I been offered some Bio-ethenol at a bargin base price do any of you know if it will be ok to use in my Diesel Landy?

quote:

Originally posted by DJM:
I been offered some Bio-ethenol at a bargin base price do any of you know if it will be ok to use in my Diesel Landy?

No, it won't ignite and if you mix it, dilute your diesel to the point that it does not lubricate any longer your fuel injection pump.

In what form does it come? Maybe you better drink it?

I wonder has any one done that mistake,

how did things turn out?

A tank full of that stuff in a Land Rower sure means that one has a bit of a mess to deal with.

Flush the system and dump the mixed lot of fuels somewhere.

Time to get back to work, best regards Chris

Always ready to be of service, guys

- mike

Gentlemen and 'Ladies' (& I use the terms advisedly)!

It has become apparent to me that there is just a 'slight' amount of piss-taking on the threads over the last couple of days.

Nothing that seems justified or is easily explained to a guest or occasional user of this forum - but enough to raise the thought that someone, somewhere, has screwed up and is not about to be allowed to forget this by the rest of the great unwashed bunch that make up our online community!!

In the interests of clarity, and also because confessing your sins leads to absolution - I shall explain!

A couple nights back I pulled into a local supermarket fuel station to top up my diesel Landrover.

Here in the UK we basically have access to unleaded petrol, diesel and auto-gas as motive fuels. Over the years we have got used to the familiar colour combinations used to denote the differing types of fuel - all designed to avoid miss-fuelling.

The new kid on the block is the spawn of the devil known as 'Bio - Ethanol'. So new in the UK that it is currently only available in a few counties - and then, only in a few outlets. It turns out that Somerset is such a test location - as was the supermarket I chose to use!

What did not occur to me, was that such a departure from the norm would be sold in a pump coloured the same as a standard diesel outlet. Or that the pump attendant (knowing it is only very few modern, specially developed vehicles that can actually run on this God forsaken stuff) would sit there, slack jawed and masticating a wad of chewing gum, whilst watching me cram 76 litres of the stuff into my tank. Only to mention at the paypoint that I had just filled up with a substance that would lead to a) complete engine breakdown and destruction b) an expensive fuel draining operation and c) early retirement for the local garage proprietors!

Jo merely raised her eyebrows (a hurtful habit that has appeared from somewhere) and settled down for a long wait. My Landy was pushed back into a nearby garage and a team of techs then took one and a half hours to drain the tank - before I could refuel and once more get under way.

Diesel pump (for the bicycle riders out there)



Bio - Ethanol pump (note smug look on garage owner's face) - for info, they were using BLACK pipes where my mishap occured.



This whole affair raises various questions in my mind!

1. Why is it that a pair of chavs can manage to drain a fuel tank with nothing more than a hose and a suck/spit in approximately two minutes - while the 'proper' equipment takes approximately 60 times as long?

2. What misbegotten wretch thought it would be even slightly acceptable to dispense fuel from a pump sporting the SAME colours that are employed by the rest of the industry for a totally different fuel?

3. Bearing in mind, that since changing to the new fuelling layout in November 08, this fuel station has referred some 12 miss fuels to the adjoining mechanical garage. Does the panel think it would be reasonable to write a pertinent letter to the management requesting a refund of costs incurred in putting right this affair???

4. Is there even one person out there, that will abstain from revelling in my screw up?

Sadly, knowing you ugly mob - I fancy I will have to just grin and bear up!

Rgds Ian

Alas, Ian, that was an excellent write-up of an ever so slight mistake... These things happen, at least nothing was severely damaged, other than your wallet and pride. As painful as it may seem, those will mend, though.



- mike

The wife of a friend of mine filled the tank of her husband's neat&new Diesel Benz with Super unleaded and still managed to drive about 20 km. Yes, she remarked, the engine got noisier somehow...

The repair cost nearly broke that martriage...

quote:

I've been offered some Bio-ethenol at a bargin base price do any of you know if it will be ok to use in my Diesel Landy?

Once......toss in a handful of Mothballs before you cap that full tank, too - really ups the Octane level, it'll turn that sluggish 4WD Landy into a 1/4 mile dragster. Right after you've passed all the Porsche's on the Motorway and while awaiting the Recovery Vehicle you can amuse yourself with the really nifty glowing orange/red colors of the exhaust manifold & pipes.

I once put about 10 litres of unleaded in my wifes diesel VW Passat. I realised the mistake, so I just filled the tank with diesel to dilute the petrol as much as possible.

Damn thing went like a rocket for the next week....

Ian, I think sympathy / understanding will be in short supply here.

I would have Amir fire off a nastygram to the garage requesting recompense for you losses due to their poor signage and brain dead cashier. Sometimes these guys will cough up for a quiet life.

Brian, you remeber the one I did for you I would be happy to Ian, and please don't be shy.... I feel fully compensated for any work I do already


Number 10,

That is a good tip! Do you think it would work better in a 1.4 Polo or a 5 litre Merc?

My dad has one of the former and I always feel it was bred for higher octance fuel than the crappy super unleaded it currently drinks by the gallon.

Regards,

Amir

We did the Moth ball (or toilet refresher balls) trick too on the 8tonners we used to drive, It bloody worked too until they cottoned onto the fact we were using a lot of toilet balls and the khazi's still stunk!!

Never tried it on a petrol engine though.
FB

Wonder how much slack jaw gets per referral?