Petrol/diesel mixed together

I'm not a brains trust here..
But is petrol miscible with diesel ??

Years ago when diesel was thick and syrupy especially in winter they would add up to 10% in winter. This was actually in a Mercedes hand book around 1960 or so.

Don't know whether it has any other beneficial effect other than lowering the gell temperature of old style diesels.

Hi Ferris,

Diesel floats on petrol, so you'd get the petrol sitting at the bottom of your tank ready to be pumped straight in and blow your motor.... Try it if you like.

Petrol is used to ignite Diesel as Diesel's ignition temperature is much higher.

I'm not sure about Mercs using a petrol/diesel mix... Could just be a tale.

Will.

There was a thread on here couple of days ago about this and people do it

http://www.ford.com.au/servlet/ContentServer?cid=1137384535918&pagename=FOA%2FDFYPage%2FDefault1024&c=DFYPage

Maybe alright for the older diesel engines, but NOT for the new age super dooper high pressure common rail electronic stuff, bad news so I have been led to believe.
stuff up seals and other sensitive components.
Shane

My dad was interstate truckie in the 50s 60s and 70s. He did it. It aint a myth.

Hey guys,
Come on now have a think about this well my donk would cost round $15 to $20 grand to replace so is this experiment worth that,

????? djpatrol

There is obviously a lot of differing views on this question, until I purchased my current vehicle I'd never owned a diesel before, mine is a CRD.

I thought I'd do some the research so that I was more informed. Research I have undertaken indicates that it is fairly clear adding petrol, either mistakenly or deliberately, to diesel fuel of a common rail diesel engine is HIGH RISK.

From what I have read the "lack of lubricant in petrol" can very quickly kill the CRD's high pressure pump. CRD engines have a finer tolerance in the injector parts because of the higher pressure and it is critical that these parts are lubricated, diesel also acts as a lubricant.

Petrol will also cause damage to gaskets, "o" rings and seals. I also read that while kerosene may not cause as much damage as petrol it is still hazardous to the engine.

Diesel fuel is 15% heavier than petrol and packs a bigger punch that is why diesel engines produce more torque than petrol. Petrol has a higher octane rating making it harder to explode by heating.

From the research it seems that petrol in diesel could not explode at exactly the same time as diesel and could actually decrease the density of diesel, if enough was added, which would in turn reduce the punch of diesel. Although I think that 5% would not have any effect in terms of reducing the diesel's punch.

However, I am skeptical that there would be any increase in power and I'm certainly not going to try and find out.

It also seems clear that older diesel engines can tolerate petrol more than modern CRD engines, that would be why those people who have added petrol to diesel in older diesel engines have not suffered any damage.

It is fairly clear from what I have read that if you mistakenly put petrol in the diesel of a CRD engine there is a definite point of view that you shouldn't start the engine, you should push your vehicle out of the road and drain it out or call the dealer.

What people need to be aware of is that mixing petrol with diesel either by mistake or deliberately and as a consequence damage is caused to the engine it is NOT a warranty issue you're on your own.

Depending on your insurance policy you may have a claim IF petrol was mistakenly mixed BUT when it is done deliberatly it would be contentious if a legitimate claim exists.