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Old 12-24-2008, 10:30 AM
WD8CDH WD8CDH is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: NY
Posts: 710
What NOT to use for emergency fuel

Ran out of fuel in a friend's W123 (bad fuel gauge). I thought, "these things will run on the fumes of an oily rag and there is at least a gallon of motor oil in the trunk".

I dumped it in, not thinking it was synthetic, (it was dark and cold). Engine started right up after a few pumps of the primer. Then the bad......runs rough, slows down and stalls. After many tries still stalls/no power.

Hiked several miles to a station that sold diesel and got 5 gallons. Dumped it in the tank and it still took a half an hour of primer pumping, starting and stalling before the synthetic oil was diluted enough for the car to drive above a walking pace. Finally and fairly suddnly, it began to run like normal and I made it home.
__________________
Ron Schroeder
'85 300 Turbo Diesel 2 tank WVO
'83 300 Turbo Diesel 2 tank WVO
Some former WVO vehicles since ~1980:
'83 Mercedes 240D
'80 Audi 4000D
'83 ISUZU Pup
'70 SAAB 99 with Kubota diesel
'76 Honda Civic with Kubota diesel
'86 Golf
Several diesel generators
All with 2 tank WVO conversion
LI NY
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