Small gas engines won't run on diesel.

Joined
Jun 5, 2003
Messages
30,775
Location
Apple Valley, California
I only run the canned fuel in my small engines because the E10 is all I can get can get from a pump.

I bought a gallon of premixed fuel at tractor supply a few weeks ago.

Today I filled my weed blower up with it.

Would not run.

I changed plugs and all the usual stuff. It will run on starting fluid for a second.

Never entered my mind that the fuel might be the problem after all it's a new can.

I try not to breathe the fumes so I guess I missed the smell.

After an hour or so I realized that it's diesel fuel.

I don't keep diesel here only gas.

I assume someone bought the can of gas, took the gas and refilled the can with diesel then returned it for a refund.

Maybe they siphoned a gallon of diesel from someone's tractor? I dunno.

I got some gas from my weed eater and put that in and it runs again.

I kinda feel like an idiot for taking so long to figure that out.
 
I would think diesel would need more compression not less
Spark ignition of diesel requires low compression. My 1941 John Deere kerosene tractor is 4.75:1. It has two tanks, a 2 gallon for gasoline and a 12 gallon for kerosene. You would start in on gasoline go warm it up and switch back to gasoline before shutting down. Back in the day, kerosene cost 1/4 of what gasoline did. It runs just fine on 92 ethanol free. 😁 Oh, yeah the later gasoline only engines were 5.75:1.

Ed
 
Why would you compare diesel and kerosene? The kerosene is more volatile and can get ignited by spark, but not the diesel.
The flash point ranges overlap. Any of the following are interchangeable in a spark ignition engine.

Distillate/Tractor Fuel(low grade kerosene): 100-140F
Kerosene: 100-162F
Diesel #1 100F (100-162F)
Diesel#2 126F (126-204F)
Jet A: 100-150F
Fuel Oil #1: 100-162F
Fuel Oil #2: 126-204F

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/flash-point-fuels-d_937.html

Ed
 
We had a couple of mowers brought in that got mis fueled with diesel. Always the old " my wife/son/ brother in law did it" story. Brother in law seems to be the favorite for straight gassing saws too. Sorry you got ripped off, glad it wasn't water though.
 
Luckily it wasn't water. I got 5 gallons of water in my Rav 4 from a gas station while a tanker was unloading. Made it 2 blocks, then died. Cost $ 700 bucks to fix that. Went back to the station with my fuel receipt / repair invoice / and a stick with a huge sign saying " WATER IN GAS ! DO NOT BUY GAS HERE !....Scared away all the customer's. The owner came out furious. Showed him my paperwork and he paid the invoice in full, in cash ! Still didn't make up for all the aggravation I went through. He should have gave me 1K !!!!!!! Must have had leaks in his tanks, and the fuel dump stirred up the water :(
 
During the original gas crisis I I had a lawn mowing business. Could not get gas. Could get kerosene . Flat head Briggs. Spray starting fluid In oil bath air cleaner. Crank mixture screw farther open. Run wide open, made about half power. Gas was much better. When you could get it. The 11'hp ran better on it. Clean plug every yard or 2. Had to pull heads and exhaust valves and clean about every week. Change oil often, it got diesel in it. Ring jobs needed when could get gas again. Lots of smoke. A
I Gained customers though cause I had fuel.
Rod
 
Motorcycles don't run on diesel, either. We rescued two foreign riders on Route 66 that had inadvertently filled with diesel at the filling station right up the road. They made it about 5 miles. The exhaust header pipes were cherry red from holding the throttle wide open just trying to keep it going.
 
That's a lot of work to cut grass with kerosene in engines. Geez ! 24hr day - 10 hrs of cutting grass and who knows how many hours to clean up the engines. You must have been one tired dude ! But, you gained customers. Score on that ! I remember that gas crisis. Odd / Even license plate days in NY to get gas, and only allowed like 10 gallons. Stole a set of odd plates off a car at night. I got to gas up everyday, but the lines for gas were ridiculous. Would wait an hour to gas up 10 gallons. Now we got ETHANOL mix. I don't know which was worse. This friggin ethanol is terrible fuel. Back in the gas crisis, it was pure gasoline. The good stuff :)
 
During the original gas crisis I I had a lawn mowing business. Could not get gas. Could get kerosene . Flat head Briggs. Spray starting fluid In oil bath air cleaner. Crank mixture screw farther open. Run wide open, made about half power. Gas was much better. When you could get it. The 11'hp ran better on it. Clean plug every yard or 2. Had to pull heads and exhaust valves and clean about every week. Change oil often, it got diesel in it. Ring jobs needed when could get gas again. Lots of smoke. A
I Gained customers though cause I had fuel.
Rod
My mom used to fill her 1978 Subaru brat at the airport. They always had gas.
 
Back
Top Bottom