100 Gal of free diesel...but....

[SHIP4BRAINS]

One of our test machines at work recently fell ill..... It is our test machine that we install prototype equipment on. I believe it was the one with the 275hp cummins but I'm not sure. Anyway, it started missing and running poorly...lots of smoke. The engine was under warrantee so Cummins came to check it out. I have heard a few different stories, but one guy told me it dropped a valve...one guy said it was ALL of the injectors that failed...one guy said a rockerarm came apart... So at this point I really don't know. I do know fuel samples were taken, the engine was pulled, the top end was rebuilt along with new injectors and the engine was reinstalled. The same fuel that was in it previously was put back in it. The machine was ran one hour and started missing again....but only under load at first. It would idle and high idle fine.....load the engine and it was start missing. Then the missing got worse till it wouldn't idle up at all and at low idle the smoke was black as coal.

FYI, this piece of equipment is hydrostatically driven. The engine either operates at low idle or high idle - 2400rpm.

Cummins came back again...tore the top end down and found the crank and cam position sensors bad and claimed all 6 injectors were bad as well. This time they blamed it on the fuel. The injectors were replaced as well as the crank/cam sensors and god knows what else. Fuel samples were sent off again. New fuel was put in the machine this time. We have about 20 hours on it and no issues.

So there sits the fuel in two 55 gal barrels. Work doesn't want it. They said I could have it....

So, I'm concerned it is contaminated ....sugar? That was the techs theory....

Although, Cummins did pay for all of the repairs, even the second time when they first insisted it was a fuel related issue. I haven't seen the fuel reports yet.

I think I'm going to snag it while the gettin' is good and wait till I hear something back from the fuel report.

If it is bad, what can I do with it ?

 

[Devilish]

burn it in a kerosene heater for your garage. I'd put the fuel in a clear container and drain off the clean fuel on top after the fuel settles for about a week

 

[icanfixall]

Sugar in fuel... Why didn't they find this the first time or did they??? Somebody should have been checking the sugar in fuel warning lite bulb. This will be a tuff option for you to figure out. Is it really worth the risk. Now if you were stranded on the dark side of the moon on a Sunday nite and the equiptment belonged to NASA... Then I would run it and the devil with the posibilities.

 

[Ironman03R]

I would think if you filtered it first it would be ok, that is IF its contaminated. If it were me I'd filter it through my filter system and mix it with my WMO.

 

[typ4]

I Would let it settle out and filter it well and run it in small mixes with known good fuel, more that likely someone gassed it.
Hang a string in it and if there is sugar in it it SHOULD build crystals on the string.

 

[Freight_Train]

It will only form crystals if it is super Saturated.Only way to do that is to heat the fuel and mix sugar in it till it wouldn't disolve anymore then let it cool down.

 

[typ4]

It will only form crystals if it is super Saturated.Only way to do that is to heat the fuel and mix sugar in it till it wouldn't disolve anymore then let it cool down.

HEY ,at least I remembered part of the chem assignment.

 

[93turbo_animal]

I'd filter down to 1micron and run it

 

[Cat_Rebel]

If it's free don't argue, find out what to do with it later!

 

[Freight_Train]

I agree.If nothing else you got a BUNCH of ant/Weed/Brush killer.

 

[MUDKICKR]

its a fuel related issue? i have never seen a company warranty anything that was found "vandilized" i think you should be ok. i would filter it twice though. if the cam and crank sensor dont read right then it would make it miss. did they replace the fuel injectors then the crank and cam sensor? i would try and found out which ones were replaced first. i just think it was a case of "lets throw parts at it till its fixed" and blame it on the most varible thing. its easy to blame the fuel when it was "missing"

 

[BigRigTech]

Filter it and run it...Sounds like a fuel pressure or timing related issue to me. I agree, I doubt Cummins would warranty the job if a sample came back with a foreign substance in the fuel.

 

[SHIP4BRAINS]

I doubt Cummins would warranty the job if a sample came back with a foreign substance in the fuel.

Thanks.... I was thinking about using it in a heater too.

 

[BigRigTech]

For what little it would cost it might be worth having your own fuel sample tested to be sure it's good to use.

 

[Diesile]

If the fuel could be tested for sugar that would be my choice, if it is sugsred and you run it......what a mess! From the sounds of the posts sugar goes into solution and I don't know if that can be filtered out.