I guy I know had his truck stolen, then recovered. Its a 05 F350 dually, 6.0 PSD. He thinks that while it was stolen, it had red fuel (off road diesel) put in it.
Would this cause any damage to the engine? If so, how soon will it show up? one tank, 1000 miles, what?

 

No. It won't hurt it. It's just dyed to say that it's untaxed.

 

Probably won't make a difference and I doubt it would hurt the engine.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=460 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=460 colSpan=2>DIESEL FUEL DYEING</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=60></TD><TD vAlign=top>


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=400 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left width=12></TD><TD vAlign=top align=left>The EPA wants to identify diesel fuel with a high sulfur content in order to ensure that it is not used in on-road vehicles.</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left width=12></TD><TD vAlign=top align=left>The IRS wants to ensure that tax-exempt low sulfur and high sulfur diesel fuel are not used for taxable purposes.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

The EPA Requirements Originally, the EPA's low sulfur diesel regulations required the addition of blue dye to noncomplying high sulfur (>0.05% mass) fuels. But after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expressed concerns that blue-dyed diesel fuel might be confused with the most common aviation gasoline, which already was being dyed blue, the EPA changed the dye from blue to red.

The EPA regulations require "visible evidence of the presence of red dye" to identify high sulfur fuels intended for off-road use. In practice, this requires refiners to add a level of red dye that is equivalent to no more than 0.75 pounds/1000 bbl (ptb) of a solid Solvent Red 26 dye standard. Solvent Red 26 was chosen as the standard because it is a unique chemical available in pure form. Diesel fuels are actually dyed with liquid concentrates of Solvent Red 164 because this dye is more fuel soluble and less costly than the standard. Solvent Red 164 is a mixture of isomers that are very similar to Solvent Red 26, except the former incorporates hydrocarbon (alkyl) chains to increase its solubility in petroleum products.

Any red dye observed in the fuel of a vehicle in on-road use triggers a measurement of the fuel's sulfur content. Penalties are assessed based on the actual sulfur content of the fuel, rather than simply on the presence of dye. The IRS Requirements The IRS regulations require that tax-exempt diesel fuels, both high sulfur and low sulfur, have a minimum level of a Solvent Red 164 dye that is spectrally equivalent to 3.9 ptb of Solvent Red 26 dye standard. This level of dye is more than five times the amount required by the EPA regulations. The IRS contends that the high dye level is necessary to allow detection of tax evasion even after five-fold dilution of dyed fuel with undyed fuel.

And:
FEDERAL DIESEL FUEL EXCISE TAX
The federal government imposes an excise tax on diesel fuel, currently $0.244 per gallon. However, certain fuel uses are tax-exempt or subject to a reduced rate. These uses include: heating; farming; use by state or local governments or nonprofit educational organizations; and boats engaged in fishing or transportation.
Because Congress believed that there was considerable evasion of this tax, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 changed some of the diesel tax procedures. Briefly, under the new procedures, the tax is levied on diesel fuel removed from a terminal's truck loading rack unless the fuel is dyed.
Dyed diesel fuel may be used only for nontaxable purposes. Anyone who knowingly sells or uses dyed diesel fuel for taxable purposes or who willfully alters the concentration of dye in diesel fuel is subject to a minimum $10 per gallon penalty. The 1993 Act gives the IRS authority to enforce the diesel fuel tax, including the authority to inspect terminals, dyes, dyeing equipment, and fuel storage facilities; and to stop, detain, and inspect vehicles.

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Up until recently, there basically wasn't any difference. Diesel that's to be used for things like agriculture gets a red dye added to visibly differentiate it from "regular" diesel. It's just a way to visibly mark diesel that's sold for ag use so farmers and ranchers can get a price break.

With the new Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD), not sure if they are dying that for "farm use".

But the bottom line is that it perfectly safe for your truck.....as long as you're just going to drive around the farm


TX

 

The only other thing I'd add for your friend is to check the fuel filters for red staining, which might raise some eyebrows if he has it serviced by a dealer.


TX

 

As we are tax exempt, we legally use dyed fuel in our 2004 E-450 6.0 and have for 70,000 trouble free miles.

 

Thanks, that's kinda what I thought, but I wanted to be sure.

 

they do check for red fuel i was pulled over in MD in my work truck...big HINO and was "dipped" which they just take a big straw and stick it in the tank and pull it up...if its clear your set....if its red your screwed.......

 

I'm going to try asking this question again. Is the dyed fuel also USLD?

 

Most likely not. The dyed fuel is only supposed to be used in off highway equipment, which doesn't have to switch over to ULSD until 2010. However, depending on where the station gets it's supply they could take ULSD and add the dye to it and sell it to them so they don't have to keep seperate tanks, trucks, etc.

 

If It Was My Truck And I Was Worried About The D.o.t Stopping Me I Would Run The Red Till Almost Empty, Change The Filter And Fill Up. It Used To Be Around A $1000 Fine For Running Farm Fuel.

 

Depends where your at...the probably are not going to find you. I live in the middle of South Dakota and many people do it around here...lol...heck..the sheriff's father does it in his truck.

 

run it a while an top it off with low sulfer diesel to dilute offroad fuel. that would maybe even keep filters from staining . I dont know for sure if it will work... just an idea. let us know how it does.

 

From post #3 above:

Quote:

The EPA regulations require "visible evidence of the presence of red dye" to identify high sulfur fuels intended for off-road use.

The answer appears to be 'No', it's not ULSD.

I hope that helps.

 

Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by Markadeck

I'm going to try asking this question again. Is the dyed fuel also USLD?

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From post #3 above:

"Any red dye observed in the fuel of a vehicle in on-road use triggers a measurement of the fuel's sulfur content. Penalties are assessed based on the actual sulfur content of the fuel, rather than simply on the presence of dye. The IRS Requirements The IRS regulations require that tax-exempt diesel fuels, both high sulfur and low sulfur, have a minimum level of a Solvent Red 164 dye that is spectrally equivalent to 3.9 ptb of Solvent Red 26 dye standard. This level of dye is more than five times the amount required by the EPA regulations. The IRS contends that the high dye level is necessary to allow detection of tax evasion even after five-fold dilution of dyed fuel with undyed fuel."

The answer is dyed fuel can be ULSD(less likely), Low Sulfer(most likely) or High Sulfer(no longer likely).