mix gas with deisel

mandrerw

New member
i just emptied about 2 cups of gasoline into my 5 gal deisel tank. (idiot moment, snow storm........)

should i drain it or run it?
 

Doc

Admin
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Good question. I'd drain it, just in case. Better safe than sorry and since I do not know for sure it would not do damage .....I'd drain it.
I had one of those moments when the place I get my diesel from started selling road diesel instead of farm diesel like i was used to. Farm diesel is red. I poured about two cups of clear diesel in and about freaked out. I was ready to drain and then I found out they no longer sold the colored diesel fuel ...and that the road diesel does not have that strong diesel smell that I was expecting. So I lucked out.
 

urednecku

Member
Think I'd burn it in my pickup about 1 or 2 gallons per tank. (it's gasoline powered). I had a '79 chevy I would put about 5 to 10 diesel in the 50 gallon tank I had on it...couldn't tell the difference in the way it ran, but at the time diesel was lots cheaper than gasoline & it helped stretch my fuel bill.
 

California

Super Moderator
Staff member
Site Supporter
A pint in 5 gallons? 1:40? I would just run it. The tractor won't know the difference.

I've read that Mercedes recommended adding gas to diesel to help extreme cold weather starting. You might Google on that to see what proportion they recommended.

The two fuels are near identical. Gasoline evaporates to vapor near room temperature, while diesel has a higher vapor point. Gasoline is blended to resist ping, while ping is what makes diesel ignite. (Also diesel has slightly more energy per gallon; irrelevant here).

The only disadvantage I can see is that the volatile gas fumes raise your fire hazard up similar to that of an automobile. If you park it in your basement next to the water heater pilot light this might be a concern.

Just run it.
 

Mark777

Member
I think the amount is insignificant. I know several people around here that add as much as a quart per 5 gallons in the winter fuel.

Mark
 

olcowhand

Member
It would be a problem had you put 2 cups diesel into 5 gallons of gasoline. Gasoline engines react very bad to any diesel in the fuel. That little to a diesel isn't much problem at all.
 

urednecku

Member
It would be a problem had you put 2 cups diesel into 5 gallons of gasoline. Gasoline engines react very bad to any diesel in the fuel. That little to a diesel isn't much problem at all.

My late Dad realized one day at work he didn't have enough gasoline in his pick-up to get home. He put in about 5 or 8 gallons of diesel out of his boss's fuel pump, & drove the 20+ miles home, where he had a gasoline tank. He drove that Chevy pickup another 10 years, never had a minutes trouble outta it.
I had a '79 Chevy which had a 50 gallon aux. tank in the back, I would put 5-10 gallons of diesel in, then fill up with gasoline. I couldn't tell the difference, except at that time diesel was a lot cheaper than gasoline. It never gave me any trouble.

Of course, it might be a different story with these newer, computer-controlled machines.:shitHitsFan:


http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2179/can-i-use-diesel-fuel-instead-of-regular-gas

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Automotive-2465/mixing-diesel-fuel-gasoline.htm
 
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