Cheap diesel fuel ok?

Black dawg said:

Has anybody here actually gotten "bad" fuel?

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Purchased by myself? No

I've seen it in vehicles pulled into the shop though. Most of the time the "bad" is water and the algae that can come with it. Occasionally it will be a waxy lard type substance that I assume is the result of a bad fuel or bio mixture.

I built a fuel polisher that uses rubber hoses, an old water separator, and a used carter lift pump off a cummins isb. I'll add biocide and fuel cleaner to the tank, stick the one hose into the tank's bottom, and leave the other hose in the filler neck. Let the thing run all day and then throw the fuel filter away afterwards.

I've never looked inside the tank after I'm done to verify the results, but every truck that I've used it on had no evidence of a problem afterwards.

I know when I ordered off road diesel the driver was really eyeing all of the diesels we owned..he was a cool anti establishment sort of guy..but I’m not convinced they aren’t willing to rat on someone they might suspect of using home oil or off road illegally..

Do I agree with it? No f’ing way! But the mind control/training is deep and I’m sure if I was having my fuel tank filled with home oil he’d refuse or tell.

When I commented that heating oil and diesel were the same fuel I was not suggesting its use in vehicles on the road - just that it's $1.50 more (including road use tax) than heating oil is. There's a huge fine for using heating oil - one conviction would dwarf any savings - even over a lifetime of using it.
When I work on oil furnaces I can find red residue in the burner tube which survived combustion. I'll bet a swab of the exhaust pipe interior could reveal even emergency use of heating oil - that's just the color - there might be some chemical traces as well. Then... there's the risk of a mechanic dropping a dime. It's just not worth the risk to run heating oil in a road vehicle.
Electric vehicles, on the other hand seem to be immune to road use tax evasion.

Booyah45828 said:

Purchased by myself? No

I've seen it in vehicles pulled into the shop though. Most of the time the "bad" is water and the algae that can come with it. Occasionally it will be a waxy lard type substance that I assume is the result of a bad fuel or bio mixture.

I built a fuel polisher that uses rubber hoses, an old water separator, and a used carter lift pump off a cummins isb. I'll add biocide and fuel cleaner to the tank, stick the one hose into the tank's bottom, and leave the other hose in the filler neck. Let the thing run all day and then throw the fuel filter away afterwards.

I've never looked inside the tank after I'm done to verify the results, but every truck that I've used it on had no evidence of a problem afterwards.

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Around here, I dont think we have the algae problem......never seen it. The only time I see fuel quality related problems, are from people and their storage tanks or transfer tanks. Usually just rust problems. There was an instance about 15 years ago that a whole bunch of diesel pickups got bad fuel from a station. Ended up having more gas than diesel in the fuel......As near as we could figure, the owner who had the place sold, pumped a bunch of gas into the diesel tank to avoid having to buy diesel before he escaped the valley....

That might be because your average temps are lower then here. I've only ever seen it in summer or late fall. I assume like the algae on a pond it doesn't grow when it's cold. I also assume it's only growing in a tank above ground. Fuel tanks that are buried probably won't have an issue.

Greenie said:

When I commented that heating oil and diesel were the same fuel I was not suggesting its use in vehicles on the road - just that it's $1.50 more (including road use tax) than heating oil is. There's a huge fine for using heating oil - one conviction would dwarf any savings - even over a lifetime of using it.
When I work on oil furnaces I can find red residue in the burner tube which survived combustion. I'll bet a swab of the exhaust pipe interior could reveal even emergency use of heating oil - that's just the color - there might be some chemical traces as well. Then... there's the risk of a mechanic dropping a dime. It's just not worth the risk to run heating oil in a road vehicle.
Electric vehicles, on the other hand seem to be immune to road use tax evasion.

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Also look at all the various other Diesels beside these IDI`s, that burn WMO, French Fry oil etc... and the Govt. seems to have a blind eye towards it. And this has gone on for several decades.
yet heaven forbid you should add some Red Fuel and get caught.....

There is a reason the Govt. in the State, and Federal Govt., what to have up pay a Tax on the miles we drive.

Here in Nevada, when we pay for the yearly lic. tags, we have to add the Mileage so they can keep track. That`s Electric and Fossil fuel driven vehicles. they add up the total miles, how much fuel was pumped state wide, and how much revenue was coming into the Piggy bank. OH! We are short of tax money.

Some day all new vehicles will be tied into a Satalite keeping track of all functions, and you will be taxed accordingly.


Goat

Back on the 15th I said I was going up to Fernley, east to Reno and finally 60 miles south to home, and post what fuel prices I saw.

Hwy 50/580 Carson City $4.05.

short ways east on 50, Country Store, $4.03.
And today $3.94

Maverick across street, $4.05

Few miles east in town of Dayton on Hwy 50,
Sinclair $4.27
Across street, Camel Jockies selling it for $4.05

Way farther out on hwy 50/95
at Silver Springs, $4.79
Think it is the only station for quite a ways.

95 north to Fernley, about 18 miles
Quick Stop $4.95
76, $4.85
7-11 $4.82
Shell $4.84
And at I-80 the old run down Flyin-J truck Stop.
$4.85/$4.91

Three miles west on I-80 to Reno, the Loves Truck Stop.
$4.84/$4.89

Our local Arco just dropped the price to $3.95
couple days ago.

Goat