Neon yellow diesel coloured fuel?

[jtanguay]

Um yeah, I'm ticked off!!!!!  I got diesel leaking all over from the right side of my pump.  It's leaking bad.  What's worse is that its this bright neon colour.  Definitely not that golden diesel colour.   It also smells sorta like gasoline???  

When I fill my tank I usually leave around 8-10 litres of diesel in there just in case.  (I usually get about 40-45 litres in my tank per fillup).

What I'm guessing happened is either they've changed their diesel supply, or accidently mixed gasoline into it.  I've been noticing leaking a few weeks prior... but its getting much much worse.  I even see a bit of leakage on #1 injector line going to the injector (its moist, the others are dry).   The liquid even seems runnier (however I've only compared it to my diesel fuel conditioner, which is a golden brown colour, and i highly doubt that it would turn my fuel ultra thin and make it go neon yellow)

I'm really pissed...  and I'm probably going lawsuit on this BULL!  Damn my car is a crime scene...  :lol: it got raped!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pull out the soco team!!!!!

has anyone else had this problem???  (I thought for a second that my pump was radioactive... then... no  :lol: )

If indeed it is some type of new diesel, I will still sue them for not bringing it to my attention (i always get them to fill my tank)  

IMO if coffee needs to have a "CAUTION HOT" sign on it.  then this ***ty diesel should have a sign saying "CAUTION MAY LEAD TO INJECTION PUMP RAPE"  well maybe not those exact lines... but you know what I'm getting at.

[jtanguay]

omg... could I be using biodiesel?.................... no way.......... hmmmm I wonder...  this is messed up!

its pretty slippery...  but that could be my fuel additive.   Those bastards are trying to slip in some biodiesel into my car!!! ewwwww.

(and yes I thought it was coolant too... but its dripping from the underside of the pump as well, and for another thing.. its cool.  coolant is not very cool... lol)

[vwmike]

Have you been drinking this evening?

[jtanguay]

hehehe

while reading up on biodiesel I found out that you can use the oil from algae... that is pretty amazing.

I haven't been drinking, but I think I might have to grab a few cold ones before my head explodes from this whole ordeal.  My car is peeing all over the roads...  :lol:

[Op-Ivy]

Well, if it started leaking all of a sudden it would make sense for it to possibly be biodiesel. Biodiesel is errosive and may corrode fuel lines going to the pump. Most people that run Biodiesel switch to synthetic lines. Where do you fuel up, fellow canuckian?

[Master ACiD]

years ago it was not uncommon to get neon yellow diesel from certain truck stops, i think flyin j was 1 of them.

i never figured out (or cared to) what it was.

[jtanguay]

well the kicker is... I fill up at a local sunoco gas station.  I have always liked the extra little power I get from Gold Diesel.   This is the first time I've ever encountered this though...  I've got receipts for pretty much all my fillups, and I'm seriously considering some legal action to get a new pump if this crap is what is eating my seals.   I've used 2 different sunoco's depending on where I was, and if I thought it necessary to fillup.

At first I tought it was my oil cooler seal leaking (it was pretty tough getting that o-ring aligned on an angle like that...)  But when I touched the leaky fluid it was clean, clear, and slippery.  This started happening approximately... 3-6 weeks ago.  It started as a mild drip.

Come to think of it, the neon diesel has a very mild odour.   Smells like it is definitely a blend of something though.   I doubt analyzing it will be cheap  :x

First things first though, I'm going to start taking samples of diesel from local stations, and compare them.  If I find the neon stuff, it will be great for court.  

Thing I'm worried about though, is them saying I filled up my car with garbage after running their diesel through.   Need to get an affidavit from a diesel/biodiesel specialist; to prove that one tank of crap wouldn't cause the leaks that I'm seeing.  It's pretty bad... and almost seems like the return lines are going to be leaking soon too.  Man I wish it would just blow my motor, and force them to buy me a new one.  :twisted:

I think I need a beer...  :roll:

[veeman]

jtanguay...  Any possibility this could be fuel left over from the winter or perhaps in preparation for the winter?  The Pilot station I used to fill up from this winter would have a bright neon yellow type of diesel.  I know it was fresh because it's a truck stop and they claimed to get four trucks a day to refill.

Anyway, the stuff was fine and I attributed it to some sort of "winter blend" or something.

As for the bio, I brew my own and it ranges from light beer color to a deep amber depending on the feedstock.  I can attest to the fact that one tank or even running a blend for a short period of time does not cause instant pump leakage.  In fact, I've been using my own bio for around 18k miles now and the pump seals are fine.  To my knowledge they're original...  The overflow / spill rubber lines are getting soft and need to be replaced, but other than that, no problems.  I really like running the bio... less smoke, comparable power, quieter pump / engine and definitely a cost savings for me.

I would think if they were blending in bio, then they'd advertise it and possibly charge more.   The stations near me do...

I know in diesels you can run a certain percentage of RUG (regular unleaded gas)if you need to, but if you had straight RUG, I'd think your diesel would run badly...  Did you find out anything new?

[RabbitJockey]

you gotta remember that diesel fuel is all changing currently too.

[vwmike]

Every pump eventually leaks. You'd probably be wasting your time to try legal action. It's probably best to just replace the seals and call it a day.

[jtanguay]

I believe that if diesel fuel is changing, the consumer should be notified of it.  You can't just selling regular, compatible diesel fuel one day, and start selling one that could potentially harm older engines the next.  If you do, it would be common practice to have some kind of warning.  I like how the diesel pumps have "LOW SULPHUR DIESEL" written on them, but to an uneducated person, that means nothing.  

I feel that I have been conned into using diesel that would wreck my motor.   In this case there is a large possibility for a class action lawsuit with petroleum companies, and even the government.  We need more people to come out with their leaking/damaged pumps.

I just went to re-fill today, and found that the fuel I received was less neon-ish in colour, but smelt a little like rotten eggs...  low sulphur my ass! :shock:

What about when there was lead in fuel?  When they removed the lead from fuel, did they not notify all owners of vehicles that required lead?  I know this is a little different, but still.  If they are going to do this, then give me a new car that will run no problem on this watery crap.

[RabbitJockey]

they did notify us, haven't you seen the sticker on the pumps

[RabbitJockey]

oh ur in canada, so i dunno if you guys are changing or not or if you even have the sticker

[burn_your_money]

I'm pretty sure we (Canada) are changing as well.
I remeber asking once if I was putting the low sulfer diesel in and the lady replied yes. After I drove off I realized that "low" could be 500 or 15, both of which are lower then 5000 or whatever it used to be a few years back.  Either way I added my 2 stroke oil and all was well, until the HG blew. The pump had a sticker on it, that's the only reason I asked.

[Op-Ivy]

How Will the Change Affect Seals?

Seals in contact with diesel of high aromatic content often absorb the aromatic compounds, which makes the seals swell. If diesel with a lower aromatic content is then used, the seals may shrink back. The combination of seal shrinking and pre-existing ageing effects such as compression set or twisting can lead to seal failure and leaks.

Overseas and domestic experience suggests that the seals most susceptible are Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) seals in Bosch type Denso or Zexel rotary fuel injection pumps. More specifically, older (at least 6 years) cover seals and throttle shaft O-ring seals may be affected. These susceptible components occur most often in pre-1995 Japanese or Korean light diesel vehicles.

Some diesel owners may wish to replace fuel injection pump seals before the change to lower sulphur diesel. The Ministry's research suggests the introduction of lower sulphur diesel simply emphasises the need for regular maintenance of diesel engines. But diesel owners and mechanics should look for the tell tail signs of a fuel pump leak such as a reduction in fuel efficiency, smoky exhaust or visible signs of a diesel leak.

From http://www.med.govt.nz/templates/Page____10375.aspx

Maybe something to consider?