Gasoline in my new Diesel truck - READ ONLY

17 messages, Last post on Apr 23, 2003 at 8:34 PM

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#13 of 17 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Apr 23, 2003 (9:50 am)
You can run a little bit of gasoline in a diesel engine. The Russians did this to great effect in World War II to start very cold and very gooey tank engines. I'd imagine no more than a few percent gasoline, and only in an emergency, such as if you have to launch a 1,000 tank offensive at work or something.
#14 of 17 yeah, and the State depends on it by swschrad Apr 23, 2003 (10:08 am)
it's not a recommended antigel trick, however, at least not with the non-diesels that GM converted from a 350 gas-engine block, and not with the 6.2 Liter DDA we had in an old suburban. used to be they'd recommend adding a quart of diesel to a clattering gas engine as a top-lube, too. part of it is fear of lawsuits, I suspect -- somebody who thinks, "one part good, so two parts must be better," is going to blow the heads off his tar-burner and get mad instead of get smart.
#15 of 17 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Apr 23, 2003 (10:48 am)
I actually remember reading in the Mercedes service manual that it was okay to do this, but it's probably not in the manuals for new cars, for the reasons you've stated. In Alaska, the solution was to just leave your truck running all night while you slept. At 40 below, not a bad idea.
#16 of 17 Reply to #13 by p100 Apr 23, 2003 (7:40 pm)
German WW II tanks had gasoline engines, so that they were easier to start in cold weather. On the other hand, the fuel economy was terrible and when hit, they would burn quickly and fuel tanks would explode. Some statistics I read about the Tiger III 12 Cylinder Maybach engine - the fuel mileage was something like 0.5 miles per gallon. One favorite trick to start diesel truck engines in cold weather was to build a fire under the engine oil pan to heat the oil first. The winter of 1942 in Russia was so severe that oil froze in the oil sumps of many vehicles overnight.
#17 of 17 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Apr 23, 2003 (8:34 pm)
Some tanks get 5 gallons a mile, so that's not too bad for a V-12 gasoline tank. I think Italian tanks got great gas mileage but you could poke your finger through them, so it was a trade off.