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Running Diesel fuel through a gas engine?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by xhotrodder, Jan 12, 2010.

  1. onlychevrolets
    Joined: Jan 23, 2006
    Posts: 2,307

    onlychevrolets
    Member


    I was told once that Propane gas is 125 octane.....any body know about this?
     
  2. czuch
    Joined: Sep 23, 2008
    Posts: 2,688

    czuch
    Member
    from vail az

    I put a quart of diesel in every tankfull from Tucson to Chicago in a fuel injected car. 1800 miles and the milage went from 18 to 24. I'm a firm believer in the diesel trick. I just did a mazda and got unbelievable crud from the oil. Let idle for 20 minutes and change. just a half a quart in the old oil and then change it. Watch that pressure though. You might end up doing a screen clean..
     
  3. flamed34
    Joined: Dec 30, 2009
    Posts: 819

    flamed34
    Member

    Propane runs about 104 octane...some as high as 110, hence propane supplementary injection. It also runs considerably cleaner, meaning less deposits and sludge build up...which equates to dollars for longer oil and engine life.
     
  4. nofin
    Joined: Jan 7, 2010
    Posts: 321

    nofin
    Member
    from australia

    Diesel, kerosene, avgas and alcohol are all need high compression to run, I think I read somewhere these multifuel engines have a compression reduction system like on a motorcycle with a kick start to run on gas. Thats why you start and warm up with gas and then move to the (then) cheap stuff.
     
  5. ThePuck
    Joined: Apr 9, 2009
    Posts: 116

    ThePuck
    Member
    from Ottawa

    Any of these fuels, when in a vaporised state, will ignite with a spark. My oil furnace does this all day, all winter.

    The high mechanical compression in a diesel engine is used to start a spontaneous ignition of the timed fuel injection pulse, and thus negate the requirement of an ignition system.

    Diesel fuel will run in a gas engine, but not efficiently. And it will actually run better in a low compression gas motor, because diesel will spontaneously ignite with too much heat and compression, causing pre-ignition.

    Those old multi fuel tractor engines were very low compression, on the order of 6:1.

    I think there's enough people on here that have actually done it, myself included, that you can't simply dismiss the idea.
     
  6. no55mad
    Joined: Dec 15, 2006
    Posts: 1,956

    no55mad
    Member

    I was getting diesel for my tractor and put some diesel in the tank of my A for upper end lube. It doesn't take much - that thing smoked and idled rough for quite some time!
     
  7. stude_trucks
    Joined: Sep 13, 2007
    Posts: 4,755

    stude_trucks
    Member

    I just use a few dryer sheets. Smells good too afterwards and the ladies like it. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't even bother worrying about it.
     
  8. Truckedup
    Joined: Jul 25, 2006
    Posts: 4,661

    Truckedup
    Member

    Yeah,but it's difficult to get those dryer sheets down the carb,keep getting hung up on the venturi cluster.I'm gonna put them through the blender first.............
     
  9. boldventure
    Joined: Mar 7, 2008
    Posts: 1,766

    boldventure
    Member

    That's what the fuel filter is for...
    Fuel filter..? Fuel filter...? we don ned no stinkin' fuel filter....
     
  10. Bearing Burner
    Joined: Mar 2, 2009
    Posts: 1,107

    Bearing Burner
    Member
    from W. MA

    I remember people telling that during the war farmers burned kerosene in their tractors
    and used the gas for their cars. Started on gas then switched to Kero. Warmed it up by running the fuel line around the exhaust manifold a couple of times to get better combustion. These were low 4-6/1 compression engines.
     
  11. TraderJack
    Joined: Apr 10, 2008
    Posts: 330

    TraderJack
    Member

    During WW2 we were allowed 4 gallons of gas a week, and we increased our fuel by using paint thinner , acetone, alcohol, distillate, most anything that would go in the tank.

    And that, dear friends, was in a flathead with cam, heads, and duals.

    At what time we tried everything.

    but then again the engine was pulled about every two or three months to do something to it.

    They, actually, sometime, in the 40s came out with a degreaser that you would put the pipe in the drain hole and let it degrease the inside of the engine.

    We lived with sludge! But we didn't have the laws against pollution either!

    TraderJack
     
  12. klitosp
    Joined: Aug 22, 2012
    Posts: 2

    klitosp
    Member

    Hi, reading your post :
    "I put a quart of diesel in every tankfull from Tucson to Chicago in a fuel injected car. 1800 miles and the milage went from 18 to 24. I'm a firm believer in the diesel trick. I just did a mazda and got unbelievable crud from the oil. Let idle for 20 minutes and change. just a half a quart in the old oil and then change it. Watch that pressure though. You might end up doing a screen clean.."

    I would like to ask you if you still have good results.

    Also , did you ever had problems with your catalytic converter?

    How big is your tank in order to throw 1 quart of diesel? ( 40 - 60 liters? more? )

    Thank you in advance,
    Iraklitos
     
  13. BAD ROD
    Joined: Dec 16, 2004
    Posts: 1,532

    BAD ROD
    Member

    I always heard to use water down the carb to clean the engine when I was a kid. I had a Buick V6 that I tried this on and blew a head gasket. Guess I used a bit too much!! :)
     
  14. Be very careful to just dribble enough to make the engine choke down a bit, then give it a few seconds to recover, then repeat a few more times. What is actually happening is that the cold water breaks up the carbon on the valves and chambers. If you over pour you'll chill and warp the exhaust valves. I've had great success at this but no more so than with Seafoam which I trust more.
     
  15. Dog Dish Deluxe
    Joined: Dec 23, 2011
    Posts: 777

    Dog Dish Deluxe
    BANNED
    from MO.

    I've done the water thing, it seems to help on an old nasty motor. With all the alcohol (ethanol) in the gas these days you are pretty much running water through your engine every time you drive it anyway. (alcohol attracts water)
     
  16. Gromit
    Joined: Oct 13, 2011
    Posts: 726

    Gromit
    Member

    Been there done that
    (actually a friend at work)
    The engine will smoke and kill every mosquito in a 1 mile radius. and you will need to change your oil fouled plugs.

    Benefits? maybe. but I dunno.
     
  17. Sphynx
    Joined: Jan 31, 2009
    Posts: 1,141

    Sphynx
    Member
    from Central Fl

    I had a 68 rambler and ran out of gas. A friend stopped to help and he was driving a service truck. He helped me out but accidently put 5 gallons of diesel in the tank instead of gas. I learned that the flash point of diesel is to high for a gas engine. Gasoline combust at a lot lower temp. I cleaned the plugs, drained the gas and and filled it up with some high test. Fo about the first 10-15 minutes it still smoked like hell. I dont think it ran any better after that.
     
  18. 40FordGuy
    Joined: Mar 24, 2008
    Posts: 2,907

    40FordGuy
    Member

    AvGas 115/145 is the best ! Some friends and I used quite a bit of it, when we had to stretch things until payday. The insides of the tailpipes were a chalky greyish-white, when we used it.
    Jet A, I would avoid,...it's basically kerosene-like, and contains naptha, which make it easier to "light off" during jet engine starts. It's what gives it that pungent smell.
    4TTRUK
     
  19. "T'RANTULA"
    Joined: Aug 6, 2011
    Posts: 661

    "T'RANTULA"
    Member
    from Ohio

    I mix my gas 50/50 with sugar, polishes them cylinder walls right up. :rolleyes:
    But really why put somethin into a motor that you think might clean it and in reality it destroys the motor. If it really does work and "Cleans" the motor weres the sludge gonna go? It surely isnt all gonna drain outta the oil pan. When ya start it the oil pump is gonna suck that crud up and then the screen will get clogged and then no oil pressure..
     
  20. Straightpipes
    Joined: Jan 25, 2006
    Posts: 1,084

    Straightpipes
    Member

    Two year old thread........and it just goes along like it never left :D:D:D!!
     
  21. hemi rodder
    Joined: Oct 10, 2011
    Posts: 510

    hemi rodder
    Member
    from NB Canada

    my experience with deisel in gas engine was at our garage a guy put deisel in a gas 427 chevy dump truck, made it about 3 miles and took them 2 days of trying to get it going, then brought it to us to figure out probleme, by that time the damage had been done, i guess the mixture was just right to get it running(bad), we open the engine to find that the pistons had scuffed the cylinders realy bad, motor had almost no mileage but was done. no damage to heads, crank ect, just the pistons and cylinders.
     
  22. 4dFord/SC
    Joined: Sep 12, 2004
    Posts: 837

    4dFord/SC
    Member

    I remember an incident in Vietnam when a piston-engined O-1 landed at the helicopter base near us and was inadvertently refueled with JP-4. Don't recall the outcome, but I know the Birddog jockey was not too happy about it.
     
  23. carlisle1926
    Joined: May 19, 2010
    Posts: 536

    carlisle1926
    Member

    I think the key to running a gasoline engine on straight kerosene or diesel is the low compression and the engine has to be warmed up first. Most ALL antique tractors were designed to start on gasoline and then be switched over to diesel or kerosene. A model T Ford will run and drive on kerosene too-- as long as the engine is warmed up first. Most of the engines are 5 to 1 compression ratios or lower. If you atomize just about anything it will burn. Steam locomotives switched to oil burners from coal and wood. I've personally lit off steam locomotives using waste motor oil and compressed air to atomize the oil. Once it builds a head of steam, the steam is used to atomize the oil and the fire gets hotter than the flames of hell and damnation in the firebox. Good times with junk oil.



    They sell an engine cleaner call MotoFlush at all auto parts stores. I think it is primarily diesel by the stink of it. You poor a bottle into the crankcase and run the engine at IDLE for about 5 minutes. If you rev the engine it warns of scarred bearings on the can. When you pull the drain tons of yuck runs out of the pan. I would suggest pulling the oil pan off to remove any possible chunks that might plug the oil screen.



    I recently had a straight 8 Buick engine that was smoking big time and had weak oil pressure. I dumped a can of Seafoam in the oil and a bit in the gas. After about 10 minutes of running at an idle, the engine didn't smoke a bit, ran a LOT better and the oil pressure went up a few pounds. I took off the pan and cleaned out the pan and oil screen. The engine had been really sludgy around the rocker arms and the Seafoam cleaned the entire engine.
     
  24. chinarus
    Joined: Nov 9, 2010
    Posts: 509

    chinarus
    Member
    from Georgia

    I was trying to avoid pulling the oil pan on a high mileage Ranger 4 cyl several years ago due to lack of tools and time.
    I was advised to run kerosene or mineral spirits in the engine with the oil at maybe 50/50 or 25/75 to "clean it out" by a mechanic friend due to oil pressure problems.

    Good part - I didn't have the pull the oil pan and replace the oil pump.
    Bad part - I just sold the truck as/is with a broken crankshaft or camshaft after it broke while idling. (Sounded like a thrashing maching.)
     
  25. 48FordFanatic
    Joined: Feb 26, 2011
    Posts: 1,335

    48FordFanatic
    Member
    from Maine

    That's a bunch of bologna. Diesel has a much higher viscosity than gasoline . Rings that will prevent gas from passing will absolutely stop diesel.:rolleyes:
     
  26. I had a Customer many years ago with a big Chrysler running a 383 or 440. He always had me dump a quart of ATF in his fuel tank when he filled up with 260 Sunoco. He said it kept the"insides clean" . That old Chrysler had over 200,000 miles on it and ran like a champ.
     
  27. hotrodtom
    Joined: Apr 14, 2005
    Posts: 231

    hotrodtom
    Member

    Had a good friend, former B-17 pilot by the way, did the same thing. His Oldsmobile sure ran great.
    Fearless
     
  28. WOODEYE
    Joined: Feb 21, 2010
    Posts: 375

    WOODEYE
    Member

    Back in the late 60ty's I worked at a Buick Dealership. They would take cars in on trade and some would have issues like a sticking valve or lifter noise, ect. The used car mechanic would take the car out to the back lot and rev it up pretty hard while pouring ATF down the carb and eventually stalling the engine out. Then he would let it set for several days before starting it again. Sometimes they had sucess and sometimes no change. Keep in mind this was generally a last ditch try on a marginal car just to get it to run well enough to get it sold off and down the road. I don't recall any of the cars ever being worse after trying this. Boy they did smoke like you can't believe once they got them started up. Quiet often the cars required a jump because everything was soaked with the ATF. and took a lot of cranking over before getting them to fire up.
     
  29. klitosp
    Joined: Aug 22, 2012
    Posts: 2

    klitosp
    Member

    I think that AvGas 115/145 contains LEAD and it will destroy your catalytic converter !!! Please, check it...
     
  30. Without reading all 5 pages (forgive me if this has been mentioned already), I have often put 1 QT of diesel into the oil of a warmed up engine and let it IDLE for about 3-5 mins, then change the oil/filter. This does loosen and clean out a lot of the sludge. Key is in a warm engine and only idle for a couple mins. The dirty oil is really black and quite a bit of sludge falls out. After teardown to rebuild (and beef up) of a 175k mile engine, spotless inside.
     

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