simple_stan

Sure got wrapped around the axle on the fuel issue. It happened about 10 years ago and the tank was drained and flushed. What effects would unleaded fuel have on the injection pump and the injectors?


I have a 1992 D250. Owned it since new. I've had problems pulling a "lite" trailer. At times, we struggle to make the speed limit. I have to believe the problem began when I accidently ran some unleaded in it. As well as not keeping up with highway speeds, after about two hours of towing, the engine is very sluggish pulling away from a stop. I'm thinking that I damaged the injector pump and possible injectors. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

NJTman

You put it in ??? really ?

I've experienced and witnessed the local nozzle jockeys putting the wrong fuel in a diesel truck here, (not in my truck), but that's because they're all brain dead

Start with the basics.

Change the fuel filter, add a couple of quarts of 30 weight oil to the fuel tank, and fill it up with fresh fuel. Run the heck out of it, and see what happens.

oliver foster

Yeah, drain the fuel tank, and fill with fresh Diesel ASAP.

How much gas got added, to how much diesel in the tank?

rrgrassi

I knew a guy that did that to his RattleJoke 6.0 On an empty tank, filled it with RUG. After the diesel was run through the lines, the RUG blew the engine.

Without knowing how much RUG you put in, it is hard to tell what damage occurred.

My '82 MB manual actually says it's ok to add 10% RUG during the winter to prevent summer diesel from gelling.

the.beard

All the pumps are green at BP stations, so it's not a very hard mistake to make if you've already had a long day, I guess.

I know this doesn't help you, but if it makes you feel any better my best friend put $50 worth of high-test gasoline in an empty tank. Ran like absolute butt for 10 miles before he figured out what happened but nothing was permanently damaged. We drained the tank, filled with #2 and 8oz of Diesel Kleen and fired it up and it's still good to this day. It's a PowerStroke, too.

simple_stan

Yep, it was done years ago and the fuel system was drained and flushed. Not sure how soon after that the low power started. It has been more noticeable the last few years. I have read that the injector pump could be out of time. That seems to be a reach to me.

j_martin

When you wreck a fuel pump with lack of lubrication (gasoline, usually, but JP fuels or kerosene can do it too) they usually crash in short order.

When is the last time you checked your valve lash?
Does the engine use excessive lube oil?

simple_stan

The valve haven't been adjusted since about the 30,000 mile time frame. The only oil consumption is on startup. I usually get a blue cloud. The colder the day the longer it lasts.

j_martin

Start there. Valve lash usually stays pretty good in these engines, but the specified valve lash setting interval is pretty short (12,000 miles I think). That's because if a valve starts wearing, ie eroding, you need to know before it is held open during serious combustion and gets cut by hot gasses. If the engine idles fairly smoothly, that probably hasn't happened yet, but valve lash will effect valve timing and performance.

Another clue, is oil accumulation in the cylinder during shut down is usually from valve guides. It's just a matter of gravity. It is normal for these engines to puff a bit of black smoke on startup. That's because the IP goes full rich below 300 rpm. Most of us have no clue how fast our engine will actually crank on the starter because the first one over the top fires and it's running.

We got tangled up on the RUG incident because that was your opening comment, like it just happened.

How many miles, and what kind of service are on this engine? Have you done any maintenance on it in 10 years? What is your normal oil, oil filter, fuel filter, and air filter maintenance interval?