Not sure what it is

My truck is suddenly terrible on fuel(diesel) I thought I would drain the filter and drained off what looked like BRIGHT yellow dish detergent???? Is this the result of getting bad diesel and this is what Bio looks like in the WRONG mixture from the gas station??

Sounds like water in fuel, you may have to do this several times to get rid of it all. One bad load of fuel for me that I got in New Mexico need three drains of the water separator over three days to finally get rid of it all.

I took a picture of it, but cant figure out how to show you, there is absolutely no separation of fuel and water its all the same bright flourescent yellow?

Color of Diesel Fuel

Bright yellow/green fuel. Sounds like ultra low sulfur winter blend of fuel already, which makes sense for your location.

I took my truck down the street to International Motor Freight, I know some of the mechanics there. Steve took a sample and started laughing, calling 2 other mechanics over, they ALL have never seen diesel that color in their 30 yrs/each of being diesel mechanics. He saved a sample to show others. He felt the diesel and said it did have lubricity but it definately should not be that color.

All deisel in my area is green.

Is your truck running very rough and "detonating" (hammering)?

Nope, it didn't seem to have much power for a bit, that went away now lots of power but my fuel milage went south HUGE. I bet I don't get 250 miles out of this tank.....which might be good my mechanic said run it down to 1/4 and fill it with some fresh stuff but check the color of it before I fill it full. All the guys at the shop all said they will be checking the fuel color before they fill up as well from now on. I thought it was water or dirt so thats what made me drain off the fuel filter before I changed it.

Unless the Canadian fuel distributors are doing something new, diesel fuel should always be clear. The only dyed fuel that I know of is #2 fuel oil for off-road and heating plant use. In the states they dye it red to identify it. Dyed fuel doesn't pay road use tax here.

I would be real careful about running the rest of that tank through the engine. I'd take it to a dealer (better yet have it towed) and have them drain the tank and clean the fuel system. This is nothing to fool around with. It could ruin your engine. The loss of power and the exteremly poor mileage are red flags for me.

JMHO. Hope it works out for you.

I believe #2 is Green and #1 is Red............Red is for off-road/farm/etc... dont get caught with Red in the tank if on hiway... On my last trip this past summer, I pulled into a station off I-70, not paying much attention until I had about 8 gallons of Red in the tank, so shut off, pulled up to the Green tank. The Red pump said #2 which it wasnt, but a small sign about the size of this print saying for off road use only.... same price it seemed....course, no difference in the blend, just the color meaning no tax on the Red...supposely...

I just realized what your problem is. It was right in front of me all this time.

2002 Dodge 3500 Diesel

BobnPi wrote:I just realized what your problem is. It was right in front of me all this time.

2002 Dodge 3500 Diesel

Not cool at all.

So the saga continues, I was passing by the station where I purchased my (questionable) Diesel and thought well I'm down to a 1/4 tank I will fill up with new....hopefully. Anyway before I started to pump into my tank I had an empty water bottle and pored in about 30 cents, well low and behold the same bright yellow flourescent crap that the first tank had about a week and a half ago. There was a guy filling at the pump behind me, I said hey look what your putting in your tank, he stopped and followed me inside. I asked the manager when they recieved their last shipment of diesel, he said they get 4 trucks a week(high turnover) which is why I shop there so I know the fuel should always be fresh. I showed him the sample I pulled off the pump, he had this weird look in his eye and went out and filled the bottle to the top with the same yellow crap. He asked for my number as well as the other fellow and gave me my 30 cents back and the other guys 20 some dollars, put a lock on the diesel and said he will call me Monday after he calls the fuel delivery company which rymes with "Pesso", I will keep you all updated.

GustheUsher wrote:I took my truck down the street to International Motor Freight, I know some of the mechanics there. Steve took a sample and started laughing, calling 2 other mechanics over, they ALL have never seen diesel that color in their 30 yrs/each of being diesel mechanics. He saved a sample to show others. He felt the diesel and said it did have lubricity but it definately should not be that color.

They may have been laughing at you. 30 years and they don't know what diesel fuel looks like, I'd look for another mechanic.

Below are samples, all are diesel fuel. The first on the left being off-road / home heating oil fuel, dyed red to show it was not road taxed. As you can see there are variations depending on manufacturerer's blends and additives. All fuels are not created equal, and with the government requirements the blends change all the time.

I don't know your mileage on your Cummins but, I would run a strong dose of Diesel Kleen in the tank and see if it helps. You may have poor performance from fouled injectors or a failing injection pump.

I'm not sure what colour system we have in Canada, I know we have green for tax exempt vehicles, but the colour of my diesel would best resemble the 4th sample but a HECK of alot more flourescent yellow. Same colour as those sticks you crack and they glow, you are unable to look through the diesel....its thick yellow. I just filled up at a Petro-Can station this morning and pured a bit into a bottle again to check the colour and it was almost CLEAR (kind of tan). I have fantacstic pep and power now, so I am hoping the injectors are fine. I also put some Diesel Kleen in.

I'm looking forward to what the "Pesso" (lol) dealer finds out.

Never seen other colors of diesel. Only red and green. Must be from different parts of the country??


Earl

87 Crew Dually, I didn't know there were so many colours of diesel, very interesting? What are different colours in the pictures used for? The far right looks like vodka and the far left looks like cranberry juice...lol...hey thats a drink isn't it.

The far left is an off road (non-taxed) diesel fuel/ heating oil. Oil companies create their own blends and colors for their own reasons. Most cases, I don't see the neon green colored fuel until fall/winter season which to me indicates anti-gel winter blend of fuel. Depending on the station, throughout the summer I see green, clear, or brown. Some oil companies may use the color variences to indicate if their stations are using their product exclusively. I can remember Amoco and Gulf stations had to buy fuel from their own supplier and no one else. Maybe that plays into the color variences.

http://www.yellowbiodiesel.com/

Could it be???

I think this company name is coined more from its way of manufacturing not the physical attributes of the fuel...just a thought...

BTW I think I remember seeing yellow fuel once in Kansas at a pump it was marked AGRICULTURAL EQUIPTMENT ONLY... this was in a heavy farming area and there were more tractors on the roads than cars. It doesn't sound like thats what this station is catering to.

Here you go courtesy Of http://www.wellworthproducts.com/articles/colordiesel.asp


The Color of Diesel Fuel

What color is your new Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (S-15) fuel?

We are seeing some almost as clear as water, some a brilliant green, some a bright yellow, some amber, and some an unusual oily blue color.

Why is this happening, and what does it mean to you, the end user.

If you have been following my previous columns we have discussed how no two refineries in the US are of the same design. Each one is a one-off, custom unit, each with its own combination of processes and equipment.

Diesel fuel has always been sold as a homogenous product that is supposed to the same no matter where you get it from. The reality is that different crude oils refined at different refineries, using different process have always produced different fuels.

Refiners use a combination of additives and blending of different stocks to obtain fuel that meets the ASTM specifications.

This process is similar to blenders of whiskey blending different whiskeys together to produce a consistent product as opposed to a distiller producing a single malt Scotch, a product that tries to be unique. Both will accomplish the same result, it just a question of how you get there.

Today the addition of catalytic crackers used for hydrodesulphurization or severe hydrotreating affects fuel in many ways, some good, some not so good.

The colors we are seeing in the fuel are the result of different crude oils being run through different refining processes and the catalysts used in the catalytic cracking during that refining.

The colors themselves do not appear to be important at this time.

There are a few high end laboratories that can take a sample of crude oil and identify what oil field it came from. I believe in time we will be able to identify not only where the crude for a given diesel fuel came from, but at which refinery it produced. This may lead to a way to tell who is producing the best fuel for the money.

The use of Well Worth Products Summit Diesel Fuel Treatment provides cost effective protection of equipment. Summit will improve the quality of any diesel fuel, which can increase mileage, enhance operability, reduce emissions, add lubricity, prevent gelling, and save money for the operator.

I have contacted the store manager and he will not comment on the fuel sample he took the day I was there....THAT'S IT.....I can't comment was his reply....WTH is that. I asked if what ever was in the diesel was harmful to my trucks engine, he says he can't comment????? Anyway the fuel I purchased at Petro-Can (big company up here in Canada) has put my truck back to its normal fuel mileage before the flourescent yellow gooo. I guess I won't buy the highly discounted fuel from the goo station...maybe that's why its cheaper by 10 cents there???

I asked if what ever was in the diesel was harmful to my trucks engine, he says he can't comment?????

That sounds ominous. In other words, yes, it's probably very harmful to your engine but I'm not admitting anything. So sue me. What a fine establishment that must be. Don't blame you for paying a bit more for decent fuel. Also happy to hear your truck has recovered from that mess.