What NOT to use for emergency fuel

[WD8CDH]

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.

[rrgrassi]

That synthetic also had to be cleared out of the lines, the filters and the IP.

Glad you made it though.

[Dee8go]

Would that do any permanent harm to the engine?

[odie]

I wouldn't think you would have to worry about cleaning out the syn...just keep filling with diesel. whatever syn is still in there gets diluted and a little bit gets sprayed into the chamber each time...it might not burn but will be exhausted out as you drive....eventually the % of syn still in the system will drop to .000000000000000000001%

[WD8CDH]

I don't suspect any permanent damage but since it's getting really cold at night this week, I did throw in a couple of gallons of kerosene to thin things out before filling the tank with diesel. I suspect that the injector tips and combustion chamber got a little cruddy so I will throw in some biodiesel and/or diesel purge and do an Italian Tuneup.

2 gallons, costs $5 in wal-mart and fits in the wheel well. Keep one filled with winter fuel in your trunk and refresh it once a year.

Or, call 1-800-FOR-MERCEDES (1-800-367-6372) to get a gallon from them for free.

[Fulcrum525]

Originally Posted by ForcedInduction

Or, call 1-800-FOR-MERCEDES (1-800-367-6372) to get a gallon from them for free.

Back when the prices for fuel was crazy I thought about running out of fuel "just" as I got to the office

[strelnik]

[quote=ForcedInduction;2058981]
2 gallons, costs $5 in wal-mart and fits in the wheel well. Keep one filled with winter fuel in your trunk and refresh it once a year.

quote]
-------------------------------------------------------------
Forced, believe it or not, if you do that on a street or freeway in Michigan you will get a fine.
For blocking traffic? Nope
For being a hazard? Nope.
For running out of fuel? Nope

For violating the state law (selectively enforced) that diesel/kerosene products can only be dispensed from BLUE containers!!

Another "gotcha!" law that the People's Democratic Socialist Autonomous Republik uses for revenue generation, now that we have 11% unemployment.

HOWEVER, SVO and WVO can be dispensed from ANY color container, as long as it is not red or blue. Because they have no regs on that...yet

I'm waiting to find a large purple container with Barney on it (I love you, you love me...)

S

[Hatterasguy]

I have yet to have a roadside issue that my break down tool kit can't fix:






I carry no spares in my car, not even a fuse or extra quart of anything.

[carlivar]

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

I have yet to have a roadside issue that my break down tool kit can't fix:



I carry no spares in my car, not even a fuse or extra quart of anything.

I think I see why your car is nicknamed "money pit".

[WD8CDH]

[QUOTE=strelnik;2059023]

Originally Posted by ForcedInduction

2 gallons, costs $5 in wal-mart and fits in the wheel well. Keep one filled with winter fuel in your trunk and refresh it once a year.

quote]
-------------------------------------------------------------
Forced, believe it or not, if you do that on a street or freeway in Michigan you will get a fine.
For blocking traffic? Nope
For being a hazard? Nope.
For running out of fuel? Nope

For violating the state law (selectively enforced) that diesel/kerosene products can only be dispensed from BLUE containers!!

Another "gotcha!" law that the People's Democratic Socialist Autonomous Republik uses for revenue generation, now that we have 11% unemployment.

HOWEVER, SVO and WVO can be dispensed from ANY color container, as long as it is not red or blue. Because they have no regs on that...yet

I'm waiting to find a large purple container with Barney on it (I love you, you love me...)

S

When I last looked into the jerry can color law, it only stated that Gasoline must be in RED. Other, less volatile, fuels could be in any color including red. Personally, I have spare fuel in a blue can in my own car but this wasn't my car.

[sethyboy85]

Originally Posted by ForcedInduction

2 gallons, costs $5 in wal-mart and fits in the wheel well. Keep one filled with winter fuel in your trunk and refresh it once a year.

Or, call 1-800-FOR-MERCEDES (1-800-367-6372) to get a gallon from them for free.

Thats a fine in PA as well.

Red= gasoline
blue/yellow = #2, diesel, kerosene
white = water

get caught using any of them without those in them and are putting it in your car it's a fine. it's to protect firemen in the event of a fire so they know what is or IS not in the bottle.

[charmalu]

Originally Posted by sethyboy85

Thats a fine in PA as well.

Red= gasoline
blue/yellow = #2, diesel, kerosene
white = water

get caught using any of them without those in them and are putting it in your car it's a fine. it's to protect firemen in the event of a fire so they know what is or IS not in the bottle.

this is interesting, I have always used what ever I can find to put fuel in. I
have some 2 1/2 gallon clear plastic bottles I use. never give it much thought.

wonder why Diesel is dispenced with the pump with the Green handle?

what color bottle do they allow you to put used engine oil in?
I have some old blue 2 gal. plastic bottles eng. oil came in.

then if color is important, we need to paint our fuel tanks Blue. Royal blue, or a pastel?

Charlie

[sethyboy85]

Originally Posted by charmalu

this is interesting, I have always used what ever I can find to put fuel in. I
have some 2 1/2 gallon clear plastic bottles I use. never give it much thought.

wonder why Diesel is dispenced with the pump with the Green handle?

what color bottle do they allow you to put used engine oil in?
I have some old blue 2 gal. plastic bottles eng. oil came in.

then if color is important, we need to paint our fuel tanks Blue. Royal blue, or a pastel?

Charlie

You being in the state that makes everything "illegal" I am surprised you have not lost your license yet for putting stuff in whatever you want.

[patbob]

Originally Posted by sethyboy85

Thats a fine in PA as well.

Red= gasoline
blue/yellow = #2, diesel, kerosene
white = water

get caught using any of them without those in them and are putting it in your car it's a fine. it's to protect firemen in the event of a fire so they know what is or IS not in the bottle.

In the US, it's Red = gasoline, yellow = diesel, blue = water.. got a plastic jerry of each and that's what's moldedinto the plastic so there's no pretending like you didn't know when you break that law. Aside from being a law, its just plain helpful when you have to have the non-automotive wife bring you the correct one -- your're pipe dreaming if you think she's going to smell their contents, much less recogonize the correct one by smell

Someday, I've got to ask the local NAPA guys what the other rainbow of plastic jerry cans are for.