I'm getting ready to leave for Santa Fe. Neighbor calls and tells me he has 5 gallons of diesel left over from a job at work, can he put in my tank. I say sure. He brings a yellow diesel container over and puts it in my tank. I drive 50 yds and car quits. %$#!*& It wasn't diesel and I have no idea what it was. Poured out the half cup or so of what was left in the container and it was thin and soapy, or at least bubbly. So now I have a tankful of who knows what and even when I try to run the engine on my diesel purge system it wont start. Neighbor swears he personally filled the container up with diesel at a fuel station. When I primed the system from the purge bottle tons of foamy stuff was coming out of the return line. Don't know if the IP is just filled with this foamy stuff and won't pump or if some other damage was done. The purge is moving thru the injection pump and back into the bottle when I prime it but not a hint of firing from the engine.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Uhh Was he one of -Those- kind of neighbors?

Try cracking the injector lines and then purging the lines from the IP to the injector. It sounds like with your diesel purge system you are bypassing both fuel filters...correct? Otherwise you most likely have both filters full of crap and are pulling it into the IP.

Keep us posted

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2012 Mercedes ML350 Bluetec 102K (hers)
2005 Corvette 55K (fun car)
2002 VW Jetta TDI 238K (mine)
1998 Volvo S70 T5 Turbo 211K (kids)
1994 Ford F150 4WD 246K (firewood hauler)
1983 Mercedes 300D 384K (diesel commuter)

Crank for a while with the injection lines loose at the injectors.

Sixto
87 300D

Neighbor now thinks it might have been potassium hydroxide mixed with water. He says it's corrosive. Any chemical engineers out there that can comment on what to do at this point. The purge system is attached to the lift pump with the return line going into the purge bottle. I'm pumped the diesel purge thru the system so I know the primary and secondary filters have purge in them. Whatever the stuff was it was real foamy and I assume that is now what is in the injection pump.
When it stopped, it didn't hestitate or cough, it just stopped firing and the engine was only turning due to the momentum of the car.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem00/chem00128.htm

So what you end up with is a VERY strong Basic solution?

"Concentrated aqueous solutions are sometimes called potassium lyes. Even at high temperatures, solid KOH does not dehydrate readily."

"Reactions
[edit] As a base

KOH is highly basic, forming strongly alkaline solutions in water and other polar solvents. These solutions are capable of deprotonating many acids, even weak ones. In analytical chemistry, titrations using solutions of KOH are used to assay acids.
[edit] As a nucleophile in organic chemistry

KOH, like NaOH, serves as a source of OH−, a highly nucleophilic anion that attacks polar bonds in both inorganic and organic materials. In perhaps its most well-known reaction, aqueous KOH saponifies esters:

KOH + RCO2R' → RCO2K + R'OH

When R is a long chain, the product is called a potassium soap. This reaction is manifested by the "greasy" feel that KOH gives when touched — fats on the skin are rapidly converted to soap and glycerol.

Molten KOH is used to displace halides and other leaving groups. The reaction is especially useful for aromatic reagents to give the corresponding phenols.[6]
[edit] Reactions with inorganic compounds

Complementary to its reactivity toward acids, KOH attacks oxides. Thus, SiO2 is attacked by KOH to give soluble potassium silicates. KOH reacts with carbon dioxide to give bicarbonate:

KOH + CO2 → KHCO3 "

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'84 300SD sold
124.128

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.
Anyone know if potassium hydroxide will do permanent damage to the IP from being in there for a couple of hours?

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Yeah,
This is a Kestas Question.

__________________
'84 300SD sold
124.128

For the former neighbor's funeral?

__________________
'84 300SD sold
124.128

The Water in the solution MAY have "Locked" the Pump
(NA here since you've got flow of **** at the Injectors)
The Body of the Pump is some kind of Aluminum Alloy,It will not enjoy the Basic
Solution of KOH and H2O.
Corrosion of the Elements and Barrels (And anything Ferrous) due to H2O.

Only way to definitively tell is Dis-assembly.

__________________
'84 300SD sold
124.128

Understand your frustration and my sympathies, but if you are looking for actual advice, you probably ought to start a new thread with a subject that is more specific to the help needed. I wouldn't want sodium hydroxide in my IP, don't know about potassium.

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

Do you have another vehicle you can jump it from? If not, while you are waiting for the battery to re-charge, I would pull the fuel lines between the IP and the injectors and clean them out, then work on draining the crap out of the tank and blowing the tank to IP and return lines clean. Lastly, you can pull the injectors and soak in clean diesel until you are ready to try cranking again

__________________
2012 Mercedes ML350 Bluetec 102K (hers)
2005 Corvette 55K (fun car)
2002 VW Jetta TDI 238K (mine)
1998 Volvo S70 T5 Turbo 211K (kids)
1994 Ford F150 4WD 246K (firewood hauler)
1983 Mercedes 300D 384K (diesel commuter)

I don't know anything about what the chemical's effects might be, but I can't imagine it is doing any GOOD in there. If it were me, I would want that stuff flushed out of there ASAP, and replaced with fresh fuel. With my fingers crossed the entire time, btw, and hope for the best.

I feel your pain, what a bummer. Sheesh. Five gallons is a lot of fluid. I hope this works out ok for you. I wish I had more insight to offer you, but good luck.

__________________
[SIGPIC]
Tom
SE Connecticut
1975 W115 300D

visit my blog:
http://mercedesdieselrebuildingdiederich.blogspot.com/

Not to mention it's my birthday today.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

He had two five gallon containers, both of which he said were diesel and both were labeled diesel. One was easily accessible on the back of his truck and I pulled the lid and smelled it. It was diesel. He grabbed the other one and said "Let's put his one in first since it has a pour spout on it". That one I didn't smell before it went into the tank.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13