Dirty Diesel

Executive wrote:
Dirty diesel is fuel with contaminates in it, including water.

While there is no foolproof way to avoid dirty diesel, there are things you can do/look for, that will lessen your chances of encountering it. These include using stations with a high turn over of diesel such as truck stops. Another thing to avoid is the fuel truck. If one is delivering fuel it's best to find another station. While the fuel the truck is delivering may be "fresh", dumping it into the large tank stirs up the gunk, funk and water (condensation) that has formed inside the storage tank. Until that stuff settles down, it could find it's way into YOUR tank. While many do not like places like Love's or Flying J, I find their fuel to be above average.

As for avoiding bad fuel, you can't. You have two fuel filters to weed out whatever contaminates your engine doesn't like and a water separator to purge any water discovered in the fuel and/or YOUR fuel tank. If there is a rapid change in the weather and/or simply a best practice to follow; it's best to keep your tank as full as possible and avoid having a less than half tank overnight. This prevents condensation from forming on the inside walls of that huge fuel tank....Dennis

Thank you.
Vic

Dirty diesel is fuel with contaminates in it, including water.

While there is no foolproof way to avoid dirty diesel, there are things you can do/look for, that will lessen your chances of encountering it. These include using stations with a high turn over of diesel such as truck stops. Another thing to avoid is the fuel truck. If one is delivering fuel it's best to find another station. While the fuel the truck is delivering may be "fresh", dumping it into the large tank stirs up the gunk, funk and water (condensation) that has formed inside the storage tank. Until that stuff settles down, it could find it's way into YOUR tank. While many do not like places like Love's or Flying J, I find their fuel to be above average.

As for avoiding bad fuel, you can't. You have two fuel filters to weed out whatever contaminates your engine doesn't like and a water separator to purge any water discovered in the fuel and/or YOUR fuel tank. If there is a rapid change in the weather and/or simply a best practice to follow; it's best to keep your tank as full as possible and avoid having a less than half tank overnight. This prevents condensation from forming on the inside walls of that huge fuel tank....Dennis

What is dirty diesel?

Best advice I can give is to look carefully at the pump every time you fill up. I was getting fuel from the local Hess station regularly. The pump had the Ultra Low Sulfur sticker on it. One day as I am standing there waiting for it to fill I look at the pump and it has a new sticker on it. It said it contained some percentage of Bio-diesel. Too late. It was already in. Wasn't long before warning lights started showing up. Took it to the dealer and they said that stuff didn't even smell like diesel fuel. By then I had run most of it out. So a new fuel filter went in and the rest got diluted with good diesel.

For worth it's worth, I've never ever had bad diesel but I only fill up at truck stops.

I don't think it can be prevented. The primary/secondary filters will protect the rest of the system.