Bleach in Fuel (sabotage)

[opiefire]

I'm posting this for my friend. Last night he was at a local supermarket with his 2003 quad cab diesel for a short time. He then drove his truck back to the fire house to report to duty. On his way to the station his "water in fuel light" came on. He also suddenly noticed a power loss, the engine started running rough, and a large amount of white smoke was emitting from the exhaust. The distance he drove was two miles. At the station he opened the water drain on the fuel filter and noticed a bleach smell. After removing the fuel filter it was confirmed that bleach was in the fuel. He has not recently fuel up and fuel level was half a tank at the time of the incident. Tomorrow he is towing the truck to a shop to have the tank removed and drained.

1) Does anyone know what bleach can do to a diesel engine?
2) Any ideas on additives or preventive damage control?
3) Thank you for your help.

 

[JApol]

I found this on yahoo answers. I would submit a police report and have him call his insurance

 

[ANicklas]

Bleach will soften rubber (some spray it on their tires to add smoke to burnouts... . whatever), I don't know if it affects all kinds or just the compounds in tires, but it might be something to watch out for.

 

[Missouri Mule]

I would recommend a locking fuel cap this will keep foreign liquids out of your tank.

 

[MMeier]

Since bleach is a corrosive, I would have to wonder what it does to all the metal parts in the meantime.

 

[24V-DSL]

You can pop off a "locking cap" in seconds.

 

[KevinSmith]

at least with a locking cap it takes longer to do the dirty deed. Having been sabotaged myself with drillers mud I can difinatly tell you it is going to take a while for all the ramifications to show up. If you can put it under Insurance I would. This may kill the seals in the lift pump and Vp 44 . Thats !!00 bucks right there well worth the insurance. If he knows anybody in particular at a good shop keep using them to do the work. It makes the paperwork a lot easier.

 

[CSnyder]

Since bleach is a corrosive, I would have to wonder what it does to all the metal parts in the meantime.

I wonder too but we use bleach in our washing machines as well and it goes through our plastic drain tubes? Hmmmm.

 

[WrenchRat]

Sorry to hear your friend was sabotaged. If you can smell it over D2, the concentration must be at least high enough to be a significant concern for component damage.



I would also call Chrysler and Cummins to get their suggestions on what to do and what may or may not be damaged. The answers could also help with convincing the insurance company to ante up.



All polymers/rubber components are not created equal, so some may be susceptible to bleach and others not. The killer chem in bleach is the chlorine. This stuff is highly corrosive and left to it's devices will attack most all of the materials in our fuel systems. Chlorine causes rubbers to soften and decompose into a mass of jelly and it does not take much. I have seen this effect in weeks on incorrectly specified rubber components in chlorinated WATER systems! As for metal, chlorine will lead to stress corrosion cracking as the chlorine is highly reactive and will degrade the grain boundaries in all the metals in our fuel systems. This is a common problem in the food industry where chlorinated wash downs occur frequently. The situations I mention occurred over weeks to months. Hopefully, the short duration of exposure will not cause a problem in your friends truck.



1)First order of business is to get the stuff out. NOW. Don't let it sit in there any longer than necessary. If it were me, I would do it as soon as I got it towed to a suitable place to work and pull an all nighter if necessary. Flush the low pressure side with clean D2 by disconnecting at the fuel tank and VP44 and running several gallons through. Set up a 5gal tank with fuel for a feed. Be sure to change the fuel filter.

2) With that done, reconnect the line to the VP44 and crack the injectors, ALL of them. Crank the engine over and let it bleed. If it wants to run, that's ok. Point is to get the fuel out of the VP44 (might be ruined anyway) and get it out of the rest of the fuel system. Tighten up injector fittings and let it run.

3) Now you can go back to the tank. Drain it, pull it and flush it. Consider going ahead and replacing the sending unit. If anything looks damaged or distressed, replace it. Insurance or not.

4) Change the oil and filter. -Maybe more than once after you run it for a while.



Then all you could really do is fill'er back up and drive it to see how it acts.



Good luck.

 

[Bob4x4]

at least with a locking cap it takes longer to do the dirty deed. Having been sabotaged myself with drillers mud I can difinatly tell you it is going to take a while for all the ramifications to show up. If you can put it under Insurance I would. This may kill the seals in the lift pump and Vp 44 . Thats !!00 bucks right there well worth the insurance. If he knows anybody in particular at a good shop keep using them to do the work. It makes the paperwork a lot easier.

To remove a locking gas cap all you have to do is pinch it while turning,it will come off in seconds and leaves no witness marks. I still have customers that drop off their trucks for some type of fuel tank service and do not leave keys



Bob

 

[opiefire]

Thanks

Thanks to all for such a quick response to this problem... especially Wrenchrat very informative! They are draining the tank and oil as we speak. Locking fuel cap on order, but from the sounds of things it may be useless? I will keep everyone updated with the long term effects of the damage. Thanks again

 

[AKaiser]

Need a locking fuel door. BTW, who'd your friend p!ss off?

 

[LandShark]

Did your friend file a police report? Sounds like he has ****** off someone. Have him check with the supermarket for surveillance cameras which may have captured the culprit in the act.

 

[WrenchRat]

No doubt, Landshark, might be sorta handy to know who's P. O. 'd so as to make amends or avoid or prosecute. Surveillance cams might help show it actually happening for insurance purposes if nothing else. Someone was obviously watching...

It occurred to me that the perp may have actually been stupid enough to have actually purchased the bleach at the SAME supermarket? Hmmmm. Might be able to track back to a particular register by clothing and time and if the perp was even 'stooooopider' and bought the bleach with a credit or debit card, BINGO.

If you want to consider doing this, you'll need to get the surveillance tapes quickly before they record over them...

 

[Skydiver]

Chances are that the bleach was purchased at the store where it happened .



We use bleach in our water plant. It attacks rubber and is very corrosive. If chlorine has something that it can react with it does just that. Chlorine does not just sit idle. When mixed with water it creates hydrochloric acid. Anything that has rubber in the fuel system will need replaced. What did it do to valves ,rings ,and cylinder walls ?

Pitting ? If it happened to me I would have the insurance replace the entire engine(long block),fuel lines and fuel tank including filler neck. Why risk it?

 

[TCluff]

If It Was My Truck, I Would Drain And Refill The Tank, Bleed The Lines, Check Pressures And If All Is Well, Run It, And Dont Forget To Change The Engine Oil, Chlorine Will Destroy Oil And Definitely Show Up In Oil Anylysis... ...

 

[JVantreese]

Och! Why would some creep get pleasure out of wrecking something. I can understand why some people will steel but why vandalize? I hope my locking fuel door and a sensitve alarm system might scare off some of these dummies. Good luck with the repair.

 

[jakprince]

They did that on mythbusters but it was a gas engine and not diesel. But it messed it up big time.

 

[cahammer]

i would go for the locking fuel door from genos i got one on my truck cause i have put way too much money in it to have someone mess with it

 

[WM-300]

What type of insurance would cover something like this ?



WM300