OK to put kerosene in my tank? W123 and W126
 

I have about 7 gallons of kerosene I bought this winter for a would be power outage here (to fuel my kerosene heater if needed). I don't want to keep it all summer in the basement, and I'd like to know if I can add it safely to the diesel in my 81 300D. We're selling the house this summer, so anything heavy that I don't have to carry is a plus. I know I've used it to cut WVO in my Suburban, and I don't intend to use it "straight". Yes or no? dilution percentage? Thanks, everybody.

Yup it will burn fine. I'd wait till your tank is nearly empty, dump in your kerosene and then fill the rest with diesel and motor along.

Yes, fine if you dilute it. I would just add a few gallons per fill up.....

Thank you very much! That was quick service! :)

Your older MB diesel's owners manual may even have instructions for it. My old '83 300SD had explicit instructions for mixing a winter blend concoction. I don't know if my '99 has any such - haven't looked since buying it 12 years ago.

Thanks! I just don't want to waste this stuff, being that gas costs more than a gallon of milk now. Funny, i won't cry over spilt milk, but is I see diesel spilling out of my overflow, I get teary eyed almost. :D

I always think its funny when milk that comes from a cows teat and is processed to be safe for a living being with finite life to ingest is cheaper. Cheaper then something that comes from the ground and is processed for my car, an intimate object that cannot die, to ingest.

Go for the kerosene. My 1981 Diesel Rabbit owner's manual recommended one gallon per tank (10 gallons) in winter to prevent gelling.

If your state is one in which kerosene has 'Red dye' (of whatever form it takes) then you are opening yourself up to a steep fine and a tank dip. If your kerosene isn't dyed or if you're feeling lucky, then it won't hurt anything. In NC I've never ever seen a kerosene pump that dispensed clear kerosene; it's all red. I take it back, I've seen *one* solitary clear pump. Your state may vary.

^ I wouldn't worry about an old Mercedes-Benz diesel in normal passenger car use, EVER getting it's fuel checked by authorities anywhere in the United States. That's just paranoia.:rolleyes:

Phew, now that's a relief, now that I know it's just paranoia.

I guess my buddy never got the tanks dipped on his personal vehicles back in the mid '80s. He was using farm diesel from his own tanks at the farm, and the VW dealer that changed the fuel filters on his diesel Rabbit turned him in.

It was a very expensive lesson, and that's why I don't do it. Even though I have access to farm diesel.

This forum, sedans getting dipped six years ago.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/119080-red-diesel-warning-az.html

TDI Forum, talking about our thread but with their own stories.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=103625

Around here (farm country) pickup trucks get tested frequently; looking for people running power strokes and cummins on the red stuff. My uncle knows someone personally (Raleigh, NC area) who purchased a dump truck for his own use on his own farm, it had red stuff in it and he was driving it on back country roads from the former owners' house to his own farm -- where it would never be put on the road again, most likely -- and he got tested. Roadblock where they checked every diesel that came through. He didn't even know the truck had had farm diesel in it when he bought it, but that didn't matter.

Ended up costing him something over $25,000. Been a while since I heard the story. I don't remember if fighting it in court ever got him anywhere other than even further in the money hole.

I know a dump truck "looks" more agricultural than a pickup truck, but the point is the same. The pickups get checked too if the law has nothing better to do with their time (i.e. most of the time).

More recent, pickup trucks getting dipped in NC.
http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/north-carolina/157095-off-road-diesel-dipped.html

My SD was pulled from the state highway patrol, strictly for dipping the tank.
it actually did happen to ME! search for the thread I posted on it.

um, that blend would destroy any diesel vehicle...
10% gasoline used to be recommended blended into a diesel tank in extreme cold temps... but not anymore. mixing RUG and KERO would be very very very bad for a diesel car...