Four year old Diesel fuel

I will check it for clarity etc and maybe go for just 4L into the 180 L tank capacity. Still pondering over it - hey what's another month or two! That biocide is pricey. Saw it for $25/L but enough to treat 2000L. I only need 25c worth LOL.

I think that is playing with fire. LOL

bit of ducking n weaving likely there D, but appreciate yr position.

bloody PC world stifles our Oz humour!

Safe travels all

Pete I know that Gaz's comment was tongue in cheek, if it wasn't I hope he's a good runner. LOL

""good runner ""
he cld get the firies pick him up on the way past........

sorry mate I'll be good now.

ExplrOz had/has some really gr8 characters, there's always the twisted Oz humour to carry the day.

pity Friday Funnies died it's untimely PC death

Sorry guys - I forget that having a joke and a laugh is now frowned upon in this once great country !

Cheers
Gazz

Nah Gaz, should be more of it. Finding levity in the most mundane is what I do all the time. My favorite is when people on this forum ask what is the shortest or quickest distance/time between 2 points I'm always temped to say fly.

Re: my missus -
it was obviously all in jest as I love her from the heart of my bottom I mean the bottom of my heart !

Good to see a few people on here miss the Friday Funnies coz I'd love to have a beer with the guy from follow up 6 of 6 !

Happy safe and full of laughs travelling

Cheers
Gazz

Getting paranoid now re possible engine damage. Have decanted a little of the old stuff into a glass jar. Looks cloudyish. But will go to servo and obtain 100mL of fresh into identical jar. Then hold against a bright light and bingo, a crude scientific test. BTW the old sample had some stringy whitish goop in it. A bad sign I suspect. Firstly though, 3 and 4yo grandsons need to be taught how to do 3 point turns, reverse park and drive up and down pops wooden ramp onto back veranda in their electric cars.

That stringy white goop would be more than likely Diesel Algae and if it got into you tank, would have grown and then caused damage, resulting ti the tanks having to be removed, all fuel lines cleaned, new fuel filter and then new 180 litres of diesel.

This type of algae growth is common especially in the tropics if the fuel is not used and left sitting around.

G'day Warrie

That's interesting but is the new diesel you purchased the exact same brand as the 4yo diesel ?

And after 4 years there is a chance some new additives may have been added which could effect your high tech comparison :)

Good on ya for the posting this topic as I have 400 litres sitting in my shed in 44's for about six months but I will be using that up over the big break !

Pretty sure you have worked out by now the old diesel is not worth using


Happy safe and injector free troubles

Cheers
Gazz

One of the specification test for diesel and kerosene is “clear and bright”. It is a visual inspection carried out in a similar manner as you described. It may not sound too scientific, but it is part of the certification process.

As I stated in my earlier comment, I would not be using this “old” diesel in any of my vehicles.

35 years experience in Refining, Supply & Distribution for one of the Major Oil Companies.

Macca.

Purchased in August 2018 for $1.40/L probably from Metro and fresh sample yesterday also Metro at $2.07. They have Mobil as suppliers. Macca, pls comment on this thought bubble. All diesel in Sydney comes in on a tanker from Singapore to be stored at the now closed Caltex refinery site at Kurnell. So no matter if it is BP, Ampol, Speedway, Stop N save, 7 Eleven etc it's all the same product. Shell refinery used to be at Clyde but it too is closed so maybe they could be on the same list.
And Gazz you could be onto something if additives are different. Which Euro standard does it have to meet in 2022? This could affect colour. Looks like next stop is the fire brigade.

Warrie,

My workplace uses quite a bit of diesel on a daily basis. Don’t know the average daily usage but would be >5KL/day during busy times, so the local fuel truck is a regular visitor.
After 2 recent visits from the Ampol tanker, the colour of the fuel was completely different. The earlier fuel was a bright green, like your first sample, minus the “floaters”, I’d assume? The 2nd load was similar in colour to the 2nd sample, perhaps even clearer?

Not sure why the different colours from same supplier, only a month or two apart?

Bob

Hi Warrie,

I have been retired now for 12 years, but things haven’t changed that much with regard to product specs. Each State or Territory has different specs throughout the year. Also, the spec in one state, may not be the same in another state even at the same time of year, it is all to do with the ambient temperatures at various times of the year, in each state. Of course, sometimes the spec may be the same from one state to another, again, depending on the time of year.

There are actually three different specs for diesel in the southern states, Summer, Winter & Intermediate, so depending on the time of year, and the ambient temperature, the diesel can look slightly different. Also, as you have stated, the vast majority of automotive fuels now being sold in Australia come from overseas, mostly Asia, however, they are refined to our specifications. The most variation is in the Cloud Point spec. That is the temperature at which wax crystals begin to form in diesel. For instance, in Summer, the Cl. Pt. Could be as high as 0 degrees Celsius, and in Winter as low as -9 degrees Celsius. Then of course there is the Alpine or Wintermix Diesel sold in the High Country during winter. This is a specific legislated blend of diesel and light heating oil.

All of the major Oil Companies “share” distribution terminals in various places throughout Australia. The fuel is stored in bulk storage tanks, and fed to the Tank Truck Fill Stand (TTFS), through the same pipes, from the same pumps, to the same loading arms, there is no segregation of product by Oil Company. I often laugh at the comments from some people who say they only use a specific brand of diesel because they get better economy, or because it has higher specifications. It is all the same in the majority of cases, with the detergent additives being the only difference. These additives are injected into the fuel during loading of the tank truck at the TTFS. In some cases, the additives are also the same. With premium diesel, these additives are anti foaming and detergents, they are not a performance enhancer, they do not increase the Cetane index or number, only keep the fuel injection systems cleaner.

Macca.

.
Ahh Macca, it is good to hear from someone who actually KNOWS what they are talking about.
Thanks.

Macca from your comments are you saying there is no point in buying the ‘premium’ product ?

Hi AlbyNSW,

No, that is not what I am saying. The Premium Diesel with the additives will assist in keeping your vehicle fuel system clean. It will also help with injector wear and with engine wear, as cleaner fuel and fuel lines means less chance of fine particulates getting into the injectors or the engine. The added bonus with the anti foaming agent is that it won’t take as long to fill your tank, particularly if you have a long range tank.

What I would say is that using Premium Diesel and an aftermarket fuel treatment is wasting money. The Fuel Treatment additive is basically already in the Premium Diesel. Of course, out in remote areas where the fuel may be suspect, a fuel additive may be of some benefit. I carry some when on long trips, particularly when I know Premium Diesel will not be available.

Macca.

Slightly off original post but this anecdote my be of use. An MUX, my Prado and a 200 Series Cruiser were parked overnight at Adaminaby in July 2019 and the temp fell to minus 5. The MUX had come up from Melbourne (where Alpine diesel should be compulsory LOL) and fuels up at Omeo with "winter" diesel . On said cold morning he gets 50 m down the driveway and coughs and splutters and conks out. This occurs several times over the next 2 km. The Toyotas run as normal. (Left myself open there). Prado on Sydney fuel.
So we drive 6 or 8 km into town, fill a jerry with 20 L of Alpine diesel, drive back, pour it into the MUX, rock the car to mix in new fuel. And it starts. Whew. So our day trip continued with less than an hours delay. Lesson being - check if it is Alpine diesel if going anywhere in Snowy Mtns or similar in winter. Maybe arrive near empty and fill with Alpine? Were the Toyotas just lucky?

I had a similar experience a few yrs ago in my 200 series.
Parked in a suburban street overnight ( Gisborne ) and next morning 4wd wouldn’t start ?
Took out fuel filter…frozen solid. Spare filter in, still wouldn’t start….extension lead and hair dryer and warmed up the fuel line going to the filter and bingo…..
Found out later they had an unusually cold night….-5..