Joined
·
352 Posts
Not planning on doing it but was just wondering today what would happen if you put in petrol in a diesel engine?
what happens if you run gas in a diesel?
1 - 20 of 21 Posts
Joined
·
3,652 Posts
it would run like poo. diesel fuel has a much higher BTU then gas.
![]()
Joined
·
352 Posts
if i put diesel instead of gas then it runs quite nicely and gets me to work everyday....
but was wondering what would happen if i put gas in...
but was wondering what would happen if i put gas in...
Joined
·
1,227 Posts
really, so you're saying you can run diesel fuel in a car designed for gasoline? It makes sense, but there's gotta be a reason not to otherwise everyone would do it.
Diesel in gas, 100% diesel will run S&$t if at all. The flash point, IE the degrees that the vapors will ignite is 165+ for diesel and -75 for gas. Diesel will smoke badly and fowl the plugs. However I knew a Highway Patrol that back in 72 he'd put 1 gal of diesel fuel to every tank fillup on his 71 429PI (429CJ) and it ran great. The diesel fuel lubed the valve stems better. Gas in a diesel will destroy it due to the combustion pressures being so different by the way the fuel burns. And that's only if it ignited. Gas requires a spark plug. Diesel is a control explosion when the fine mist of fuel is sprayed into the high pressure chamber.
Joined
·
1,227 Posts
so with regards to high compression gasoline engines, adding a little diesel can actually act as an octane boost? I can't see any other reason why adding diesel would benefit.
You have to remember that diesel went to a low sulfur composition a few years ago, and ultra low sulfur is just around the corner, so nowadays I don't think it would help as much. Here's an interesting link about running diesel in a gas engine, but I think it answers the original qestion nicely:
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdieselvsgas.html
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: stangboy on 4/29/06 10:21pm ]</font>
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdieselvsgas.html
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: stangboy on 4/29/06 10:21pm ]</font>
In answer to the original question; in a modern diesel engine you will need.
1) New injectors.
2) New fuel pump.
3) A full system flush.
4) Possibly some other new bits as well!
Diesel petrol does not have the lubrication that diesel does hence the injectors and fuel pump will be pretty much junk if the engie has fired up on petrol.
You wouldnt like to know the number of warranty claims rejected because of miss fueling, customers think we wont find out!
1) New injectors.
2) New fuel pump.
3) A full system flush.
4) Possibly some other new bits as well!
Diesel petrol does not have the lubrication that diesel does hence the injectors and fuel pump will be pretty much junk if the engie has fired up on petrol.
You wouldnt like to know the number of warranty claims rejected because of miss fueling, customers think we wont find out!
Diesel engines do not have an ignition system; they rely on high compression to ignite the fuel. Gasoline spontaneously ignites at a much lower compression point than does diesel. Think of it like this; if you use regular gas in a 14:1 compression race engine, which normally requires 110 – 120+ octane racing fuel, then run it hard down the track, what would you expect to happen?
The complaint about cars that continue to run after you turn of the ignition is called dieseling for a reason. What has happened is there are hot spots in the combustion chamber that will continue to ignite the fuel even when there is no electrical spark from the ignition system.
Maybe in an engine running fuel injection, it will run on a mix of gasoline and some diesel (much like two stroke engine do, as we all know, they require a mix of gasoline and oil). However, 100% diesel in a carbureted gasoline engine will not run. The fuel will not atomize enough to sustain the process. the reverse process running 100% gasoline in a diesel engine is a recipe for destruction. The compression ratio will ignite the mixture much too quickly. I do realize that the military had/has large trucks that can run on both...in a pinch. That is not something that civilian vehicles are designed to do. In a pinch you may pull a MacGyver for a short time, but its not a long term nor prudent decision.
Of course, I could be wrong. Anyone want to run diesel in their HO 4.6 or 5.0 and get back to us with the results? I would be particularly interested in the results from a supercharged or turbo engine running on the alternate choice of fuel.
_________________
"They that can give up essential Liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither Liberty nor safety"-- Benjamin Franklin
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Beoweolf on 4/30/06 12:49am ]</font>
The complaint about cars that continue to run after you turn of the ignition is called dieseling for a reason. What has happened is there are hot spots in the combustion chamber that will continue to ignite the fuel even when there is no electrical spark from the ignition system.
Maybe in an engine running fuel injection, it will run on a mix of gasoline and some diesel (much like two stroke engine do, as we all know, they require a mix of gasoline and oil). However, 100% diesel in a carbureted gasoline engine will not run. The fuel will not atomize enough to sustain the process. the reverse process running 100% gasoline in a diesel engine is a recipe for destruction. The compression ratio will ignite the mixture much too quickly. I do realize that the military had/has large trucks that can run on both...in a pinch. That is not something that civilian vehicles are designed to do. In a pinch you may pull a MacGyver for a short time, but its not a long term nor prudent decision.
Of course, I could be wrong. Anyone want to run diesel in their HO 4.6 or 5.0 and get back to us with the results? I would be particularly interested in the results from a supercharged or turbo engine running on the alternate choice of fuel.
_________________
"They that can give up essential Liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither Liberty nor safety"-- Benjamin Franklin
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Beoweolf on 4/30/06 12:49am ]</font>
On using diesel fuel in gas engines: In the 1930's some farm tractors were designed to run on kerosene (basically a high grade form of diesel; less 'oily' than even #1 diesel-today true kerosene is called 'pearled kerosene' and a lot of what's called kerosene is reaally #1 diesel). Anyway, these tractors had about 4 or 4.5 to 1 compression to avoid detonation and ran the exhaust around the intake manifold to help vaporize the kerosene. Even then the oil would get so diluted from unburned kerosene that every morning before starting the tractor you had to drain off the kerosene that was floating on top of the oil ( there was a special petcock on the pan for this). Inside or next to the main fuel tank was a small two gallon or so tank that held gasoline, used to start and warm up the engine before switching to kerosene which didn't vaporize when cold. After several days of plowing, the valves would be so carboned up they wouldn'd hold compression so you'd have to run a tank or more of gasoline through the engine to burn out the carbon to "heal up the valves", as my dad says, then switch back to kerosene. WHY do all this? Well, gas cost about 15-20 cents a gallon and kerosene was under 10 cents, maybe 12 cents, so you saved money! As soon as they could afford it, farmers converted to gasoline-high compression pistons or heads and intake manifolds without exhaust heating. So why put diesel in a gas engine on purpose?? On gas prices: last week Dad was telling about his first off-the-farm job in 1934. Gas was 20 cents a gallon and he earned 40 cents an hour. Today gas is $3 a gallon and minimum wage is about $6 an hour. Nothing's changed! you work an hour for 2 gallons of gas!
Joined
·
34,722 Posts
You guy's are missing the Question.... That is unless he mis typed it...
To answer the question in the title of this post... "what happens when you run <U>Gasoline</U> in a Diesel?"
It will burn up the motor.
The diesel runs much higher compression as stated above.
The gas will NOT lube the cylinders like the diesel does, and will burn it up like running a gasoline engine without oil rings.
Did that finally answer your question 351?
FE
To answer the question in the title of this post... "what happens when you run <U>Gasoline</U> in a Diesel?"
It will burn up the motor.
The diesel runs much higher compression as stated above.
The gas will NOT lube the cylinders like the diesel does, and will burn it up like running a gasoline engine without oil rings.
Did that finally answer your question 351?
FE
Well...I'm a service manager...so I have to train/babysit a few idiots...I mean newbies once in a while.
I've seen the affects of gas in a diesel engine many, many times as you can imagine. I work with mostly tractors and larger commercial mowing products. 90% are diesel engine powered.
Just last week, we hired a guy that didn't know how to tell the difference between diesel and gas. He poured gas into a little 23 HP diesel garden tractor. Started and ran fine. Idled perfect. Smooth, quiet, but it smoked a little bit...just a little. As soon as he gave it throttle, it smoked even more and started to miss. That's how I knew he had put gas in it.
Another story goes along with it. Years ago, I was working with a guy to get a 225 HP inline 6 turbo diesel on a tractor up & running after a rebuild. Someone had filled all the diesel cans with gas by mistake and the tech doing the work ASSumed that they were all diesel, and poured in 10 gallons. Tractor started and ran, and in fact, it didn't run too bad. Now, he's an older guy that's pretty stubborn....and swore up & down that the injection pump had a problem. So, we got out the testing equipment, dyno for the tractor's PTO, everything. Started it up, watched some pressures (and all was fine...except manifold pressure). Started to load it down and as I was watching the manifold pressure increase steadily he came off the tractor and started running. 'Course I wasn't thinking and figured he was coming down to watch the gauges. I'm standing there watching things and listening, and next thing I know, I am feeling a little bit of hot water hitting my arms...then a little more, and finally, I start to see steam from between the cylinder head and block. You could literally see the head lifting from the block, wasn't much, but it was happening. It finally lost compression & quit running of course. Guy that was inside the cab said that the tach got to 3700 (max RPM was supposed to be 2400) and he ran out.
Moral to the story, if it's supposed to run on diesel and you put gas in...the least that would happen is that it would run bad. Injection pump also required lubrication...and the diesel is oily and lubes the pumps...and we all know that gas doesn't lube too good. Worst thing that would happen...see the story above.
I've seen the affects of gas in a diesel engine many, many times as you can imagine. I work with mostly tractors and larger commercial mowing products. 90% are diesel engine powered.
Just last week, we hired a guy that didn't know how to tell the difference between diesel and gas. He poured gas into a little 23 HP diesel garden tractor. Started and ran fine. Idled perfect. Smooth, quiet, but it smoked a little bit...just a little. As soon as he gave it throttle, it smoked even more and started to miss. That's how I knew he had put gas in it.
Another story goes along with it. Years ago, I was working with a guy to get a 225 HP inline 6 turbo diesel on a tractor up & running after a rebuild. Someone had filled all the diesel cans with gas by mistake and the tech doing the work ASSumed that they were all diesel, and poured in 10 gallons. Tractor started and ran, and in fact, it didn't run too bad. Now, he's an older guy that's pretty stubborn....and swore up & down that the injection pump had a problem. So, we got out the testing equipment, dyno for the tractor's PTO, everything. Started it up, watched some pressures (and all was fine...except manifold pressure). Started to load it down and as I was watching the manifold pressure increase steadily he came off the tractor and started running. 'Course I wasn't thinking and figured he was coming down to watch the gauges. I'm standing there watching things and listening, and next thing I know, I am feeling a little bit of hot water hitting my arms...then a little more, and finally, I start to see steam from between the cylinder head and block. You could literally see the head lifting from the block, wasn't much, but it was happening. It finally lost compression & quit running of course. Guy that was inside the cab said that the tach got to 3700 (max RPM was supposed to be 2400) and he ran out.
Moral to the story, if it's supposed to run on diesel and you put gas in...the least that would happen is that it would run bad. Injection pump also required lubrication...and the diesel is oily and lubes the pumps...and we all know that gas doesn't lube too good. Worst thing that would happen...see the story above.
Joined
·
352 Posts
Just to make myself clear i dont have any intention of running gas in a diesel or diesel in a gas engine for that matter....it was just a theorectical question, and confirmed what i had already guessed
thanks for the answers!
thanks for the answers!
Whats even more entertaining is when a Diesel engine ingests its own oil, Ive seen one do that and run away. Basically no control over rpm which goes to max immediately and the only way to stop the motor is to suffocate it or manually stall it through the drive train. Scary!
Had that happen to me asr427. I drive trucks for a living and I had a turbo go sour on a Freightliner. The engine went to full throttle; sucked all traces of oil out of the crankcase. The only way I was able to shut it down was to carefully pull off the road (while trying to push the brake pedal through the floor) and set the airbrakes. Nothing like riding a bucking bronco!
It spewed so much oil out the stack that it turned 3/4 of the trailer black.
It spewed so much oil out the stack that it turned 3/4 of the trailer black.
I need some info regarding my F450 that had been filled up and ran with gas in it about a year ago. Ford rec. replacing the fuel system.. 30,000 miles later the engine is toast. Pistons are white where they got so hot. Insurance comp trying to skip out of claim saying no way it should have taken so long to go bad. Can anyone give me proof or advice. Ford and diesel tech who have both looked at my truck say damage is def from gas incident. I lived in Florida and have made several trips to Montana at -30 degree temp. Truck is now apart in Montana waiting for a new motor.. any advice?
Joined
·
1,478 Posts
When we had our first diesel powered truck I accidently put in some regular gas not realizing I had grabbed the wrong hose and added about 20 gallons to our half full tank. Within a mile the truck started bucking, smoking and just running bad. Got it home but had it towed to the nearest Ford dealer where they did the fuel system flush (about $2-300 or so as I recall) and it was back on the road.
I did learn a trick in case that ever happened again and that was to carry a bottle of Cetane Booster. It's sort of an octane booster for diesels. I never made that mistake again but I did get a bad load of fuel once and it worked perfect. As soon as I noticed it running bad I pulled over and dumped it in and by the time I got back to the highway on-ramp it was back up and running like a champ! :tup:
John
I did learn a trick in case that ever happened again and that was to carry a bottle of Cetane Booster. It's sort of an octane booster for diesels. I never made that mistake again but I did get a bad load of fuel once and it worked perfect. As soon as I noticed it running bad I pulled over and dumped it in and by the time I got back to the highway on-ramp it was back up and running like a champ! :tup:
John
1 - 20 of 21 Posts
