bambam47

Ok here is my oops..... I am out of town visiting friends I went to the local store for fuel and they had a sign about must pre-pay for purchases over $100 covering the red dye label. This was a big sign. I didn't realize that I was pumping the red fuel until the foam came up the fill neck. I asked the attendant why he didn't tell me when I told him I wanted to fill up on pump 5. His reply was” I thought you just wanted to save a couple of bucks. “What an moron. Well what are my options? I really can’t afford to drain 37 gal of fuel and throw it away and then refill the tank again. What are the chances of a DOT official believing this if I get stopped in the next 5 or 6 tanks of fuel? I assume it will take at least that long before it all comes out. I do have my receipt but will that help me? Am I just screwed? Should I just bite the bullet and drain it?

dieselJon

Take a picture, get the manager to sign a paper stating that they did not have the pump properly labeled/mis-labeled, etc. And hope for the best...

Gunrunner

Don't worry about it, just run it! I've been driving diesel pickups for 22 years and have never had my fuel checked. I have a couple friends and relatives that have, but the odds are WAY in your favor.

joesixpack

Dude, don't sweat it! Just burn that tank down as low as your comfortable, then fill up it with clear. The lower the better. How many times have the D.O.T pulled you over before? Why would they start now?

dieselrob

Just use like they said above, But if your really worried you can drain it and dump it in your oil burner tank if you have an oil burner. I wouldnt worry at all i use the red stuff in one of my trucks because it doesnt go more than 10 miles from town.

Desert Dually

Aren't the fuel nozzles slightly bigger on the red dyed fuel? That would have been a dead giveaway right there. It is here in Florida. So annoyingly big in fact, that it wont fit into a standard 5 gallon fuel can. Of course the bigger fuel nozzle from the red dyed fuel would fit into my truck, but that would be illegal Plus the attendant said you cannot pump the red stuff into a vehicle that drove in under its own power. It has to be on a trailer, or you can pump it into an approved container that isnt connected to the vehicles fuel system. Says he has to be strict cause he got fined last week along with 4 customers who fueled up their trucks directly from his pumps.

So, if the nozzle doesnt fit in the fuel cans, and you can't legitimately pump it directly into your truck, how the heck is the station selling any of it? I'm sure a few construction guys moving backhoe's and bobcats might come thru every now and then....but still.

Anyways, to the original poster, I say run it and dont worry about it. Maybe put a half qt of used motor oil in the tank, that will blacken the entire tank due to the dispersal characteristics of diesel fuel. Wont hurt the engine or fuel filters at that small concentration either.

bambam47

i did take a picture with my phone so maybe if i do get dipped that will help. i just figured that with being away from home it would be just my luck.

wheatwhacker

Man, relax and just take a road trip.
I've burned more red than clear in my lifetime and never been dipped.
Just stay away from farm shows and rodeos, thats where they'll get ya.
We had an incident a few weeks ago where a bunch of guy's dipped on a construction site. They went straight for the big trucks and the flatbeds. My truck was there and they ignored it, maybe thinking it was a gas truck.
Been all clear since though.

Big Blue24

Just carry an open quart of tranny fluid with you. Tell them you add it to help lubricate the ULSD that seems to clatter alot on your rig. Tell them the tranny fluid really helps out. It's red, and a believable excuse if you win the lottery and get dipped.

Sprinter17

Drain it, and I'll give you 50cents on the buck for it.

htgreen3

Just stay away from the livestock auction in Winchester and better yet, anywhere else that livestock or horses may be gathered in the Valley until you have had the chance to run a tank of clear.

I have been advised that you should also change the filter as it will get stained with the red fuel and won't flush clean.

I was dipped once at the livestock auction in Charlottesville about 8 years ago. I was clean, but they caught several farmers that day. Its a tax thing, thats all.

03 ant a hemi

I keep a copy of all my fuel receipts just make a note on your receipt what happend. If you do get pulled over hopefully you have a smart guy who knows you made a mistake and lets you go.
Providing some past receipts may do well, that it was a screw up and not intenttional.
I wouldnt sweat it to much. The station who let you fill with it should have stopped you. They are part at fault.

bhaugen

MN DOT has been doing this also. Going to livestock and farm machinery actions and dipping tanks in "check points" outside the auctions. They also regularly setup check points along major 2 lane highways and do DOT checks o trucks and red dye checks on all diesels.

Dodge04

They really like to check, the guys who have a fuel tank in the bed. Its just too tempting, to pump red fuel in your truck, instead of equipment. And they know that.

If you don't have a tank in the bed, I would just drive it!

rustbucket

Stay away from any kind of trade show, farm show, or auction, until it gets cleaned out. They checked my cousin three times last summer, at farm shows, it was probably because he carries a tank for his tractor fuel all of the time he wasn't very happy about it, but at leaste his truck tank was clean.