Is 4 year old diesel fuel any good?

[Catchthedig]

Guy next door bought a Mercedes diesel sedan during one of the "Arab oil embargoes." Put a 275 gal diesel tank in his garage. Got tired of noisy diesel and soon returned to a gasser. About five years later he offered me the diesel free for my tractor. I politely declined. None of the nearby ag guys were interested. Finally he found somebody who would take the diesel if he could keep the heavy-duty tank. Turns out the town transfer station (dump) has some kind of oil-fired furnace for winter office use. They burn everybody's drain oil (if you bring it bottled). They mix it in their big tank with used transmission oil, cooking oil, stale kerosene, whatever. Except gasoline.

 

[chim]

Last week I finished off about 100 gallons of home heating fuel I salvaged maybe 1-1/2 years ago. It was a couple years old when I got it. Before using, it got a good dose of anti-gel and antimicrobial juice. The last thing the fuel goes through is a fine Goldenrod waterblock filter.

 

[hodge]

I wouldn't run it in a common rail diesel engine, but I would use it my my old backhoe. I would examine it, and unless I saw some serious junk, I'd filter it, treat it with an antimicrobial that breaks up algae, and go for it.

 

[RandyT]

I just finished off the last of my 200 gallon of diesel fuel I purchased from the farm delivery truck in 2018. Getting ready to have another 200 gallon delivered. I have an outside 300 gallon overhead tank that has a 3 psi pressure cap on it so it holds pressure and has little to no air exchange. Never used any anti-gel or any algae additives and filter it through a goldenrod water block filter before going into the skid steer, tractor, or salamander heaters.

 

[Snobdds]

You could run it through a fuel polisher...

 

[Hay Dude]

I wouldn't automatically think there's algae in it, I've never had algae in any fuel, and I don't use any additives in my fuel.

I have some really old fuel around and when I decide to use it, my test will be to pump some of it in a clean white pail and look at it. It easy to see if there's anything I don't want in old fuel.

SR

Hopefully while doing your test, you siphon from the bottom, because thats where all the trouble is.

 

[Hay Dude]

Makes sense, thanks!

Since the fuel in question powers a very expensive engine, I'm going to pump it all out and examine it. If it seems OK, I will probably find another use for it instead of disposing it. Except I don't have any diesel engine I would be comfortable damaging, of course.

Q- if I slowly blend it with fresh diesel that gets used somewhere else, does that blending "fix" the fuel, or am I just taking longer to eventually get all the bad stuff into the engine that way?

You could just be comtaminating perfectly good fuel. Now you are out even more $$$

 

[plowhog]

We have plenty of residential heaters around here that use home heating oil / diesel fuel. If it visually appears good that is probably a good destination plus saves me disposal.

I'm not going to run any amount of it through any engines. Not worth the risk.

Thanks for all of the input!

 

[rockinbbar]

I'd use it to light brush piles, and burn clean, fresh fuel in your expensive engines.

Why take a chance to save a few bucks?

 

[Williy]

For one thing fuel was not treated. Treated fuel makes a big
difference

willy