Diesel / Gasoline "safe" dilution ?

dieselcontam · #1 (**permalink**) 05-12-2008, 06:37 PM

Hi,

I did a dumb thing and accidently started to pour gasoline into the tank of my John Deere diesel skidsteer. I realized right away (less than a quart added to about 8 gallons of diesel). I pumped all the fuel out of the tank and refilled the tank with fresh, uncontaminated diesel.

My question is this: What is the "safe" dilution of diesel contaminated with gasoline? The dilution is currently about 3%. I'm thinking of adding these 8 gallons of tainted diesel to my 100 gallon farm diesel tank which currently has highway diesel in it (not dyed). That would make the dilution 0.23%. Is this dilution safe enough to use in my 2007 F350, the 2002 JD260 skidsteer, and a 1968 John Deere 3020 tractor?

I don't want to waste fuel but would be more upset if I did damage to any of these diesel engines.

I know "old timers" used to use gasoline to help the gel point in the winter... but that was before all the sulfur was removed from diesel and it's now less lubricating. We do use Stanadyne fuel conditioner religiously...

Any experience with this? I'm hoping 0.23% and stanadyne would be "safe" to use up these 8 gallons of contaminated fuel.

Thanks in advance for your help.
Bruce

spence13e · #2 (**permalink**) 05-12-2008, 07:18 PM

i did the same thing just in reverse... added about 1/2 of a 20 gal tank of diesel to a gas 401 JD. i think if it had only been 3 to 5 gal they would have said to just run it. i'm by NO MEANS remotely close to an expert, but i'd say you'd be fine. maybe keep it out of the pickup and run it in the equipment.

bigsteve1969 · #3 (**permalink**) 05-12-2008, 07:51 PM

or try it in the equip. first see how they run? just my thought then again like spence13e im no expert

460429_freak · #4 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 09:19 AM

a quart in 8 gallon then dumped into a 100 gallon tank correct? if so it will be fine... my dad use to add a gallon of deisel to 20 gallons of gas to "clean out" the engine... I think you would have be safe with the quart in 8 gallons if your worried just add some howes or standyne...

dieselcontam · #5 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 06:08 PM

460429_freak: Did I read your post correctly? Your dad used to add 1 gal of diesel to 20 gal of gas and then run it in a gas engine?

What I'm proposing is 1 quart (0.25 gal) of gas added to 108 gallons of diesel and then run in diesel engines. This is a totally different problem.

Trying to find some diesel mechanic or fuel expert out there that knows how safe this would be -- esp. with the lower sulfur diesel fuels now.

The skid steer cost about $10K less than the pickup but has NO WARRANTY, so I'm leaning toward trying it in the truck as it's still under warranty... assuming if a problem occurs it's not something they could "tell" was caused by having a smidgen of gas in my fuel.

Maybe I'd just be better off finding somebody to take the contaminated fuel off my hands and chalk it up to experience! (And never use a red gasoline container for storing diesel! I mistakenly grabbed a real gasoline container instead of the red "diesel" container (red one with the word DIESEL written in black letters on the side). Helps to actually READ the label on the container before pouring it in the tank! Lesson learned.

starmilt · #6 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 06:38 PM

Your fine we sometimes add a gallon of gas to 100 gallons sometimes more in the winter to thin the diesel.

saskdiesel · #7 (**permalink**) 05-13-2008, 07:53 PM

I would think you will have no problems.
I have seen machinery filled by accident and not emptied properly live decades after.
I wouldn't worry.

spence13e · #8 (**permalink**) 05-14-2008, 01:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saskdiesel

I would think you will have no problems.
I have seen machinery filled by accident and not emptied properly live decades after.
I wouldn't worry.

the 401 gasser that i did that to in jan... drained as much out without getting real technical with it, probably had a quarter to half gallon of diesel left in it when i was done. smoked for a while but ran fine after that.

streethealer · #9 (**permalink**) 05-14-2008, 02:57 AM

We had 200 gallons of gas dumped into 800 gallons of diesel accidentally. We ran a fleet of 24 ambulances on it for weeks before anyone noticed the problem(gas smell from the diesel pump). Had absolutely no problems. I think that you will be fine.

dieselcontam · #10 (**permalink**) 05-14-2008, 02:02 PM

Thank you so much, everyone, for your replies.

After reading the last few posts, I'm breathing easier about this all... esp. Streathealer's report of 25% dilution working fine in the ambulances. My 3% dilution is probably ok as is... but I'll still thin it out more just to be safe.

Thanks again!

mnmwhit · #11 (**permalink**) 05-14-2008, 04:16 PM

my wife put 5 gallons of gas in my rig before she realized what she was doing. ( I have a 100 gal tank). I just topped it off with diesel. Poured in 2 qts of 2cycle oil and didn't notice a change.

I pour a qt of 2 cycle in every tank.

460429_freak · #12 (**permalink**) 05-15-2008, 10:42 AM

[quote=dieselcontam;6150555]460429_freak: Did I read your post correctly? Your dad used to add 1 gal of diesel to 20 gal of gas and then run it in a gas engine?yeah he used to on his old 70 models pickups... cleaning the carbon off the valves he said....
What I'm proposing is 1 quart (0.25 gal) of gas added to 108 gallons of diesel and then run in diesel engines. This is a totally different problem. yes I understand what your problem was and really not a problem at all we had once our driver slap 5 gallons of gas in the tank of the d-max he added 2 quarts of oil ands rest in diesel didn't hurt the d-max plus the old timers used gas as a anti gellion agent... I have seen a 5.7 olds diesel that had 3/4 tank of gas added to it (no pistons) was bad but the girl was blonde also... quart to 108 gallons no problem won't even notice it...

StealmyTruck · #13 (**permalink**) 05-15-2008, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieselcontam

Hi,

I did a dumb thing and accidently started to pour gasoline into the tank of my John Deere diesel skidsteer. I realized right away (less than a quart added to about 8 gallons of diesel). I pumped all the fuel out of the tank and refilled the tank with fresh, uncontaminated diesel.

My question is this: What is the "safe" dilution of diesel contaminated with gasoline? The dilution is currently about 3%. I'm thinking of adding these 8 gallons of tainted diesel to my 100 gallon farm diesel tank which currently has highway diesel in it (not dyed). That would make the dilution 0.23%. Is this dilution safe enough to use in my 2007 F350, the 2002 JD260 skidsteer, and a 1968 John Deere 3020 tractor?

I don't want to waste fuel but would be more upset if I did damage to any of these diesel engines.

I know "old timers" used to use gasoline to help the gel point in the winter... but that was before all the sulfur was removed from diesel and it's now less lubricating. We do use Stanadyne fuel conditioner religiously...

Any experience with this? I'm hoping 0.23% and stanadyne would be "safe" to use up these 8 gallons of contaminated fuel.

Thanks in advance for your help.
Bruce

You're good. I add a little to my 6.0 in the winter to thin B50. An ounce per gallon maybe.

460429_freak · #14 (**permalink**) 05-16-2008, 04:33 PM

I read on another forum that miletary spec was not 10% over total fill up ... can anyone confirm this????