Do you leave your diesel running while refueling?

[Kajtek1]

ugh....gasoline versus diesel...educate yourself!!!

Go throw a lit match into a can of gas. Now do the same for diesel. The gas will be spectacular. The diesel will not.

Its called flash point.

Unless it is California gasoline.

 

[Farfrumwork]

No. I don't see any benefit of leaving it run.

And it would make me tense to have it idling while filling, cleaning the windshield, and hitting the restroom.

 

[OffroadHamster]

No. I don't see any benefit of leaving it run.

And it would make me tense to have it idling while filling, cleaning the windshield, and hitting the restroom.

Hitting the restroom for sure! No way in hell I am leaving my van unattended with the keys in and it running!

 

[Kajtek1]

The "leave it running" is coming from old habits, just like "oil change 3000"
Old diesels were hard to start and starters were not long-lived, so with low fuel consumption, leaving it running made sense.
Even last year, I park on semi-truck parking at "Big Texan" and old semitruck pulled over, when driver went inside for order pickup I guess and left the truck running. Darn thing was rattling whole parking lot for about 20 minutes.
New engines don't have those problems and starters become lifetime items.
I even wonder how technology works. Observing rail pressure, it bleeds down to 0, when I turn the engine off, yet the engine seems to start on 1st turn, even after weeks of parking.
That said, having keyless go in my sedan and SUV and dog, I do leave it running on parking, lot, when I go for dinner and temperatures are in 3-digits.
But I always choose the table at the window, where I can observe the car.

 

[WinnieView1]

When the restroom is onboard it's only a few steps to the rear.
It's even there at a long train signal.

 

[Grouser]

And please don't run to the restroom and leave your van parked at the pump running or not! I got places to be

 

[Yardverkauf]

The only time I let my engine idle when refueling is if I pull off the highway after running it hard. Under these circumstances I will idle it so the turbo, what having high heat has time to cool down. After a minute or so I turn it off.

 

[tw1963]

no, keeping idling to absolute minimum

The only time I let my engine idle when refueling is if I pull off the highway after running it hard. Under these circumstances I will idle it so the turbo, what having high heat has time to cool down. After a minute or so I turn it off.

just curious what is the rationale for that?

 

[EBS-P]

Actually I do.
Having black van park on 108F spot with no shade sure makes for good test.
Engine-driven AC after few minutes without van movement and no wind, will actually add more heat via the floor, than the AC will cool.
Maybe you should put more insulation on your van?

The HO rear AC with second compressor keeps it nice and cool but really cuts into your city mileage.

 

[Yardverkauf]

just curious what is the rationale for that?

I don’t know if this applies to a modern engine but I do it anyway. Supposedly turbos get so hot that if you stop oil flow before a cool down, the oil will cook and form deposits in the turbo which shortens its life.

If you pull off a freeway and drive for a few minutes that cools it enough. Go ahead and shut it down. But those times when you just went up a big hill on the interstate and pull off for fuel at the station on the bottom of the off-ramp…I let it idle.

 

[tw1963]

I don’t know if this applies to a modern engine but I do it anyway. Supposedly turbos get so hot that if you stop oil flow before a cool down, the oil will cook and form deposits in the turbo which shortens its life.

If you pull off a freeway and drive for a few minutes that cools it enough. Go ahead and shut it down. But those times when you just went up a big hill on the interstate and pull off for fuel at the station on the bottom of the off-ramp…I let it idle.

thx

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I don’t know if this applies to a modern engine but I do it anyway. Supposedly turbos get so hot that if you stop oil flow before a cool down, the oil will cook and form deposits in the turbo which shortens its life.

If you pull off a freeway and drive for a few minutes that cools it enough. Go ahead and shut it down. But those times when you just went up a big hill on the interstate and pull off for fuel at the station on the bottom of the off-ramp…I let it idle.

Pretty sure that doesn’t apply to modern turbos.

 

[land yachtie]

Rings don’t seal properly without load—that’s the main concern with frequent or extended idling.
as occasionally left w
If I remember correctly, Mercedes-Benz classifies prolonged or frequent idling in a Sprinter as extreme duty. Under those conditions, the oil service interval drops dramatically—from the standard ~26,000 km (16,000 miles) all the way down to about 3,100 miles. So if you’re in the camp that maybe you should change your oil in under normal driving conditions around 6000 or so, what do you do under extreme conditions as defined by Mercedes-Benz change it every thousand miles??

The issue isn’t just oil dilution from the rings not sealing as intended; it’s also the accumulation of soot and other contaminants in the oil.

Just something to think about if you were running your car to charge your batteries for long periods or think somehow you’re being easy on your car by not shutting it off.. in general the fear of frequent start thing is old school mentality.. look at how long cars have been shutting off at stop lights and restarting automatically, many of these cars are lasting for far more miles than the cars of decades past.

I know these are different engines, but our 1967 200D was occasionally left idling all day up at the ski hill in Fairbanks. Yes, we skied at very sub zero temperatures. on the cold days like -20, most cars wouldn't start without help. The Benz would be idling away burning about a gallon of fuel. Then we would go around jumping the other cars that were trying to turn over with really cold batteries and really solid oil. I was out late one night in Ester at the Howling Dog Saloon. It was easy -50 that night. When the band quit we went to go. I could see a Stalagmite of oil under the front seal as I walked out to the car. I figured it to be about a quart. The oil breather had frosted up and crankcase pressure pushed the oil out. I got a quart from the trunk. It would not come out of the can. It took a half hour in front of the fireplace to get it liquid enough to get it in the engine.
I drove over a hundred miles that night getting people home safe. One was a hitch hiker. I drove him at least 25 miles out of our way to get him someplace warm.

 

[The_D]

Is it even legal?
I do not do that in US.

I did that in some countries of eastern Europe with cigarette in my lips, but that was common there 15-20 years ago

i do not think it is not safe to fuel modern ICE while running, more measures from the past, however i do not think it poses a problem even in 120f to stop engine, for the folks who in needs or hospital fleet, typically battery is the source

 

[vreihen]

I don’t know if this applies to a modern engine but I do it anyway. Supposedly turbos get so hot that if you stop oil flow before a cool down, the oil will cook and form deposits in the turbo which shortens its life.

There used to be aftermarket turbo-timer systems being sold, that let the engine idle for a few minutes after shutting it off to circulate the oil as the turbo cooled to prevent coking.....

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Is it even legal?
I do not do that in US.

I did that in some countries of eastern Europe with cigarette in my lips, but that was common there 15-20 years ago

i do not think it is not safe to fuel modern ICE while running, more measures from the past, however i do not think it poses a problem even in 120f to stop engine, for the folks who in needs or hospital fleet, typically battery is the source

I don't think it is specifically illegal to idle a fueling diesel; I haven't seen that it is such a law in NJ, anyway.

It is illegal to idle your engine when pumping gas, but in NJ it is illegal to pump gas yourself. You can pump fuel yourself, but that fuel can't be gas. Contrariwise, in NJ, it is (or was) illegal, specifically, to idle a diesel for more than 5 minutes, which did not apply to gas cars, for any reason.

There is no particular reason to not idle a diesel while fueling it, from a safety standpoint. Its not a good idea because of modern emissions regulations and low lubricity fuel, and the need to do it is far less than it used to be with modern lubricants, glow plugs, and starting systems. But its not unsafe.

 

[tw1963]

Rings don’t seal properly without load—that’s the main concern with frequent or extended idling.

If I remember correctly, Mercedes-Benz classifies prolonged or frequent idling in a Sprinter as extreme duty. Under those conditions, the oil service interval drops dramatically—from the standard ~26,000 km (16,000 miles) all the way down to about 3,100 miles. So if you’re in the camp that maybe you should change your oil in under normal driving conditions around 6000 or so, what do you do under extreme conditions as defined by Mercedes-Benz change it every thousand miles??

The issue isn’t just oil dilution from the rings not sealing as intended; it’s also the accumulation of soot and other contaminants in the oil.

Just something to think about if you were running your car to charge your batteries for long periods or think somehow you’re being easy on your car by not shutting it off.. in general the fear of frequent start thing is old school mentality.. look at how long cars have been shutting off at stop lights and restarting automatically, many of these cars are lasting for far more miles than the cars of decades past.

Ask me how I know , very good advice.

 

[Mike DZ]

I don't think it is specifically illegal to idle a fueling diesel; I haven't seen that it is such a law in NJ, anyway.

It is illegal to idle your engine when pumping gas, but in NJ it is illegal to pump gas yourself. You can pump fuel yourself, but that fuel can't be gas. Contrariwise, in NJ, it is (or was) illegal, specifically, to idle a diesel for more than 5 minutes, which did not apply to gas cars, for any reason.

There is no particular reason to not idle a diesel while fueling it, from a safety standpoint. Its not a good idea because of modern emissions regulations and low lubricity fuel, and the need to do it is far less than it used to be with modern lubricants, glow plugs, and starting systems. But its not unsafe.

There are some localities that have ordinances against "extended idling" but those are mostly in urban areas - more for the noise control aspect.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

There are some localities that have ordinances against "extended idling" but those are mostly in urban areas - more for the noise control aspect.

Sure, there are even places that have rules against extended idling of gas cars, too. Princeton does. It was kind of fun sitting in the park, all the self-entitled shits idling their BMWs and whatever, and POPO coming by and writing them summonses. You know, sitting there for 10 or 15 minutes, while I'm sitting in my van, open windows and vent fans, engine off, for hours. "But I can't sit here without air conditioning!"

 

[NGoldsmith]

every modern diesel mechanic I have talked to has told me idling modern diesels is the worst thing you can do to them. the whole cummings and powerstroke crowd loves to idle their jacked up trucks because it makes them feel like they have a real 18 wheeler.. moronic.