Red Dyed Kerosene???

[Corm]

I had something happen yesterday at the local place where I've been buying my diesel fuel for years, and I wonder if any of you folks have run across the same thing.

When I pulled up to the diesel fuel pump, one half of the pump had a sticker on it that said Ultra Low Sulphur Road Diesel, at $2.99 per gal. The other side of the pump (this pump island has two nozzles on it) had a sticker on it that said Off Road Diesel, at $2.95. Above the stickers on the pump were placards proclaiming Diesel on one side of the pump, and Kerosene on the other side (right above the Off ROad Diesel sticker). I said Hmm, I wonder if it is truely ORD, or is it Kerosene? I put a bit in my can, and it was died red, like I would expect ORD to be, so I figured the sticker was a new one, the pacard hadn't been changed yet, and it really was ORD. So, I filled up my can with it. I then went inside to pay for it, telling the fellow inside that I needed to pay for my diesel fuel.

He then proceeded to tell me that I had filled up with Kerosene, and not ORD! I questioned him about the red dye. He said the Kerosene was dyed red to keep people from running it in their diesel trucks and not paying road tax. At this point I stopped believing anything he said, as I got the feeling he was adlibing, and didn't know what he was talking about. At that moment, I saw the owner of the place drive in, so I went out to talk to him. He didn't know if there was Kerosene, or ORD in the pump! To make a long story short, I ended up dumping the red dyed stuff in my can back into their tank, and filled up with the over-the-road diesel fuel.

Now, I have a couple of questions for you folks -

1 My understanding is that straight Kerosene is a no-no to run in my diesel tractor. Is that correct?

2 Has anyone heard of red dyed Kerosene?

3 Was I upset for nothing?

Corm

 

[Skyco]

1> You can run straight kerosene- the power will be lower and you might wear your injectors and pump a liitle more than diesel. Kerosene is sometimes run where it is VERY cold because it gels at a lower temp than diesel. It is more commonly mixed in with #2 diesel to lower the gel point in winter.

2> Yes kerosene is now sometimes dyed red to prevent on road use since it is untaxed. Of course in your case with only 4 cents difference I don't know why anyone would bother- usually it is more like 30-50 cents difference.

3> Hmmm - I'd want to know EXACTLY WHAT I was buying too

 

[SeymourBota]

My local Exxon station (also in VT) recently switched from selling kerosene to ORD.
I used to buy a small amount of kerosene each year and it was always dyed and the price was just a few cents less than regular (taxed) diesel.
The new ORD is dyed and the price differential is forty cents/gal.

Sounds like your station is in the process of switching and got some of the new stickers up before the supply tank was drained and filled with ORD.

 

[Mighty Dodge]

My Dodge owners manual says you can run kero or jet-a in an emergency as long as you add 5% oil to it for lubricity. I don't know if I'd run it on a regular basis, injector pumps are a lot more expensive that diesel fuel.

 

[Corm]

Thanks for your replies folks. I appreciate the info. I learned something today!

Corm

 

[patrick_g]

My Dodge owners manual says you can run kero or jet-a in an emergency as long as you add 5% oil to it for lubricity. I don't know if I'd run it on a regular basis, injector pumps are a lot more expensive that diesel fuel.

Winter diesel fuel is about 1/2 kerosene to avoid jelling and yes it gives lower MPG as kerosene has less energy than diesel.

If you should happen to buy a military surplus true multi-fuel engine you can put JP 4 or 5 into the tank, gasoline up to and including the lower two grades of avgas or kerosene or diesel, or number 2 heating oil. You can fuel with any or all of the above with no recalibration and the engine just loves it.

If you have a modern diesel pickup you had better follow the manufacturer's recommendations.

Pat

 

[thatguy]

A few years back the Exxon terminal in Northern VA was mixing 20% kero with their highway diesel for their 'winter blend'.. I dont know what the max mixture would be though - it probably varies by region..

Brian