UR Engine Running on Diesel.

[Zuffen]

On Saturday a 105 series Cruiser was dropped at the shop where my car is being tuned.

The owner had fed it 120 litres of diesel by error.

Fortunately he realised before he drove it away from the Fuel Pump.

We removed the filler pipes from the tanks and drained off 200litres (50 gallons in US language) of mixed petrol and diesel before giving it a bit of petrol and starting it up. Smart Toyota didn't put any drain plugs in the tanks.

It blew a little smoke on initial start up but settled down and ran well.

You gotta ask how stupid is the owner?

Funny bit was he was towing a huge power boat at he time and they had to leave it at the pump as it was too heavy to move. The poor Servo guy's couldn't use a couple of pumps for 5 hours whilst we fixed the car.

I wonder what diesel would have doen to a direct injection engine. I probably don't want to know.

 

[XR8tt]

It would pass through the rings and end up contaminating the oil...
It doesn't take much to stuff up fuel pumps on direct injection ...

 

[Zuffen]

He was a mighty relieved man when we got it running.

He lost 5 or 6 hours of his long weekend but we saved him a heap of money.

 

[coupekiwi]

Oh no. Even worse is when they fill their diesel up with petrol and drive it away. Customer nearly faints when we give them the price of a new injector pump etc.

 

[Zuffen]

I notice that Nissan say you can run up to 30% petrol in the old Patrol 4.2D 6 cylinder diesel.

It actually mentions it in the worshop manual.

I would think the injector pump would complain at the reduce lubrocity of the diluted mix.

 

[stevechumo]

In the U.S., the diesel pump nozzle won't fit into standard gas tank, unless it's forced into it. Maybe that's what he did.

 

[mshawari1]

I notice that Nissan say you can run up to 30% petrol in the old Patrol 4.2D 6 cylinder diesel.

It actually mentions it in the worshop manual.

I would think the injector pump would complain at the reduce lubrocity of the diluted mix.

I've do that before with Nissan TD27 engine .... it was swapped into 87 wagon Pontiac .

after a month i got a broken ring!!!

 

[XR8tt]

I've do that before with Nissan TD27 engine .... it was swapped into 87 wagon Pontiac .

after a month i got a broken ring!!!

I bet that hurt and took some time to get over....

 

[Cobber]

Must have been a big backfire that caused it.......

 

[Jim Blackwood]

Back about the 40's and earlier it was common to use gasoline to start diesel engines, particularly in tractors and then once running switch to diesel, in fact they often came equipped with an extra, smaller fuel tank to put the gasoline in. Of course compression was lower and the components were much heavier than used now. I don't recall either if a carb was used on the inlet but I suspect it was. Gasoline doesn't lubricate a pump very well at all.

Jim

 

[Zuffen]

I can remember a relative having a "British Bulldog" tractor that ran on unrefined oil. Sort of a cross between diesel and crude oil.

To start it you had a small bowl under the fuel line and you ignited petrol or kerosine (parrafin) in the bowl and heated the oil/fuel.

You spun the engine over with the crank handle (with the decompression valve open) then when you thought it was spinning fast enough and the fuel was hot enough you slammed the deco valve shut and made sure you let go of the crank handle.

If you were lucky it fired and ran.

My Dad said the British and Australian Army both had simillar engines, with simillar starting rituals, on the generators that ran the searchlights he worked on.

 

[XR8tt]

I'm fairly sure it was the heavy flywheel on diesel engines in cranes etc in quaries to start them on cold mornings single cylinder and flat out at 400 rpm.. This was before starter motors and glow plugs..
We had an old D4 dozer which started much the same...Parrafin to diesel.. It knocked like a dept collector on start up...
To start our farm tractors in freezing cold we would drain coolant and fill with hot water.. Start then replace with coolant... Trouble is in cold whether the batteries don't work that well either...
I find it strange in cold areas new cars etc have heating plugs to keep engine warm overnight ... I guess it's to prevent coolant freezing and cracking block...

 

[Peewee]

In the U.S., the diesel pump nozzle won't fit into standard gas tank, unless it's forced into it. Maybe that's what he did.

Its the same in Aust, at least it has been since 1986.

However I'm not sure about brand new petrol cars, if they still have the smaller inlet.