HELP contaminated fuel (disaster?) $#%!& - Page 5 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

kerry · #61 06-20-2011, 06:39 PM

I should clarify one issue I misstated earlier. The TD tank is not really a two compartment tank except insofar as there is a little 'tank' around the column in the tank into which the strainer screws. This column stand up about 3/4" maybe and the fuel feed line comes from the front of the tank and inserts into the side of the column. So fuel comes into the strainer about 3/4" or so off the tank floor, and flows down into a little area in the column at the base of the strainer and the outlet hose sucks from there. If I can get a good picture, I'll post it.

kerry · #62 06-20-2011, 06:46 PM

Picture of the TD strainer/pickup system:

kerry · #63 06-20-2011, 06:53 PM

Since I now know that all the liquid crap is out of the tank, I may try adding a gallon or so of diesel, suck it through the hoses and see what it looks like before deciding whether to do more extensive cleaning and flushing.

kerry · #64 06-20-2011, 07:58 PM

Pictures of the vacuum tool:

kerry · #65 06-20-2011, 08:01 PM

Pictures of various containers of crap I've taken from the tank. The clear bottle to the far right is just diesel I poured into the bottle for comparison. The wine bottle I what I pulled from tank and lines today. Most of those bottles were just gray foamy stuff and the diesel rose to the top overnight.

GTStinger · #66 06-20-2011, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerry

More info. Neighbor contacted other people in the company where the unknown substance was used and now he's not sure it was potassium hydroxide. It might have been an alternative electrolyte used in their attempts to produce hydrogen gas.

Transporting an unknown corrisive in a diesel can with no labelling.

If that is the way his company operates then it might get ugly if OSHA or some other regulatory group ever visits.

kerry · #67 06-20-2011, 10:04 PM

SInce the tank looked pretty decent, I put the strainer back in, added about 4 gallons of fuel and sucked a half gallon or so thru the feed and return lines. It looked like good diesel apart from little black flecks which I think are just junk from the tank/lines as a result of being disturbed so much. I hooked the feed and return lines back up and it seems to be running ok. I imagine I'm going to be changing a bunch of filters over the next few weeks but all signs of the contaminated **** are gone. The engine was running very smoothly, like it typically does on purge. Either it still had some purge in there, or that **** cleaned out the injectors and took away the slight nailing it had at idle

I'll change the oil tomorrow, add some more fresh diesel and see how it runs on the highway.

layback40 · #68 06-20-2011, 10:10 PM

kerry,
Have you managed to get the c##p to dissolve in anything? It looks like a water in oil emulsion. A bit like mayonnaise. That is a oil primary phase with microscopic drops of water dispersed through it. A little unleaded gas may dissolve the oil part & break the emulsion.
You really need to be able to some how dissolve/dilute it & not just try & flush it as there is likely to be dead pockets holding some.

funola · #69 06-20-2011, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerry

The engine was running very smoothly, like it typically does on purge. Either it still had some purge in there, or that **** cleaned out the injectors and took away the slight nailing it had at idle

I'll change the oil tomorrow, add some more fresh diesel and see how it runs on the highway.

Maybe you can market this stuff and call it LandFoam?

kerry · #70 06-20-2011, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by layback40

kerry,
Have you managed to get the c##p to dissolve in anything? It looks like a water in oil emulsion. A bit like mayonnaise. That is a oil primary phase with microscopic drops of water dispersed through it. A little unleaded gas may dissolve the oil part & break the emulsion.
You really need to be able to some how dissolve/dilute it & not just try & flush it as there is likely to be dead pockets holding some.

I haven't tried anything. The first few bottles were completely grey foam when they came out. They stayed that way for about 24 hours and slowly got a layer of diesel on top.
There was no liquid left in the tank (or lines?) when I got done cleaning them out. I had a good look at the bottom of the tank. There may have been some residual stuff in the secondary filter but I had pumped a lot of purge thru that so it couldn't have been much. When I was pumping, foamy **** came out for a while before it was replaced by purge.
The neighbor suggested another possible chemical it could be after talking to another company employee. It might be an electrolyte used as a laxative!! They were experimenting with it at one time at the company.

tomscat1 · #71 06-20-2011, 11:44 PM

"With the injection line nuts loosened there is white foamy **** coming out around the injectors. Battery is getting dead from repeated cranking so I'm going to have to let it charge for a while."

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerry

?....... When I was pumping, foamy **** came out for a while before it was replaced by purge.
The neighbor suggested another possible chemical it could be after talking to another company employee. It might be an electrolyte used as a laxative!! They were experimenting with it at one time at the company.

So, your early description of this "white, foamy ****" wasn't so far afield, after all!

We are all rooting for you, Kerry! This is an amazing story... And it appears you are getting some good advice from the chemical guys in this forum. I wish I could be of some help, but this is out of my league. However, I do have my fingers crossed that you can somehow dodge the bullet on this one! Good luck!

layback40 · #72 06-20-2011, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerry

I haven't tried anything. The first few bottles were completely grey foam when they came out. They stayed that way for about 24 hours and slowly got a layer of diesel on top.
There was no liquid left in the tank (or lines?) when I got done cleaning them out. I had a good look at the bottom of the tank. There may have been some residual stuff in the secondary filter but I had pumped a lot of purge thru that so it couldn't have been much. When I was pumping, foamy **** came out for a while before it was replaced by purge.
The neighbor suggested another possible chemical it could be after talking to another company employee. It might be an electrolyte used as a laxative!! They were experimenting with it at one time at the company.

Well its definitely given you the s##ts !!!

On a serious note, it makes sense, often an oil (normally vegetable) of some description would work as a laxative. They could have added water with minerals (electrolyte) to the oil & emulsified it.
The emulsion part appears to be very stable & you are only getting the diesel that has mixed up with it out.
Emulsions can be hard to break, mixing with ULP may lower the viscosity of the oil in the emulsion and allow it to break.
You only need a teaspoon of both mixed to see if it works, if it does its quite dramatic. Suddenly you will have a water phase & & oil phase.

In off shore oil drilling they often need to break water in oil emulsions, they use all sorts of exotic compounds to do it.

kerry · #73 06-22-2011, 07:48 PM

Been driving it on short trips around the neighborhood the last couple of days. Seems to be fine. Keeping my fingers crossed.

barry123400 · #74 06-22-2011, 08:01 PM

No reason it should not continue to do well. You got rid of the contamination. Although since the chemical is heavier by weight than diesel fuel some may be still sitting in the secondary filter.

I might change that filter if not done already.Or al least remove it and drain it out possibly flushing it a couple of times with diesel fuel.

Your friend must feel pretty bad about this.

kerry · #75 06-22-2011, 08:09 PM

You're right about the secondary filter. I will change it tomorrow. My friend feels really bad about it. It's a weird situation. This happened at a time when he was finally coming to realize what I've been telling him for a long time--that the company he works for and is invested in, is a scam/sham operation. He's completely broke, otherwise I think he would have had me take the car to a shop.