Kerosene & petro diesel mixture

mackconsult

New member
I made a post last week about my van making some weird pinging noise. Last Thursday my lift pump for the WVO side quit. So I have been driving around on diesel the last few days, its been starting and sounds fine ......

My thought is this. I would like to mix about 1 gallon of kerosene with say 6 gallons of petro diesel. This mixture would be my "purge/warm-up" fuel.

Any body have any experience with burning a kerosene/petro-diesel mixture????
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
The percentages are the same in my 647's (2005) Owners Manual.
However, the two paragraphs -before- that list are also interesting:
At temperatures below 14 °F (–10 °C) use winterized or No. 1 diesel fuel only.
If not available, a certain quantity of kerosene or fuel flow improver may be added.
Mixing only to be done within the vehicle’s fuel tank.
Kerosene has to be filled in before the diesel fuel.

Engine power may drop according to the proportion of kerosene.
For this reason, keep percentage of kerosene added to the minimum necessitated by the ambient temperature.
and... after the temperature/percentages, it adds:
Adding of kerosene to No. 1 diesel fuel is not recommended even at low temperatures.
One gallon of kerosene to 6 gallons of #2 diesel is about 14%.

good luck
--dick
 

mendonsy

Member
I have done this with OLDER engines (prior to glow plugs) to raise the cetane value and reduce gelling in cold weather. It does not seem to me that it would be a good idea if the temperature is above freezing.:2cents:
What are you trying to accomplish??:thinking:
 

GEARS

2005 140WB standard roof
Kerosene will reduce the biodiesel viscosity but I would also dope the fuel with some upper cylinder lubricant.

:cheers:
 

david_42

Active member
I'm really puzzled. Why would you want to use anything other than straight diesel for warm-up/purge, when the problem sounds like it is on the WVO side? Adding a little kerosene to the WVO would improve the viscosity and raise the cetane value.
 

KL2BE

Member
I'm really puzzled. Why would you want to use anything other than straight diesel for warm-up/purge, when the problem sounds like it is on the WVO side? Adding a little kerosene to the WVO would improve the viscosity and raise the cetane value.
In recent years cruisers in the Caribbean have found that light diesel from Venezuelan refineries (a blend that is more like #1 diesel with a high blend of Kerosine/jet fuel) has wiped out their injector pumps in short order :bash:. When nothing but light diesel has been available in remote areas, some boaters have added outboard or 2-stroke oil in 100-1 blend to increase the lubricity and save their infector pumps.
Of course, this is with old-fashioned i-pumps on Perkins and Yanmar engines; I'm not sure exactly how the MB common rail system works and whether or not fuel lubrication is as critical. Winter-blend diesel in Canada and Alaska has a lubricity additive. I'd be cautious using a home-made blend and look for a fuel additive that increases lubricity.

PS: I went back and read the entire WVO thread and now understand better what you are up to; doesn't sound like you would be running a kerosene blend long enough to do any damage.
 
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mackconsult

New member
Just a heads up to you all .... I have not done it.

As I start bio-diesel production in 2011 for the TDI passat I am planning on cutting the 100% bio with little bit of kerosene.

Was just asking the question .... The sprinter is running fine ... the only reason I was thinking of trying to use the kerosene mixed with petrol is to see if it would "change" the sound my sprinter makes on diesel.
 

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