Well if you hang around enough old farmers some of them tell you they've run kerosene in their tractors.
In talking to an uncle, he said once that it doesnt gel as low as #2 so you could use some as an additive in the winter.
Well, I know bupkis. Never done it. But where I get heater fuel has the good kerosene thats clear like water so what the heck. Today I topped off the tank, which was only about 2 gallons down.
I'm about to go do some real research but thought I'd throw it out. Initial perceptions, I can't feel any difference in power or anything, but I sure think is sounds a lot quieter.
Anyone ever tried? Substance to the superstition?

 

so let me get this straight... you filled up an empty tank full with kerosene?

 

No no no. It was almost full. I just topped it with it. Added about 2 gal.
I just went looking at Wiki and elsewhere. Sounds like there's some latitude in what people get to call Kerosene, and what I am getting is "white" which chemically looks at least like its about identical to #1 diesel. Except, interesting tidbit, it's not under the same fuel regulations (think ULSD) that diesel is. So I might just get getting #1 with the old lube back in it.
Dunno. More lookin to do.

 

I'm not saying anything about what is a good additive or what isn't. BUT, I was at Powerstrokeshop.com the other day in Indianapolis, IN. And I purchased one 20oz. bottle of Power Stroke DIESEl Cetane Booster & Performance Improver. On the back under "FIRST AID TREATMENT:" "Contains: Kerosene; heavy aromatic naphtha (petroleum); naphthalene."

Kind of freaky, Motorcraft would make Kerosene their 1st ingredient in a diesel additive....

 

I've been nosing around here a bit. There's some crossover in what can be labeled Kerosene and what can be labeled diesel. Theres a variance in the number of carbon atoms attached and at 15 or 16 you can call it either, that is, pertro mfrs can.
Near as I can tell, K1 might as well be a diesel that has higher lubricating properties than regular diesel, a lower flash point, isn't de-sulfured, and doesn't freeze.
I'm looking for the downside but not finding it.
Charts I'm looking at make me think it might have less BTU capacity per litre, but that would jive with being similar to #1 diesel.
I guess at 4 bucks a gallon, thats a downside, but if it does, in fact, lubricate and anti gel, now we're comparing it to additives, and then that's not shabby a'tall.
I'll admit I rather hate being in that uncomfortable place where you think you might have stumbled on something and you just know theres some gloomy downside to it but you cant figure what it is. Yet. Optimism soars for another 24 hours.

 

Yeah, I'm sure some naysayer will be along, but I would welcome it if it is useful. I know there is a very fine line between military jet fuels and diesel/kerosene. BTW, I just filled up at a Conoco today in KY. I saw no ULSD sticker on that pump??? The quart of DK still went in. I thought it was everywhere now. $2.41gal while reg unleaded was $2.11. WTH???? Enough already. We all know it costs more to make gasoline than diesel.

 

Kerosene and #1 diesel are nearly the same. The main difference is #1 is marketed as motor fuel and kero is not. So some spec's may be different like cloud point or % sulfur. When I operated in an oil refinery we had no market for kerosene. So it was all added to the diesel. The clear kero sold in cans for heater fuel is desulfurized so it doesn't stink. That's too expensive to be used for motor fuel. Winterized #2 or #1 is probably best. Kero and #1 have less BTU value than #2.

Whatever winter fuel you use, if it's marketed as motor fuel you can be assured it's spec'd to run in modern road vehicles.

 

I'm no expert in fuels and maybe theres differences in spec between our nations when it comes to refining - I wouldn't know! (Heck we don't even use the same names for fuels!)

That said, in a past life I used to run fleets of vehicles (Gas & Diesel) for graders, loaders, dozers, and 4wd trucks, as well as light duty 4wd pickups and so on as well as a fleet of 5 aircraft (largely piper cubs) for the govt...and the occasional helicopter etc.

I'd buyt in supplies of Petroleum distillate (what you call gas) and diesel (summer & winter) and Kerosene (for lighting fires) and avgas for the planes and Jet A1 for the choppers!

As I was lead to understand, Aviation fuel is more highly refined and a higher octane level than standard petroleum distillate!

These days it is all RON fiigures etc which I don't underastand at all!

What I do know is that in the good ol days - i thought our leaded super grade petroleum distillate - was I think 96 octane? - while standard grade was 92???

I was lead to believe the avgas was ~100 Octane but that within 12 months it degraded to 98 or less?

Anyway an old colleague who was a collector of the Aussie Ford 1972 GTHO Phase 3 Shaker 351 vehicles (he had 3) as well as a 1971 428 cobrajet mustang - and finally a 1971 Ford Dragster with a 460 Bog block ford v8...used to buy up from the local airstrip any 'out of date' avgas and Jet A1? he could get his hands on to blend with super grade petroleum distillate because he had the heads shaved down and modified camshafts etc in these 351 and 428 & 460 ford v8 engines and they ran better on the higher octane rating fuel!

We always got two grades of Kerosene, the "white" & "blue" and ONE of them was a heating grade Kerosine and the other - power kerosine!

I also happened to own an old Massey Tractor for the ww2 era that was originally built to run on Power kerosine!

i don't see why you couldn't probably run on some or another form of kerosine or a kero blend - but there are far better educated / experienced industrial chemists and fuel experts who probably know a reason why not too in todays modern engines with fancy materials for seals etc.

It'll be interesting to see what the eventual consensus is!

Cheers!

 

if we get down to 40 to 50 below around here in nh we add about 5 gal of karosene to 150 gal tank of fuel in our tractor trailer to help it out...it works good for the trucks that are already froze up be side the road too..

 

It will run on kerosene but it doesn't lube very well. It is a very dry fuel compared to diesel. 1 or 2 gallons mixed with 30 gallons of diesel would clean the fuel systems on the older trucks and keep it from gelling. I don't know about trying to run it with this new ULSD. It is a little short on lubrication to begin with. Years ago we would mix 5 gallons of kerosene with 2 quarts of motor oil to make diesel fuel.
Joe

 

The big difference between Jet A(JP-8 military) and diesel #1 is lubrication and BTU according to our fuels book. That being said, we run JP-8 in our diesel heaters and next to the filler spout it say "Service with diesel or kerosene". Emergency alternate fuel four our helicopter motors is kerosene. I can't think opf a reason I would put kerosene in, but if I really had to for some unknown reason, I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it.

 

Around here the K-1 is dyed red just like the farm diesel. They did it so people wouldn't add it in their trucks.

 

OK...I'll ask a dumb question....
Do the big trucks fill up from the same tank as do other diesel vehicles ?? IE..is the fuel the big rigs run also low sulphur ??

 

Yes, the OTR trucks also run the same fuels. If you want to, you can drive up to a big rig fuel station, it's the same fuel. They are also cringing at the new fuel standards, and a whole new wave of fuel efficient engines.

 

I just converted my truck to run WVO to fix my fill up blues and lubricating of my injectors. seems to run smoother too.

the great thing is a diesel tank last a Loong time on road trips.