Gasoline in MB diesel.

[medalguy]

If in doubt use the high flow pumps at a truck stop.

[LegacyFB38]

Some folks seem to have an expectation that pump nozzles are of a certain color for a certain type of fuel. To my knowledge there is no such thing. Certain areas, station brands etc etc...may have a particular practice. But to the best of my knowledge, there is no formal, reliable color coding of pump nozzles.

I pay no attention to nozzle colors. Zero. If the pump is not clearly labeled, and a common sense visual inspection of the pump/nozzle/label does not make sense to me, I will not use the pump. Yep, I'm paranoid about not putting gasoline, diesel exhaust fluid, even kerosene (! ) into my diesel tank.

[wtbuck12]

Originally Posted by LegacyFB38

Some folks seem to have an expectation that pump nozzles are of a certain color for a certain type of fuel. To my knowledge there is no such thing. Certain areas, station brands etc etc...may have a particular practice. But to the best of my knowledge, there is no formal, reliable color coding of pump nozzles.

I pay no attention to nozzle colors. Zero. If the pump is not clearly labeled, and a common sense visual inspection of the pump/nozzle/label does not make sense to me, I will not use the pump. Yep, I'm paranoid about not putting gasoline, diesel exhaust fluid, even kerosene (! ) into my diesel tank.

That's the lesson I learned! Never made that mistake again.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by MOODMAN

Just an FYI, but diesel is at the bottom of the distilling column when a barrel of oil is distilled. Diesel is not a different chemical, it is petroleum.
That said, each fraction of a barrel of oil produces different characteristics when it burns. Even propane and butane is made from the same barrel of oil as diesel.
Have you ever noticed that when the price of gas goes down diesel goes up and vice versa? That's because from one barrel of oil you get the same amount of distilled petroleum, no matter how you slice it. That means that the oil producers WILL get their price, whether from pricing diesel for more and gas less or gas more and diesel less.
So, I do think that adding ATF or even motor oil to gas WOULD give you an edge in lubricity, and it will mix well with the gas, since it all came from the same source anyway. It might even save your diesel engine.

They do come from the same barrel of petroleum but that is like saying Skim Milk and Heavy Cream are the same since they both come from the same cow.

Their burning characteristics are grossly different. The gasoline will explode in the diesel combustion chamber way before it is intended to with diesel fuel.

Think dropping water into a pan of boiling oil.

By catching it early and diluting it with diesel he saved himself, but as a practice I would not recommend it.

Diesel in a gas engine means the fuel needs to be flushed and no real harm done.

Pure Gasoline in a diesel engine will result in a new engine after the original is destroyed in VERY short order..

[D W]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

Actually they are not so wrong as you imagine. If you go to purchase a new "Diesel" fuel can it is yellow as well.

Apparently yellow is the new green for diesel.

Fuel cans have been color coded as long as I can remember.
Gasoline - RED
Diesel - YELLOW
Kerosene - BLUE
Flammable Oils - GREEN

Even the US Military had the tops of 5 gallon fuel cans painted red for gasoline (MOGAS), and DF2 (Diesel) cans were yellow.

I don't know where the "green" came from, but I do remember, Shell I think, had a green dye in their diesel fuel several decades ago.

[wtbuck12]

"Diesel in a gas engine means the fuel needs to be flushed and no real harm done."

I can tell you from personal experience this is not true. Diesel in a gas engine means a new engine in less than 50 miles.

[SlowrideHD]

I would have dumped a quart of motor oil in the tank as soon as I realized that some gasoline went in. Wouldn't have cured the problem but it might possibly could have helped.

[FlaNative]

Diesel is hotter than gasoline:
Gasoline produces approximately 124,000 British Thermal Units (BTUs) of energy per gallon (3.79 liters) while a diesel engine produces approximately 139,000 BTUs of energy per gallon (3.79 liters). Diesel is a middle weight product that is heavier than gasoline. It has the appearance of oil and is often referred to as diesel oil.


I always chase the fuel hose back to the source and definitely check to see that I'm pumping diesel into my tank, no matter the color of the pump handle. Then I hit the button for diesel.
I had an experience with a BP station just down the street from me. I did my usual checks after pre-paying for the fuel, then began pumping. The fuel dispensed so slowly that it literally took 15 seconds to dispense .1/gallon. I immediately suspected a low level in the stations fuel tank and stopped pumping fuel for fear of contamination. The station manager said they had 5,000 gallons but I had a bad feeling about it. Went in and got a receipt for the fuel I pumped and went to another station. Turns out that everything was okay, but at least I had a receipt in the event that I did have a problem.

[FlaNative]

Diesel is hotter than gasoline:
Gasoline produces approximately 124,000 British Thermal Units (BTUs) of energy per gallon (3.79 liters) while a diesel engine produces approximately 139,000 BTUs of energy per gallon (3.79 liters). Diesel is a middle weight product that is heavier than gasoline. It has the appearance of oil and is often referred to as diesel oil.


I always chase the fuel hose back to the source and definitely check to see that I'm pumping diesel into my tank, no matter the color of the pump handle. Then I hit the button for diesel.
I had an experience with a BP station just down the street from me. I did my usual checks after pre-paying for the fuel, then began pumping. The fuel dispensed so slowly that it literally took 15 seconds to dispense .1/gallon. I immediately suspected a low level in the stations fuel tank and stopped pumping fuel for fear of contamination. The station manager said they had 5,000 gallons but I had a bad feeling about it. Went in and got a receipt for the fuel I pumped and went to another station. Turns out that everything was okay, but at least I had a receipt in the event that I did have a problem.

[LegacyFB38]

Originally Posted by D W

Fuel cans have been color coded as long as I can remember.
Gasoline - RED
Diesel - YELLOW
Kerosene - BLUE
Flammable Oils - GREEN

Yep!

Years ago all my portable fuel cans were red....it didn't matter to me. Luckily, I never got what I deserved before I came to my senses!

I wonder why this convention never spilled over () to fuel pump nozzles?

[n1acguy]

Originally Posted by SlowrideHD

I would have dumped a quart of motor oil in the tank as soon as I realized that some gasoline went in. Wouldn't have cured the problem but it might possibly could have helped.

That's what I would do in a pinch, meaning I was somewhere I couldn't get help. At the least, it would protect the pump.

[Keithfirefighter]

Originally Posted by Cowracer

I refuse to go to BP stations because every other station in the USA seems to know green means DIESEL and yellow is E85. Not BP. Their brand color is green, so their gas handles are green and their diesel is yellow.

To easy to get distracted/in a hurry and put the wrong stuff in.

Tim

Been there done that at BP !! Tried to fuel up got out the green handle pump for diesel hit the diesel button stood there nothing happened THANK GOD !! Stupid me stood there bitching because the pump wasnt turning on was just about ready to go in and bitch when i finally realized what was going on !!

[Kennerg]

2 gallons gasoline into 20 gallons of diesel will not hurt anything other than to thin the diesel.
This used to be an old truck driver trick to thin the #2 diesel and prevent gelling in the winter.
Is it ideal nowadays? Probably not but, the MB diesel is more robust than you’d think...
happy trails!

[Battchief]

Update: I had MB replace fuel filter. According to MB, the telltale sign of damage is metal shavings in the fuel filter which come from the high pressure pump . They found no indication that 2 gallons in a 26 gallon tank had done any damage. No ine knows for sure what amount of gas will cause damage and that is why the will usually advise towing the vehicle. I was fortunate that the Sprinter service manager had actually seen this exact situation and felt confident enough to advise diluting as we went down the road. BP station we were at had two pump handle colors , black and green. Considering the number of pump handles covered, I think they either had an electrical issue with the pumps or had accidentally filled the tanks wrong. There was a language issue with the attendant. What made me think I wasn’t the first was his language skills we good enough to immediately refer me to the station next door without explanation of what just happened. High flow diesel nozzles are larger diameter . My boat held 500 gallons so a fast pump was essential. Unfortunately, this is no longer true at all gas stations . Thanks for all the replies. Safe travels.

Battchief

[LittleBill]

Originally Posted by Bama Rambler

I ran into this years ago and almost put gasoline into the Cummins. I've been leery ever since no matter what color the nozzle cover is.

Just the other night I went to a BP station on our way to FLorida and pulled up to the pump with the green handle and got out to dispense fuel into my truck. I had inserted my credit card and lifted the handle and looked for the diesel button but didn't find one. I quickly looked over at other pumps, as the station was suppose to have diesel, and found a black handle pump that had the diesel button. I had passed the black handled pumps thinking they were gas. Phew that was a little too close for comfort in my opinion and a little scary.

Maybe we should be addressing this issue with some government agency to have common colored handles for indicating type of fuel.

[imjustdave]

OP Glad you caught it early, myself I would have seriously considered in draining the tank especially if you had put in any more. AS in right there at the station and or towed to a local shop. First thing would have been to pull the battery. If you get it soon enough the time for damage potential is extremely limited. I have heard DEF fluid is disastorist in the diesel tank.
Also would put the station on the hook for the issue as you said gas came out the wrong nozzle.


Pump handle color means nothing at least to me. Maybe it was a standard at
some point in time but I doubt it.

I agree something should be done to help avoid this, because the wrong fuel will destroy most engines given enough time. Gone are the days of Diesel pump being its own pump.

Years ago I worked at a rental yard as a delivery driver. Customer called to complain the Kubota tractor was low on power, it was running barley when I got there and sounded horrific, it was all the thing could do to drive up the ramp of the truck. Popped the fuel cap off and smelled inside.. GAS. Asked the customer for the diesel can we left them. They had the machine for a week and on day 3 needed more fuel and went to AMPM and filled thed Diesel can up. FYI In case you don't know AMPM doesn't sell Diesel .... Kubota confirmed basically only gas in the tank. New motor latter the machine ran great. Hate to think what the customer was billed as the wrong fuel isn't covered in the damage coverage. FYI the can and the machine had big labels saying Diesel fuel ONLY

[J Man]

Originally Posted by Kennerg

2 gallons gasoline into 20 gallons of diesel will not hurt anything other than to thin the diesel.
This used to be an old truck driver trick to thin the #2 diesel and prevent gelling in the winter.
Is it ideal nowadays? Probably not but, the MB diesel is more robust than you’d think...
happy trails!

Hauled fuel for 5 years and was told 1 gallon in 10 was the absolute max before it would damage the motor. And yes, where I live old farmers did put a little gas in the diesel to keep it from gelling. However, modern engines are much more temperamental. In the OP's situation I would have gotten the clerk and had them watch me pump that crap on the ground, verified it was gasoline, and then let them pay to flush my vehicle. Contamination happens and they have insurance to cover it.

[jflarin]

Originally Posted by richp

Hi,


I have heard of folks -- in extreme cases -- putting ATF in the tank to restore lubricity. But that was in older engines that were not so reliant on precise metering and highly calibrated electronics to meter fuel. I don't think I'd try that in my new DMAX, nor in any of your fine MB rigs.

I confirm. I have a 1992 backhoe which had problem with the HP pump. Somebody with experience told me to put some ATF (and anti-gelly additive) on every fueling. That's what I do and I haven't had any jammed pump since then.

jf

[Grapehound]

I put 2 gallons of gas in my nearly empty 32 gal. fuel tank for my 2008 Cummins RAM diesel. Then caught myself... Called the local Dodge dealer's shop and they said to fill the rest of the way with diesel and you'll be fine. I did and it was fine. Never an issue since.

[desuhu]

Originally Posted by Blackrock

Back when GM came out with their first automotive diesel that pos 5.7 it happened a lot. I was working in a Chevrolet/Buick dealership and we were doing probably three per month. We got pretty good at dropping the tank and draining it and we had a fuel cap with a Schrader fitting and used an air regulator. This allowed us to push fresh diesel all the way through the system before trying to restart the vehicle. I do believe we replaced a few injection pumps caused by gasoline contamination.

We bought one of those early GM diesel autos, a 1982 Oldsmobile diesel. My Dad had a gas tank and a diesel tank on his farm and because I had helped him work some cattle, he told me to fill my car. I parked it by the tanks and had my son, who was 11, fill it. Well, guess what, he got the wrong one and filled it with gas. When my Dad realized what he had done, he said, don't start it. I called the dealer and he said to just siphon it out as low as we could, then fill it with diesel and it would be all right. So my husband siphoned as much out as he could get, then put diesel in and it was fine.