fuel color question

[Dvldog8793]

Howdy
Has anyone seen diesel fuel that is a bright (almost) day glow yellow/green????

Is this some new color they are playing with or did my local guys use some strange additive?

I have 10 gallons in cans for my tractor and never really looked at it until I started to dump it in....just about crapped myself thinking that it was ANTI-FREEZE:eek: I bought the fuel about a month ago. It should be off-road number 1...but it might be hiway number 1....?

Thanks!
Conley

[93GMCSierra]

If they use any percentage of bio-diesel that could turn the color greenish, add in the red off road dye and it could really look strange.

[sctrailrider]

I hauled it for the last 10yrs, it's that color here, it's the ULSD, even the red is ULSD here, it's all that is coming through the pipe.... SC area anyway...

[cabletech]

It looks like you describe here in southern MN also. I think the color is in part due to the mandated bio diesel here in MN as mentioned above. It's more noticeable in the summer when the percentage of bio is higher.

Jay

[Dvldog8793]

This stuff looks like it would glow in the dark when I poured it on some snow.:rolleyes:
Figures the bean juice would do something like that to screw us up!

[93GMCSierra]

Actually the Bio-diesel is good, it relubricates the fuel, when they stripped out all the sulfur they lost the lubrication, and gives back some of the power.:D

[gimpyhauler]

In many parts of the country, the color is important. One color for road worthy vehicles which includes road taxes. Another color for Farm/Ranch use only. Meaning, for equipment that doesn't put the rubber on the roads. If you get caught with the farm fuel on the road, it can be very, very expensive when the government finds out.

[jhornsby3]

Not to mention the time it takes to get the red dye out of your tank. I used some a couple years ago to get me to the station to fill up and my fuel is still red. Now mind you I don't drive all that often but after at least 12 to 15 tanks later it still is red.

As for the bio, I had to put some in one time and my mileage went through the floor. Going from 19.8mpg to around 12 was a shocker when doing a 110 mile commute a day.

John

[93GMCSierra]

Not to mention the time it takes to get the red dye out of your tank. I used some a couple years ago to get me to the station to fill up and my fuel is still red. Now mind you I don't drive all that often but after at least 12 to 15 tanks later it still is red.

As for the bio, I had to put some in one time and my mileage went through the floor. Going from 19.8mpg to around 12 was a shocker when doing a 110 mile commute a day.

John

I have never heard of bio dropping fuel mileage, increasing it because the fuel has more power I have seen.

[convert2diesel]

I have never heard of bio dropping fuel mileage, increasing it because the fuel has more power I have seen.

Depends on who was doing the blending. If the bio was garage made B100 than anything could have affected the mileage. If the fuel was not washed (methanol removed) the B100 could have up to 20% methanol in it. Properly processed bio has a slight loss in power density (about 5 %) from #2 but will allow you to add timing negating much of that loss.

If you bought the bio as a commercial mix, B5 - B15, a cheap trick used by some of the blenders is to get rid of their #1 stock left over from the winter as the base for their blend. This may have been the situation here. Have encountered kerosene in the fuel as late as mid August when buying B10 in New York.

As a general rule, properly blended B10 should have little or no effect mileage wise but does negate the need for any lubricity additives. Just keep an eye on your fuel filters.

Bill

[CoyleJR]

I agree 100% with John. I stopped using bio about four years ago because it seemed to have less power than standard diesel, cost more and it provided less MPG. I check my fuel mileage every tank full when I am pulling my 5th wheel and there is absolutely no doubt that bio is a bad deal. I generally drop at least two MPG with bio.

[jhornsby3]

That was a few years ago, now. For some reason I want to say it was B-20 or something like that. Anyways, I won't use it at all now. I know someone that has used B-100 in his burb and I have his old injection pump in the garage with sensors gone bad in it. And I have seen first hand what B-100 does to the injectors and such after not that long of being used.

[convert2diesel]

That was a few years ago, now. For some reason I want to say it was B-20 or something like that. Anyways, I won't use it at all now. I know someone that has used B-100 in his burb and I have his old injection pump in the garage with sensors gone bad in it. And I have seen first hand what B-100 does to the injectors and such after not that long of being used.

90% of the issues with B100 is the quality. ASTM standard B100 actually extends the life of the entire system. The electronic DS4s had an issue with fuel clarity and caused some wonky issues with the sensors depending on what the original feedstock was. Soy based was darker and the Canola based fuel actually has a red tinge to it. The optical sensors at times got confused.

Guaranteed, the injector issues were water and or filter related. Again if the methanol was not washed out completely, the fuel will suck up water like a sponge and you want at least 5 micron or better filters.

I made my own fuel for about 4 years and never had an issue with 3 vehicles, 2 6.2s with mechanical pumps and an aging Mercedes 5 cylinder. Even extended the life of a fubarred db2 for another 30,000 miles by using B100. But than again, I was very anal about fuel quality and making sure the process went to completion, and all batches were carefully de-meth'd and washed. Pain in the neck, but could produce about 3,000 gals a year (also fed my oil furnace and hot water heater with the stuff) for about 1/4 of the cost of #2.

Bill

[93GMCSierra]

90% of the issues with B100 is the quality. ASTM standard B100 actually extends the life of the entire system. The electronic DS4s had an issue with fuel clarity and caused some wonky issues with the sensors depending on what the original feedstock was. Soy based was darker and the Canola based fuel actually has a red tinge to it. The optical sensors at times got confused.

Guaranteed, the injector issues were water and or filter related. Again if the methanol was not washed out completely, the fuel will suck up water like a sponge and you want at least 5 micron or better filters.

I made my own fuel for about 4 years and never had an issue with 3 vehicles, 2 6.2s with mechanical pumps and an aging Mercedes 5 cylinder. Even extended the life of a fubarred db2 for another 30,000 miles by using B100. But than again, I was very anal about fuel quality and making sure the process went to completion, and all batches were carefully de-meth'd and washed. Pain in the neck, but could produce about 3,000 gals a year (also fed my oil furnace and hot water heater with the stuff) for about 1/4 of the cost of #2.

Bill
Yes this is very true if they wanted to commercially use bio they make sure the quality is perfect it would replace #2 which would be bad for oil...