to put gas in them old macks and if you worked them hard would melt a piston.i dont know how it would work with the new motors with computers.
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And what you just said about the Macks is my concern here with a rich mixture of gas/diesel.

Today's computer controlled engines are basically the same, internally, just monitored more by the OBD system.

Bill, in my opinion you'd be better with a kero/diesel mix.
 
In the old days they did suggest adding maybe 1/2 gal gas to tank of diesel. Then they changed and suggested up to 50% kerosene.

In my El Camino with 5.7 diesel I usually put 5 gallon Kerosene per tank when it was extremely cold.

My Cummins I have used diesel fuel treatment for convenience, but still like to run some Kerosene, but they put a short hose on the pumps so you have to put it in a can then pour it in the tank.

I have only had the truck gel one time.

NOW ON TO A POWERSTROKE, I work with a guy that was a line mechanic for Ford. He said to NEVER PUT GAS IN A FORD DIESEL!

Unless it is going to be in the single digits I would not worry about it. The winter blend fuel will not gel as quick as summer blend.

Get a small glass jar and put some diesel fuel in it. Seal it up and place outside in window. If you see it cloud up then it will be gelling in your tank.

My 2 cents
 
I have a 7.3L ford, I wouldn't risk running any gasoline in mine...That crap ULSD Diesel we are forced to run is all ready a lower lubricity then Ford designed the 7.3L to use IMO.
I use the additive POWER SERVICE every fuel up, it cost me about 2 bucks more every time I fill up approximately and the truck seems to like it. It also helps with cold starts.
 
Mercedes actually had a chart in the owners manual as to what ratio of gas to add to your #2 diesel.... My question is, why don't you....

Buy #1 diesel?
Buy powerservice additive, or pyroil is another good one. I have run my cummins at -70F with #1 with 2stroke oil....... I have also seen #1 slope fuel gel. As far as running better? A diesel engine will make less power on gasoline, if your temp ran higher with the gas added, then you were damaging your already trouble prone 7.3.

If you cant use Kerosene, or additive to keep it from gelling don't be driving, reason why, is if you had to ask if it was OK to put gas in your tank, then you shouldn't be doing it.

And cardboard is a bad idea too, block off the air intake in the front.
 
Back in the days (late 70s/early 80s) I had fellow drivers that thought nothing of doping their fuel with gas during the winter. One had his fuel jell up on a really cold night (-20f) and he decided to mix a bit more gas in.
It worked really good until he came to the 1st long hill and he never lifted.
He also didn't watch his pyrometer (exhaust temp) and about 1/2 mile into the pull, the engine started to smoke and loose power.
He did not realize that the energy output of gas is a lot higher than diesel and 90 octane does not work well with 17/1 comression.

He had melted the tops out of all the pistons and warped the valves and seats. About $ 8000 worth.
A little gas is ok but actaully you should use the proper anti-gel stuff.
 
LIke I said, if you notice a temp difference, it's too much..... Considering in a diesel engine, qulaity of the fuel actually cools the EGT.

They make additives nowadays, no since takingthe chance. Also, what happens if the fuel is already gelled sorta, and the gas doesn't mix well, and goes near the suction tube full strength?

The words PRE-IGNITION/DETONATION come to mind........ (Seen it happen once, thats why I bring itup)
 
I am a diesel technician and the problem with the 7.3 diesel engine is the injectors, they will sludge in the oil side of the injectors. It uses from 500 to almost 3000 pounds of injected oil pressure to fire the injectors. What we do is drain 1 gallon of oil and add 1 gallon of diesel fuel to the oil and let it idle for 1 hour,every once in a while we would snap the throttle but do not drive the vehicle. Then we would change the oil and use Motorcraft 10w30 diesel oil. If the base engine is not worn out it will help the performance when cold.
 
boozersdart said:
I am a diesel technician and the problem with the 7.3 diesel engine is the injectors, they will sludge in the oil side of the injectors. It uses from 500 to almost 3000 pounds of injected oil pressure to fire the injectors. What we do is drain 1 gallon of oil and add 1 gallon of diesel fuel to the oil and let it idle for 1 hour,every once in a while we would snap the throttle but do not drive the vehicle. Then we would change the oil and use Motorcraft 10w30 diesel oil. If the base engine is not worn out it will help the performance when cold.
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I typically dont have starting issues with my 01 7.3L with 140,000 Miles.
Do you think this is a good idea to do to my truck anyway just as a preventative maintenance trick?
 
The problem with adding anything to diesel fuel on the 1995 and up diesel is that it may really screw with a number of things. Tighter machine clearances are a problem if lubricity is lost. Adding gasoline will kill the lubricity.

It'll also drop the cetane rating, meaning you'll need more heat to fire the mixture. Once its running, thats not a problem. But on very cold start up, you may see a problem.

I have a pdf of an independent test of diesel fuel additives that are commonly available and the resulting lubricity factors. If there is interest, I'll attempt to post it here.

One thing you'll find is that lower sulfur fuel has less lubricity. One of the cheap and easy additives that adds lubricity is... 2 cycle oil.
 
Yes I would do it one time only, it will flush out the injectors from sludge and you will have better response mostly noticeably when cold
 
hdfattboy2001 said:
I typically dont have starting issues with my 01 7.3L with 140,000 Miles.
Do you think this is a good idea to do to my truck anyway just as a preventative maintenance trick?
Click to expand...




Yes I would do it one time only, it will flush out the injectors from sludge and you will have better response mostly noticeably when cold
 
Buddy of mine used to have a D-max..... It was, (notice the quotations) "500-550" HP..........
When on the throttle, it shuttered, and sputtered, and smoked, and missed, and popped, and spit, but was lightning fast. One day, he pulled a trailer, with his "500-550" HP. That was the last day, the thing blew up. He now has a Dodge, an honest 450HP, loves it, will never go back, and doesn't understand how his lower HP Cummins pulls harder than the D-max.....

I know of three other moneypi-I mean, D-maxes, pumped up, they all spit, miss, sputter, and they all have blown up. haven't seem a Cummins **** yet, from anything but absolute abuse, even the 650-700HP twin turbo alc injected thing my Buddy has. It is flat sick.......

But really, I know D-maxes run good, I just like picking on them, and after all, it is a Mopar forum!
 
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