Diesel in a lawnmower?

[ITHINKICAN]

Last weekend while I was weed whacking and pruning and the boy was mowing the wife poured diesel in the lawnmower. It ran for about 5-10 minutes then blew blue smoke then stopped working. I didnt know about the diesel so i pulled the cord a few times and it started once or twice but stalled shortly thereafter.

Does anyone think I can just replace the sparkplug and clean the gas tank? Or am I gonna have to drop it off at the local repair shop? I'm not a tech so I am limited in how much I can do on my own...

 

[Verticaltrx]

Drain the fuel out of the tank and carburetor, clean the plug, fill with new gas and off you go. Shouldn't be too big of a deal. :thumbsup:

 

[Travelover]

Drain the tank and the carburetor bowl and add fresh gas. I wouldn't even replace the spark plug unless it looks really carboned up.

Years ago, small engines were made that were started on gasoline, then switched to diesel once the engine was hot, then switched back before shutoff. So, it is not really a harmful thing to run diesel in a simple gas engine.

 

[GPintheMitten]

Follow the above suggestions.

The only thing that is difficult is getting the blue smoke back in, that blew out.

 

[ITHINKICAN]

Thank you!!

After I loosened up the piddidly valve so I could adjust the turbo louvers I checked the blue smoke dip stick and there is plenty of blue smoke still in there...

I needed a good laugh!! We had to replace the turbo cell on the pool last weekend. Three days later the pump stopped working. I'm over on trouble free pools dot com trying to find out how much that's gonna cost me.

 

[Ken]

This summer was mowing and ran low on fuel so stopped and added diesel to engine. Why don't know but every thing else uses diesel here. Ran the engine for 1/2 tank then stopped for lunch. The engine would not restart. Found my error changed to gas and took propane torch and ran propane in carb. until the engine started finished the mowing . next day engine started as usual.
Recall only problem while running the diesel was needing more choke to keep the engine from slowing in rpm and exhaust gas was stronger.
Years ago had a G.P. John Deere that ran on tractor fuel no longer used it was cheap.
And kept in 55 gal. barrel next to the gas barrel. One morning noticed the 5 gal. fuel can was missing. Then heard and saw a heighbor driving past and his old Plymouth was blowing smoke like a fog machine. Never had anyone else try to use.
ken

 

[Soundguy]

one of our workers put diesel in a 3" gas trash pump.

it kicked and sputtered and stalled.

we drained the tank, added gas, cleaned plug, and started it on a shot of start fluid.

sputtered till all diesel was gone out of filter and carb bowl.

after that went fine.

soundguy

 

[Gale Hawkins]

You are fine. Just do not do it the other way around.

 

[ITHINKICAN]

Thank you TBN!! It worked perfectly!! :thumbsup:

 

[Renze]

You are fine. Just do not do it the other way around.

My forelast car had a bit too much soot in the annual safety and environment test. I poured 3 liter of gas on a half tank of diesel, and after that it passed the soot test without a problem.
Diesels dont detonate because the combustible is only injected at TDC so it wont knock (or ping) like a gas engine with too low octane fuel. No immediate harm will be done, but its not recommended

 

[yomax4]

As long as you are talking 4 stroke engine you will be fine. 2 Strokes turn inside out with diesel.

 

[5030]

Drain the tank and the carburetor bowl and add fresh gas. I wouldn't even replace the spark plug unless it looks really carboned up.

Years ago, small engines were made that were started on gasoline, then switched to diesel once the engine was hot, then switched back before shutoff. So, it is not really a harmful thing to run diesel in a simple gas engine.

Not exactly. You started them on gasoline (regular tetra-ethyl lead gasoline) warmed them up, closed the carburetor shutter (that concentrated exhaust manifold heat on the carburetor), closed the radiator shutters (kept the coolant hotter) and switched from the gasoline tank to the distillate tank. Not diesel fuel, kerosene.

Even then, half went out the exhaust pipe.

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. a vaporising carb really helped. but it made less power overall.. was cheaper though.

I'm sure ( tractor vaporizing oil ) tvo/distilate/kerosene/diesel/mineral spirits or even lamp parifin oil would burn in them.. as long as you switched back to gas at the ned to clean out the lines so she's start in the morning..

 

[moored4]

Follow the above suggestions.

The only thing that is difficult is getting the blue smoke back in, that blew out.

I think this is all a mechanical problem not an electrical one! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

 

[Travelover]

Not exactly. You started them on gasoline (regular tetra-ethyl lead gasoline) warmed them up, closed the carburetor shutter (that concentrated exhaust manifold heat on the carburetor), closed the radiator shutters (kept the coolant hotter) and switched from the gasoline tank to the distillate tank. Not diesel fuel, kerosene.

Even then, half went out the exhaust pipe.

Thanks for the history lesson. I admit that I have only heard about it, never actually ran one.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

As long as you are talking 4 stroke engine you will be fine. 2 Strokes turn inside out with diesel.

How is diesel going to do any physical damage to a two cycle engine.

On a different subject I have found by accident that our 18 HP B&S and 6.5 HP China knock-off Honda generators when hot and under full manual choke will keep running if switched over to pure Sea Foam.

As the adding gas to diesel mentioned above I have read years ago some MB owners would mix a small amount of gas in the diesel for better winter starting.

 

[5030]

Thanks for the history lesson. I admit that I have only heard about it, never actually ran one.

My first real tractor was a 1941 International Farmall A dual fuel. Put an L59 Woods Belly Mower on it and mowed a lot of lawns,

That was back when gas was 30 cents a gallon.

Gawd, I'm gett'in old.

 

[5030]

yep.. a vaporising carb really helped. but it made less power overall.. was cheaper though.

I'm sure ( tractor vaporizing oil ) tvo/distilate/kerosene/diesel/mineral spirits or even lamp parifin oil would burn in them.. as long as you switched back to gas at the ned to clean out the lines so she's start in the morning..

Giving my age away....Chris...

My '41 Farmall had a Marvel Scheibler (think that's right) updraft and 2 fuel tanks. A small tank for gas and a large for kerosene/lamp oil, crank down shutters for the radiator and a hinged cover for the carb. It was such a PITA that I just used the big tank for gasoline. You had to run with the wind because half the distillate came out the exhaust pipe.

Learned about Fairbanks Morse Impulse Magneto's the hard way on that tractor. never hold a mag in your right hand and flip the impulse with your left....

 

[Soundguy]

the 48 farmall C i'm working on has them nice shutters and the distilate manifold with the lever. battery ignition though..

soundguy

 

[5030]

the 48 farmall C i'm working on has them nice shutters and the distilate manifold with the lever. battery ignition though..

soundguy

Should work well for you in Fla with the skeeters on distillate. The sooty fog that eminates from the exhaust stack will keep all but the most voracious skeeters of your body as it gets coated from the oily exhaust......:thumbsup:

I still have the single bottom pull plow and the rockshaft assembly in the barn. The plow has never seen soil. Still has the cosmoline on the shareand moldboard.

I sold the tractor to a guy who wanted it to mow with and didn't want the plow or rockshaft. I've lost track of the tractor but I imagine it's somewhere restored, doing shows. The old wide front offset A's are real collectable up here now.

I think I have the original owners manual and bill of sale somewhere too. Probably should put that on Flea-Bay.

The mag was a PITA. Should have converted it to battery and coil and a single wire alternator but never did.